
The Puppet Show
Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award 2019
M. W. Craven(Author)
Constable (Publisher)
Published on 24. January 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-4721-2745-7 (ISBN)
Description
'Fantastic' Martina Cole
'Dark, sharp and compelling' Peter James
'A thrilling curtain raiser for what looks set to be a great new series' Mick Herron
Welcome to the Puppet Show . . .
A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless.
When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of.
Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant, but socially awkward, civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it.
As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive ...
'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark
'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read.' Michael J. Malone
'Nothing you've ever read will prepare you for the utterly unique Washington Poe' Keith Nixon
'Dark, sharp and compelling' Peter James
'A thrilling curtain raiser for what looks set to be a great new series' Mick Herron
Welcome to the Puppet Show . . .
A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless.
When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of.
Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant, but socially awkward, civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it.
As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive ...
'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark
'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read.' Michael J. Malone
'Nothing you've ever read will prepare you for the utterly unique Washington Poe' Keith Nixon
Reviews / Votes
A thrilling curtain-raiser for what looks set to be a great new series. A thrilling curtain-raiser for what looks set to be a great new series. Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read. Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read. A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint-hearted! A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint-hearted! Mike Craven is a forceful new voice in British crime fiction. Mike Craven is a forceful new voice in British crime fiction. Washington Poe is a name destined to be spoken by crime fiction enthusiasts everywhere: Britain's answer to Harry Bosch. The Puppet Show is a wickedly, twisting and turning, mystery that will have readers breathlessly turning the pages until the final shocking conclusion. Washington Poe is a name destined to be spoken by crime fiction enthusiasts everywhere: Britain's answer to Harry Bosch. The Puppet Show is a wickedly, twisting and turning, mystery that will have readers breathlessly turning the pages until the final shocking conclusion. This book is twisted and dark and I loved it - not sure what that says about me This book is twisted and dark and I loved it - not sure what that says about me A brilliant start to what promises to be a fantastic series; get it now or kick yourself for missing out A brilliant start to what promises to be a fantastic series; get it now or kick yourself for missing out Dark, sharp and compelling Dark, sharp and compelling Nothing you've ever read will prepare you for the utterly unique Washington Poe Nothing you've ever read will prepare you for the utterly unique Washington Poe A gripping start to a much anticipated new series A gripping start to a much anticipated new series A page turner * Sun * A page turner * Sun *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Dimensions
Height: 193 mm
Width: 124 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
250 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4721-2745-7 (9781472127457)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2018
Constable
€4.49
Available for download
Person
Multi-award-winning author M.W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. He is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and, for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, a recipient of the 2019 Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger, the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the 2025 Fingerprint Crime Book of the Year. The series has now been translated into thirty languages and sold over one million copies.
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