Exhilarating and darkly comic. . . Craven effectively mixes the unvarnished brutality and high body count of Lee Child with the black humor of Mick Herron. . . A must read. --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This high-body-count romp is told with such verve and relish that even readers who shy from mayhem might find themselves on Koenig's side as he hurtles from one impossible near-death experience to the next. --The New York Times Book Review

A man who can't feel fear is in a race against time to find a woman who knows a secret that could take down the United States

When a shocking murder and abduction on the streets of London leads investigators to open a safe in Langley for the first time in ten years, they find a note directing them to a few key individuals. Three of the people on the list are dead. The fourth is Ben Koenig.

Koenig has no idea why his name is on the list. Then he realizes that he knows the woman who carried out the killings. Ten years earlier, without being told why, he was tasked with helping her disappear. Far from being a deranged killer, she is the gatekeeper of a secret that could take down America, and for the safety of the country, she has been in hiding for years--until now. And if she has resurfaced, the danger may be closer and more terrifying than anyone can imagine.

Ben Koenig has to find her before it's too late. But Ben suffers from a syndrome that means he can't feel fear. He doesn't always know when he should walk away . . . or when he's leading others into danger. Fast, brutal, smart, and violent, Nobody's Hero is an engrossing story of contract killers, international terrorism, hard choices, and the future of the country--and the world as we know it.

Craven has unleashed Ben Koenig into the thriller world. Long may he raise hell in the pages. --David Baldacci

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
Tough, explosive, badass, and brilliant, Fearless is everything you could want in a thriller...If you like Reacher, you'll LOVE this. --Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End

What is a truly fearless man capable of?
They're about to find out. . . .

Ben Koenig used to head the US Marshal's elite Special Operations Group. His team hunted the bad guys--the really bad guys, and he could find anyone. Then one day Koenig himself disappeared.

Koenig has been on the run for six years. Now suddenly his face is on every television screen in the country and his cover is blown. A woman has gone missing, and her father will do anything to find her. He wants Koenig to discover what happened, no matter the cost.

The trail leads Koenig to a small town in the burning heat of the Chihuahuan Desert, where some people have a secret they'll do anything to protect. But Koenig has a secret of his own: a unique condition that makes him unable to feel fear.

Now Koenig is coming for them. And they should be afraid.

With Fearless, award-winning author M. W. Craven launches a new series, featuring the man who can't feel fear, Ben Koenig.

'Fantastic' Martina Cole

'Dark, sharp and compelling' Peter James

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

A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless. When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of . . .

Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant, but socially awkward, civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it.

As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive ...

Find out why everyone loves The Puppet Show

'A page turner' Sun

'So dark and twisty' Elly Griffiths

'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark

'A gripping start to a much anticipated new series' Vaseem Khan

'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read' Michael J. Malone

'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' Matt Hilton

'Dark, disturbing and so very clever. Highly recommended' Anne Cater

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
Tough, explosive, badass, and brilliant, Fearless is everything you could want in a thriller...If you like Reacher, you'll LOVE this. --Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End

What is a truly fearless man capable of?
They're about to find out. . . .

Ben Koenig used to head the US Marshal's elite Special Operations Group. His team hunted the bad guys--the really bad guys, and he could find anyone. Then one day Koenig himself disappeared.

Koenig has been on the run for six years. Now suddenly his face is on every television screen in the country and his cover is blown. A woman has gone missing, and her father will do anything to find her. He wants Koenig to discover what happened, no matter the cost.

The trail leads Koenig to a small town in the burning heat of the Chihuahuan Desert, where some people have a secret they'll do anything to protect. But Koenig has a secret of his own: a unique condition that makes him unable to feel fear.

Now Koenig is coming for them. And they should be afraid.

With Fearless, award-winning author M. W. Craven launches a new series, featuring the man who can't feel fear, Ben Koenig.

Exhilarating and darkly comic. . . Craven effectively mixes the unvarnished brutality and high body count of Lee Child with the black humor of Mick Herron. . . A must read. --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This high-body-count romp is told with such verve and relish that even readers who shy from mayhem might find themselves on Koenig's side as he hurtles from one impossible near-death experience to the next. --The New York Times Book Review

A man who can't feel fear is in a race against time to find a woman who knows a secret that could take down the United States

When a shocking murder and abduction on the streets of London leads investigators to open a safe in Langley for the first time in ten years, they find a note directing them to a few key individuals. Three of the people on the list are dead. The fourth is Ben Koenig.

Koenig has no idea why his name is on the list. Then he realizes that he knows the woman who carried out the killings. Ten years earlier, without being told why, he was tasked with helping her disappear. Far from being a deranged killer, she is the gatekeeper of a secret that could take down America, and for the safety of the country, she has been in hiding for years--until now. And if she has resurfaced, the danger may be closer and more terrifying than anyone can imagine.

Ben Koenig has to find her before it's too late. But Ben suffers from a syndrome that means he can't feel fear. He doesn't always know when he should walk away . . . or when he's leading others into danger. Fast, brutal, smart, and violent, Nobody's Hero is an engrossing story of contract killers, international terrorism, hard choices, and the future of the country--and the world as we know it.

Craven has unleashed Ben Koenig into the thriller world. Long may he raise hell in the pages. --David Baldacci

'Dark, sharp and compelling' PETER JAMES'Fantastic' MARTINA COLE'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' MATT HILTON'If you haven't read M W Craven yet, now is the time to start' Abir Mukherjee

It's Christmas and a serial killer is leaving displayed body parts all over Cumbria. A strange message is left at each scene: #BSC6
Called in to investigate, the National Crime Agency's Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are faced with a case that makes no sense. Why were some victims anaesthetized, while others died in appalling agony? Why is their only suspect denying what they can irrefutably prove but admitting to things they weren't even aware of? And why did the victims all take the same two weeks off work three years earlier?
And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn't think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he's dealing with someone far, far worse - a man who calls himself the Curator.
And nothing will ever be the same again . . .

Winner of the prestigious CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER AWARD 2022

Longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year 2022

'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

'You can taste the authenticity' Daily Mail

Detective Sergeant Washington Poe is in court, fighting eviction from his beloved and isolated croft, when he is summoned to a backstreet brothel in Carlisle where a man has been beaten to death with a baseball bat. Poe is confused - he hunts serial killers and this appears to be a straightforward murder-by-pimp - but his attendance was requested personally, by the kind of people who prefer to remain in the shadows.

As Poe and the socially awkward programmer Tilly Bradshaw delve deeper into the case, they are faced with seemingly unanswerable questions: despite being heavily vetted for a high-profile job, why does nothing in the victim's background check out? Why was a small ornament left at the murder scene - and why did someone on the investigation team steal it? And what is the connection to a flawlessly executed bank heist three years earlier, a heist where nothing was taken . . .

Praise for Dead Ground:

'Unmissable' Sunday Express

'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

Praise for M W Craven:

'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

'One of the most engaging teams in crime fiction' Daily Mail

'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark

'A gripping start to a much anticipated new series' Vaseem Khan

'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read.' Michael J. Malone

'Nothing you've ever read will prepare you for the utterly unique Washington Poe' Keith Nixon

'Beware if you pick up a book by M.W. Craven. Your life will no longer belong to you. He will hold you spellbound.' Linda's Book Bag

'Craven's understanding of the criminal world is obvious in this cracking read' Woman's Weekly

'Breath-taking' Random Things Through My Letterbox

'5 Stars... another fantastic literary experience and a welcome addition to the already brilliant Poe and Tilly series' Female First

'An explosive plot, slippery twists and my fave new crime-busting duo...Fantastic!' Peterborough Telegraph

WINNER OF THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2023

'The most joyously exciting novel I've read in years . . . [The] sense of fun and adventure . . . allied to a remarkable lightness of touch over nightmarish subject matter, makes for the kind of novel that inspired me to write fiction in the first place.' Chris Brookmyre

'Mesmerising, macabre and murderously funny. The Botanist is M.W. Craven at his sinister best. I couldn't love this series more' Chris Whitaker

---

'I swear I'm one bad mood away from calling it black magic and going home . . .'

Detective Sergeant Washington Poe can count on one hand the number of friends he has. And he'd still have his thumb left. There's the insanely brilliant, guilelessly innocent civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw of course. He's known his beleaguered boss, Detective Inspector Stephanie Flynn for years as he has his nearest neighbour, full-time shepherd/part-time dog sitter, Victoria.

And then there's Estelle Doyle. It's true the caustic pathologist has never walked down the sunny side of the street but this time has she gone too far? Shot twice in the head, her father's murder appears to be an open and shut case. Estelle has firearms discharge residue on her hands, and, in a house surrounded by fresh snow, hers are the only footprints going in. Since her arrest she's only said three words: 'Tell Washington Poe.'

Meanwhile, a poisoner the press have dubbed the Botanist is sending high profile celebrities poems and pressed flowers. The killer seems to be able to walk through walls and, despite the advance notice he gives his victims, and regardless of the security measures the police take, he seems to be able to kill with impunity.

For a man who hates locked room mysteries, this is going to be the longest week of Washington Poe's life . . .

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

'Another classy thriller from the king of Cumbrian crime' Paul Finch

'A sinful treat' Vaseem Khan

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

Praise for M W Craven:

'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

'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 powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark

'A gripping start to a much anticipated new series' Vaseem Khan

'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read.' Michael J. Malone

'Nothing you've ever read will prepare you for the utterly unique Washington Poe' Keith Nixon

'Deeply layered, fiendishly clever and absorbing' Matt Hilton, author of the Joe Hunter series

The first gritty thriller in the Avison Fluke series by M. W. Craven, the acclaimed author of The Puppet Show.

Detective Inspector Avison Fluke is a man on the edge. He has committed a crime to get back to work, concealed a debilitating illness and is about to be made homeless. Just as he thinks things can't get any worse, the body of a young woman is found buried on a Cumbrian building site.

Shot once in the back of the head, it is a cold, calculated execution. When the post-mortem reveals she has gone to significant expense in disguising her appearance, Fluke knows this is no ordinary murder.

With the help of a psychotic ex-Para, a gangland leader and a woman more interested in maggots than people, Fluke must find out who she was and why she was murdered before he can even think about finding her killer...

Praise for M. W. Craven:

'Dark, sharp and compelling' PETER JAMES

'Fantastic' MARTINA COLE

'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' MATT HILTON

'Thrilling' MICK HERRON

'Brilliantly inventive' WILLIAM SHAW

'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent' DAVID MARK

'This is high quality crime writing' A A Dhand

The second dark and twisted thriller in the Avison Fluke series by M. W. Craven, the acclaimed author of The Puppet Show.

Investigating how a severed hand ends up on the third green of a Cumbrian golf course is not how Detective Inspector Avison Fluke has planned to spend his Saturday. So when a secret protection unit from London swoops in quoting national security, he's secretly pleased.

But trouble is never far away. A young woman arrives at his lakeside cabin with a cryptic message: a code known to only a handful of people and it forces Fluke back into the investigation he's only just been barred from.

In a case that will change his life forever, Fluke immerses himself in a world of New Age travellers, corrupt cops and domestic extremists. Before long he's alienated his entire team, has been arrested under the Terrorism Act - and has made a pact with the Devil himself. But a voice has called out to him from beyond the grave. And Fluke is only getting started...

Praise for M. W. Craven:

'Dark, sharp and compelling' PETER JAMES

'Fantastic' MARTINA COLE

'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' MATT HILTON

'Thrilling' MICK HERRON

'Brilliantly inventive' WILLIAM SHAW

'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent' DAVID MARK

M.W. Craven, autor ganador del Premio CWA Gold Dagger al mejor thriller del año.
Tras El show de las marionetas, la nueva tormenta se aproxima.

Jared Keaton, el chef de las estrellas. Encantador. Carismático. Psicópata...

Jared se encuentra cumpliendo cadena perpetua por el brutal asesinato de su hija Elizabeth. Su cuerpo nunca fue hallado y Keaton fue condenado en gran parte por el testimonio del detective Washington Poe.

Cuando una joven mujer se presenta a las puertas de una remota comisaría de policía con evidencias irrefutables de que ella es Elizabeth Keaton, Poe se encontrará con el dilema de una investigación que bien podría costarle mucho más que su propia carrera profesional.

Con la ayuda de la única persona en la que confía, la brillante pero socialmente compleja Tilly Bradshaw, Poe emprende una carrera contra reloj para responder la única pregunta que importa: Cómo puede una persona estar viva y muerta al mismo tiempo?

Y de pronto, Elizabeth desaparece de nuevo, y todas las pistas de la investigación señalan otra vez a Poe.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

'A brutal and thrilling page-turner' The Sun
'Compelling' Heat
'The best pure mystery plot of the year' Morning Star
'Gleefully gory and witty, with a terrific sense of place' Sunday Mirror
______________________
After The Puppet Show, a new storm is coming . . .

Jared Keaton, chef to the stars. Charming. Charismatic. Psychopath . . . He's currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. Her body was never found and Keaton was convicted largely on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe.
So when a young woman staggers into a remote police station with irrefutable evidence that she is Elizabeth Keaton, Poe finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation, one that could cost him much more than his career.
Helped by the only person he trusts, the brilliant but socially awkward Tilly Bradshaw, Poe races to answer the only question that matters: how can someone be both dead and alive at the same time?
And then Elizabeth goes missing again - and all paths of investigation lead back to Poe.
The gripping new thriller in the Washington Poe series from M. W. Craven, winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel of 2019.