Sharon Bolton | THE CRAFTSMAN

Plot (via Goodreads):

August, 1999
On the hottest day of the year, Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady attends the funeral of Larry Glassbrook, the convicted murderer she arrested thirty years earlier. A master carpenter and funeral director, Larry imprisoned his victims, alive, in the caskets he made himself. Clay effigies found entombed with their bodies suggested a motive beyond the worst human depravity.

June, 1969
13-year- old Patsy Wood has been missing for two days, the third teenager to disappear in as many months. New to the Lancashire police force and struggling to fit in, WPC Lovelady is sent to investigate an unlikely report from school children claiming to have heard a voice calling for help. A voice from deep within a recent grave.

August, 1999
As she tries to lay her ghosts to rest, Florence is drawn back to the Glassbrooks' old house, in the shadow of Pendle Hill, where she once lodged with the family. She is chilled by the discovery of another effigy - one bearing a remarkable resemblance to herself. Is the killer still at large? Is Florence once again in terrible danger? Or, this time, could the fate in store be worse than even her darkest imaginings?

Review:

It's no lie that I loved Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton. I also had a chance to read Daisy in Chains in anticipation for The Craftsman and I loved that too. When I received my ARC of The Craftsman, I was floored. Not only did I have a copy of this novel in my hands, but it was humongous. I'm talking 400+ pages. Now as an official fan of Sharon Bolton, this was like Christmas. 400+ pages of all Sharon Bolton?! What do I do? Surrender. 

When I read the synopsis to The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton, I was amazed. I mean, we are talking a creepy serial killer, two different timelines, and a hint of witchcraft? Is this possible? It definitely is. Oh, and to top it off - the novel came out in October. Sign. Me. Up. So, of course I waited until October to really set the spooky mood and start this one. Here was my plan - I was going to start on Sunday while I went through my typical routine of laundry, catching up on blog work, and preparing for the work week. I would then finish on Monday and work on my review. Well, that plan went out the window the minute I opened this novel. What resulted was me starting on Sunday and staying up until 12:30AM to finish this beast of a story. I don't know if those witches had anything to do with it, but I was completely spellbound the entire time and I had no regrets about it as I basically funneled my second cup of coffee Monday morning. When I opened the first page and this one kind of started off with a note to the reader from Sharon Bolton about why this novel is so meaningful to her and why it's a story she's wanted to tell for a while, I knew that I was in for it. Dead Blogger Walking. I didn't stand a chance against The Craftsman. 

The beginning to this novel just really roped me right in. The serial killer our main character put away 30 years ago is dead and we are at his funeral. Okay...and then all hell breaks lose pacing wise and we are quickly transported back 30 years to where it all began. Now, on a personal level I will tell you one thing - some of the scariest cases I have read or heard about took place in the 70s, so this one already creeped me out being that it takes place in a small English village in 1969. Typically, I googled Lancashire in England and yup, Bolton nailed the atmospheric portion of this novel. Also, if you look on Google there is a cemetery that is one of the first pictures and it just solidified the fact that this novel was meant to completely creep me out and it did. So not only was this one atmospherically chilling, but it features a coffin maker accused of murdering children by burying them alive. And yes, it is a coffin. Reading this novel will reach you the difference between a coffin and a casket - and yes, coffins are scarier. Now, with this timeline, I loved how it just worked with the story. This is old school police work, there is no social media, no cell phones, no DNA, nothing advanced to assist these police officers with getting to the bottom of what is really happening in Lancashire and what evil is lurking in this small village. Bolton metaphorically put the nail in the coffin with this one - I was stunned with how creeped out I was in only about 100 pages. Even though it's interesting, this one definitely starts off slower and really allows the reader to sink their teeth into the plot to this novel before the craziness begins, which I appreciated as a reader. 

I have to mention the characters. I mean, this is a Sharon Bolton book. To be completely transparent with this review, I have to let you know that my best advice is to keep the Notes app on your cell phone by you at all times because there are a ton of characters in this book. Between small introductions, names that are mentioned and brought up later, and two timelines, it gets tricky to keep track of all of the different people that live in this village. Nevertheless, the main characters don't need to be kept track of because Bolton again does a fantastic job of bringing not only this village to life through her cinematic writing style, but by allowing these characters to levitate off the pages and surround the reader. Some for protection, and others to keep you afraid. Now, I have to mention that as discussed through other reviews and small details, there is a hint of witchcraft in this novel. It is not over the top or tacky, but just enough to really increase the suspense factor. Here's what I will say - I loved the coven. I loved the women in it, I loved their interactions, and I was astonished with how uniquely Bolton wrote them. Talk about a win win in my book. 

This one just really flies by for such a large book. I loved how it began in 1999, went back to 1969 and then returned again to 1999 just in time for the frightening and intense finale. With the exception of one minor detail that still may haunt me to this day, this ending was effective, shocking, and left me satisfied and yet still left the door open for its sequel. So, until next time Sharon Bolton, thank you again for being an incredible writer and never letting me down. 

Special thanks to Minotaur Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5