Regular visitors to the blog will know that I have a bit of a 'thing' for crime/horror crossover novels, which this most definitely is.  Thanks to social media I saw this book sent to a few lucky early readers at the start of the year and I kid you not, it arrived in its own flipping grave!  How incredible is that?!  I knew there and then that I had to read The Craftsman.  I was pretty much prepared to do ANYTHING to get my hands on a copy (including waiting very calmly and patiently for it to be published!).  So when I was asked to feature on the blog tour, there was no way on this earth that I could say no.

Strangely, and I still can't quite believe it myself, this is the first book I have read by Sharon Bolton.  I have a copy of Bolton's Dead Woman Walking on my TBR which I really must get around to.  I loved The Craftsman.  I was immediately drawn into a story that I could not pull myself away from.  Our main character, WPC Florence Lovelady, had my full attention from start to finish and I'm left wanting more.  What an intriguing, fascinating story and one that will stay with me for some time to come.

The book opens with a funeral.  A funeral with a difference as the mourners aren't there to mourn, they want to prove to themselves that it's true; Larry Glassbrook is finally dead.  Florence Lovelady, who was heavily involved in the hunt for Glassbrook after he murdered three local teenagers by burying them alive and was key to discovering Glassbrook's identity, has returned to Sabden in Lancashire to attend the funeral.  Lovelady has been in regular communication with the convicted killer since he was imprisoned.  Glassbrook's final message, delivered via a short cryptic message, makes Florence wonder whether the arrest, the horrors she experienced all those years ago back in the late sixties, were the doing of Larry Glassbrook or someone much more sinister...

I enjoyed many of the characters in The Craftsman.  But for me, it was ALL about the tough, plucky WPC Florence Lovelady.  It's the late 1960s and Florence is the first woman to work for the Sabden Police Force.  She's 'just a young girl' in their eyes so is consigned to tea making and typing duties, but she outshines every single other character in the book!  Florence is smart, gutsy and tenacious and tends to run rings around her male colleagues, even when she's trying not to!  While the men are busy being misogynists, Florence is suggesting filming a re-enactment of the latest victim's last movements.  While the men are twiddling their thumbs, Florence is creating charts and looking for patterns, searching for the elusive clue to break the case.  Unfortunately, her intelligence, her keen eye and her repeated bouts of good luck put her somewhere she doesn't want to be.  In the spotlight as one of the main suspects.

Now, this isn't your everyday serial killer novel.  Nor is it your traditional police procedural.  It may not be everyone's cup of tea because, at the heart of this story, there be witches.  Sabden, where the story is set, is at the foot of Pendle Hill which has a long history of witches and witch trials.  I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author has taken this long, dark history and used it to grow her character's experience.  In essence, Florence becomes the focus of a cruel local witch hunt just because she's more intelligent than her colleagues, more determined, more proactive,...and not a man.

There is so much more I want to tell you about this book.  I could go on for hours telling you about another favourite couple of characters; Daphne and Avril, and the wonderful sparkle they exude.  Oh, and I could tell you how much I enjoyed the main body of the story where the reader is transported to the late sixties (and how I couldn't help but picture the odd scene from 'Life on Mars', the television programme).  This is where you get to meet some of the most misogynistic characters I have ever had the displeasure of encountering in a book.  I wanted to thump most of them.  Thank goodness times have changed!  But if I do continue telling you everything I loved then this will be the longest review I have ever written.  So instead, buy the book and find out the wonders of The Craftsman for yourself.

Would I recommend this book?  Most definitely.  It's creepy, it's tense and it's full of witches!  Plus, I don't know about you, but death by suffocation has always terrified me and I'm a terrible sufferer of claustrophobia.  Which made this book all the more frightening for me.  I loved it.  I love what the author has done with her story and her characters are an absolute delight.  Highly recommended.

Five out of five stars.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Craftsman.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

I’ve been waiting and waiting to share this cracker of a book with everyone … and finally it’s my turn!! A new week, and my turn on the Blog Tour for The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton! Thank you so, so much to Tracy Fenton from THE Book Club and Compulsive Readers, and to Trapeze Books over at the Orion Publishing Group for inviting me!

In 1960’s Sabden, a Lancashire village located in a valley just south of Pendle Hill, folklore and legend still govern much of the lives of the inhabitants, although they speak of them in whispers. For this is witch country – the witches being those infamous Pendle witches of the 1600’s. The Pendle witch trials are indeed among the most famous witch trials ever to be recorded in all of history.

And so … Bolton sets the scene for one of the most atmospheric and chilling books I have ever read!

WPC Florence (Flossie) Lovelady has the misfortune not only of having a name that begs others to make fun of her, but also to be the only female member on a police force in this small town where females with brains are not exactly appreciated or required. Her colleagues expect her role to be that of making the tea or typing up their notes. However, Florence has other plans, especially as 3 teenagers have gone missing and Sabden is in quite the frenzy with no clues, no ideas, and no leads whatsoever.

Any suggestions she makes are met with sneers and utter contempt from her team, and I found this so frustrating. As much as she tries to play down the fact that she is obviously cleverer than all of them put together, she just cannot get them to like her. The only one who tries to support her is DC Tom Devins, who attempts to explain how she can get the others to listen to her – usually to no avail. Even when she is right, she is reprimanded and ridiculed. Bolton depicts the typical small town sexist attitudes of the era perfectly, and as annoying as it is to read, it is spot on.

As Florence attempts to get to the bottom of the teenagers’ disappearance she feels as if she’s being thwarted at every turn. People who she thought she could trust suddenly don’t seem to be who she thought they were, and she’s not sure why she feels that everyone is hiding something.

Using themes of witchcraft, legend, mythology and folklore, Bolton weaves an eerie and twisted plot around the village, to the point where you can almost see the mist rising out of your kindle! The Craftsman is a predator so evil that one can barely begin to imagine the fate that he had planned for his victims: a fate so ghastly, and made worse by the fact that he intended to practice until he got it right!

The question is though: who is The Craftsman?

Once you pick up The Craftsman you won’t be able to put it down! It gets 5 big glittery stars from me!

#TheCraftsman #HeWillComeForYou

WOW! What a brilliant thriller. Has to be one of the best thrillers of the year for me so far… Chilling, Creepy, addictive!

You can tell Sharon has done research for this story about the witches, cults, old tales and pendle hill. I had a proud moment when both Burnley and Blackburn were mentioned within this story as they’re both close to home…

Three missing teenagers… What happened to them? Will the truth be set free? Will Florence be able to solve the disappearances? Is this linked to the witches cult, pendle hill and old tales? Is Florence putting herself in danger?

The opening of The Craftsman has the reader intrigued and wanting more, drawing them into the story… A cleverly written story, a real page turner you will find hard to put down and easy to read. This story made my fear of death even worse! Not recommended if you’re claustrophobic. Haha. Very impressed! Highly recommend. A well deserved five stars.

Wow! A cracker of a thriller! Sharon Bolton has written a deliciously dark and disturbing thriller with The Craftsman. The book is mainly set in 1969 and the lead character of Florence Lovelady is a gutsy young policewoman striving to fit in a male dominated environment. This is a story of witches, women and is excellently written with vivid descriptions. read it. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I would recommend this book to lovers of mysteries. I reviewed on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

I was really looking forward to this book but really struggled to get into and found it hard to read, probably just a phase I'm going through as I usually love the books by this author

What a great book. The story is gripping and keeps you on the edge all the way through. Florence Lovelady is a determined young policewoman who faces the tough masculine environment of Yorkshire. I loved the description of her as a highly educated, Southerner who, as a woman, should only be expected to make tea for victims family and the rest of the constabulary as required. At the start she was not taken seriously but worked her way to being the top woman in the Met. The story itself has many twist and is a thriller that involves witchcraft throughout in a very plausible way. The Yorkshire village is so descriptive and it is easy to feel that, as the reader, you are there as well. A superbly written book

Written by Sharon Bolton — There’s something for everyone in Sharon Bolton’s latest stand alone psychological thriller. There’s crime, mystery, history, drama, neatly executed reveals, witches and even magic. The final two might give you pause, but the hint of occult and mythology fits well into this highly enjoyable read.

Prepare to be transported to the fictional town of Sadben, in deepest, darkest Lancashire. In the shadow of Pendle Hill to be precise, a place that has magic in its very stone. It was, after all, home to the Pendle Witches, men and women hanged for witchcraft in the 17th century.

This tale begins in 1999, in Sadben, where Met Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady is attending the funeral… of a former funeral director. She’s not come to mourn, rather to check that Larry Glassbrook is finally, irrevocably deceased. And as the locals gather to spit on his coffin, she realises that emotions still run high, even though 30 years have passed since Glassbrook was convicted of the murders of three young people, buried alive alongside the dead body to whom the casket really belonged.

Back in 1969, Florence was WPC Flossie Lovelady, fresh out of police college and battling a tsunami of distrust and discrimination. As a female, southern, posh, former university student there’s no way Lovelady is ever going to fit in ‘oop north’.

It is a dark time for Sabden. The local teenagers have disappeared without trace, the police are floundering and, not so many years after the Moors Murderers were apprehended, tensions are running high.

Lovelady is surrounded by solid, if somewhat plodding, fellow officers. But she’s someone with a bit of spark, keen to show initiative if only someone will give her the chance. Instead, she’s sent out on the beat and when she’s back in the station she is treated as a glorified tea lady. It’s so frustrating! Then Lovelady has a brilliant idea – why not broadcast a reconstruction of the last sighting of the latest victim?

It’s the first of many innovations suggested by the newbie WPC. All are ground-breaking, and all are greeted with scepticism by her male colleagues. A leap of faith sees her ignoring orders and digging up a recently filled grave. What she discovers blows the investigation wide open…

There are a great many elements to this fascinating novel. First and foremost there is Florence, and how she was treated back in the late 1960s. Anyone who has seen the TV series Life on Mars will recall the casual sexism shown to female police officers, and Bolton sits it firmly centre stage as this story unfolds. Even the name Flossie is an indication of how low down the pecking order the WPC is, and, like so many things, Florence hates it but learns to live with it. She is regarded as a mere woman and not up to scratch as far as actual police work is concerned, but boy, does that assumption get blown out of the water!

It’s an interesting juxtaposition that WPC Lovelady is so badly treated when, in Sadben and the surrounding area, women are, quietly, flexing their muscles. You’ll meet some formidable females during the course of this book. Their shadowy presence, and those of the missing teenagers, lurk in the background, offering a fleeting glimpse of ‘something’ out of the corner of your eye…

Sounds spooky? Good, because the otherworldly aspect of The Craftsman is a compelling one. Unlike, say, Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes, it fits right in here and adds something to a narrative that is likely to already have you in its thrall.

As the action skips between 1969 and 1999, it becomes clear that both Sabden – and Florence – have never really moved on from what happened back then. It’s a place that thrives on secrets and when some of those secrets are in danger of being revealed, the tension ratchets up another notch. You need to be in it for the long haul with this one – it’s a book that will put you under its spell… literally.

See also Chris Nickson’s Lottie Armstrong series, or for a little more witchcraft try Cathi Unsworth’s That Old Black Magic or give Simon Sylvester’s The Visitors a whirl.

Orion
Print/Kindle/iBook
£

CFL Rating: 5 Stars

It is 1969. The streets of Sabden are buzzing with the pulse of tragedy, fears are whispered behind locked doors and worried parents keep weary eyes on their children. Three teenagers are missing and as the police search high and low, the townsfolk throw blame at the station’s door. Newcomer WPC Florence Lovelady helps investigate the spate of disappearances but she is met with ridicule and disrespect from both locals and her egotistical colleagues. Her ideas and suggestions only spur a fresh bout of jabs and jokes. But Florence’s instincts are spot on and she is convinced there is more to this case than meets the eye. When she receives a report from local kids claiming to have heard a voice calling up from a fresh grave, she tasks herself with getting to the bottom of it. But surely it can’t be one of the missing children? Surely it can’t be Patsy Wood crying out for help? driven by a deep-seated conviction, Florence digs back the earth to find the truth. And the truth will change everything.





1999: Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady attends the funeral of the notorious Larry Glassbrook. He was a loving husband, devoted father and merciless killer, responsible for the deaths of multiple children. Florence has carried the horrors of the past on her shoulders for three decades and now with a son of her own, it seems those horrors are rearing their head once again. On that hot day in 1969 when she discovered Patsy Wood’s remains, she also found a clay effigy unnervingly similar to the very girl it was buried with. ‘Why’ she never knew, and the chance to answer that question died with Larry. Drawn back to the house at Pendle Hill, she stumbles upon something that could alter her perception of the past and put her in terrible danger. The clay effigy bears a striking resemblance to Florence and it raises questions she thought she had left firmly behind. Is it a bad omen? Is the killer still on the loose? And if so, why her? And why now?





Although I do absolutely love a well-crafted ‘bad guy’ I think it’s protagonist Florence Lovelady that stood out for me the most! I knew she was going to stick in my mind as soon as I started reading and she has. She’s fiery but kind, sweet but brave, intelligent but tough and her instincts are spot on. She is one of the reasons I loved this book so much – an absolute cracker of a character!

Something that is continuously touched on in the book is witchcraft and the way Sharon Bolton has woven it through the story is utterly marvellous! This book chilled me to the bone.





The Craftsman is my new favourite novel by this author. I was glued to those pages and I still haven’t quite recovered from that ending. With a devilishly macabre story, a killer to chill you to your core and a brave protagonist with plenty of gumption and plenty of heart, The Craftsman is a riveting, masterful slice of perfection from author Sharon Bolton.





Riveting. Shocking. Unnerving.

Deeply thrilling but also disturbing in the right ways story of a killer over the years who affects not only his victims but also those tasked with catching them. Suspenseful and chilling the descriptions of what the victims experienced urgh one of the worst nightmares but also i loved this story as it is set close to me, and it added an extra chill factor. Well worth a read

Now that my heart has actually stopped racing I can do my review.
What a book! It had me hooked from the very first, anxiety inducing page to the last. I am familiar with the Pendle area and have heard tales about the Pendle witches, so when this book became available I couldn't wait to read it.
It is a very well written, compelling, dark, creepy, claustrophobic and totally gripping book and I loved it!
Highly recommended!!!!

A thriller about Lancashire and witches. What is there not to like? Intriguing story. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Sharon Bolton has been one of my favourite authors ever since I read Sacrifice nearly four years ago. I love her Lacey Flint books, but her stand-alone books are always different and keeps the reader glued to the page. The Craftsman is no exception

Thirty years ago Florence Lovelady’s police career was fast tracked after she was central to the investigation that convicted Larry Glassbrook of the murder of three teenagers who were buried alive. Now near the end of her career, she come back to the place in the shadow of Pendle Hill for Larry’s funeral. Her fifteen year old son is intrigued by the story.

The story is told in two time frames - the time of the murders & the present. Sharon Bolton captures the creepy atmosphere of the place and some of the characters have you looking over your shoulder. It shows how times have changed (mostly) for women. I really felt sorry for poor Flossie at the police station!

This book more than lived up to my expectations, in fact I think this is her best book yet. As always, I am eager for the next one!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

"...to be a woman of Pendle is both a blessing and a curse."

I can tell I enjoyed The Craftsman because when I went back through my Kindle I found that I hadn't made any notes. Usually if I'm going to be reviewing a book I'll make a couple of notes or highlight parts to quote, but I was so into this book that I didn't break to note anything down.

It does mean that I don't have any notes to work from so this review may be a bit of a ramble!

It's a sign of good writing that a book is almost effortless to read, and that's what I experienced with The Craftsman. It wasn't simple or dumbed down in any way, it's an intelligent book, but the writing flows superbly and it is gripping right from the beginning, but with a slow build throughout into an explosive ending.

The Craftsman combines police thriller with a touch of folklore and historical fiction. It's a difficult feat to pull off but I think Bolton does this well; the history of the Pendle Witch Trials and the setting of wild Lancashire gives it a little something else which makes it stand out. It's a modern thriller but history is its backbone.

I was worried that this thriller was going to be all gore, especially as the serial killer buried his victims alive. But, while it is disturbing and there are a couple of bits that you shouldn't read while you're eating, it doesn't go for the in your face gore that alot of thrillers do, and which I find takes away from the story.

This is a creepy and disturbing book, but it also has an excellent story and a fascinating look into police procedure in the sixties.

The Craftsman is the first in a trilogy and I can't wait to read the next one.

My Rating: 4 Stars

I received a copy of The Craftsman, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review. My thanks to the author and publisher.

Last year Sharon Bolton had me raving about a book containing hot air balloons, nuns, human trafficking and peacocks, yes Dead Woman Walking took all of those elements and delivered a thriller the likes of which I’d never seen before. Until now. The Craftsman delves into witchcraft and clay effigies (think voodoo dolls) and has a supernatural undercurrent that normally wouldn’t work so well for me, but this? This was genius.

It’s starts in 1999 and Florence is attending the funeral of a killer she helped to catch back in 1969. It immediately jumps back to that time period and remains there until almost the end. Florence was exceptionally well developed, I loved seeing how she grew and matured between the late sixties and late nineties, she was such an interesting woman and the way she was mistreated as a female police officer at the start of her career was appalling but fascinating.

This was so immersive, the atmosphere was chilling and eerie and full of tension, both because of the missing teenagers and also because of the hostility that Florence experiences all because she’s a woman. The case was complex and kept me on my toes and the ending was outstanding, I never saw it coming! Bolton is at the top of her game, I can’t recommend this book and her work more, she’s a truly gifted author.

The Craftsman in three words: Intricate, Chilling and Dark.

The Craftsman is a brilliant scary ,creepy story ,not for the faint hearted ! I thoroughly enjoyed this book it is a story of Murder and Witchcraft and more .Florence Lovelady, now an Assistant Commissioner in the Police goes back to Pendle a small town in Lancanshire for the funeral of a convicted murderer who ,when she was a young PC helped to convict .The story takes us from the 1960's to the 1990's .The book is so well written and hard to put down I love books like these ! and it has a cracker of an ending .! 10 stars !

The Craftsman - Sharon Bolton

In 1969 WPC Florence Lovelady is the only female police officer in the Sabden station in Lancashire just below Pendle Hill. Initially regarded as "a jumped up swanker of a schoolgirl" she soon senses that all is not as it should be in the local community. With child disappearances beginning to mount up Florence soon strikes out without her colleagues support to find out who is at the bottom of it. Set in an area of superstition, witch trials and ancient customs and beliefs this is not easy.
Thirty years later Florence, now a high ranking policewoman at Scotland Yard, returns to Sabden for the funeral of the man convicted of the murders and abduction. This was the case that made her famous as she was largely responsible for bringing him to justice. But was he really guilty? Florence has kept in touch with him through the years and has often wondered if she really knew what was going on. Dark forces are certainly still active. Someone doesn't want her back asking more questions.
This is a nail biting and suspenseful book from Sharon Bolton and I think it is possibly her best yet. Although not for the faint hearted , I really recommend you read this as soon as you can get your hands on a copy.

A wonderful tale, elegantly crafted,

The book begins at the funeral of a convicted serial killer before stepping back 30 years to reveal the story of the killings and conviction. The back story is filled with twists and turns and although we know who the killer is from the introductory chapter, the story of the case is interesting and there is no sense of frustration as the characters solve the case.

As we step back into present time, odd events question the past and the people involved and a new set of twists are revealed. As with the original case, several wrong turns eventually bring us to a terrifying ending twist in the tale.

An excellent page turner and a joy to read.

Thirty years have passed since Larry Glassbrook confessed to murder. The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton will keep you gripped from Page 1.. Dark, Thrilling and Thoroughly Enjoyable. My First Sharon Bolton book but certainly won't be my last

What a fabulous book. Everything I could hope for. Creepy, fast moving, page turning thriller which climaxed deliciously in a nail biting finish.

The author had the atmosphere in the Police service completely right in the early 70’s. I worked in an admin role in the CID and asked my male boss why there weren’t any women in CID. I was told it was because they were only good for looking after lost children not for the serious stuff.

The Craftsman is a genuinely disturbing and compelling mystery and an excellent addition to one of my favourite authors’ catalogue.

Think: a cross between Prime Suspect and The Wicker Man plus Life on Mars, for the fascinating but unnerving mystery, small-town suspicion and superstition, breath-taking and ingrained institutional sexism, with a couple of flashes of humour to lighten the darkness.

The book has an interesting structure: bar the opening scenes, three-quarters of the book is set in the past, during the original 1969 investigation but with the benefit of future knowledge that the police don’t have, before finishing up in the ‘present day’ of 1999. Now, often knowing more than the characters do, or knowing ‘whodunit’, leaves me cold and less interested, but Sharon Bolton still manages to make all of this totally absorbing despite knowing what’s got to happen.

Her descriptions are brilliantly vivid and I had a crystal clear vision of Sabden, the house, the Hill and every single one of the characters. I loved Florence – and would be intrigued to see more from her, so fingers crossed – and Daphne was brill!

In case you’re doubtful about the witchcraft elements, don’t be: while witchcraft adds an extra angle, there is nothing shown here that could not also have been achieved with good, solid police work. Or is there?!

All in all a substantial, thrilling and gripping book, and I am still trying to process that last line…!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Orion and Trapeze for the ARC of The Craftsman.