M. W. Craven
The Mercy Chair
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We’ve loved M. W. Craven since we read The Puppet Show. It wasn’t his first book – we had to go back and fill in the Avison Fluke-shaped gap – but it was the first book to feature Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw. We’ll come back to comment on them later.
The Mercy Chair is the sixth book in the Poe/Bradshaw series and it’s losing none of its charm, momentum, or ability to surprise. Some things have changed though. The book switches angles on the storytelling delivery, providing breaks of fresh perspective as you follow the plot. It’s also the darkest so far.
I’d go as far as saying that this crime thriller has elements that nudge it onto the sharp and slick black rocks of horror. As far as atmosphere and tension go, there are moments that flicker of James Herbert. However, Craven throws in moments of camaraderie and personality that balance things out…
…and the plot is undeniably that of a crime thriller with twists and revelations that fling you around like a steel ball in a pinball machine. This is the primary reason that on this occasion (and all previous ones) I must tread carefully with how I describe the whole affair. You’ll find no spoilers here.
Suffice to say, as a long-time reader of detective duos, I’ve a strong feeling about my top list. Holmes and Watson take fourth place. They are the example you’re most likely to think of when someone mentions the genre. After this, Brother Cadfael and Hugh Beringer have a solid place in my heart with their medieval mysteries. Poirot and Hastings take second place, the artful way Christie uses Poirot’s ego to poke fun at Doyle’s works makes them even more enjoyable if you’ve read them.
And, yes, there’s no doubt in my mind that Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are my first-place. The six hardbacks have an esteemed place on my shelves thanks to the fantastic characters and their unique interplay.
Only a year to go until book seven, The Third Light!
Publisher’s Synopsis
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.
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