After The Puppet Show, a new storm is coming…
Jared Keaton, chef to the stars. Charming. Charismatic. Psychopath . . . He's currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. Her body was never found and Keaton was convicted largely on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe.
So when a young woman staggers into a remote police station with irrefutable evidence that she is Elizabeth Keaton, Poe finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation, one that could cost him much more than his career.
Helped by the only person he trusts, the brilliant but socially awkward Tilly Bradshaw, Poe races to answer the only question that matters: how can someone be both dead and alive at the same time?
And then Elizabeth goes missing again - and all paths of investigation lead back to Poe.
I’m absolutely thrilled to be sharing my review of Black Summer today, huge thanks to Mike Craven and Beth from Little, Brown for inviting me and for sending me a paperback copy of the novel.
The Puppet Show saw Washington Poe on the trail of the terrifying Immolation Man but in Black Summer the last major case he worked on in Cumbria before moving south comes back to haunt him and it turns out to be just as horrific. Six years ago he was responsible for putting celebrity chef, Jared Keaton behind bars for the murder of his daughter. Elizabeth Keaton's body was never discovered but the forensic evidence and Keaton's refusal to explain the discrepancies in his version of events on the night she was killed, resulted in him being found guilty of her murder. Poe was able to see the psychopath behind the charismatic television personality with legions of fans and slept well the night he was convicted. He is understandably stunned when he is summoned back to Cumbria and informed that three days previously, Elizabeth Keaton walked into Alston Library. DNA tests seem to prove she is telling the truth which means Poe must have made the worst mistake of his career and with the shadow of doubt cast upon him, his career and reputation are in jeopardy.
This is an incredibly complex case but despite the singular nature of it; is Elizabeth Keaton the human equivalent of Schrödinger's Cat - both dead and alive? - the whole novel feels grounded in reality thanks to M.W.Craven's ability to capture the very essence of a person, place or scene. The first chapter of the book is actually set towards the end of the investigation and features a gourmet dining scene which is described with the same gruesome attention to detail as if it were a sickening crime. Just this small moment gives a real insight into the two men involved and although the actual consumption of the dish is inconsequential to the case, it is repulsive and absolutely chilling. It's not just this scene which is so vividly realised; throughout the book there are equally astutely observed descriptive passages. At one point Poe and Bradshaw visit a pub and it sounds exactly like the sort of establishment my dad was talking about when he warned us off going to pubs with flat roofs,
'It was the type of place that lowered the average life expectancy of the whole community.'
Not everywhere is as grim, of course, the immersive sense of place M.W. Craven creates is perhaps at its best when he writes about the stark, dangerous beauty of Poe's beloved Shap Fell.
The characters are just as skillfully brought to life, with Washington Poe proving to be one of crime fiction's most memorable protagonists. Like many of the best detectives, he is a maverick with a troubled personal life, a healthy disrespect for authority and a personality which definitely tends towards misandry. However, through his interactions with others - most notably Tilly and D.I. Flynn, we see a principled, honest man who cares deeply about his friends. It's notable too, that he is surrounded by women and is never threatened by their strength.
Tilly Bradshaw is as wonderful as ever and even though Black Summer can be enjoyed as a standalone, I would strongly recommend reading The Puppet Show first, as not only is it a superb book, it's also a delight to see how she has grown in confidence over the course of the series. I loved that she is now in charge of her own team of analysts who call themselves the Scooby gang and although everybody else calls them the Mole People, it's clear that they are viewed with increasing respect.
She still marches to the beat of her own drum and much of the humour in the book comes from her interjections but this time around, her self-awareness has improved and there are moments where she reveals a more knowing wit too. The endearing closeness between Poe and Tilly adds much needed warmth to a novel which features the worst of humanity and though an unlikely friendship, theirs is one which plainly means they are prepared to do anything for one another.
The excellent characterisation obviously extends beyond the two main protagonists and even those who have only a small part to play are absolutely real. I particularly enjoyed the description of one woman, Poe encounters as looking, 'like the type of woman who smiled at roadkill.'
I've purposely not mentioned much about the plot as I don't want to give anything away, suffice to say that this is another dark and fiendishly twisted story with some disturbingly visceral scenes. This is an emotional case and yet some of the horrific acts are necessarily described with a matter-of-fact bluntness which underlines the often cold, brutal nature of crime and the subsequent investigation. Oddly enough, it was a less bloody scene which really played on my mind and gave me bad dreams but unfortunately I can't say any more than that! It is an indication, however, of just how much Black Summer got under my skin. It's one of the few books I've read twice this year and I enjoyed it just as much second time around.
The Puppet Show deservedly won the CWA Gold Dagger Award and after all its acclaim, it must have felt a little like releasing a second album when it came to publishing the sequel. However, the return of Washington and Tilly is another triumph and having a case which turns out to be so personally important to Poe is a masterstroke. Black Summer is irresistible; a twisted and nightmare-inducing thriller. I loved it!
Black Summer will published in paperback by Constable, an imprint of Little, Brown on 12th December 2019. Purchasing links can be found here.
About the Author
A brand new voice in British crime fiction, 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. The first in the Washington Poe series, The Puppet Show, won the 2019 CWA Gold Dagger, has sold in numerous foreign territories and has been optioned for TV by Studio Lambert. M. W. Craven has been shortlisted for the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award, an Amazon Reader Award and a Cumbria Life award. He is also the author of the Avison Fluke novels, Born in a Burial Ground (shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger) and Body Breaker.
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