The Botanist
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- Create Date：2022-06-01 00:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：M.W. Craven
- ISBN：0349135541
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Summary
'I swear I'm one bad mood away from calling it black magic and going home 。 。 。'
Detective Sergeant Washington Poe can count on one hand the number of friends he has。 And he'd still have his thumb left。 There's the insanely brilliant， guilelessly innocent civilian analyst， Tilly Bradshaw of course。 He's known his beleaguered boss， Detective Inspector Stephanie Flynn for years as he has his nearest neighbour， full-time shepherd/part-time dog sitter， Victoria。
And then there's Estelle Doyle。 It's true the caustic pathologist has never walked down the sunny side of the street but this time has she gone too far？ Shot to twice in the head， her father's murder appears to be an open and shut case。 Estelle has firearms discharge residue on her hands， and， in a house surrounded by fresh snow， hers are the only footprints going in。 Since her arrest she's only said three words: 'Tell Washington Poe。'
Meanwhile， a poisoner the press have dubbed the Botanist is sending high profile celebrities poems and pressed flowers。 The killer seems to be able to walk through walls and， despite the advance notice he gives his victims， and regardless of the security measures the police take， he seems to be able to kill with impunity。
For a man who hates locked room mysteries， this is going to be the longest week of Washington Poe's life 。 。 。
Detective Sergeant Washington Poe can count on one hand the number of friends he has。 And he'd still have his thumb left。 There's the insanely brilliant， guilelessly innocent civilian analyst， Tilly Bradshaw of course。 He's known his beleaguered boss， Detective Inspector Stephanie Flynn for years as he has his nearest neighbour， full-time shepherd/part-time dog sitter， Victoria。
And then there's Estelle Doyle。 It's true the caustic pathologist has never walked down the sunny side of the street but this time has she gone too far？ Shot to twice in the head， her father's murder appears to be an open and shut case。 Estelle has firearms discharge residue on her hands， and， in a house surrounded by fresh snow， hers are the only footprints going in。 Since her arrest she's only said three words: 'Tell Washington Poe。'
Meanwhile， a poisoner the press have dubbed the Botanist is sending high profile celebrities poems and pressed flowers。 The killer seems to be able to walk through walls and， despite the advance notice he gives his victims， and regardless of the security measures the police take， he seems to be able to kill with impunity。
For a man who hates locked room mysteries， this is going to be the longest week of Washington Poe's life 。 。 。
Reviews
Teresa Nikolic
，
'I swear I'm one bad mood away from calling it black magic and going home 。 。 。'Washington Poe has been assigned to a case where the killer， known as 'The Botanist' sends his victims， all high profile celebrities， pressed flowers and poems， and then proceeds to poison them without ever meeting them。 Alongside trying to solve this case， his close friend and pathologist， Estelle Doyle， has been arrested for murdering her father， the evidence appears to be clear cut， she is found with firearms disc 'I swear I'm one bad mood away from calling it black magic and going home 。 。 。'Washington Poe has been assigned to a case where the killer， known as 'The Botanist' sends his victims， all high profile celebrities， pressed flowers and poems， and then proceeds to poison them without ever meeting them。 Alongside trying to solve this case， his close friend and pathologist， Estelle Doyle， has been arrested for murdering her father， the evidence appears to be clear cut， she is found with firearms discharge residue on her hands， in a house surrounded by fresh snow and only her footprints to be seen。 Poe is certain she's innocent but how is he going to solve not one， but two locked room mysteries when spending time on one could compromise the other？The Botanist sees the return of my favourite crime duo， Poe and Tilly。 Poe doesn't have many friends but those he does have， he will protect with every fibre of his being and that includes pathologist， Estelle Doyle。 Tilly is， as ever， fiercely loyal to Poe and their close bond shines through in the latest instalment by this incredible author。 Well， what is there not to love about this book？ I absolutely adore Poe and Tilly; the banter， the sarcasm from Poe， Tilly's honesty and unfiltered comments towards anyone she meets， regardless of their status or grade， is endearing and hilarious in equal measures。 The plot is well crafted and complex， the characters are authentic and I just love a locked room mystery， the fact we get a double dose here is the icing on the cake！ Once again， Mike Craven has pulled it out of the bag and knocked it out of the park。 If you haven't had the pleasure of this series yet I'd advise you start at the beginning， even though they can all be read as standalone， as you will gain a better understanding of the characters backgrounds。 For those of you that are avid fans， you don't want to miss this one， it's a belter！ I can't wait for book six！！I'd like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for the auto approval， I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day。 。。。more
Dawn
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Poe and Tilly ❤️ amazing as always and had me gripped for two days straight！
Jen
，
What can I say？ Just when you think the series cannot get any better， along comes The Botanist。 Probably Poe's most infuriating and perplexing case to date and， for us readers， one of the most fun。 Double trouble for Poe and Bradshaw as they are faced with not just one but two locked room mysteries。 After a fashion。 One sees one of Poe's people in jeopardy， the other a whole range of 'people you'd like to slap with a brick' targeted by a very cunning poisoner， dubbed by the media as the eponymou What can I say？ Just when you think the series cannot get any better， along comes The Botanist。 Probably Poe's most infuriating and perplexing case to date and， for us readers， one of the most fun。 Double trouble for Poe and Bradshaw as they are faced with not just one but two locked room mysteries。 After a fashion。 One sees one of Poe's people in jeopardy， the other a whole range of 'people you'd like to slap with a brick' targeted by a very cunning poisoner， dubbed by the media as the eponymous Botanist。 Why slapped with a brick？ Well， imagine every objectionable idiot you see touting their opinions， whether asked for or not， on social media。 Your rent a gob 'fake news' brigades， your unscrupulous businessmen who put profit over people， your corrupt politicians and the kinds of men who would like nothing better than seeing a live enactment of The Handmaid's Tale to reassert their lost masculinity。 They are a truly objectionable bunch， and any sane reader will struggle to see them as anything like sympathetic victims。 Not that any of us would condone violence or murder either， but that is that path the Botanist has chosen to take， and the journey we as readers find ourselves on alongside Poe。 But MW Craven has managed to dilute some of their hideous and outrageous behaviour by pitting them against Poe's inimitable sarcasm and Tilly's refreshing but unintentional candour。 Yes， they still make the skin crawl and the anger peak， but seeing them put back in their box in the next sentence by the kind of magical witticism that the author is so skilled at， makes it such fun to read。Alongside the case of the Botanist， Poe finds himself distracted by a case that involves his friend and star pathologist， Estelle Doyle。 She finds herself in the frame for a crime we all know she could not have committed but for which there seems an abundance of overwhelming evidence to the contrary。 There was never a moment of doubt in my mind about Estelle's innocence - after all， what idiot would call in Poe and Tilly if they were guilty of murder？ You know they will get to the truth。 But this is a delightful and intriguing mystery that seems almost impossible to solve。 Did I have my suspicions？ Well， yes， but I read too many mysteries and crime novels， to be taken completely unawares。 Did I see the whole picture？ Not right away， only at exactly the right moment。 A blink and you'll miss it throw away comment that stuck in the back of my mind and made me begin to wonder 。。。As for why the media have give our serial killer the monika The Botanist？ Well it's down to their unique method of murder - poisoning their victims using naturally occurring toxins and delivering them in a seemingly impossible way。 They are given advance warning of their impending fate and yet they are still caught out。 The why of their selection is never in doubt， they how of the delivery is the real mystery here。 This is a locked room mystery with a twist but so perfectly executed that even when you think you know， enough doubt is cast over your theory that you will end up doubting yourself。 If you are careful and pay close attention you may pick up all the clues， but only when The Botanist， and the author， wants you too。But the real power of this book is not the mystery - although they are both excellent。 It's not the cunning way in which the author has woven the two separate investigations together in a way which is seamless。 It's not even seeing some truly loathsome individuals meet a rather painful and devastating end - although there is some satisfaction to be had there， believe me。 The real power of this book， and this series， are its characters。 Principally Poe and Tilly， but in truth every single person that MW Craven pulls into his literary world。 There is an authenticity to each and every one， and each one adds something different to the story。 But Poe and Tilly， sarcasm and innocence， really make this series a winner。 As a team they just shouldn't work， but I can't imagine either one without the other。 With Poe's natural determination and drive， especially to protect those he cares for， and Tilly's incredibly smart mind and unwavering honesty， they are a dream team。 For every shock you get a double dose of laughter， for each moment of tension， and there are many， you get an equal measure of calm and it makes a perfect balance。The Botanist is as classic a Poe tale as you can find。 Tense， puzzling， witty and with pacing that waxes and wanes with the highs and lows of the investigation， this has been an absolute joy to read。 If you've not read this series yet， you really should， but start at the beginning。 That way you get the best out of the Poe and Tilly friendship and the series as a whole。 If this book isn't on award lists next year I will be highly surprised。 Most definitely recommended 。。。more
Paromjit
，
MW Craven gives us another stellar addition to his wonderful DS Washington Poe of the NCA and genius analyst， the polymath Matilda 'Tilly' Bradshaw series。 Poe finds himself with 2 frustrating locked room mysteries he refers to as 'black magic'， Northumbria Police have arrested his friend and eminent pathologist， the caustic Estelle Doyle， for the murder of her father， the lack of footprints in the snow point to her as the only suspect， not to mention there is GSR （Gun Shot Residue） on her hands MW Craven gives us another stellar addition to his wonderful DS Washington Poe of the NCA and genius analyst， the polymath Matilda 'Tilly' Bradshaw series。 Poe finds himself with 2 frustrating locked room mysteries he refers to as 'black magic'， Northumbria Police have arrested his friend and eminent pathologist， the caustic Estelle Doyle， for the murder of her father， the lack of footprints in the snow point to her as the only suspect， not to mention there is GSR （Gun Shot Residue） on her hands。 Doyle's response is to ask the police to tell Poe， he doesn't need to think twice， he knows she is innocent， he just has to work out how she has been set up and by whom。 Then there a serial killer on the loose， named The Botanist， who is targeting unpleasant victims， the kind who plague our contemporary realities， who struggle to garner any sympathy from the public， or from the police for that matter， but they have the task of hunting down the elusive killer。 A notorious misogynist， Kane Hunt， reveals a death threat， a pressed dried flower and appalling poetry， prior to dying on a live TV talk show， he is found to have been poisoned。 This is followed by the shamelessly corrupt and disgraced Tory MP for Sheffield East receiving the same type of threat， and despite being closely guarded， found dead in his bath。 A far right social media commentator， monetising racism， claiming truth and facts are 'fake news'， is isolated and closely monitored in hospital by both medical staff and the police， yet once again The Botanist manages to slip through the net。 DI Stephanie Flynn， Poe and even Tilly struggle to find any leads， how is the botanist getting away with his crimes， he has surfaced out of the blue， how did he get to be so good？ Surely he must have committed similar crimes before？ In a twisted narrative a popular killer develops a cult following and Doyle is charged with murder， the pressure is on to solve 2 impossible time sensitive cases。Craven has engaged in impressive research in this thrill ride of a crime read， it has his trademark comic moments， banter and hilarity， with the guileless， on the spectrum， Tilly often being the source with her unfiltered comments。 This is a riveting crime read， entertaining and engaging， with Poe's character seeing some serious development as he finally ventures into territory he has been so wary of。 The author continues to write crime fiction that delights and shows him at the top of his game。 Highly Recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Linda Hill
，
Washington Poe has two new cases。Oh my goodness it was good to be back with Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw。 The Botanist is fabulous。 Less visceral than other books in the series， but possibly more devious， there’s an increased sophistication in M。W。 Craven’s brilliant， intelligent， exciting writing that had me held spellbound。Each brief chapter is an absolute masterclass in thriller writing。 There’s fabulous dialogue imbued with Poe’s wit and Bradshaw’s innocence， fast pace， perfectly crafte Washington Poe has two new cases。Oh my goodness it was good to be back with Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw。 The Botanist is fabulous。 Less visceral than other books in the series， but possibly more devious， there’s an increased sophistication in M。W。 Craven’s brilliant， intelligent， exciting writing that had me held spellbound。Each brief chapter is an absolute masterclass in thriller writing。 There’s fabulous dialogue imbued with Poe’s wit and Bradshaw’s innocence， fast pace， perfectly crafted plotting and a hook at the end of every chapter that compels the reader onwards。 It’s impossible not to be entirely obsessed by reading The Botanist。Aside from a breath taking plot that simply doesn’t let up and that I don’t want to spoil by saying too much， The Botanist weaves science， retribution， the media and corruption into the narrative so that the reader feels educated as well as entertained。 In the same skilful manner with which M。W。 Craven ensures those not familiar with Poe and Bradshaw have an insight into their pasts that never slows the pace， so aspects of social history and science are seamlessly woven into the story。 It gave me enormous pleasure to find a softer side to Poe in The Botanist that felt exactly right for his character。The eponymous character is a cracking creation and an excellent depiction of the fine line between brilliance and evil。 There’s considerable depth of research into an egotist’s psyche here that lends depth and authenticity to the story。 What I enjoyed so much is that even when we， and Poe， know who the perpetrator is， we have no idea how he is committing his killings or how he might be apprehended。 I loved the level of tension this gives。I don’t read all the books in any series because there are simply too many books to get through。 M。W。 Craven’s Washington Poe Series is the exception and I don’t read these either。 I devour them。 And then feel completely unsettled until I know I have the next book in the series to read。 If you’ve yet to discover Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw you must。 Each narrative works perfectly as a stand alone story， but this series deserves to be read from the beginning。 I’m totally hooked and possibly obsessed by M。W。 Craven’s writing。 The Botanist is equally as brilliant as the rest。 I absolutely loved it。 。。。more
Mark
，
This is the 5th instalment in this， has to be said，brilliantly written series and its great to meet up with Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw again， anyone who has read these books almost always falls for these 2， they are just a readers dream and this readers love for them both continues in this bookThen there’s Estelle，of course she is back but this time she is in real trouble…。。‘The Botanist’ is another perfectly crafted sinister character from the author， why are they sending toxic poems and This is the 5th instalment in this， has to be said，brilliantly written series and its great to meet up with Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw again， anyone who has read these books almost always falls for these 2， they are just a readers dream and this readers love for them both continues in this bookThen there’s Estelle，of course she is back but this time she is in real trouble…。。‘The Botanist’ is another perfectly crafted sinister character from the author， why are they sending toxic poems and flowers to victims…before they kill them？As said I love these books，the characters，the writing，the settings，the dialogue，everything about them is pretty perfect tbh and Book 5 just leaves you with one problem…。when is Book 6 due 10/105 Stars 。。。more
Donna Morfett
，
I was really looking forward to reading this， I know Mike had written it some time ago， and had enjoyed writing it。 That shines from the pages。 Craven has mastered the slow unravelling of clues from his unique job in the NCA。 This time Craven thought he'd tackle not just one， but two locked room mysteries。 Top pathologist and one of my favourite characters， Estelle is arrested when her father is found murdered。 At the same time a myspgynitic idiot reveals he's received a murder threat then colla I was really looking forward to reading this， I know Mike had written it some time ago， and had enjoyed writing it。 That shines from the pages。 Craven has mastered the slow unravelling of clues from his unique job in the NCA。 This time Craven thought he'd tackle not just one， but two locked room mysteries。 Top pathologist and one of my favourite characters， Estelle is arrested when her father is found murdered。 At the same time a myspgynitic idiot reveals he's received a murder threat then collapses live on air。 Karen Royal Cross is another that is threatened， omg what a vacuous vapid pathetic creature， who declared everything was fake news。 It takes some very very blunt words from Poe and Tilly to get her to see sense， which fans of the series will know leads to some very amusing back and forth。 The revelations are revealed very cleverly and the pace doesn't drop once。 Even when you think you have got the full story the last few chapters turn that all on its head again。 A strength of The Botanist for me was the absolute level of detail which must have meant insane amounts of research。 I have a little scientific knowledge and learnt in 4 tears most of what was covered in 400 pages。 Finally， as always with a Craven novel， it's about the characters， particularly Poe and Tilly， but Doyle and Flynn shone too。 Some of the quips and moments of banter， Mike has excelled himself。 The Botanist is another example of why Mr Craven receives all the plaudits and awards he does， I have not one negative word。 。。。more
Ryn
，
can't wait for this 🤩hope they get together。 i have been shipping Estella and Poe for sooo long 😮💨 can't wait for this 🤩hope they get together。 i have been shipping Estella and Poe for sooo long 😮💨 。。。more
Lucy
，
Quite simply this is Mike's best Poe and Tilly novel。。 yet！Why write a novel with one locked room mystery when you can write a novel with two locked room mysteries？！ The Botanist is an absolutely outstanding novel， and it demonstrates why Mike is a Sunday Times' bestselling writer。There is the wonderful commaradery， as always， between Poe and Tilly， with Steph Flynn and Estelle Doyle playing their roles beautifully。With a poisoner targeting questionable high-profile figures， and Estelle Doyle in Quite simply this is Mike's best Poe and Tilly novel。。 yet！Why write a novel with one locked room mystery when you can write a novel with two locked room mysteries？！ The Botanist is an absolutely outstanding novel， and it demonstrates why Mike is a Sunday Times' bestselling writer。There is the wonderful commaradery， as always， between Poe and Tilly， with Steph Flynn and Estelle Doyle playing their roles beautifully。With a poisoner targeting questionable high-profile figures， and Estelle Doyle in the frame for the murder of her father， you just know that Poe and Tilly are going to have to pull something special together in order to save lives - those being targeted， and of course Estelle。What follows really is a breathtaking example of how to write an intelligent crime story， whilst trusting your characters to tell the story for you。 Astoundingly brilliant！ 。。。more
Will Templeton
，
Well， it's taken nearly a couple of weeks， what with life getting in the way （darn you， life！）， but I've finally finished The Botanist by M。W。 Craven。 I've just put it down， and I now feel strangely exhilarated and exhausted at the same time。 What an intoxicating ride Mike takes you on， following Poe and Tilly as they try to solve two brain numbing puzzles at once。 The book is ingenious and captivating from page one and I just feel sorry for you poor suckers who've got to wait till June for the Well， it's taken nearly a couple of weeks， what with life getting in the way （darn you， life！）， but I've finally finished The Botanist by M。W。 Craven。 I've just put it down， and I now feel strangely exhilarated and exhausted at the same time。 What an intoxicating ride Mike takes you on， following Poe and Tilly as they try to solve two brain numbing puzzles at once。 The book is ingenious and captivating from page one and I just feel sorry for you poor suckers who've got to wait till June for the official release。 Many thanks to Mike and his publishers for this sneak preview。 Definite 5⭐ from me。 。。。more
Kath Middleton
，
Someone with evident skills and intelligence is sending people pressed flowers and then killing them with the toxins contained in the plant。 The killer is convinced the public back him。 Poe’s friend， the pathologist Estelle Doyle， is arrested for killing her father。 Poe has two seemingly impossible puzzles to crack。 As you’d expect from MW Craven， the story is complex and gripping。 In this series， however， the characters are arguably as important as the plot。 Poe’s loyalty and doggedness come to Someone with evident skills and intelligence is sending people pressed flowers and then killing them with the toxins contained in the plant。 The killer is convinced the public back him。 Poe’s friend， the pathologist Estelle Doyle， is arrested for killing her father。 Poe has two seemingly impossible puzzles to crack。 As you’d expect from MW Craven， the story is complex and gripping。 In this series， however， the characters are arguably as important as the plot。 Poe’s loyalty and doggedness come to the fore as he wrestles with an apparent locked-room mystery， and the continuing death threats to unpleasant characters。 Tilly’s genius， directness and total honesty provide much of the humour here， yet she’s not just a light relief。 She’s an important part of a team that accepts and appreciates her neurodiversity。 They’re the dream team！ In my opinion， this is the best yet。 。。。more
Sarah
，
Absolutely loved it！ Stayed up too late to finish it but so worth it！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Botanist
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Botanist&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Botanist&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0