Today it’s my turn on the blog tour for Crow Moon. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…

Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire.

Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back…

When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows.

As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha…

Both a nerve-shattering, enthralling and atmospheric thriller and a moving tale of grief and psychological damage, Crow Moon is a staggeringly accomplished debut and the start of an addictive, unforgettable series.

Review:

I couldn’t believe when I read Crow Moon that Suzy Aspley is a debut writer as her work is so accomplished. Crow Moon is a crime novel with a very distinctive supernatural, gothic twist that really makes it stand out from everything else in the genre at the moment. I loved the way that Suzy Aspley creates such an eerie atmosphere that runs the whole way through the novel.

Martha is a journalist who becomes immediately involved in the case when she discovers the dead body of her son, Dougie’s best friend whilst she is out walking her dog. She, herself, has her own tragic past, which is explored in detail, but there is a clear understanding that there are many more layers to this story. I found Martha and Dougie to be quite likeable characters and I feel that the author captured the essence of their emotions in the midst of this situation really well.

As I mentioned, there is a strong element of the gothic and supernatural in Crow Moon. I don’t normally enjoy supernatural stories but this aspect of the novel works so well that I was instantly drawn to the history of the spirits and witches. Suzy Aspley has researched this so thoroughly that it feels incredibly authentic and I was keen to learn more.

The mysterious elements of Crow Moon definitely kept me intrigued from the very beginning. I really wanted to know who was responsible for the crimes in this novel and there were a few times I thought I had it nailed only to be proved wrong.

This author is definitely one to look out for!

Crow Moon is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: