wanderaven's review against another edition
3.0
My disappointment is vague - - Bolton, one of my favourite authors, including the Pendle witches in a contemporary mystery abut a series of teen murders? Sounds perfect for me - and yet it wasn't. There was just something about this one that ended up being quite flat. I never really liked the protagonist - which is just fine if I'm not intended to like the protagonist, but that wasn't the intention (to the best of my perception). Because of this, I didn't much care about the relationships she develops or how they may or may not affect the outcome.
Hmmm. I'll tell you right now, this certainly isn't going to stop me from grabbing the next in the trilogy - as apparently this is the start of - as soon as I can, because this one has barely dimmed my love for Bolton and I still trust her to probably turn it around for me. This one just didn't work for me - - though it was propulsive and I finished it and was glad I did, it felt a bit more like someone else trying to live up to some of the more recent Bolton standards but falling a bit short, for numerous reasons.
Hmmm. I'll tell you right now, this certainly isn't going to stop me from grabbing the next in the trilogy - as apparently this is the start of - as soon as I can, because this one has barely dimmed my love for Bolton and I still trust her to probably turn it around for me. This one just didn't work for me - - though it was propulsive and I finished it and was glad I did, it felt a bit more like someone else trying to live up to some of the more recent Bolton standards but falling a bit short, for numerous reasons.
redheadbookgirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
This was one of my highly anticipated spooky reads for this month and it was definitely chilling 🔎 Dark, disturbing + eerie, this was a captivating and unique police procedural thriller with a twist— a witchcraft aspect! Two timelines, thirty years apart, follow a macabre crime and it’s copycat, and this is not for the claustrophobic!🫠
The storyline gave me massive TWILIGHT (Peter James) vibes and kept me guessing till the very end but there was just a little something missing that I can’t put my finger on.. it had the police investigations, the dark and gory murders + the eerie settings, all aspects of a thriller I LOVE but I’d describe the pacing as slow to medium, which was probably a contributing factor to why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d been hoping to. I just didn’t get that urge to keep picking it up. Nevertheless it was still an intriguing and compelling read!
I think sometimes it’s a case of right book, wrong time, and I am exhausted following a run of shifts. Maybe I’ll listen to the audio version in the future!
We can’t love them all, but I’ll definitely be reading some others of Bolton’s work🫶🏽
— 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🦇
The storyline gave me massive TWILIGHT (Peter James) vibes and kept me guessing till the very end but there was just a little something missing that I can’t put my finger on.. it had the police investigations, the dark and gory murders + the eerie settings, all aspects of a thriller I LOVE but I’d describe the pacing as slow to medium, which was probably a contributing factor to why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d been hoping to. I just didn’t get that urge to keep picking it up. Nevertheless it was still an intriguing and compelling read!
I think sometimes it’s a case of right book, wrong time, and I am exhausted following a run of shifts. Maybe I’ll listen to the audio version in the future!
We can’t love them all, but I’ll definitely be reading some others of Bolton’s work🫶🏽
— 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🦇
firadraco's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
stephdavies's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
alicebv1995's review against another edition
3.0
The plot of this book was good, but I felt like the pacing slogged on forever. It took me 7 days to finish it as an audiobook because I kept getting bored. It didn’t need to be 70-some chapters.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Set in 1969 and 1999, The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton is an intriguing mystery with slight occult elements (witchcraft).
In 1969, WPC Florence Lovelady is the only woman on the Lancashire police force. She is working in the small village of Sabden where three teenagers have inexplicably gone missing. The latest young woman to disappear is fourteen year old Patsy Wood and Florence comes up with an innovative idea in hopes of receiving tips from the public. Florence takes matters into her own hands when Superintendent Stanley Ruston is slow to act and she makes a gruesome discovery. She is then assigned to work the case alongside DC Tom Devine and the rest of the team and Florence makes some startling findings that lead to the arrest and conviction of coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook.
In 1999, Florence is back in Sabden along with her fifteen year old son Ben for Larry's funeral. Over the past thirty years, she has periodically visited Larry in prison and she is little troubled by something he said to her during their last conversation. Returning to his house, she makes a chilling discovery that raise doubts about Larry's guilt. Turning to her old friend Tom Devine, who is still on the police force, they work together to uncover the truth about who might have been responsible for the kidnappings and murders thirty years earlier.
The narrative begins in 1999 then quickly shifts back to the investigation in 1969. Florence is new to the force but she has keen instincts that quickly turn up leads to follow. Not everyone is happy to work alongside a woman so Florence is also dealing with sexism from her older co-workers. She soon learns to not to allow their attitudes affect and she diligently works the case. Florence hears whispers of witchcraft and learns of a possible connection to the Stonemasons but does this information have anything to do with the missing teenagers?
The Craftsman is a fast-paced mystery with a chilling storyline and fascinating supernatural elements. The characters are multi-faceted and their attitudes are true to the time period. Florence is a sharply intelligent woman whose confidence in her abilities grows throughout the investigation. The kidnappings and murders are disturbing but this part of the storyline is tastefully handled. The witchcraft aspect is quite interesting and it is naturally incorporated into the story in a believable fashion. With absolutely stunning twists and startling turns, Sharon Bolton brings the novel to a jaw-dropping, shocking conclusion. I highly recommend this riveting mystery to fans of the genre.
In 1969, WPC Florence Lovelady is the only woman on the Lancashire police force. She is working in the small village of Sabden where three teenagers have inexplicably gone missing. The latest young woman to disappear is fourteen year old Patsy Wood and Florence comes up with an innovative idea in hopes of receiving tips from the public. Florence takes matters into her own hands when Superintendent Stanley Ruston is slow to act and she makes a gruesome discovery. She is then assigned to work the case alongside DC Tom Devine and the rest of the team and Florence makes some startling findings that lead to the arrest and conviction of coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook.
In 1999, Florence is back in Sabden along with her fifteen year old son Ben for Larry's funeral. Over the past thirty years, she has periodically visited Larry in prison and she is little troubled by something he said to her during their last conversation. Returning to his house, she makes a chilling discovery that raise doubts about Larry's guilt. Turning to her old friend Tom Devine, who is still on the police force, they work together to uncover the truth about who might have been responsible for the kidnappings and murders thirty years earlier.
The narrative begins in 1999 then quickly shifts back to the investigation in 1969. Florence is new to the force but she has keen instincts that quickly turn up leads to follow. Not everyone is happy to work alongside a woman so Florence is also dealing with sexism from her older co-workers. She soon learns to not to allow their attitudes affect and she diligently works the case. Florence hears whispers of witchcraft and learns of a possible connection to the Stonemasons but does this information have anything to do with the missing teenagers?
The Craftsman is a fast-paced mystery with a chilling storyline and fascinating supernatural elements. The characters are multi-faceted and their attitudes are true to the time period. Florence is a sharply intelligent woman whose confidence in her abilities grows throughout the investigation. The kidnappings and murders are disturbing but this part of the storyline is tastefully handled. The witchcraft aspect is quite interesting and it is naturally incorporated into the story in a believable fashion. With absolutely stunning twists and startling turns, Sharon Bolton brings the novel to a jaw-dropping, shocking conclusion. I highly recommend this riveting mystery to fans of the genre.
shereadsbetweensips's review against another edition
3.0
What a slow burn… This detective-mystery-crime-thriller of a book goes back and forth between 1999 and 1969. Florence Lovelady is a brand new WPC trying to solve the disappearances of some teenagers in the city. She always had the feeling that the man behind bars was not the real criminal and after 30 years, when she goes back to the city for his funeral, she discovers some new crazy evidence on the case that has been closed for so many years.
If I say that I loved it, I am lying. I did enjoyed the suspense of not knowing what was going to happen next until it became predictable. I enjoyed not knowing who was the culprit until I said, “can you imagine if it was so and so?” and in the end it turned out to be that same character. It is a book that could’ve been at least 100 pages shorter. Bolton did a good job combining a crime investigation with the supernatural. When it came down to it, you’re no longer surprised and you just take it as it is. Sadly, it didn’t make a great impression on me.
If I say that I loved it, I am lying. I did enjoyed the suspense of not knowing what was going to happen next until it became predictable. I enjoyed not knowing who was the culprit until I said, “can you imagine if it was so and so?” and in the end it turned out to be that same character. It is a book that could’ve been at least 100 pages shorter. Bolton did a good job combining a crime investigation with the supernatural. When it came down to it, you’re no longer surprised and you just take it as it is. Sadly, it didn’t make a great impression on me.
bookkat's review against another edition
3.0
I loved Bolton's book: The Pact, so was eager to read another book by her. The Craftsman, however, was a slog. About ⅔ of the way thru, I thought it was wrapping up and was shocked to see that I still had nearly 3 hours of listening to go. I feel like the book started as one thing (mystery) and then wandered in and around ending up being more or an occult book, which was quite unexpected. I think part of the problem was that I just didn't really care about any of the book's characters, then when the storyline took a left turn, I felt like I was suddenly reading a different book.
Florence Lovelady, in the late sixties is the driving force (among male colleagues who do not appreciate her being there) in finding the evil criminal who has abducted and buried three teenagers alive. Case closed…were it not for the fact that something doesn’t sit quite right. Thirty years later, when the culprit dies and she attends his funeral, those niggling doubts resurface and Florence, now a top-ranking member of the Met, knows that she’s got to get to the bottom of it.
This book had the potential to be a fast-paced and gripping thriller. The witchcraft angle seemed shoehorned in and as a result the ending was rather ridiculous.
Florence Lovelady, in the late sixties is the driving force (among male colleagues who do not appreciate her being there) in finding the evil criminal who has abducted and buried three teenagers alive. Case closed…were it not for the fact that something doesn’t sit quite right. Thirty years later, when the culprit dies and she attends his funeral, those niggling doubts resurface and Florence, now a top-ranking member of the Met, knows that she’s got to get to the bottom of it.
This book had the potential to be a fast-paced and gripping thriller. The witchcraft angle seemed shoehorned in and as a result the ending was rather ridiculous.