The Buried's undoubted strengths include Bolton's deftly shaded portrayal of the attitudes of yesteryear towards women and the bonds of necessity between them' THE TIMES

This may be the best book Ms Bolton has written to date. It is CERTAINLY the creepiest keep you up all night subtly scary novel I have read in a long time. But there is one book that I have always wanted to write. The book about me, and women like me. Women of the north, who stand out from the crowd, and who are punished by that same crowd for daring to be different. I have always wanted to write a book about witches. Specifically, how women become witches. Do they make that choice themselves, or is it made for them? I used to think the latter, that it is societies that create witches. Now, after several years of research, I’m not so sure. I no longer dismiss the idea of witchcraft. Now, I think we all have powers within us. And some of us have learned to use them. On the hottest day of the year, Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady attends the funeral of Larry Glassbrook, the convicted murderer she arrested thirty years earlier. A master carpenter and funeral director, Larry imprisoned his victims, alive, in the caskets he made himself. Clay effigies found entombed with their bodies suggested a motive beyond the worst human depravity.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sharon Bolton for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Daphne tells Florence about the three disciplines of witchcraft: healing, divination and magic, along with her theory that each witch is drawn especially to one of the three. Which witch would you be? The 1969 storyline (which forms the main part of the novel) is excellent – Sharon Bolton at her best. I was completely gripped by Florence’s investigations into the allegations of abuse at the children’s home and the obstacles she faces in trying to get anybody to take her concerns seriously. The 1960s setting allows Bolton to explore the sexism and misogyny Florence faces as she tries to do her work; the other police officers are exclusively male – local men from Sabden who resent Florence’s university education, southern accent and the fact that she is a woman doing what they consider a man’s job. Meanwhile, we get to know Sally Glassbrook, Cassie’s mother, who is struggling to cope after Larry’s arrest and imprisonment. As the family of a convicted murderer, Sally and her daughters are in a vulnerable position and find themselves having to fend off the unwanted attentions of Roy Greenwood, Larry’s former business partner. The ending surprised me - I liked it for the most part but I'll admit that there was one thing that bothered me. One thing I just couldn't buy. Other than that this book is chilling, mysterious, and damn near perfect! 4.5 rounding up!When Ben disappears, Florence has to choose whether she will act as a police officer, or as a witch. Which do you believe she is? The wonderful descriptions of the Lancashire countryside were truly beautiful and set the scene for the novel perfectly. The tension at the end was palpable, there was no way I was going to be able to put the book down until I'd completely finished it and oh my! What a twist to the end. Brilliant! Fantastic storyline too throughout that has obviously had a lot of planning, research and thought go into it. All in all a very, very good read that's utterly spellbinding and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend! This book uses the element of witchcraft perfectly. Just as there is a difference between a haunting and being haunted, there is a difference between witchcraft and witches. The Craftsman showcases how with a turn of the story, a person can find themselves to be the witch—the one being hunted. And then of course we have the magnificent coven in this book. The lurk on the periphery of the story, using their combined force to draw out the truth. I absolutely loved this element, and it made it a perfect October read!

As always, what a unique and extremely well written web of suspense that Bolton has crafted here with elements of supernatural and witchcraft! I LOVED the aspect of supernatural. I couldn't get enough!! This book has a little bit of everything - drama, murder, suspense, mystery, romance, witchcraft, etc. Bolton combines it all perfectly and the town itself is eerie, spooky and atmospheric. In 1969 three teenage children have all gone missing without a trace. The police force, the town and all of its citizens are in a tizzy to uncover what has happened. Following a hunch, Lovelady discovers the body of Patsy (the most recent missing child) has been buried alive in a recent grave. Only after exhuming the body do they discover the clay effigy made of Patsy - depicting her torture. The exact same type of effigy Florence finds in the dilapidated previous home of the killer in 1999. A suspenseful, professional-grade north country procedural whose heroine, a deft mix of compassion and attitude, would be welcome to return and tie up the gaping loose end Box leaves. The unrelenting cold makes this the perfect beach read. What begins to feel like a cut and dry police procedural becomes even more interesting when Florence hears drums in the distance and eventually learns that there is a coven of witches in the town. HUH? What, you may ask witches??? Yes, witches and two of them befriend Florence and remind her that she must trust someone. Here is where some might think the book is going to go off into the deep end, but here is where the magic happens (pun intended). Yes, you need to suspend some disbelief, but everything worked perfectly for me in this book. Bolton seamlessly blends the paranormal into her criminal investigation brilliantly.In 2016, the motion picture of Sacrifice, starring Radha Mitchell and Rupert Graves, and directed by Peter A. Dowling, was released by Luminous Pictures. [2] Awards [ edit ] Wow, and the plot! Ms. Bolton shines like Venus when it comes to writing a plotline. She ranks with the very best. Now you have to be ready to take a bit of unbelievability. I have noted this with all of Ms. Bolton’s books, most of which received 5 stars from me. Skirting the edge is just her way, and I’m happy to go with it. And yes, at the end I did have a WTF moment. And that very very end. I’m talking the last couple of sentences. Awesome! The novel alternates between 1969 and 1999.... somehow connecting with Florence's past and the present. Presently, Florence finds an effigy of herself, which is something that those who delve deep into witchcraft use. What exactly does this effigy mean? Loveday soon realizes that the crime she thought she solved so long ago..... may not be what it appears to be.

All her characters are well developed. I loved Florence and there are a lot of unlikable characters too, especially the men. This is the area where Sharon Bolton was born and grew up. Small wonder her early books earned her the title of Queen of the Rural Gothic. Bolton has gone beyond her earlier title and moved onto being the Empress of the Rural Gothic. She continues to put most of the men to shame in the brains department. Tom is the only one willing to see her as an asset and help her along. On a spring day in 1612, a mill owner called Richard Baldwin, in the Pendle Forest of Lancashire chased two local women off his land, calling them ‘witches and whores,’ threatening to ‘burn the one and hang the other,’ and, in doing so, set in motion events that led to the imprisonment, trial and execution of nine women on the charge of murder by witchcraft: the infamous Pendle Witch Trials. The Craftsman is the story of women, and witches. Of the children we love and must protect. And of the men who fear us." -Sharon BoltonLacey often has to go around her superiors to solve her difficult cases. To solver her tough cases, she more often than not relies on her very accurate gut instinct that tells her what to do in those very dire moments when her life or that of others can be in serious danger. Sharon Bolton Awards