The Croaking Raven by Guy Hale
DC Toby Marlowe has just landed his dream posting but the quiet streets of Shakespeare’s Stratford are about to suffer a reign of terror. A name from the past has returned, intent on revenge. A series of murders go unsolved but Toby realises that the killer seems to be following the plot of Hamlet.
Can Toby and his boss, DS Fred Williams, find the killer before all the actors at the RSC are dead?
The Croaking Raven doth bellow for revenge.
Review
Surely, ‘The Croaking Raven’ doth bellow through the crime fiction genre with an amazing standard of writing filled with dark humour and characters that ripple with ‘foul and most unnatural murder’. I am a big fan of Guy Hale’s work and this lived up to his reputation and had me enthralled from the first chapter, right to the end! I’m guessing that this is going to be a trilogy and I can’t wait to pick up book two especially as things were left unresolved at the end.
Stratford in the 1970’s is the heart of Shakespearean culture and DC Toby Marlowe couldn’t be more excited for this first day in Stratford CID. He is teamed up with DS Fred Williams who fulfils the characteristics of a boor and brash man of the era. His suspects ‘fall’ down the stairs and a causal bribe is not out of the question. Toby seems to be the exact opposite but soon starts to adapt to Fred’s style of policing and they end up making a formidable team. Especially, when the bodies of Shakespearean actors start turning up!
I’m not really a fan of knowing who the bad guy is from the start of a book but the dual POVs do work in this instance. It's an intellectual battle between him and Toby, one shot through with Shakespeare and revenge. If you are a fan of the bard this is the book for you as it is peppered with references and a particular focus on Hamlet. However, it is presented in such a way that is it perfectly accessible to a reader who knows nothing about the plays as all relevant points are explained by the author and how they relate to this story. I can't say I warmed to the bad guy and his constant repetition of telling us how he was wrong started to grate a little but this was contrasted with the Toby/Fred duo as they lept off the page with their nuanced and developed characters. Fred turns out to be a good mentor and there is hidden depths of intelligence and emotions!
I do love Guy’s writing as it is packed full of dark and sometimes uncomfortable humour and this was no different. There were so many subtle nods to the life and controversies of Shakespeare as well as the overarching themes so be ready to do a lot of googling! I knew of Marlowe but I didn't know about Bacon. Also, I was reading Susie Dent’s book at the same time as this one and his sister is also seen as a potential alternative scribe! It's these in-jokes and references that help give this an air of authenticity
Let me know if you pick this one up!
