Black Summer cover art

Black Summer

Washington Poe, Book 2

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Black Summer

By: M. W. Craven
Narrated by: John Banks
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About this listen

 'A brutal and thrilling page-turner' The Sun

'Compelling' Heat

'The best pure mystery plot of the year' Morning Star

'Gleefully gory and witty, with a terrific sense of place' Sunday Mirror

LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER
______________________

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.

The gripping new thriller in the Washington Poe series from M. W. Craven, winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel of 2019.

Praise for Black Summer:

'Dark, sharp and compelling' PETER JAMES

'Fantastic' MARTINA COLE

'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' MATT HILTON

'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent' DAVID MARK

'Truly mind-blowing' A. A. Dhand

'A book that shines with tension, wit and invention' William Shaw

'Washington Poe - a rising giant in detective fiction' Alison Bruce

'A twisty thriller with a killer plot Ed James

'I loved this book!' Jo Jakeman

'One of the best British crime novels I've read in a long time . . . Simply an unputdownable page-turner' Nick Oldham

'Grabs you from the very first page. A dark and brilliantly twisted crime thriller' Colin Falconer

'Dark and twisted in all the right places' Robert Scragg

'In Tilly and Poe, MW Craven has created a stand-out duo who are two of the most compelling characters in crime fiction in recent years' Fiona Cummins

'Dark, thrilling and unputdownable' Victoria Selman©2019 M. W. Craven (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK Crime Thrillers Thriller & Suspense Thriller Crime Fiction Suspense Exciting Mystery

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All stars
Most relevant  
This is a sublime crime story of great cunning of intrigue. Every chapter just increased the tension for the listener. The character development of Tilly is superb and I look forward to the next instalment of this fascinating partner.

Washington Poe at his sublime best.

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This is the second of the series and my god it was amazing!!! This story was so clever and brilliantly thought out. It kept me guessing right until the end. I loved this book, second in the series. I’d recommend this book/series to everyone!! MW Craven is such a great writer and again Poe and Tilly are great together in this book. John Banks and his narration is utterly brilliant and makes the book so enjoyable.

Brilliant!

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This the second book by MW Craven k have listened to.
I loved the first one and this is a great follow up.
As before, an unpleasant crime, but great twists and characters.
Moving to book 3, can’t wait!

Great follow up

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I am desolate! I have listened to Black Summer and now it's over and I'll never get to hear it for the first time ever again. There is nothing to find fault with here. The writing is exquisite, masterful, eloquent and witty. The characters are so believable, so completely real that they are tangible. The narration by John Banks is exactly spot on, as if he had been born to narrate the book. 9 hours and 47 minutes of pure gold standard entertainment. Washington and Tilly are the best double act since Morecambe and Wise. The book was like nectar for my soul, the plot clever and enticing, weaving its disparate threads together into a stunning tapestry. I confess, I experienced multiple eargasms listening to this book. M W Craven has taken The Puppet Show, which I thought was perfect and couldn't be improved upon and created something even more spell binding. I cannot think of a book that has so captivated me in this way for a very long time. How long for book 3 I need to know? My heart is crying out for another journey with Poe and Bradshaw. Absolutely superb. If you listen to one book this year, make it Black Summer, you can thank me later.

Should be at least 6 stars!

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Couldn't stop listening to it, well read, twists and turns, quite funny at times.
I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Gripping

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I absolutely loved this story. I think I've found a new favourite author. Poe is a likeable rouge!

Another brilliant book

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Love Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw - what a group of engaging and honourable people - aspirational

An amazing series

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Another good storyline and like the way there's a twist at the end of these tales. Now to read the next one

Really enjoyed this story and the characters

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Another spot on story which really keeps you wanting more with every chapter. the narrator differentiates between the characters perfectly and really brings them to life.

Absolutely Brilliant

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Good story, likeable characters - took a bit of unrealistic leap at the end but definitely worth listening to.

Keeps you listening

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