“Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin . . .
Washington Poe has a story to tell.
And he needs you to listen.
You’ll hear how it started with the robber birds. Crows. Dozens of them. Enough for a murder . . .
He’ll tell you about a man who was tied to a tree and stoned to death, a man who had tattooed himself with a code so obscure, even the gifted analyst Tilly Bradshaw struggled to break it. He’ll tell you how the man’s murder was connected to a tragedy that happened fifteen years earlier when a young girl massacred her entire family.
And finally, he’ll tell you about the mercy chair. And why people would rather kill themselves than talk about it . . .
Poe hopes you’ve been paying attention. Because in this story, nothing is as it seems . . .”
Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven. The Mercy Chair was published by Constable on Thursday 5th December 2024 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Mercy Chair but that has in no way influenced my review.
I love this series. I love the characters, I love the inventive, ingenious ways Craven comes up with to give his stories the edge. I love how each book feels different from the last (and different from everything else out there in the crime thriller market!). A new Washington Poe/Tilly Bradshaw book is a very exciting thing indeed.
But first, The Mercy Chair is one of the many books I read last year when things were starting to go a little wrong in regards to the blog and the (grr) shoulders. We’ll skirt the details for now but know that I was reading like a woman possessed. I wasn’t, however, really reviewing anything on the blog. Totally my fault, nothing to do with the brilliant books. I won’t mention ‘when’ I read this book (not hard to find out if you follow me on Goodreads!), but it was a while ago. So with that in mind, this may be a slightly shorter review than normal. Or it may just be shorter because I get the feeling this is a book where it is very easy to say the wrong thing and give too much away. But we’ll see… *no spoilers guaranteed though*
The Mercy Chair is the darkest, most unsettling, insanely clever and compelling book of the series so far! I don’t know how the author does it. You finish one book thinking, ‘how can it get any better than this? It’s an impossible feat’, but then the next book blows your mind. Shattering that ceiling and reaching heights that other crime writers can only dream of. It’s THAT good. Sitting comfortably? Hell no! And you won’t be for the duration of this twisted, brilliantly written tale.
If you’re a crime fiction fan and you haven’t had the pleasure of reading this series yet and meeting these stand-out characters, then what are you waiting for? The seventh book in the series, The Final Vow, is out a week today and, having read it, I can tell you that it’s exceptional. (Ceiling. Shattered.) But back to The Mercy Chair in its dark and gruesome glory. The subject matter in this book is shocking. The twists and turns come at the reader at a rate of knots. Things really aren’t as they seem. Just divine. I’m now counting down the days until I can get my paws on the next instalment in this brilliant, engrossing and thrilling series! One of my top reads of 2024. Superb. Highly recommended.
I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Mercy Chair. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven was published in the UK by Constable on 5th December 2024 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |
M. W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle, running away to join the army at the tender age of sixteen. He spent the next ten years travelling the world having fun, leaving in 1995 to complete a degree in social work with specialisms in criminology and substance misuse. Thirty-one years after leaving Cumbria, he returned to take up a probation officer position in Whitehaven, eventually working his way up to chief officer grade. Sixteen years later he took the plunge, accepted redundancy and became a full-time author. He now has entirely different motivations for trying to get inside the minds of criminals . . .
M. W. Craven is married and lives in Carlisle with his wife, Joanne. When he isn’t out with his springer spaniel, or talking nonsense in the pub, he can usually be found at punk gigs and writing festivals up and down the country.
