Book Review: The Craftsman | Sharon Bolton

A new detective and the first female on the force, a town haunted by a merciless killer, children going missing only to be found in the most horrifying manner, and a mysterious darkness around the town that can only be described as not of this mortal world…

The Craftsman had me convinced that Sharon Bolton somehow new my most secret fears and brought them into this story. This book is positively chilling and expertly crafted. Written primarily in flashback to 1969, the story of the small town of Lancashire, England involves the mysterious disappearances and horrifying murders of teenagers in the town. This is my first novel by Sharon Bolton and I can’t believe that I haven’t read anything by her yet. If you haven’t either, make The Craftsman your first because it is truly mind-blowing!

About the Book

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?

Reflection

Not unlike the clay model of the town that is featured so prominently in the solving of this mystery, I felt like I was able to acutely envision the settings in the small town in this book. Bolton is an incredible writer, and she writes a story that is atmospheric, haunting, and rich with well-developed characters. I felt like this book could have been 200 pages longer without drawing out the story at all—there was just so many interesting twists to the story.

Readers of my blog may know by now that I love a little hint of supernatural to my mysteries when it is done well. I like the mysteries that are grounded in reality, but have a tinge of other-worldly darkness creeping in. In The Craftsman Sharon Bolton absolutely nailed it! She opens with a letter to the reader—that since she grew up she’s always wanted to explore the notion of witchcraft.

This book uses the element of witchcraft perfectly. Just as there is a difference between a haunting and being haunted, there is a difference between witchcraft and witches. The Craftsman showcases how with a turn of the story, a person can find themselves to be the witch—the one being hunted. And then of course we have the magnificent coven in this book. The lurk on the periphery of the story, using their combined force to draw out the truth. I absolutely loved this element, and it made it a perfect October read!

The structure is really something else as well. The book begins in 1999 with the funeral of the town’s most hated resident. Larry was finally captured and sentenced to life in prison. Thirty years later he passed away and Florence returns. And yet, something has been unleashed on the town in the wake of his passing. It feels as though Florence was lured there, though she came of her own volition.

Then the majority of the story takes place in 1969, where teenagers in that phase between childhood and adults are going missing. And when they are discovered it is in the most horrible way—locked inside of intricately-crafted, ornate coffins with another body inside and buried 6 feet beneath the ground, the satin lining torn to shreds as they try to claw their way out.

Did you get chills from that description? That is only the beginning of their horrifying deaths. Of course, you’ll have to read yourself to find out what I mean! Let me say this—there is physical horror and psychological horror, and Bolton shows you that just when you think nothing could be worse than the physical horror, you learn the true depths of the monster that did this.

Florence herself is a completely fascinating character. She is tough and by-the-book, whip-smart, and dogged in her pursuit of the truth. And just when you think that she’s invincible, you see the young woman that she truly is—wanting to fit in, connecting with other women who find themselves on the outs in the town, and getting schoolyard crushes. Florence is truly perfect in her contrasts.

This is a book I encourage all psychological thriller fans to try. The ending made me positively gasp with delight, shock, and awe. The last two lines keep replaying through my mind! Every time I think of them, I fall in love with this book all over again. And we are in luck, because I read on Bolton’s website that this is part of a trilogy!!! I cannot wait to read what comes next from her.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press for my copy to review.