A MONSTER. A MOTHER. A MURDER?
When Vice Admiral Boyer, RN (retd) died without leaving a will, his estranged daughter inherited his – not inconsiderable – estate. Called home to sort through his belongings, she found an AegisBox – a tamper proof safe within a safe designed to self-destruct if anyone without the code attempts to open it. Unable to walk away without the truth, she uncovered something so horrifying it launched the biggest investigation in the National Crime Agency’s history.
Five years later, Washington Poe is unwittingly, and unwillingly, sucked into its gravity…
Finally able to escape the authority they railed against, Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are enjoying their new jobs as private detectives or – as the sign on their door says – ‘Gumshoes for Hire’. When a teenage girl walks into their office, looking for the mother she long believed to be dead, they agree to take the case. As Poe and Tilly investigate the girl’s claims, they find themselves drawn into a murky world of trafficking, pornography and prostitution.
Will they be able to help the girl find her mother, or will the dark forces at work, who will stop at nothing to protect themselves, get there first…
Book Info: 469 pages. Publisher: Constable. Publication Date: 13 August 2026
My Thoughts.
Before you read my thoughts on the latest Washington Poe book, have YOU read this series yet? If the answer is NO.. then STOP reading and download the series because honestly this is one of the BEST crime series with the BEST central characters and the BEST crimes and if you haven’t realised by now, one of my all time favourite series in this genre. If you have read the books, then you will absolutely LOVE the latest book THE KILLER’S MARK which is being published in August 2026.
This is the 8th book in this series and follows on from the previous book The Final Vow and without spoiling anything Poe & Tilly are back, but this time they have set up their own private detective agency carefully picking and vetting the clients they want to work with.. which if you know Poe means they haven’t got any clients at all.
When a teenage girl instructs them to find her mother, the team uncover a disturbing underworld involving trafficking, prostitution and abuse. Delving deep into the pornography world, the dynamic duo have to face things that whilst Poe has probably seen before, his concern about protecting Tilly’s innocence is a joy to read and very, very funny too.
This series stands out from many other crime/legal books due to the incredible relationship between Poe & Tilly. M.W. Craven has the ability to seamlessly blend dark and disturbing themes, gory and gruesome crimes with humour, love and warmth.
I really can’t explain just how happy I am that this series continues to get better and better, that the characters continue to grow and develop, that the crimes and plotlines are clever, twisty and unique and I absolutely can’t wait to read book #9.
This definitely goes into my Top Ten Books of the year and I’m not ashamed to admit to shedding several tears in this book!
Books in order:
The Puppet Show (2018)
Black Summer (2019)
The Curator (2020)
Dead Ground (2021)
The Botanist (2022)
The Mercy Chair (2024)
The Final Vow (2025)
The Killer’s Mark (2026)
