Body Breaker

By: M. W. Craven

Narrated by: John Banks

'This is high quality crime writing' A A Dhand

The second dark and twisted thriller in the Avison Fluke series by M. W. Craven, the acclaimed author of The Puppet Show.

Investigating how a severed hand ends up on the third green of a Cumbrian golf course is not how Detective Inspector Avison Fluke has planned to spend his Saturday. So when a secret protection unit from London swoops in quoting national security, he's secretly pleased.

But trouble is never far away. A young woman arrives at his lakeside cabin with a cryptic message: a code known to only a handful of people and it forces Fluke back into the investigation he's only just been barred from.

In a case that will change his life forever, Fluke immerses himself in a world of New Age travellers, corrupt cops and domestic extremists. Before long he's alienated his entire team, has been arrested under the Terrorism Act - and has made a pact with the Devil himself. But a voice has called out to him from beyond the grave. And Fluke is only getting started...

Praise for M. W. Craven:

'Dark, sharp and compelling' PETER JAMES

'Fantastic' MARTINA COLE

'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' MATT HILTON

'Thrilling' MICK HERRON

'Brilliantly inventive' WILLIAM SHAW

'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent' DAVID MARK©2017 M. W. Craven

Critic reviews

Praise for M. W. Craven:

Dark, sharp and compelling (Peter James)

Fantastic (Martina Cole)

A thrilling curtain-raiser for what looks set to be a great new series (Mick Herron)

A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint-hearted! (David Mark)

A book that shines with tension, wit and invention (William Shaw)

Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read (Michael J. Malone)

Mike Craven is a forceful new voice in British crime fiction (Caro Ramsay)

Washington Poe is a name destined to be spoken by crime fiction enthusiasts everywhere: Britain's answer to Harry Bosch. The Puppet Show is a wickedly, twisting and turning, mystery that will have readers breathlessly turning the pages until the final shocking conclusion (Matt Hilton)

A brilliant start to what promises to be a fantastic series; get it now or kick yourself for missing out (Graham Smith)

I cannot recall the last time I binge read a novel in 36 hours . . . truly mind-blowing (A. A. Dhand)

I loved this book! (Jo Jakeman)

Fluke is a magnificent creation . . . Highly entertaining reading . . . Very pacey, hugely interesting, never a dull moment and with characters and a conclusion I could enjoy

Dark, thrilling and unputdownable with sharply drawn characters that stride off the page (Victoria Selman)

A fantastic read which draws you in from the first line. Its narrative is written with such skill that I challenge any reader to deny its siren call . . . Craven's plotting kept me guessing . . . With sumptuous prose, great characters and a labyrinthine plot, Body Breaker has everything you need in a police thriller

Another fantastic book

4.5 Stars 🌟

This was the second book in the Avison Fluke series and while the case that the book revolves around is still awesome, I felt like this book dealt more with the effect that it had on our protagonist DI Fluke. He is sent on quite the roller coaster ride in this book.

In the first book, we learn that DI Fluke has been through the ringer lately. He has had some major health scares and his job has not been on the sturdiest ground. In this case, he gets a case - a body found dismembered on a public golf course - and as he is just getting started on it, it gets taken away by a group higher up the political food chain.

While bothered by it because of the actions of the jerk in charge, he was okay with it because after all - it was their case to begin with. But, everything changes when he discovers WHO the body actually was.

This case was full of twists and turns. There were several times when I thought to myself, "could so and so be guilty? Or innocent?" "could it be him/her?" And those answers changed a couple of times during the course of the book. I LOVE it when a book can do that for me.

So - another winner for Mr. Craven. He has quickly become an "auto buy" for me and I will be eagerly awaiting whatever the next book will be - whether is starts, Washington Poe, Ben Koenig or Avison Fluke.

This is not your standard anti-hero cop story

It’s very twisty like the first in the series. Most novels like this have a damaged hero: a traumatic event turns the hero into a bitter alcoholic who deals with/his daemon’s while being a brilliant investigator or spy or former military guy. Or there’s a conspiracy that will take down the government. Those are good stories, but as an audiobook addict since 1995, those plots get tiresome. This isn’t that. Well done.

Brilliant

This is one brilliantly woven story by MW Craven. It is intriguing, complex with touches of madness & hints of The Troubles. It is a story of eco revenge wrapped up in personal agendas. Absolutely outstanding! I give this story & the way it’s told, a 10 out of 10.

Can’t wait for the next one

Such a great series. The one was better than the first. Just hope I don’t have to wait a long time for the next one

The narrator

Ambitious but too complicated unless you are a Cluedo master. Never boring but slightly dwindling.