The Crow Investigations #1-3

by Sarah Painter

Discover the new star of magical London with the first three books in the bestselling Crow Investigations urban fantasy mystery series. Omnibus edition The Night Raven, The Silver Mark and The Fox's CurseBook 1: The Night Raven Meet Lydia Crow... Lydia has always known she has no power, especially next to her infamous and more-than-slightly dodgy family. Which is why she carved her own life as a private investigator far away from London. When a professional snafu forces her home, the head of the family calls in a favour, and Lydia finds herself investigating the disappearance of her cousin, Maddie. Soon, Lydia is neck-deep in her new flatmate is a homicidal ghost, the intriguing, but forbidden, DCI Fleet is acting in a distinctly unprofessional manner, and tensions between the old magical families are rising. The Crows used to rule the roost and rumours claim they are still the strongest. The Silvers have a facility for lying and they run the finest law firm in London. The Pearl family were costermongers and everybody knows that a Pearlie can sell feathers to a bird. The Fox family... Well. The less said about the Fox family the better. For seventy-five years, a truce between the four families has held strong, but could the disappearance of Maddie Crow be the thing to break it?Book 2: The Silver MarkLondon is Lydia Crow’s city so when a man is found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge, she takes it personally. Driven by her desire to improve her fledgling P.I. skills and an innate sense of justice, Lydia investigates. Even when it seems as if the Silver Family might be involved, Lydia refuses to back down. The Silver Family, who run the finest law firm in London, have a gift for persuasion. In the Bad Old Days it was said they could make a man jump off a roof by convincing him he could fly. But that's all in the past… Isn’t it? Everybody wants something from Her Uncle Charlie wants her to join the infamous Family Business, her ghostly flatmate wants her to test her power, DCI Fleet wants a relationship, and the Silver Family want her to keep her nose out. Trouble is, Lydia has never been much good at taking orders. And London in a heatwave is a dangerous place to be... The Fox's CurseA 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. Discover this exciting paranormal mystery series from bestselling author of magical fiction, Sarah Painter, today! Available in digital, paperback and audiobook.

714 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2020

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

[Tina Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish this series. I got about 30% into book 2 before calling it quits. I found Lydia super irritating. She can’t make up her mind about being in a relationship with Detective Fleet, she can’t make up her mind about helping her family or not, she can’t decide whether to furnish her apartment or not… I’m exhausted by her continual whining and indecision about practically everything.
This book just wasn’t for me.

[Manola Dobbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crow Investigation Book 1-3

Good books! The suspense in all three books are amazing! The writing is great, too. However, editing is not great. Editing is awful. Good books , need editing.

[Joy Tremblay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining urban fantasy. The magic system is fun, very Harry Potter like in its separation into four distinct magical families /houses, but with a mafioso twist.

[Zoe Ezemba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this - a really fun twist on the urban fantasy genre, and I romped through all the books in one - excellent bargain!