The Botanist: a gripping new thriller from The Sunday Times bestselling author (Washington Poe Book 5)

I bought this ages ago when it was on offer, then it sat on my kindle until this weekend when, this author with this book, won the Theakstons Crime award and I thought I'd better find out what all the fuss was about.My god. Apart from the first couple of pages, which I found a little simplistic, this book is brilliant. I read it in two sittings, one night after another, because I just didn't want to put it down. I loved the premise of the antagonist, the twists and turns that kept me guessing, and the way in which the author drip fed the clues at just the right intervals to keep me begging for 'just another few pages'. The pace of the novel is perfectly pitched, leaving a sensation of quiet un-ease that is both quietly unnerving as well as too delicious to leave.This was the first book I'd read by this author, not realising that it was in fact the fifth in the series. However, you don't need to worry about jumping in mid-series because at no point do you feel like you're missing something from the other books. Will I go back and read them? Almost certainly, but I don't think you have to read them to enjoy this as a stand alone novel. And that's one hell of an accomplishment.Genuinely enjoyed this, especially the light-hearted moments that are scattered through the story, the delightfully deliberate awkwardness of some of the characters, and how they play together to form something that is much greater than the sum of its parts. Highly recommended!

Another intelligently plotted and brilliantly conceived thriller from one of my favourite crime / thriller authors, M.W. Craven. The standout for me in Craven’s books is the storytelling and the way Craven ramps up the tension, thrill, and anticipation, and maintains this to the last word. The layers he builds into the story are meticulously planned, the details and unveiling of evidence and insights into people is forensically plotted, and the characters he has created are likeable and perfectly ‘hinged’.A serial killer who is as elusive as he is famous, daring in his actions as he is methodical in his planning. A man with a grudge but we don’t know how and why he chooses his victims; we just know he is able to penetrate the most secure and protected of places and people.Captivating, immersive and brazen.The PlotPersonal friend of the gritty detective Washington Poe is charged with murder. With all the evidence pointing to Estelle Doyle’s guilt, this amounts to the perfect set-up or the truth that Estelle did in fact murder her father.Meanwhile, back in London the body bags start to accumulate as a new killer comes onto the scene. A killer who remains elusive and faceless with little traces of who he is and why he is carrying out this string of murders. Even his means of delivering the poison is every bit as mysterious.Fear not though because Poe with his nerdy sidekick Tilly are on the case and bring the same wit, humour and unconventional style, that I have come to love.Review and CommentsStoryline and Plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The plot was gripping and written at a pace that controlled and intensified the feeling of fear and terror. I loved that the book was unpredictable and it was only towards the end that the reader could piece together all the treads of the story. As it should be in crime novels.Plausibility ⭐⭐⭐ The one rub I had with ‘The Botanist’ was the plausibility. Individually all the killings were believable but when you combine and look at the total picture, they start to feel inconceivable. Yes, someone might have a secret room that a killer could hide in. Yes, it might be possible to change someone’s prescription to administer poison but combine all the plot elements and it starts to feel this book was right on the edge of being a bit too far-fetched. In contrast however, the investigative work was convincing. You could imagine these highs and lows in any police investigation, and the way Poe and Tilly unravelled the plot also felt authentic. So mixed.Main Characters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I recently criticised the trendy pairing of the flawed detective and nerdy sidekick. However, Craven does this better than most and you could well believe he created the concept. Poe is unconventional although flawed, but it is his intelligence that allows him to push the boundaries on acceptable levels of engagement and permissible police work. Tilly is the perfect companion with perfectly timed responses and actions that makes this feel like the perfect marriage rather than a detective duo.Writing Style ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I love Craven’s writing style and the way he builds a story. It works brilliantly for my personal tastes, and I often think you couldn’t write any of this differently. The balance of humour and sensitivity, with the fear and tension and a forensically plotted story, put Craven up there as a favourite crime / thriller writer.Another great story from Craven with superb character development superb and another expertly written book by the master of suspense.

What can I say? Just when you think the series cannot get any better, along comes The Botanist. Probably Poe's most infuriating and perplexing case to date and, for us readers, one of the most fun. Double trouble for Poe and Bradshaw as they are faced with not just one but two locked room mysteries. After a fashion. One sees one of Poe's people in jeopardy, the other a whole range of 'people you'd like to slap with a brick' targeted by a very cunning poisoner, dubbed by the media as the eponymous Botanist.Why slapped with a brick? Well, imagine every objectionable idiot you see touting their opinions, whether asked for or not, on social media. Your rent a gob 'fake news' brigades, your unscrupulous businessmen who put profit over people, your corrupt politicians and the kinds of men who would like nothing better than seeing a live enactment of The Handmaid's Tale to reassert their lost masculinity. They are a truly objectionable bunch, and any sane reader will struggle to see them as anything like sympathetic victims. Not that any of us would condone violence or murder either, but that is that path the Botanist has chosen to take, and the journey we as readers find ourselves on alongside Poe. But MW Craven has managed to dilute some of their hideous and outrageous behaviour by pitting them against Poe's inimitable sarcasm and Tilly's refreshing but unintentional candour. Yes, they still make the skin crawl and the anger peak, but seeing them put back in their box in the next sentence by the kind of magical witticism that the author is so skilled at, makes it such fun to read.Alongside the case of the Botanist, Poe finds himself distracted by a case that involves his friend and star pathologist, Estelle Doyle. She finds herself in the frame for a crime we all know she could not have committed but for which there seems an abundance of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. There was never a moment of doubt in my mind about Estelle's innocence - after all, what idiot would call in Poe and Tilly if they were guilty of murder? You know they will get to the truth. But this is a delightful and intriguing mystery that seems almost impossible to solve. Did I have my suspicions? Well, yes, but I read too many mysteries and crime novels, to be taken completely unawares. Did I see the whole picture? Not right away, only at exactly the right moment. A blink and you'll miss it throw away comment that stuck in the back of my mind and made me begin to wonder ...As for why the media have give our serial killer the monika The Botanist? Well it's down to their unique method of murder - poisoning their victims using naturally occurring toxins and delivering them in a seemingly impossible way. They are given advance warning of their impending fate and yet they are still caught out. The why of their selection is never in doubt, they how of the delivery is the real mystery here. This is a locked room mystery with a twist but so perfectly executed that even when you think you know, enough doubt is cast over your theory that you will end up doubting yourself. If you are careful and pay close attention you may pick up all the clues, but only when The Botanist, and the author, wants you too.But the real power of this book is not the mystery - although they are both excellent. It's not the cunning way in which the author has woven the two separate investigations together in a way which is seamless. It's not even seeing some truly loathsome individuals meet a rather painful and devastating end - although there is some satisfaction to be had there, believe me. The real power of this book, and this series, are its characters. Principally Poe and Tilly, but in truth every single person that MW Craven pulls into his literary world. There is an authenticity to each and every one, and each one adds something different to the story. But Poe and Tilly, sarcasm and innocence, really make this series a winner. As a team they just shouldn't work, but I can't imagine either one without the other. With Poe's natural determination and drive, especially to protect those he cares for, and Tilly's incredibly smart mind and unwavering honesty, they are a dream team. For every shock you get a double dose of laughter, for each moment of tension, and there are many, you get an equal measure of calm and it makes a perfect balance.The Botanist is as classic a Poe tale as you can find. Tense, puzzling, witty and with pacing that waxes and wanes with the highs and lows of the investigation, this has been an absolute joy to read. If you've not read this series yet, you really should, but start at the beginning. That way you get the best out of the Poe and Tilly friendship and the series as a whole. If this book isn't on award lists next year I will be highly surprised.