'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
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 ...
Find out why everyone loves The Puppet Show
'A page turner' Sun
'So dark and twisty' Elly Griffiths
'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark
'A gripping start to a much anticipated new series' Vaseem Khan
'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
'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' Matt Hilton
'Dark, disturbing and so very clever. Highly recommended' Anne Cater
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 and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023. The series has now been translated into twenty-nine languages
Instagram: @m.w.craven
Twitter: @mwcravenuk
Facebook: MikeCravenAuthor
Author of the Paignton Noir series and the wrestling noir collection The Good Book: Fairy Tales For Hard Men.
I have a brand new book review online at my Dirty Books blog: The Puppet Show by @MWCravenUK https://t.co/VQmV9qmf28
Poet, Essayist, Lake-swimmer. FRSL hEDS/Haemochromatosis/+ she/her rep @PortyLiterary Much with Body; Recovering Dorothy (2021) Some Of Us Just Fall (2023)
@PlashingVole Two recent cumbrian ones too: Mike Craven's 'The Puppet Show' begins at Castlerigg Stone Circle for some contemporary crime, and Alex Mularky's 'The Sky Beneath The Stone' features Long Meg, which reminded me of The Song of the Sea & Wolfwalker films. https://t.co/03pZyyDBM8
UK based #readingaddict, choc-bar trendsetter, #booklovemarketeer & part time cat bed. Life dominated by #books & Itty Bitty Kitties Bog & Trog 😺💙💛
Today Mandie is sharing her thoughts on The Puppet Show, book one in the award winning Washington Poe series by MW Craven @MWCravenUK @LittleBrownUk @mgriffiths163 #books #booktwitter #booktwt #washingtonpoe #thepuppetshow https://t.co/frWUIfd4qX