Crow Moon by Suzy Aspley
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...
About the author
Originally from the north-east of England, former journalist Suzy Aspley has lived in Scotland for almost thirty years. She writes crime and short stories, often inspired by the strange things she sees in the landscape around her. She won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect in 2019 with the original idea for her debut novel and was shortlisted for the Capital Crime New Voices Award. In 2020, she was mentored by Jo Dickinson as part of the Hachette future bookshelf initiative. Crow Moon was also longlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award. She’s currently working on the second book in the series, and when she’s not writing, she’s either got her nose buried in a book, or is outside with her dogs dreaming up more dark stories. She lives in Stirlingshire with her family.
Review
‘Crow Moon’ is an absolute banger of a debut! It's full of scintillating gothic menace, is atmospheric, haunting and packed full of mysticism and folklore. It was a highly anticipated release for me this year and it did not disappoint at all! It manages to pick up the Scottish lore and history of magic and mysticism but not overdo it, it's tightly threaded through the narrative and enhances the mystery and strangeness of the book.
Martha Strangeways lives in the small village of Strathbran, a former investigative journalist and mother to Dougie. When she gets caught up in the investigation of her son’s missing best friend the case soon comes to close to home for comfort… Martha is a brilliant protagonist and I am already wanting more, so you better get writing Suzy! The balance of having a character with a history and sadness and this in hand with her strength and love for her children made for an incredible read. She had the tenacity which is needed when investigating a mystery off your own bat and she had good instincts. I did wonder why the police were being so open with her about the case but as a reader sometimes you have to just go with the flow!
The author has managed to create a great sense of location and sense of isolation. You know that civilisation is there nearby but the loneliness of the woods and the farm really leaned into gothic vibes. Add into the mix the folklore and a bunch of creepy characters and it makes for an entertaining and gripping read! I flew through this book in one day, I could not put it down. It certainly was a compelling read.
I can't wait to see where the author takes Martha next! Let me know if you pick this one up.
