The Mercy Chair

(Paperback)

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Description

Are you sitting comfortably Then he'll begin . . .

Washington Poe has a story to tell.

He needs you to listen.

He needs you to pay attention.

It starts with the robber birds. Crows. Dozens of them. Enough for a murder . . . Poe will tell you about that.

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, not even the gifted analyst Tilly Bradshaw could break it. He'll tell you how the man's murder was connected to 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 listening closely. Because in this story, nothing is as it seems . . .

Praise for M W Craven

The Curator shortlisted for the VN Thriller of the Year 2022 & longlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger 2021

Dead Ground longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year 2022 & longlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2022

'The Poe and Tilly books are a joy' Steve Cavanagh

'Unputdownable, gripping, clever and with a rich seam of trademark Craven humour running through it' Imran Mahmood

'A sinful treat' Vaseem Khan

'Fast, furious, and utterly enjoyable.' Keith Nixon

'An unforgettably compulsive read' Bishop's Stortford Independent

'Heart-pounding, hilarious, sharp and shocking, Dead Ground is further proof that M.W. Craven never disappoints. Miss this series at your peril.' Chris Whitaker

'Dark and entertaining, this is top rank crime fiction.' Vaseem Khan, Author of the Malabar House series and the Baby Ganesh Agency series

'M. W. Craven is one of the best crime writers working today. Dead Ground is a cracking puzzle, beautifully written, with characters you'll be behind every step of the way. It's his best yet.' Stuart Turton

'Fantastic' Martina Cole

'Dark, sharp and compelling' Peter James

'I've been following M.W. Craven's Poe/Tilly series from the very beginning, and it just gets better and better. Dead Ground is a fast-paced crime novel with as many twists and turns as a country lane. I can't wait for the next one.' Peter Robinson

'Dead Ground is both entertaining and engaging with great characters and storyline. I loved this first dip into the world of Tilly and Poe!' BA Paris

'A brutal and thrilling page turner' Natasha Harding, The Sun

'A thrilling curtain raiser for what looks set to be a great new series' Mick Herron

'A powerf

Author Bio

Multi-award-winning author M.W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. He is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and, for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, a recipient of the 2019 Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger, the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023. The series has now been translated into twenty-seven languages

Instagram: @m.w.craven

Twitter :@mwcravenuk

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