The Killer's Mark by M. W. Craven

 

Teenager Esmerée Blue seeks the help of Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw to find her mother, a person she long thought was dead. The quest leads to a dark and dangerous confrontation for everyone involved.

The Killer's Mark by M. W. Craven is the eighth book in the Washington Poe series, a series that just keeps getting better and better. The author has taken the books in a new direction, with Poe having left the police force and set up as a private investigator with his friend Tilly Bradshaw. This makes this book an ideal starting point for anyone new to the series, but I really would recommend reading the series right from the beginning so you can see how the characters have developed.

Even though the duo has set up business as 'Gumshoes For Hire', Poe is reluctant to actually take on any cases until a teenage girl asks for help. Esmerée explains how she lived in New York with her mother, Océane, who was the mistress of an extremely wealthy man, until her mother murdered the man and fled, leaving Esmerée to fend for herself. Esmerée has always believed her mother to be dead, until she recently caught a glimpse of her in a pornographic film.

Having previously been involved in the hunt for serial killers, fans of the series will be used to the dark tones that frequently appear, and The Killer's Mark is no different. The villain of the piece this time around is the Triads, an organised crime group that has almost mythical status within the UK, easily causing fear at the mere mention of them. 

There are times when you would assume Poe and Tilly are going to be hampered as they no longer work for the NCA and cannot rely on the backup it provided. No longer constrained by the rules he had to follow as a police officer (and let's be honest, Poe and rules had a very flimsy relationship), we see a much more gung-ho side to Poe, and as a result, some decidedly tricky situations to be extracted from. Thankfully, the pair have a network of ex-colleagues and friends they can call on. Tilly's work for the security services plays a prominent role in the storyline.

With Poe now being his own boss, he no longer needs to think before he speaks; fans know that kowtowing to authority was not one of his strengths. As a result, the level of sarcasm is high. Add to the mix a feisty American teen, and I found myself laughing out loud repeatedly.

As the conclusion approaches, the pace never lets up, and the level of danger seems to increase exponentially. Shocking revelations are uncovered, with a satisfying resolution leaving so much scope for the future.

The Killer's Mark by M. W. Craven will be published on 13th August 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Multi-award-winning author M.W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. He is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and, for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, a recipient of the 2019 Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger, the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the 2025 Fingerprint Crime Book of the Year. The series has now been translated into thirty languages and sold over one million copies.