THE CURATOR
M W CRAVEN
*****
Disembodied fingers are appearing in seemingly random locations, all left next to the phrase #BSC6. Can Poe and Bradshaw discover the link before it’s too late? This was my first delve into a crime thriller by M W Craven and I was a little apprehensive having not read the previous 2 books in the Washington Poe series. However, I soon felt at home with the characters and their backstory without feeling left out or like I was given an overload of information at any point. M W Craven is a skilled storyteller to lay on this exposition lightly and at the right moments for his new readers. The plot itself is intriguing, with various fingers belonging to various victims being found at fairly scandalous places. There’s references to the ‘Blue Whale’ style internet games which keeps the whole thing gruesome and topical. The plot also felt very linear and easy to follow, no big leaps of judgement or guesswork were needed to jump from one point to the next although it never felt predictable. The end twist (x2!) then turned everything on it’s head and I did not see either of them coming! The book is also well-written to be pacey and kept the stakes high as I raced through the pages. I enjoyed the characters of Washington Poe, the grizzled detective and social awkward Tilly Bradshaw. They made for a great pairing and bounced off each other well. I would certainly keep an eye out for more books in this series and also (TBR permitting) go back and read the first two books as well. Overall The Curator is a fantastic read and I recommend it to everyone – even those who haven’t read the other books in the series. Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group UK – Constable for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.