Diary of a Bingeing Bibliomaniac

Imagine trying to put the lid back on a tube of Pringles, or putting the Toblerone back in the fridge, or not clicking ‘Next Episode’ on Slow Horses…this is addiction..this is Washington Poe & Co…

I’ve just finished Book 6 in what is currently a 6-book series. It only took me 10 weeks—and that includes the "downtime" waiting impatiently for the release of the latest edition. We’ve got bottles of wine in the house that have taken longer to finish!

Book 7 is already on order, but we’ll have to wait until next year for it to hit the shelves.

You’ll notice I migrated from “I” to “we”—that’s because the rest of the family is being lured into this specific addiction too. As a family, we read a lot. Not just thrillers; we devour fiction of many flavours, and “faction,” and biographies… even the occasional crusty old classic (well, some of us do—not me). An eclectic mix of genres fills our shelves and devices. Some of us prefer e-readers, but I’m firmly on team “ink on dead trees.”

Two of us are already hooked on M.W. Craven’s Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw thrillers, and I suspect the others will follow soon. Only 10 weeks ago, I picked up The Puppet Show at random in a delightful Lake District bookshop. Five turbulent, head-banging books later, I’ve just put down The Mercy Chair and may need to lie in a dark room for a while before moving on.

If you’re the type who devours high-quality crime thrillers but expects something more than recycled police procedurals, two-dimensional characters, and predictable plotlines, let me recommend diving into The Puppet Show as your starting point. Just don’t expect to resurface until you’ve reached The Mercy Chair. And even then, you’ll probably—like us—be gasping for the delivery of Book 7 when Mr. Craven gets around to feeding it to us next year.

We’ll wait for the Grishams, Reachers, Herrons, Baldaccis, Connollys, Cobens, and Koontzes. We can probably make a decent stab (sorry!) at how those plots will unfold. But we’re craving the next Craven (sorry, Mike!). Pathetic? Maybe. Bring it on.

The journey pursued by Washington Poe and his genius sidekick Tilly Bradshaw stands apart in terms of characters, settings, shocking twists, and dialogue. The series offers a delectable mix of intrigue, shocking surprises, humour and even, eventually - love.

There’s also a bit of synergy here for us. We know the countryside described in most of the books very well. That always helps. Whether it’s the wilds of Cumbria or Northumberland’s Tyne Valley, we’re familiar with the scenery, the pubs, the bookshops, and the character of its inhabitants. We were already invested there, so that’s a personal plus.

But wherever you live, if you like a good thriller, you’ll love this collection. Give it a go, and let us know what you think.

Postscript…

As you know, one drug can be a gateway drug to another. This explains the addition of the 7th book in the picture: no Poe, but a Koenig instead - a different hero to rival Jack Reacher. Thanks Mike, you devil you! Here we go again…

Good luck, new Cravenophiles!