The Fox's Curse

Crow Investigations #3

by Sarah Painter

A cursed Fox. A vengeful Silver. A whole lot of trouble… Lydia Crow has long suspected there is more beneath London than just trains, but has never been keen to poke around in the dark. But when Paul Fox, powerful member of the Fox Family, blackmails her into taking a case, she has no choice. Investigating a suspicious death in a disused tunnel of the London Underground for her ex-boyfriend causes friction between her and DCI Fleet – and not the fun kind. Uncle Charlie is still pressuring her to work for the Family business, her ghostly flatmate is looking for answers about his own demise, and Maria Silver is out for blood. Preferably Lydia’s. With old alliances broken, it’s harder for Lydia to know who to trust. There is a big choice up ahead and it’s getting closer by the second. Lydia has to find a path in the darkness – and fast. Don't miss the exciting third instalment in the bestselling urban fantasy mystery series, Crow Investigations.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Magic, Paranormal

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2019

About the author

Sarah Painter is the author of the bestselling magical novel, The Language of Spells, and its follow-up, The Secrets of Ghosts.

She has written 'book club' fiction with atmospheric settings and historical elements (In The Light of What We See and Beneath The Water), and a 'wonderfully dark and twisty' supernatural thriller, The Lost Girls.

Sarah's latest venture is an exciting new urban fantasy series, Crow Investigations. Yes, she finds it hard to stick to one genre!

Before writing books, Sarah Painter worked as a freelance magazine journalist, blogger and editor, combining this 'career' with amateur child-wrangling (AKA motherhood).

Sarah lives in rural Scotland with her husband and children. She drinks too much tea, loves the work of Joss Whedon, and is the proud owner of a writing shed.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read so into this series, completely hooked, going on a book binge keep you updated if the rest of the series makes it.

Happy Reading 📗📚📓📙📚📓📒📘📗📓📚📙📕📖📚📙📓📗📒📘

Attention Audible🎈🎈🎈 users🎈 this series Book 1 to 5 is free on the plus catalogue 27/7/23

[Taida · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm, I have to say this was spotty at best and the story progressed poorly. What has bothered me about these books is that there was a great set up during the beginning and then a rush of information at the end that doesn’t quite live up to the previous build up. In other words, the denouement was boring followed by an abrupt end that I guess is supposed to wet your appetite for more but just left me saying “huh?” Don’t think I will be reading anymore. The characters outside of Lydia and Jason (Fleet is snooze-worthy) are not all that interesting and the mysteries lackluster at best.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This really is an excellent series. I enjoy watching Lydia come into her own, how kind she is to Jason and of course the rivalry and back stabbing between the gangs.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has certainly upped her storytelling skills with this book. Started off with same high standard as the first two books then in the last 25% she revs up at least 4 gears and gives us and terrific ending full of twists and turns to keep us guessing right till the end.

Highly recommended to my goodread friends.

So good starting book 4 right away

[Alix Thomazi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still enjoyed the writing style and the main characters in this one, but it left me with a bitter taste. I think my issue with this book was that there was no "win" for the main character. I get that this is part of a series and that she will probably solve lots of those issues in the next instalment, but readers need to feel like the MC is winning at least a little bit. The entire book just felt like failures, betrayals, disappointments and attacks piled on top of each other. It didn't give me any satisfaction whatsoever.
I still think I will read the next one, but just not keeping my hopes up as much anymore...

[Nancy McFadden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another chapter in a story

I like books that begin and end. This one carries on nicely from the previous book in the series, but it doesn't go anywhere. She's a little farther along on her Crow journey than she was before, but there are probably 5 more books in the series - and they aren't really novels; they're just chapters.

So thanks, Sarah Painter, but I'm out. I love a good trilogy, but these books aren't that.

[Libby Charlotte Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I've put together some fairly average reviews about the first couple but these really are quite well written in terms of pace. They're light, easy reads at the same time! I'm hooked and I want to find out more with every book. It's the first time in a long time I've wanted to read the whole series back to back, and with work being busier than ever, having these less heavy reads is really helpful.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the series so far...and now onto book 4!

[Mrs Georgina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

I'd recommend this series to anyone who loves Benedict Jacka, Benjamin Aaronovitch, Genevieve Cogman, Paul Cornell etc. Its a bit tougher and more "edgy" than the Rivers of London series (in my opinion) but it has the same great creation of a complex, contemporary fantasy world behind everyday normality, a protagonist with a sense of humour and a great developing plot that continues throughout each story. I really like the variety of characters, and the fact that I really can't predict where it's going to go next. My one problem with the Crow books? I read them too darn fast............

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe The Fox's Curse is the best of the Crow Investigations series so far. While I've greatly enjoyed all three books in the series, Fox's Curse gave far more development to the major AND minor characters (I'm a very character driven reader), and the story was tight and well-plotted. Can't wait for another in this series!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve stuck with this series for three books now and feel like it’s taken that long for it to pick up enough that I actually find it interesting. This book ended on a cliffhanger, so I’ll at least be around for book 4 to see what happens next. In hindsight, I think the first two books could have been one book and could have been done better.

Some thoughts:

• These are short, fast reads and very fast-paced.
• These books are plot-driven as you’d expect from a PI/whodunnit story.
• They have the makings of a unique world if the author would spill a little more of the magic/family systems she’s created.
• The main character is interesting enough, but I’m kinda tired of the male main character being an instant romantic interest and flaming hot. Can we not have a FMC fall for an average MMC with some unique hobbies? That’s just a personal pet peeve of mine.
• It’s taken a while for the over-arching story to take off, and I think it spoils some of the story because I was really ready to quit after book 2 when I wasn’t invested in the characters and world yet.
• I do like Jason, a lot. He’s a fun character.
• I’m pretty sure Lydia is a functional alcoholic, magical power notwithstanding.

Okay, so those thoughts aside, I’m glad this series is such a fast-paced one because it’s been quick and gives me some relief between more meaty books. Plus it’s slowly getting fun and I’m bound and determined to see if the author ever actually explains the family systems and magic that each family uses. I need that closure in my life.

Now it’s off to read book 4.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd really give this on 3.5 stars. The writing is still good as is the world building, you really do want to find out how it all comes together. The story has moved along though there are gaps, largely because for a detective, Lydia manages to avoid asking questions that would give the reader some understanding of motivation or flesh out other personalities. From the first novel the similarities to Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers series are evident. Fleet does resemble Peter Grant except for the musician father. Can anyone say Magical Police Force Unit with super powerful boss. Hopefully Fleet will be redeemed in the next instalment.

So far the author has been consistent about Lydia seeing her faults but the irritating thing is that she doesn't seem to learn from her mistakes. She behaves like a petulant teenager instead of an adult at times. Despite that the novel is a decent read and since it is a series, one supposes that loose ends will be tied up in the next instalment. As another reviewer said, you have to at least feel the MC is winning. Most people read as an escape, if a character is always being betrayed, thwarted, facing constant setbacks and hardships then readers pretty soon get worn out. Sarah Painter has said she doesn't plot out her stories, she writes them as they unfold and so doesn't always know where they're going to end up. I guess we shall see.

[Asia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt as though the book was writen in two halfs: the first 90% was taking it's time, laying out details, and the last 10% felt like Sarah was trying to cram in as much action as possible. I was wondering how the cases where going to be solved with such little of the book left, turns out they get anti-climatic endings.
The grammar errors seemed to have died down a lot since book two and the plot still keeps you guessing; a lot of secrets are revelaed and not just those belonging to the Crows. However cases where solved and plot twists happened all within the last few chapters which made the ending feel rushed. It almost feels like she's capped at around 300 pages, add maybe an extra couple of chapters to just slow down and explain everything better and the ending wouldn't have felt so out of sync with the rest of the book.

You know when something about the writing style annoys you but you still can't seem to put the book down? That's me with this entire series.
Oh, and never trust a Fox.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm... this series is going off the boil a bit for me.

I enjoyed the storyline in the first two books but this one was a bit meh and some inconsistencies are developing vs. the earlier books. Paired with this I’m feeling an increasing dislike of the main character. Lydia gets obsessed with solving mysteries and will use anyone to achieve her goals - her main squeeze (who she uses for sex and inside information), best friend (who she ignores unless she wants something) and ghost companion (who she seems to want to get rid of except when he’s being useful). She might feel the odd twinge of conscience or regret, but that seems to make no difference in her actions whatsoever- instead she gets progressively worse throughout the series.

As much as I’m sure this is intentional (Lydia’s crow genes shining through?!) - I find it hard to enjoy a series when the MC is such a self-centred user.

[Christy Wahl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The supernatural and mystery take the backseat while relationships are more center stage. Also- I'm done with books that literally end in the middle of an unfolding situation forcing the reader to move to the next in the series. That's just a greedy ploy to sell books and the author should be ashamed. If you're going to write a book, finish that book before starting the next- don't make all the books bleed together as if they are all one long story.

[Kristen O'Loughlin-Yarema · Rating 5 out of 5]

After being blackmailed by her ex boyfriend, Lydia Crow finds herself searching the tunnels beneath London for something or someone unspecified. When she comes across a ghost and the dead body it belongs to, she discovers that her job working for Paul Fox has only just begun.

I felt that the author really found her rhythm with the series in this book. There was a lot more action and also the storyline stayed more focused rather than jumping around a lot like in the last book.

I was going back and forth between The Fox's Curse and the fourth Throne of Glass and Lydia definitely has similar energy to Celaena, with that "I do what I want" kind of attitude. Unfortunately Lydia is not a trained assassin and seems to be about five feet tall so she got herself into a whole lot of trouble here.

I really enjoy Lydia as a heroine. I saw some other reviewers talking about how she's selfish but to me it just seems like she has a one-track mind which pairs well with her being a PI. Even though it's been a closed door romance (sad face), I really liked the direction her and Fleet's relationship went in, and I like that we learned a little more about him and his background. He became more alive for me after this book. I am still intrigued by Paul Fox and his motives though so I hope we get more of him in the next book as well.

I've already bought the rest of the series and am really excited to continue with the story and eventually get to Ms. Painter's other books as well!

[Jacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook read by Kate Rawson.
Lydia Crow, a daughter of the notorious magical Crow family has set up her own private detective agency, but she's being pulled closer and closer into the family, when she's always tried to keep separate. Her own magical abilities, which she's always believed to be limited, are more complex than she realised. She seems to be empowering her ghostly flatmate to become more solid, which affecting her dad's Alzheimers-like condition adversely. Paul Fox, son of the similarly magical Fox family blackmails her into taking on a case on his behalf which sends her into a disused area of the London Underground where she finds a body, one she realises is a Fox. And he appears to be cursed. The Fox Family seems to be playing nasty games and Lydia is their target. Though the main conflict is resolved at the end of the book there's a plot point dangling which leads straight into the next book. So far I've listened to three in a row, and am noe starting on number four.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dies hier ist ein solider dritter Teil, der wirklich Spaß gemacht hat zu lesen. Die Geschichte kommt zu Beginn schnell in Fahrt, verliert aber immer mal wieder etwas an Spannung, da sich Lydia nie nur um einen Fall kümmert. Es passiert echt viel hier, was für mich aber nichts Negatives darstellt.
Das Ende war auch sehr gelungen und ich bin mal gespannt, wie es weitergeht.

This is a solid third volume that was really fun to read. The story gets going quickly at the beginning, but loses some of its tension every now and then, as Lydia never takes on just one case. A lot really happens here, but that's not a negative thing for me.
The ending was also very effective and I'm curious to see what happens next.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in the “Crow Investigations” urban fantasy series. Very entertaining.

This one ended in a bit of frustration though, with a massive cliffhanger at the end and many loose ends, but they are not meant to be read in isolation, so no worries, I already have them all in Audible.

The narrator of the series is great, and contributes no small measure to the overall enjoyment. Only drawback may be how fast I’m devouring each book. All in all, so far, great series.

[A Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

At last it gets going and I don’t own the last two in the series!! Ugh
I still feel it’s a long ole plod BUT definitely enjoyed it

[Eileen Lynx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Ended on a cliff hanger so I’m listening to the next one.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do believe Lydia Crow might be in a spot of trouble and a bit over her head. There are a lot of layers and factions and she might have just made an unholy alliance. This sure is fun and I am going to jump right into the next in the series.

[Melissa Izquierdo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous addition to the series!

I am a huge Sarah Painter fan. I was surprised and hesitant when she switched genres to urban paranormal. I didn't need to worry this is a terrific series.

In this third installment, the main character continues to evolve as she tries to determine her place as a Crow. The relationships between her and Fleet also evolves and changes along with her circumstances.

The book ends on kind of a cliffhanger and I can't wait for book 4.

Highly recommend for all lovers of a sense
Well constructed urban paranormal book with strong characters and plot.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+. I loved this book. Reading it was like slipping easily back into the world of Foxes, Crows and Silvers as if I'd never left. It moved me along happily within all of its twists and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Katie Utterly Unashamed]

Okay.... I had to DNF this one for now. The world building is amazing, the story line is so good, but Lydia's emotions and hypocritical tendencies are starting to annoy me.

She says in her head that she needs to trust Fleet, but doesn't. BUT, she want everyone to trust her. There was a part where Uncle Charlie says something about her only claiming being a Crow when it suits her and it 100% true.

I also feel like she is going to hurt Fleet and I don't like how she is drawn to Tristan. This one just wasn't sitting right with me.

So I'm going to call it quits, but I'm not going to rate it, even though I got past the 50% mark. Me being a bitch readers isn't a reason to fuck up her ratings. BUT CAN WE PLEASE STOP WRITING WISHY/WASHY HEROINES!!

[jammaster_mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book as a part of the series overall. If you have not read the first two books I do not think you would really enjoy this story and you would feel very lost for most of it.

There is a noir detective feel to the series that revolves around Lydia Crow. She has moved back to her families area of London and is being drawn into the Family business. Her parents broke away to give her a choice but made sure she was aware of the Four Families and their abilities. This is set in a current London time with some differences. There are some people with magical abilities that are specific and tend to run along the bloodlines. There are rivalries and alliances and grudges that go back generations just to make the relationships even more interesting between members of Crow, Fox, Silver and Pearl.

In this book Lydia finds herself forced to work for Paul Fox. He blackmails her into a job that sets her on a path towards not just solving a murder but seeing what deeper schemes have been going on between and within the Families. The fact that she is dating a cop on the down low doesn't help her. She wants to tell Fleet everything but he isn't Family and it has been ingrained in her from childhood to keep the secrets, especially from the cops.

The first half of the book was slow and meandering for me without a lot of urgency. But the last half made up for it and ended with a cliff hanger. I enjoyed seeing Lydia come to terms with who and what she is more as well as decide what she wants. This book didn't feel like she was being tossed and turned as much. I also liked that she was more honest with herself about how she feels about Fleet, but we will see where that goes from here:) Very much looking forward to the next book!

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lydia Crow owes Paul Fox a favour, and he’s calling it in. Given she can sense the presence of members of each family, he wants her to go down into the Underground tunnels and find a missing Fox. She does sense him, but the man is dead. He’s also a ghost that takes to riding around on the trains.
The more she tries to convince her now boyfriend, Fleet the copper, that she isn’t attracted to Paul, the more time she has to spend with Paul, and all those old feelings resurface. Plus, Foxes are earth, blood and lust; a heady mix. And he was her first lover.
888
Her quirky exclamations: feathers, hellhawk etc can be a little jarring. I get she’s trying not to swear but honestly…
The Pearls are pretty much missing from all these family conflicts.
She’s thinking how this ghost can move, unlike Jason. Can Jason help her investigate if he can move about? A ghost could trail a person really well. Can she solve two mysteries? [Jason’s death and the Fox death] Jason finally gives her approval to investigate his own case, but her father’s brain decay is bad enough that he can’t (or won’t) remember why they even held a wedding party for Amy Silver and Jason at The Fork - a Crow cafe. And Uncle Charlie won’t help while she is still trying to avoid the family business.
Wait… that’s the end? What? That was unexpected.

I don’t know… 3 stars?
I feel like there were an awful lot of open loops, and Lydia does not end up in a good place by the end. Not in line w what she has been saying for two and a half books - that she wanted out - without a scene hard enough to pull her back in. Not sure if that makes sense…

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Audible Version**

What the Robyn Peterman just happened???? Listening to books on Audible sometimes feels like a collaboration with the author to deliver the most frustrating (in a good way) cliff hangers. I’m looking at you, Sarah Painter! I had whiplash when the ending suddenly appeared in the middle of a scene! I thought I was in Robyn Peterman’s Good To The Last Death series! Well, let’s be honest—all of her series’! When reading a physical book, the reader is aware of the dwindling pages and knows exactly when the end will arrive. Cliff hangers hit different. Did I mention this book has a cliff hanger?!?!?

I’m fully invested in this series now. This book provided all the right stuff to get this series forefront in my mind. I’m soooo thrilled Jason’s story is progressing. I really want him and Emma to be helpers at Crow Investigations. Fingers crossed! Paul Fox? I’m not ready to see things the way Lydia does. I’m uncommitted. Fleet… I’ve warned you!! Don’t disappoint me!! 🤣

*********STOP!!! SPOILERS BELOW!!! *********













Charlie? I feel pretty strongly that Charlie set Lydia up to get arrested. 100%. And then, the ending? Now, I have a seed of doubt. I don’t buy that it was Paul. Why would he? Shits and giggles doesn’t cut it for me. Maria? She has a motive but that seems obvious. Where are the Pearlies? I guess that’s why the next book is The Pearl King. I refuse to believe Fleet is involved. When will Maddie pop back up?? When will Lydia turn into a real crow and fly???? Who the hell is the “courier”, the intelligence dude that heals people? As a healing messenger, is he an angel?

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn’t stop reading (listening to) this one! And it ended with a cliffhanger, really. Read some of the less positive reviews of books in this series, and I don’t disagree that the plot resolutions are a bit…lacking? Odd? Like at the end of the first book, the homicidal cousin leaves, and Lydia just seems to think everything is over to include whatever danger she brought/represented. The second one ends with an arrest of a person, and it’s honestly no surprise that the person is released in this book. This book took a twist out of nowhere so that Lydia gets arrested, and she’s taken a devil’s bargain to get herself released…actually a couple of them if you consider her conversation with her uncle. Anyway, I haven’t minded any of it because I’ve been curious about what’s coming next, what the powers are/will be, how certain things will unfold, whether Lydia will finally tell different people in her life more about herself or not. In retrospect, it’s odd she trusted Paul Fox more than she trusted Fleet or her uncle. But humans are odd and inconsistent. None of it bothers me, except for the possibility that book 8 might end with a cliffhanger like all the others so far have, though it’s still a ways off for me. Will be starting book 4 next.

[Tara♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy this one was a rollercoaster!

I’m getting a little frustrated with how Lydia is treating Fleet and what with how this book ended I fear things are only going to get worse.

There was lots going on though, The Foxes being tricky and The Silvers being psychotic! Jason also getting to leave the house in a most unusual and kind of scary way!

My current suspicion is that someone is setting up the Families to begin a war and they all seem to be falling for it, Lydia was so close to figuring it out but now she has had a scare and I think she is going to go off half cocked! 😂

A few odd things in this book:

1. Lydia says ‘feathers’ and ‘hell hawk’ a lot and I don’t recall her doing it in the other books. It’s getting a bit annoying!
2. I was sure in book 1 we were told Lydia’s father was the younger brother and not the Crows heir?

Just two things niggling at me but I’m still looking forward to the next instalment! I really hope Lydia doesn’t jump to too many wrong conclusions! 🙈

[Bella]

These are easy to read, a good distraction from *gestures broadly*. A lot happens at the end of the book, which is irritating as it's obviously set up for the next book rather than a complete story.

Dear Fleet, I know so little about you, but you seem like a decent guy. Lydia is a mess of red flags, take her dumping you as the gift it is and RUN.

PS Lydia is stupid to the point of wanton ignorance. She keeps claiming that Crow family are all above board these days based on not just zero evidence but evidence to the contrary. I've started book 4 and she's still claiming that!?! And to get out of jail she somehow made two separate deals including putting herself into debt to Charlie (who was going to get her out of a murder charge while definitely still being above board?!?) even though he didn't do anything.

I am enjoying the world, but I hope Lydia starts a character arc towards being a considerate, intelligent and capable person. Also, I want to see more of Jason.