As the Crow Dies

Asheville Mystery #1

by Kenneth Butcher

A bookish police detective and his roller derby star partner investigate a quirky mystery involving superintelligent animals, military conspiracy ... and murder.

When a body is found in the River Arts District of Asheville, North Carolina, the man on the case is police lieutenant Ira Segal, recently returned to semi-active status after being shot in the line of duty. Segal, who carries Elmore Leonard paperbacks as security blankets, isn't sure he's up to investigating a murder, and neither is his partner, military veteran and local roller derby star Sgt. Dinah "Dinosaur" Rudisill.

Segal discovers that the victim worked for the mysterious start-up company Creatures 2.0, which trains animals to acquire uncanny capabilities. Creature 2.0's eccentric founder, Francis Elah, has gone missing, and no one can find him, not even Elah's top client, the Office of Naval Intelligence.

As Segal and Rudisill investigate the murder and Elah's disappearance, they meet the bizarre animals Elah trained, including a raccoon who rolls cigarettes, pigeons who follow a priest to church, and a superintelligent crow who keeps bringing evidence to the detectives' attention. When the trail leads to a shadowy military contractor, more murders, and a threat to national security, Segal and Rudisill don't know who to trust and face a dangerous confrontation.

Witty, engaging and fast-paced, As the Crow Dies is a mystery that veers from the norm in unexpectedly delightful ways.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

367 pages, Paperback

Published June 2, 2020

Reviews

[Bryna Torre · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ I bought this book as a “blind date with a book” at the Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville. When I started reading it, I felt like I was still on vacation. I adored the setting and the mentioning of many of the places we visited in Asheville. The characters were likable and the story was fun to follow. However, I often felt myself counting pages hoping to be done sooner.

[monica kimbler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in Hendo near Asheville, I enjoyed not is read surrounding Asheville. I couldn't put it down, near the end, Thank you, Richard!

Loved the suspense!
It intensified towards the end; it was fun reading a story and being able to relate to the surroundings.

[MaryAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, fast-paced thriller set in the Asheville area. Those of us who know WNC will recognize many landmarks. Somewhat far-fetched at times, but still a good read.

[Sarah Fine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a blast :) the Asheville love comes through so strong!!

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up from Malaprop's, from their "blind date with a book" list. I appreciated all the shout-outs to Asheville landmarks; it's definitely a better book when you've been there. The author also does a pretty good job of writing relatable and likable characters; I would enjoy spending time with all the protagonists. Some of the villains are rather more one-dimensional and less fully realized, but I guess that's what you get with disposable villians-of-the-hour. The denouement had a satisfying moment if you're a roller derby fan; not unexpected with a roller derby hero character, but still delightful. It is a hard read in places if you're an animal lover... the plot involves military use of animals, and it contains death and injury to some of those animals. Still, I enjoyed it, and it does an excellent job at handling the sense of place.

[Kelsey Nock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was it terrible? No. Was it amazing? Also no. As some who has lived in/near Asheville since 2014, I found the inaccuracies of what breweries/doughnut shops/etc were supposedly open at the time this setting took place to be lazy on the author’s part. A quick Google search is all that is needed to make sure Vortex doughnuts and New Belgium were open the year Bin Laden was killed. They weren’t. I also found the incessant name dropping of Asheville locales to be too much. I get that this is supposed to be an “Asheville mystery”, but at times it felt more like the author thought how many streets, places, historical figures can I get into one book. It felt more contrived than organic. The character development was decent for Segal and Dinah, but relied too heavily on the same personality quirks that appeared over and over. The plot line was interesting, original, and moved quickly. I could tell this book was written from a male perspective considering each time a female character appeared he spent more time on their physical/sexual characteristics than the male characters. I barely knew what Segal/Francis/and the other Cormorant guys looked like but I knew exactly what each female character looked like. Would I recommend this book to a friend? Probably not. It was fine.

[Cassidy Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! I got this book as part of the blind date with a book at Malaprop’s bookstore. It was really cool to read about locations I am familiar with, it made imaging the story much easier! The elements in the story were super unique which I loved such as the animals and the roller derby. There were some parts of the book I couldn’t put down but there were also some parts I struggled to get through. At some points of the story I was a bit confused but that is probably just an issue on my end. Overall, this was a unique read and I recommend it especially if you’re familiar with Asheville!

[Noell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was gifted to me as a blind date with a book from Malaprops. I love a good murder mystery but was really annoyed by the commentary on women’s bodies and clothing. Also there was a point in the book where serendipitously, they run into a nurse after someone is injured and the author felt the need to describe him as a “male nurse,” just call him a nurse. I did enjoy the concept of training and connecting with animals and the story pulled me enough to finish the book as I wanted to know how it ended.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Story, plot, characters and setting were perfect. Probably should note that I have lived in Western North Carolina for a number of years and most of the places that the action revolved around are places that are familiar to me. But taking away that fact, I think I would still enjoy this book as the situations that the author imagines are so creative and the characters quite unique.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I like Kenneth Butcher's "As the Crow Dies"? To paraphrase Detective Ira Segal, who the hell wouldn't? A funky town, origami-loving assassins, Snickers-eating raccoons, a cameo by the world's most admired couple--this is a fun read backed by intelligence and humor, courtesy of the same guy who wrote one of my favorites, "The Middle of the Air."

[Shannon Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this a little lower star rating, but really wasn't terrible. Good story idea, great visuals of Asheville, and I loved Richard. What I didn't like was the slow, very slow pacing of the story. I really started skimming certain parts and I don't like doing that. If you like slow paced books and live in, or know about Asheville, these would be two good reasons to read the book.

[Thing Two · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this delightful mystery while stuck without power (or water 😢) after Helene in Asheville, making this a bit sad, but also engaging enough to keep my mind occupied. I enjoyed the quirky characters, really enjoyed the crows, and didn’t see the ending coming (perhaps because of the Helene stuff 🤪)

Fun!

[Kelsey Lavigne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, I wanted to love this book. I got it from the “blind date with a book” at Malaprop’s Bookstore on our vacation in Asheville. I was excited to read it, hoping to feel like we were back in Asheville. While it accomplished that, it overall fell a little flat for me. I didn’t love the storyline & was just ready to finish it. Probably wouldn’t recommend to other readers 🥲

[Daphne Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. The book was interesting but the end was lacking depth and left me feeling like the author got tired of writing so he just kind of forced a finish? I am familiar with Asheville and a lot of the landmarks mentioned in the book, so it was nice to have such a vivid mental image of the set/setting. It would have been nice if the story felt more complete.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like murder mysteries and if you have ever been to Asheville, NC, and you like animals, then this book is for you. My favorite bookstore, Malaprops, in Asheville recommended this great book to me. It is a good action packed mystery.

[Courtney Niederer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the Crow Dies is a mystery that takes place in Asheville, NC, that centers around the leader of an organization that trains wild animals to do unusual tasks. The character development is strong and the setting is spot on. A fun read about a local area. 4 stars

[Kathy Halverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting murder mystery located in Asheville, NC. Lots of twists and turns started out as a local murder investigation until the Crow (yes, a real black Crow)shows up and is an integral part of a major government scientific classified cover up. 🙄

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

great setting and mystery

Loved all the references to Asheville and the Biltmore. Great characters and cooperation of local police and secret service. Great hint at scifi with the work with mainly birds and references to other animals. Quick read!

[Mary Matroni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters including the crows

Good story line. Lots of suspense but there were no superheroes unless of course you count the crows. Really enjoyed that Dinah had both a military background and is an all star athlete. Looking forward to more tales of Asheville.

[Teresa Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a new author for me and I love to read this genre. This one did not disappoint!

[Lavender Dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the setting and like to read anything from the mts of NC but I had trouble getting interested in the plot.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery read about Asheville that was a blind date book from Malaprop’s Bookstore.
* Quirky characters
* Roller derby
* A bird to love

[Emg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked Crossbow murders much better.

[Debbie Lipscomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. I enjoyed all the Asheville references and it was fun as this was a blind book read

[Mary Krekeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the Asheville references.

[Teresa]

Easy read. Sited places in Asheville.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters. Interesting mystery. A little fantastical. 4 stars because this book was set in Asheville and mentioned places there that I know and love. It was a delightful character in itself.

[Andrea Shaw]

Add to Asheville and mystery

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the mystery date books that I purchased in Asheville. It’s a mystery set in Asheville which added to my enjoyment. I kept noting all the places we had just visited and had an idea of where the action was taking place. The ending was a bit goofy but I still enjoyed it.

[Hrudaya Sruti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked it up at the Malaprop's bookstore in Asheville as a "blind date with a book", this past month. The cover said Asheville landmarks. As this was my first visit to Asheville, I thought it may be a fun way to explore the city. I enjoyed the story and I also looked up some of the places. Thank you Richard!