Detective Sergeant Washington Poe is back, still largely ignoring Senior Officers' advice and warnings. The main characters are evolving nicely, and the bleakness of lesser populated areas of Cumbria acts as an atmospheric crime scene setting . Poe is, once again, sucked into a crime seemingly out of the blue...as the story matures, it emerges that Poe himself has become prime suspect and a race against time ensues to put the perp behind bars
The only thing that has prevented a 5 star rating is that I cant help feeling it was just too convenient the way the (impossible) riddles set during the story were finally solved, however it's still an enjoyable read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Little, Brown publishers for letting me read an advanced review copy and the genuinely talented Mike Craven, who is turning into a guy I'd quite like to meet over a beer, and talk about all things 'booky' and 'authory'

I've been gagging to read this book for over a year now, since I read the brilliant Puppet Show. I begged and begged, and did everything legal short of selling my soul to get my mitts on a review copy. But then when I had it safely loaded on my Kindle I was a bit scared to start it as I feared that it wouldn't measure up to my extremely high expectation. But. It. Did... and then some! It was wonderful reconnecting with Tilly and Poe, my favourite detecting duo, and I was held captive for several hours straight by their antics and the storyline contained within this excellent follow up.
I always say this about series books but I have to stress this here. Please read The Puppet Show first. Please witness the start of Tilly and Poe's relationship. It is, in itself, a cracking read and will only make this book even better if you do so.
So, we start with an already incarcerated prisoner. Jared Keaton, superstar chef, is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his daughter Elizabeth, even though her body was never found. Poe was instrumental in his conviction, despite Keaton protesting his innocence throughout.
Back in the present and, at a Police drop in session at a library, a woman staggers in. She's in a bit of a state but delivers a bit of a shock when she says she's Elizabeth Keaton. She's taken to the station where she's questioned and her identity confirmed. This sends shockwaves throughout the force and Poe is recalled to Cumbria, and the scene of the original crime. With Keaton on the verge of being exonerated for his "crime" and Poe still convinced he got it right, there's only one person Poe will trust to assist him in getting to the real truth. Someone he didn't have at the time of conviction, someone who thinks outside the box and could possibly see things others, including Poe himself, didn't see then. Enter Tilly Bradshaw...
If you've read The Puppet Show, and I'm going to assume you have or you wouldn't be reading this review, things have move on since Immolation Man. Tilly now has her own gang of nerds that she supervises and Poe has started moving on from his own shock it delivered. We also re-connect with (to quote Tilly) DI Stephanie Flynn, who has managed, just about, to accept Tilly for who she is and stopped trying to make her conform. Realising her skills and importance is worth more than a simple dress code.
So we have Tilly and Poe battling against the wealth of the forensic evidence which threatens Keaton's conviction. A conviction, which if overturned also threatens Poe's whole career. This part of things was incredibly well crafted and executed and delivered sucker punch after sucker punch as I tried to second guess what was going on. All delivered alongside some really brilliant, often close to the knuckle, one liners. The main story is not as gory as its predecessor but is more cerebral at times. That's not to say that it delivers anything less than The Puppet Show. It's just as hard hitting but in a different way.
All the way through I was rooting for Poe who was just one step behind proving things. His gut and circumstance telling him one thing, the evidence pointing in another direction. His frustration and fear oozed from each and every page, upping the stakes as the story progressed.
As others have said, I could wax lyrical for ever about how brilliant this book is but, to be honest, if you have read and enjoyed The Puppet Show, you're almost nailed on to love this one equally. So, stop reading the reviews and crack on with the book. Me, I'm just hanging for the next one!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The brilliant second novel after the puppet show. The unique relationship between Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw shines through, with a very clever storyline which kept me reading with the midnight oil. The characters are described so well I could see them clearly in my minds eye. I really enjoyed this second book, equally as good, if not better, than the first. I eagerly await book 3.
Netgally ARC copy.

Where do I start.

So pleased to have Poe and Tilly back in my life. Quote from the book " he was a Luddite and she was the over educated idiot".

The authors way of describing people and scenarios is second to none. Tilly has grown so much in her understanding of the world and what is right and wrong at any given moment

The plot is so different from The Puppet Show but quickly draws you in from the very first chapter.

Poe is right, as always, in his gut instinct and Tilly seems to know the right way to get there. A great ending to the book leaving you wanting to read more as soon as possible.

Thanks to Netgalley, The Little Brown Book Group and of course M W Craven for allowing me an ARC of this book.

Sometimes when an author writes an excellent first book in a series like M W Craven did with The Puppet Show any follow up feels like a let down. Well with Black Summer you won't feel let down in any way as this follow up is as least as good if not better.

The main characters from book one, Poe, Tilly & Flynn, all reappear along with some new ones who the author uses to produce an outstanding dark and very twisty crime thriller that will keep you hooked from the first to last pages.

The setting of Cumbria is also used to add atmosphere to an enthralling book.

And one final bit of good news book three is already under preparation.

Completely recommended

This just like the puppet show was brilliant even better the first book
Well written characters nail gripping page turning with few twists thrown in I could not put it down . M.C. Craven is one of best new authors I have found this year and highly recommend you reading

This is the second book in the series. Really enjoyed this book the characters just keep getting better and better the more you find out about them.
Looking forward to the next one. Would highly recommend this book.
5 stars

Washington Poe has been called back to reexamine a case where a high profile chef murdered his daughter but her body was never found. Now 6 years later, she has turned up and the case is pointing towards Washington being involved! With the help of his best friend, Tilly, and his boss, Stephanie, can they beat the clock to crack the case. Washington is such a tortured soul and his friendship with Tilly is perfect. She has evolved as a character and deserves the focus she got in this one. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Black Summer by M.W.Craven
A great sequel to my personal ‘Book of the Year - so far!’

The story is complex but logical in the detection.... and that’s exactly what a crime novel should be, in my opinion. Not quite so humerus as book one perhaps because Tilly’s societal awkwardness has drastically reduced by equal proportion to becoming known as ‘Bradshaw.’

Those who live with Asperger Syndrome don’t get ‘better’ so perhaps we’ve just found Tilly having a few good weeks - and becoming ‘Bradshaw.’ For me this impacted on the uniqueness of Poe’s relationship with this much younger, ‘genius but socially inept’ side kick.

Poe hasn’t lost any of his ironic humour! For a rare change, I read the Acknowledgements and had a good chuckle. Me thinks Mr Craven has fashioned Poe after himself! An author I’d love to share a meal or a sherbet with.... And his wife, of course! I bet Mrs Craven has some tales to tell too....

Elizabeth Keaton was brutally murdered by her father 6 years ago, her father is serving a life sentence for the crime and yet after all those years Elizabeth appears at a police drop in centre alive, but certainly not well. She has been held captive, abused, tortured and raped but she managed to escape. So if she is alive then her father must be innocent right?

And so begins Poe and Tilly’s new case but this time it is a race to save Poe himself.

This is quite a bit of a different read than The Puppet Show as there is no psychotic serial killer on the loose this time and it is not as gruesome as the first book. That is until the very end, then we get some of the wonderfully gory details I had been waiting for!

The lack of grizzly murders this time round does not mean that this book is lacking from book one in anyway at all. This book is extremely clever with a plot that will have your head spinning and jaw on the floor once all those investigative threads all pull together and all the pieces slot into place completing the story.

Even though this is the second book in a series featuring Washington Poe you don’t necessarily need to have read the first book, The Puppet Show, before jumping into this one but it does however refer back to Poe’s last case from the first book so if you haven’t already I would recommend reading The Puppet Show. Not just to get the full enjoyment out of this book, but because it is a great read and if you have been drawn towards this book you won’t want to have missed the first one! You will love it!

A cleverly engineered plot with two of Britains best crime solving duo’s in a race to the finish kind of read!

If you enjoyed The Puppet Show then let me just say – Black Summer is even better!

https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2019/06/08/black-summer-washington-poe-2-by-m-w-craven/

Well you have excelled yourself here Mike Craven I really thought the first book (which I absolutely loved) The Puppet Show couldn’t be bettered but you have done it here with Black Summer it’s one hell of of a brilliant read and what a plot, what an ending !!
Such a damn clever story we have here, back with Poe and Tilly once more with all the humour and the rapport between them is just wonderful.
So how can you find someone that is to all intents and purpose both dead and alive well if anyone can find the answers it’s Poe and with the brilliant mind of Tilly surely they can’t fail or can they because things are just not looking good at all. Superb writing and the Craven humour makes it stand out from the rest,
the pages kept turning, the plot became more addictive and intense so just like the first instalment I cannot fault anything in this book and the genius of Mike Craven shone through again with the only annoyance being I have to now wait for book three.
So I could rave on and on about just how magnificent this book is but please just see for yourself and don’t miss it and if you didn’t read the first one then don’t miss that either as this is an amazing series.
My thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group, Constable and Mike Craven for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! I’ve been eagerly awaiting Black Summer and was so happy to be given the chance to read it early on NetGalley. I only discovered M.W. Craven a few months ago, and to be honest I avoided reading The Puppet Show at first because I thought it would be one those books which are overhyped and turn out to be disappointing. I couldn’t have been more wrong! I was hooked from the start. The new novel Black Summer is amazing. I love the friendship between Poe and Tilly, and it’s wonderful to watch their characters grow. The story is very clever, with lots going on and just the right amount of twists. Mike has a great way of writing, he is unlike any other author I’ve read. Very intelligent, knowledgeable, dark, emotional and dare I say a little twisted. You can tell from the writing that he’s someone who has really lived life, interacted with all types of people and has seen a lot. There is something very real about his writing, which I love. The characters are believable and very likeable. Not perfect in any way, but that’s what real people are like.
I loved Black Summer and can’t recommend it highly enough.

This is the second book in the series following Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw in their investigations. Poe had, six years previously, secured the conviction of Jared Keaton for the murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. No body was ever found, but the blood at the scene (Keaton’s Restaurant) convinced the police that she was dead.
But now a woman, claiming to be Elizabeth, walks into a police surgery and says she was kidnapped and has been held in captivity for six years.
Poe is determined to find out the truth – is she Elizabeth? What really happened on that night six years ago?

Poe begins an investigation, approved by his boss at the National Crime Agency, Stephanie Flynn. Relationships with the local Cumbrian Police Force do not always run smoothly however which hinders Poe’s work. With aspects of the new investigation not adding up, Poe tells Tilly Bradshaw that he needs her help. Tilly (who can now drive) makes her way to Cumbria to help, and together the investigation takes them into dark and disturbing places, both figuratively and literally.

Once Tilly is in Cumbria, the pace of the book ratchets up. The story always keeps moving, and there are twists and conundrums to keep you guessing. The central conundrum is not something I managed to work out – it’s very clever.

Once again, M.W. Craven has produced a book which is inventive, clever and with a fantastic central pairing of Tilly and Poe. I love the Cumbrian setting, the sense of vastness and isolation is a wonderful backdrop to the story, which builds naturally and flows beautifully to its conclusion.

Pugilistic Detective Washington Poe certainly packs a punch in the war against murder in this second powerful piece of Crime Fiction from writer M W Craven. Now my go to Crime writer. I cannot recommend this highly enough for fans of big plots, big characters and cathartic laugh out loud moments.

Poe has developed as a character. The nuancing is subtle, keeping him real & recognisable for fans of Puppet Show ( Do not miss it) but showing a more strategic side to his policing skills, which is absolutely critical as he widens his ability to work as part of a team, not a previous strong suit. He will need all the help , strategy and tools at his disposal for this electrically charged storyline.

Something for everyone; a cold case, a murder, gastronomy, the stunning scenery of Cumbria and you cannot miss his bizarre visit to the Carlisle pub - I didn't want to leave it! Blindingly brilliant portrayal of all the ills of society in one sitting! Poe meticulously plans ahead, although as Alsop, the first cop we meet so eloquently says, " The thing about plans is that they can turn into a bag of turds in the blink of an eye!" There are many burst out laughing moments as dry wit and turns of phrase, pepper the narrative, a real skill from Craven. He can take you to the place where you hold your breath and bite your lip, then make you run your eye three times along the sentence as you can't quite believe the cunning of the perpetrators, or the sheer genius of his plot.
Tilly the tenacious tech genius is there with her dogged loyalty to Poe, as is Edgar the dog.

The research is meticulous and generous, Craven wants you to understand. Ive learned so much about; Cumbria, policing, people, power, prison and how the power of a writer who knows what he's talking about, can draw you into the pages and bring the characters and their world to life. This is a read to let you escape into a fascinating world of twisted minds and the complexities of modern policing. I'm exhausted but will recover in time for next years journey with Poe and Tilly. ( Alexa , when's the next one!)

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for this advanced copy of the latest Poe and Tilly outing. WOW.. what can I say about this book that probably hasn't been said before. This is the second book to feature two characters who are fast becoming my favourite crime fighting duo!!. This book is an absolute cracker of a read. A real page turner of a story. The book grips you from the first page to the last, a white knuckle of a ride, so strap yourself in and be prepared to go on a fast ride through Cumbria and the sick and twisted minds of the perpetrators. The book is also full of classic Tillyisms , lost count of how many times I burst out laughing. The Puppet Show was one of my favourite reads of last year but Black Summer is without a doubt my favourite read of this year so far. Roll on 2020 when we next see Poe and Tilly out and about. They are truly special. Wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. MW Craven is in a league of his own. Just brilliant.

Quick book review of “Black Summer” by M W Craven = 10+/10

Read “The Puppet Show”? Good! Now read this, it’s absolutely brilliant.

I have been lucky enough to get my mitts on this fabulous book as pre-release, thanks to @netgalley @littlebrownuk and of course @mwcraven

This is no typical follow-up to a brilliant first detective book and from the first chapter you realise that you are going to be taken on quite a journey. It’s a book about secrets and what is hidden, delivered in a taught character-led twist of a story. If you haven’t pre-ordered this, you need to try to forgive yourself and order it now. The day it’s published will be a very quiet one, as everyone focuses on these glorious pages and what lies ahead for Washington & Tilly.

What did you think?

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Well what can I say? M.W Craven smashes it again! The next instalment of Poe and Tilly is as unputdownable as the first one! I would love to know how someone can come up with a plot like this. It had me fully immersed, so much so I could actually picture the landscapes and characters.
I don’t want to give anything away but suggest if you read one book this year, it’s this one!

I was very late to the party reading “The Puppet Show” (the first in the Washington Poe series) and after thoroughly enjoying it, I was very excited to be able to read the follow up “Black Summer” immediately after. Although either book works well as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading in order as it does benefit you to learn how all the working relationships link together.
The story starts with a prologue that was attention grabbing, a first chapter that was like something out of a Hannibal Lecter movie, which then rolled smoothly straight into the second chapter that was truly intriguing, instantly captivating me, ready for the rest of the book. What more could you want from a crime thriller?!
Although the first chapter is rather grisly and involves the fine dining of a bird called the Ortolan Bunting, I was so intrigued I actually researched this subject and found it to be very interesting, if not shocking and upsetting.
I wholeheartedly love the characters the author M.W. Craven has created. Washington Poe is a troubled man but not a one that brings his issues front and centre of the story but subtly in the background and his relationship with Tilly his analyst sidekick is really quite endearing. I also liked the introduction of the forensic pathologist Estelle Doyle and thought she was another quirky character to add to the fantastically created list of characters. This made for very enjoyable reading and a definite desire for me to continue this fabulous series further again in the future.
What really made the story for me was that it wasn’t just any police procedural but a one based on departments you don’t normally hear of - the NCA (National Crime Agency) and SACS (Serious Crime Analysis Section). It’s nice to read about unknown departments in the police force and learn how the different officers all work together to fight crime. It also combines a character driven novel with action, intrigue and good old fashioned police work with the addition of a computer expert that truly knows her stuff.
I love discovering new authors and when I initially read “The Puppet Show” I knew this was going to be a series I would be addicted to and being a local author to me, it was nice to be able to relate to places mentioned in the story. I do hope one day to meet M.W. Craven at a local bookstore and chat about Washington Poe and Tilly’s relationship!
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either of these books. They’re excellently plotted, well thought out, instantly addictive and wholly absorbing.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Black Summer” and rate this five star read as an absolute must read for 2019!

5 stars

To say I liked this book is a massive understatement. I thought The Puppet Show was good but Black Summer completely blew me away. It was one of the most unputdownable, intelligent and interesting books I have ever had the pleasure to read and I completely devoured it like a humongous chocolate bar. ‘Meeting up with Poe and Tilly again was like seeing old friends. The storyline was fresh and different and I am so jealous of anyone who has yet to read this truly exceptional book. Highly, highly recommended.

Black Summer has it all. Thrills, unexpected but plausible twists and very importantly Poe and Bradshaw, an excellent and unusual pairing. This was my introduction to the team so I now have the pleasure of reading the previous novel.My favourite crime thriller this year. Thankyou to Little Brown and NetGalley for providing me with the free ARC, even though it meant a very late night as I had to keep reading to find out what happened, it was well worth it!