British crime writer Sharon Bolton's latest standalone follows a police officer named Florence Lovelady, whose son goes missing under circumstances that seem all too familiar to those of a string of child murders she thought she had long ago resolved—with the assistance of some local witches.
I wasn’t disappointed with this intense and eerie novel ... Sharon Bolton writes amazing stories, so well plotted, but I think her main power is in her characterizations ... the whole cast is made up of fascinating and sometimes quite unusual people ... I particularly liked Florence for her gutsy behavior ... There is a very intricate plot, full of twists that I could never have imagined, with a dark, creepy element to it ... The Craftsman is a gripping, thrilling and utterly engrossing read. It hooked me from page one and didn’t let me go until the very last words.
The Craftsman is just about everything you could hope for from a fall thriller: it’s deliciously chilling, rich in atmosphere, and laced with a touch of the supernatural. Add into this already-appealing mix a fiercely independent female protagonist and a decades-old mystery, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for fall reading success ... Sharon Bolton’s newest thriller gracefully blends earthly and unearthly scares. The result? A suspense novel that feels all the more immersive for the unique world built within its pages. In short, I savored every page of this spine-tingling mystery, and highly recommend The Craftsman ... This isn’t all-out horror by any means; it’s a procedural, tweaked and adapted to incorporate a chilling, otherworldly atmosphere and a healthy dose of psychological suspense.
There’s something for everyone in Sharon Bolton’s latest stand alone psychological thriller. There’s crime, mystery, history, drama, neatly executed reveals, witches and even magic. The final two might give you pause, but the hint of occult and mythology fits well into this highly enjoyable read. Prepare to be transported ... the otherworldly aspect of The Craftsman is a compelling one. Unlike, say, Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes, it fits right in here and adds something to a narrative that is likely to already have you in its thrall ... it’s a book that will put you under its spell… literally.
