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.
Award-winning master of suspense Bolton manages to transform a campfire ghost story into a riveting novel ... Witches and zombies abound, and it is left to the reader to decide if these characters are simply delusional or that this stuff is for real ... Here’s hoping for a series with more of Florence, and, please, the witches.
Many of Bolton's...previous books have alluded to the dark folklore of the author's native northern England, but it's front and center in this latest stand-alone novel ... Recommend to fans of the author's previous work or other British female sleuths. Readers who were delighted by the big twist at the end of Sarah Pinborough's Behind Her Eyes will similarly enjoy the final few pages here.
Bolton writes like a house on fire, and the tension she creates builds to an almost unbearable level—and I loved every minute of it ... The Craftsman is a terrific novel from start to finish, and is an expert combination of police procedural and gothic horror. [Bolton] just seems to get better and better with each release, and this latest effort is her crown jewel.
Bolton...spices her latest crime novel with a dash of the occult ... A bit unbalanced, with the greatest care and attention given to the least interesting solution. When the ax finally falls, though, it falls like a thunderbolt.
Elements of witchcraft and the occult take the tale down a dark road toward an ending that’s not wholly convincing. Still, readers will race to get there.
