Reasons to grab your earbuds and listen to The Craftsman
- With alternating timelines between present day (1999) and thirty-years prior (1969) Bolton quickly pulled me into this macabre thriller. Our protagonist Florence Loveday and her son are attending the funeral of Larry Glassbrook. Glassbrook was the convicted serial killer responsible for heinous crimes in a case Loveday worked over thirty years ago. In 1969 as a young officer in Lancashire, she worked a missing persons case involving a thirteen-year-old girl. That cases lead to the discovery of horrible crimes that rocked the small town.
- Both timelines were well-developed and held my attention. Bolton fleshed out the characters and period from Loveday following trusting her gut to the way her male counterparts treated her.
- Glassbrook’s death brings back flashbacks and when Loveday discovers a small voodoo doll of herself things get interesting. Did they incarcerate the wrong man? Is someone snatching children again? Are the cases connected?
- Set in Sabden, a town on the edge of Pendle Hill, Bolton wove the town’s history into her story. The elements of witchcraft, folklore and superstition created suspense, foreboding and authenticity to the story.
- While the current thread built slowly, the payoff for reader and listeners alike came in the final thirty percent of the book. Gritty, gothic and unbelievably suspenseful I found myself completely enthralled. At one point I was gripping the sofa pillow so tightly my hand throbbed. I was so engrossed by the twists, danger and pulse-pounding moments I could barely breathe.
- The story is dark and deeply disturbing. While this isn’t horror, there are moments and discoveries that will haunt you. Keep in mind young people were/are kidnapped and murdered. Their cause of death is disturbing and difficult for the mind to process. Even Loveday’s experiences in the past were terrifying. While Bolton didn’t go out of her way in detailing the deaths, she left little to the imagination and I often cringed at the revelations.
- If you listen you are in for an extra dose of suspense. Nathalie Buscombe offered a wonderful narration. She captured the atmospheric tones and tension as the story progressed lending authenticity to the characters and their actions.
- Do not skip the note from the author entitled Dear Reader.