The Final Vow
(Washington Poe 7)
M.W. Craven
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Well, he’s done it again!
Those of you who have followed my reviews over the years, will know that I am a HUGE fan of M.W. Craven’s writing, in particular his brilliant Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw series.
You can read those reviews here: (Please note my reviews only start with book three as The Puppet Show and Black Summer predate my blog).
First of all a warning: As with all these books, it can be read as a standalone, but unlike previous entries in the series, the author recommends you at least read the previous instalment The Mercy Chair first, because the inclusion of certain characters and facts will potentially spoil that novel – and to be honest, read it anyway, because The Mercy Chair is another absolute blinder and why would you deny yourself that pleasure?
In fact, if you haven’t done so already, read the whole series, starting with the award-winning The Puppet Show. I promise you, you won’t regret it, and seeing the relationship evolve between Poe and Tilly over the years is a real treat.
As always with this series, the book is a winner on two levels. First the aforementioned Poe and Tilly. You could plonk this odd-couple in any book on any subject and have a hilarious and joyful experience. They are that good. But of course we aren’t just here for the characters and the laugh-out-loud, gloriously dark humour. The second level is the brilliantly-plotted story. Fast-paced with lots of twists and turns and ingenious devices, again, you could craft a cracking story even with an average cast of characters. Blend these characters with these plots and you have books that not only raise the bar each time, they set the bar for everyone else.
I won’t spoil the plot beyond what is available on the blurb or Amazon preview, suffice to say the opening is a real shock and you spend most of the book wondering just how he’s going to resolve it. Along the way the body count rises and Tilly and Poe are placed in real jeopardy. With short, punchy chapters and Craven’s masterful eye for a great gag, mixed with moments of heartfelt anguish, this was a page-turner in the truest sense. I blasted through it in a couple of days, all the while telling myself I should slow down to relish the ride.
Fortunately, despite the title, The Final Vow will not be the end of the series (not a spoiler, Craven has been publicly open about there being more to come). However, there is significant character evolution in the book and the possibilities opened up promise new and exciting directions to come.
I can’t recommend highly enough.
