Sharon Bolton has created a belter of a thriller with her latest novel, The Craftsman. With a mixture of mystery and gothic elements, I feel that this should be real winner amongst crime lovers! I seized every opportunity I could to dive into this book! Creepy and full of suspense! I have to admit that I haven’t read any of Sharon’s previous books, but she has definitely won me over with this read, I’m sure it will win her lots of new fans!

The Craftsman opens with the funeral of convicted murderer, Larry Glassbrook, thirty years after he was brought to justice after confessing to the kidnappings of three children. Florence Lovelady has been riding on a high ever since she solved the complex case and she returns to her former home town to see his coffin being lowered into the ground. His funeral stirs old memories and we revisit the time when her home town faced a very dark time in its history. The story is set in the late 1960s and in 1999, when Florence returns to the town for Larry’s funeral, but as we return to the present, old questions about the case begin to resurface. Larry Glassbrook confessed to the crimes, it was an open and shut case, wasn’t it? It appears that The Craftsman isn’t quite ready to be laid to rest…

As we re-visit the time frame when the children disappeared, we can see the trials that Florence faces in the police force as she fights for her voice to be heard in the male dominated world. Although Sharon Bolton doesn’t play too heavily on this theme it is subtly there in the background and it was interesting to compare her situation as it was back then to how it is now when she returns to the town. The treatment she received from some of her colleagues really did make me feel quite angry and I really wanted her to get results. For a lot of the time she can only depend on her colleague Tom to help argue her case.

Another theme which fascinated me was the subject of witchcraft. As the novel opens, Sharon gives us a little background information on the Pendle Witch trials which took place in the sixteen century. I found this really helpful in getting to know more about the backdrop of the book and already she had me wanting to find out more about how this particular theme was going to shape the rest of the story. I had to google images of Pendle Hill which is the perfect setting for this type of book.

I really enjoyed this one. Sharon Bolton has crafted a clever and fascinating tale which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an advance review copy.

Excellent book with a brilliant storyline and great main characters. I would recommend this book.

Oh my word! I have read a few books by this author now and have enjoyed them all. This one though, I absolutely loved!

Florence Lovelady has to be just one of the best protagonists I have met in a while. What a brilliant character! Even though the book starts and ends in present day, the majority of the story is set in the 1960's. There weren't many women police officers around in those days. Especially in the place where Florence finds herself. She is very much the new kid on the block and without trying, seems to rub everyone up the wrong way. Because she is female, the men tend to write off what she says and won't take her seriously. The fact that she has probably more brain cells than the lot of them put together doesn't stop them from giving her a hard time. I felt as frustrated as Florence many a time through out but I had to give her credit for her strength and determination. 

I loved the whole supernatural sort of feel that the witches aspect brings to the story. It isn't in your face and makes for some truly believable story telling. It just added that little bit extra to this story increasing the overwhelming darkness that surrounds it. 

The Craftsman is a brilliantly dark and compelling story. Drawn in from the very beginning, it did not release me until I had consumed and digested every last word. Without a doubt this is my favourite book by this author and would urge fans of this genre to read it.