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Crow Investigations #4
The Pearl King
Tradition. Loyalty. Respect. Murder. Normal Family stuff. Don't miss the exciting fourth instalment in the best-selling urban fantasy mystery series Crow Investigations.
Lydia is pulled into the Crow Family business by her shady uncle Charlie. He has decided that Lydia needs to learn the truth about her infamous Family and to step into her role within it - whether she likes it or not.
After Lydia’s wrongful arrest, her relationship with DCI Fleet is decidedly rocky, but when a teenage girl goes missing from Highgate Woods, she must put aside her emotions and work the case. Lydia is increasingly alarmed by Charlie’s methods but is trapped by loyalty. Then a direct attack on the Crows raises the tension between the Families to boiling point, and the mysterious Pearl Family steps out of the shadows. Can Lydia restore balance to the magical Families of London without losing her soul?
Lydia is pulled into the Crow Family business by her shady uncle Charlie. He has decided that Lydia needs to learn the truth about her infamous Family and to step into her role within it - whether she likes it or not.
After Lydia’s wrongful arrest, her relationship with DCI Fleet is decidedly rocky, but when a teenage girl goes missing from Highgate Woods, she must put aside her emotions and work the case. Lydia is increasingly alarmed by Charlie’s methods but is trapped by loyalty. Then a direct attack on the Crows raises the tension between the Families to boiling point, and the mysterious Pearl Family steps out of the shadows. Can Lydia restore balance to the magical Families of London without losing her soul?
9 pages, Audiobook
First published June 25, 2020
641 people are currently reading
668 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Painter
54 books893 followersSarah 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
July 28, 2020
Excellent!
Wow, this book was so good. I'm not sure when I've read a series that I've loved more and the fourth book was amazing. Many of the series questions were revealed with lots of twist that I never saw coming. I'm so glad the author is continuing this series because I'm a huge fan. Lydia is a complex character that's grown and matured especially in the fourth book. I highly recommend this series but start with book one because the series builds incredibly well to this fourth installment.
Wow, this book was so good. I'm not sure when I've read a series that I've loved more and the fourth book was amazing. Many of the series questions were revealed with lots of twist that I never saw coming. I'm so glad the author is continuing this series because I'm a huge fan. Lydia is a complex character that's grown and matured especially in the fourth book. I highly recommend this series but start with book one because the series builds incredibly well to this fourth installment.
July 26, 2020
Amazing!
I just finished the entire series this week. I am already suffering from withdrawals and can’t wait for book 5. This is hands down one of the most unique and mesmerizing takes on urban fantasy that I have read in a while. It’s a quiet read that slowly sucks you into an alternate London. No explosions, but a few dead bodies. Mystery and plot twists and hard decisions. Read it. You will like it.
I just finished the entire series this week. I am already suffering from withdrawals and can’t wait for book 5. This is hands down one of the most unique and mesmerizing takes on urban fantasy that I have read in a while. It’s a quiet read that slowly sucks you into an alternate London. No explosions, but a few dead bodies. Mystery and plot twists and hard decisions. Read it. You will like it.
June 30, 2020
I've read all four of the Crow Investigations books and they just keep getting better. This time around, the Crow family is woven into the Pearl-centered plot and I really enjoyed reading more about Uncle Charlie (and what I hope to read on book 5). Character development is fine so well - I love watching Lydia grow in strength and confidence. Sarah Painter has much in common with Lydia, as her writing continues to gain confidence with each book.
April 23, 2022
This took on a darker tone and I’m keen to see how the series progresses from here!
May 17, 2021
Ah Lydia, what are we going to do with you? Had a bit of cliff-hanger in book 3, so this starts with her having made secret deals with shadowy people she knows nothing about; no names - Mr Smith will do. She's not even sure they ARE a government employee. Tsk tsk. And her ability tells her he is a different kind of magical group, much as Fleet is different again, but she still keeps parroting there are four families - no, there isn't. You know this. Trust yourself.
Uncle Charlie gleams with cleverness; he thinks he has got her into the family business. Which I read as a kind of revenge on his brother leaving. And with her PI skills she's perfect to investigate the finances of shops and businesses that have lied about their income streams or business turnover, and not paid their cut to the Crow Community Fund. He starts to drag her around Camberwell as the new anointed, and he undertakes her 'training'. Lydia is a little concerned about this as his last student went a lot mad.
Jason is super useful here, he does not sleep and he is so corporeal now he can work a laptop. He is inhaling maths and computer theory and making friends on the internet.
DCI Fleet and Lydia have broken up and she is burying her broken heart in a whiskey bottle, and still messaging him to get info for cases. He asks her to help with a missing teenage girl. And a man keeps phoning her from the psych unit asking her to help find his lost memories.
888
I always wondered what happened to the Pearls. I said this in Book 3 review: "The Pearls are pretty much missing from all these family conflicts." And while they make an appearance here, it's not exactly in a titular way.
Shrugs. I was having a bad day and sat and inhaled this, so the series is pulling me in.
I really don't think Lydia has the bottle to run a crime family. And she seems particularly naïve about what they do. And she knows almost no one in the family.
But change is coming. To apologise for the Fox attack on her, Paul Fox has stepped up to leader, and banished his father to Japan. [I guess? They like their magic foxes multi-tailed] I can't tell if Lydia is just a convenient reason for this; he'll have a plan, foxes do. The Silver head, Alejandro, is off into politics, and has left Maria in charge. [ wait... didn't she get arrested for MURDER? I have forgotten how she got out of that? But she hates Lydia, so the old agreement between Silver and Crow is on shaky ground. And given Charlie is torching straw foxes at the Yule festival instead of goats, it's almost open war.
Poor DCI Fleet did leave her in the lock up but he was doing his job, and now he tells he'd give that job up for her. [Which is not going to work from a story pov; she needs a police contact, eh?] Unless he is part of this other family? *eyes narrow*...
It's entertaining, but I'm still not convinced that Lydia knows what she is doing. And there were a lot of spelling and grammar errors.
3 stars
Uncle Charlie gleams with cleverness; he thinks he has got her into the family business. Which I read as a kind of revenge on his brother leaving. And with her PI skills she's perfect to investigate the finances of shops and businesses that have lied about their income streams or business turnover, and not paid their cut to the Crow Community Fund. He starts to drag her around Camberwell as the new anointed, and he undertakes her 'training'. Lydia is a little concerned about this as his last student went a lot mad.
Jason is super useful here, he does not sleep and he is so corporeal now he can work a laptop. He is inhaling maths and computer theory and making friends on the internet.
DCI Fleet and Lydia have broken up and she is burying her broken heart in a whiskey bottle, and still messaging him to get info for cases. He asks her to help with a missing teenage girl. And a man keeps phoning her from the psych unit asking her to help find his lost memories.
888
I always wondered what happened to the Pearls. I said this in Book 3 review: "The Pearls are pretty much missing from all these family conflicts." And while they make an appearance here, it's not exactly in a titular way.
Shrugs. I was having a bad day and sat and inhaled this, so the series is pulling me in.
I really don't think Lydia has the bottle to run a crime family. And she seems particularly naïve about what they do. And she knows almost no one in the family.
But change is coming. To apologise for the Fox attack on her, Paul Fox has stepped up to leader, and banished his father to Japan. [I guess? They like their magic foxes multi-tailed] I can't tell if Lydia is just a convenient reason for this; he'll have a plan, foxes do. The Silver head, Alejandro, is off into politics, and has left Maria in charge. [ wait... didn't she get arrested for MURDER? I have forgotten how she got out of that? But she hates Lydia, so the old agreement between Silver and Crow is on shaky ground. And given Charlie is torching straw foxes at the Yule festival instead of goats, it's almost open war.
Poor DCI Fleet did leave her in the lock up but he was doing his job, and now he tells he'd give that job up for her. [Which is not going to work from a story pov; she needs a police contact, eh?] Unless he is part of this other family? *eyes narrow*...
It's entertaining, but I'm still not convinced that Lydia knows what she is doing. And there were a lot of spelling and grammar errors.
3 stars
July 11, 2020
Still so vague
It's like she hasn't fully formed her characters, is still 4 books in unable to verbalise anything concrete beyond coin spinning and mild hypnosis as a Crow power.
There's plenty of points where she contradicts earlier books..
Lydia can't get a hangover.. she's had them before in book 1.
Lydia can't get drunk.. yet she's also been drunk in previous books.. notably when she got together with Fleet.
Lydia drinks whiskey like it's pepsi.. just ridiculous how often she "drinks herself into oblivion to sleep" yet "never drunk", "no hangovers" and what's more never seems to have a problem from the copious wine or drinking and driving.
The Pearls are nonentities.. they're just a random gathering either selling fruit and veg or weird underground party goers.. this doesn't bring enough to the overall tale about the 4 families. They're all vague but you really do expect a book titled" The Pearl King" to offer up a little more information. There's inference but at this point it's no goodt enough to leave the reader to make up the missing information.
Mr Smith is obviously from another powerful family with similar powers.. presumably at some point the dolphin/shark/cod/Captain Birdseye family will appear to resolve the matter of infighting.
It's missing direction and needs some editing as I found multiple mistakes/errors. It's a shame as there's potential here but it's not being fully explored and the execution lacks direction.
It's like she hasn't fully formed her characters, is still 4 books in unable to verbalise anything concrete beyond coin spinning and mild hypnosis as a Crow power.
There's plenty of points where she contradicts earlier books..
Lydia can't get a hangover.. she's had them before in book 1.
Lydia can't get drunk.. yet she's also been drunk in previous books.. notably when she got together with Fleet.
Lydia drinks whiskey like it's pepsi.. just ridiculous how often she "drinks herself into oblivion to sleep" yet "never drunk", "no hangovers" and what's more never seems to have a problem from the copious wine or drinking and driving.
The Pearls are nonentities.. they're just a random gathering either selling fruit and veg or weird underground party goers.. this doesn't bring enough to the overall tale about the 4 families. They're all vague but you really do expect a book titled" The Pearl King" to offer up a little more information. There's inference but at this point it's no goodt enough to leave the reader to make up the missing information.
Mr Smith is obviously from another powerful family with similar powers.. presumably at some point the dolphin/shark/cod/Captain Birdseye family will appear to resolve the matter of infighting.
It's missing direction and needs some editing as I found multiple mistakes/errors. It's a shame as there's potential here but it's not being fully explored and the execution lacks direction.
December 9, 2020
Excellent
Another twist driven London based urban fantasy novel.
Keeping us the readers riveted right to the end of the book.
Highly recommended to all my goodreads friends.
Another twist driven London based urban fantasy novel.
Keeping us the readers riveted right to the end of the book.
Highly recommended to all my goodreads friends.
February 10, 2021
Wow. So, these books keep getting better and better! They were more than I could have hoped for when I picked them up. I love the pace of the book, yet the ease of which they're read is incredible. There are twists and turns that you don't expect and the quirks of magic are pushed further in this book...and leaves you wanting to find out a lot more. I've read 4 of these back to back and want to order The Copper Heart right now. Addicted to this series, unexpectedly, and I cant wait to share this series with people I know.
It's a real unexpected pleasure. Thank you, Sarah Painter.
It's a real unexpected pleasure. Thank you, Sarah Painter.
July 5, 2025
Lydia is gaining depth and maturity as this series goes on. And I sure didn’t expect the ending. I like that Lydia is more involved with the Crow family but is also less entrenched in the old ways. It seems some new alliance may come out of these changes. This series is really growing on me and I quite enjoy it.
January 29, 2021
4.5/5 ⭐️ Strongest entry in the series so far, imho.
June 28, 2020
Launching straight back into it, Lydia isn't short on cases in this book; a missing person, an amnesiac, murders in the family and still JRB floating around. On top of all of that, she has to contend with Charlie, who shows his true colours in this book.
It was a little longer than the others - no longer stuck to 300 pages! - but still felt like the cases where wrapped up too quickly and neatly within the last 20% of the book. Oh, and the grammar errors are back.
Also, have you ever felt like shaking some sense into a character? This was me with Lydia over Fleet for the entire book.
It was a little longer than the others - no longer stuck to 300 pages! - but still felt like the cases where wrapped up too quickly and neatly within the last 20% of the book. Oh, and the grammar errors are back.
Also, have you ever felt like shaking some sense into a character? This was me with Lydia over Fleet for the entire book.
January 12, 2024
These are getting a bit ropey but I'm in too deep now
April 1, 2024
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 business by what happened at the end of the previous book. Lydia has told Uncle Charlie that she's all-in with the family business, but the mysterious Mr Smith - some kind of government operative - has her on the hook and is insisting she share Family information. Lydia is caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, and to make matters worse she's trying to keep DCI Fleet, her lover, at arm's length. She's also worried that the truce between London's magical families is breaking down. And then the daughter of one of Uncle Charlie's friends goes missing and a man turns up in a mental hospital with no memory since he was sixteen. The Pearl family is involved somehow and there's something odd in local woodland. And then there's Uncle Charlie, who might be a bit more 'old school' than Lydia thought he was.
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 business by what happened at the end of the previous book. Lydia has told Uncle Charlie that she's all-in with the family business, but the mysterious Mr Smith - some kind of government operative - has her on the hook and is insisting she share Family information. Lydia is caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, and to make matters worse she's trying to keep DCI Fleet, her lover, at arm's length. She's also worried that the truce between London's magical families is breaking down. And then the daughter of one of Uncle Charlie's friends goes missing and a man turns up in a mental hospital with no memory since he was sixteen. The Pearl family is involved somehow and there's something odd in local woodland. And then there's Uncle Charlie, who might be a bit more 'old school' than Lydia thought he was.
September 30, 2025
I was nervous about this one after that beginning! I was really annoyed with the h for dumping Fleet because he was doing his job after she constantly put the Crows and her jobs before him. I figured the series was just running its course for me so i am so surprised at how well this all ended up!! I was glad to see her finally make the big moves with Fleet instead of it always being his simpy self.
Overall: 3.5 because the h irked me so bad in the beginning.
Overall: 3.5 because the h irked me so bad in the beginning.
November 28, 2024
3.5 stars
I’m continuing with this interesting urban paranormal series. I enjoyed this one very much too, but I had less continuity with it than with the previous ones as I was too busy at times and did not manage to read that much, hence the slightly lower enjoyment, but still quite good. I’m continuing with the series as there are quite exciting things to come up next in the story.
I’m continuing with this interesting urban paranormal series. I enjoyed this one very much too, but I had less continuity with it than with the previous ones as I was too busy at times and did not manage to read that much, hence the slightly lower enjoyment, but still quite good. I’m continuing with the series as there are quite exciting things to come up next in the story.
June 13, 2024
Another good story in the series. We’re going to listen to the next one.
July 28, 2020
Definitely the best book in the series so far. I went back and forth between wanting to continue with them and just skipping out, but I'm glad I didn't! It had a lot of intrigue and I loved the introduction of the Pearl family. I also loved that . Overall, I think the writing and the plot line was definitely at its strongest in this one. I also loved the cliffhanger.
June 28, 2020
The Crow Family saga continues immediately after Lydia’s arrest at the end of book four. The price to be paid is a high one and Lydia has to consent to be pulled into official Crow family business by her uncle Charlie. Something that her parents had desperately tried to keep her away from. Charlie’s methods and practices are becoming increasingly extreme and outlandish – something that Lydia is not at all comfortable with.
In this fourth instalment tensions are brewing between the four magical families of London and a battle is about to begin for control both within the families themselves and for control of London itself. Lydia is trying to remain separate by keeping Crow Investigations going with the help of her live in ghost. Struggling to keep a normal life going it seems to be impossible to keep her relationship going with police officer Fleet and to maintain a life without putting her friends in danger.
If you’ve enjoyed the earlier books in this series this is very much more of the same, learning more about the history of the Pearls and of her own ghost as well as developing her own relationship with her immediate family. I wouldn’t recommend this as a standalone book as you are missing too much of the back story but I would definitely say that it is worth reading them all. If you like the Rivers Of London series you’ll really enjoy these.
Supplied by the author and Siskin Press Limited in exchange for an honest review.
UK Publication date: Jun 17 2020. 356 pages
In this fourth instalment tensions are brewing between the four magical families of London and a battle is about to begin for control both within the families themselves and for control of London itself. Lydia is trying to remain separate by keeping Crow Investigations going with the help of her live in ghost. Struggling to keep a normal life going it seems to be impossible to keep her relationship going with police officer Fleet and to maintain a life without putting her friends in danger.
If you’ve enjoyed the earlier books in this series this is very much more of the same, learning more about the history of the Pearls and of her own ghost as well as developing her own relationship with her immediate family. I wouldn’t recommend this as a standalone book as you are missing too much of the back story but I would definitely say that it is worth reading them all. If you like the Rivers Of London series you’ll really enjoy these.
Supplied by the author and Siskin Press Limited in exchange for an honest review.
UK Publication date: Jun 17 2020. 356 pages
July 7, 2022
I think I’m finally invested in this series, and that’s only a slight disappointment as I finally discovered a secret about on of the four Families that made the books distasteful to me. It probably sounds weird to say I’m continuing on with books 5-7, but hey, I’m invested now and want to see where we’re going.
In this book, I decided Lydia is 100% a functional alcoholic and her morning cup of whiskey is not a great start to her day if you ask me.
There are a lot of communication issues I see repeated here from the earlier books. Waiting too long to communicate something important, feeling the need to hide things, being unwilling to open up about emotions, etc. I know it’s done to amp up tensions, but after a while it comes across as pretty flat and boring to me. The same old device used one too many times.
In addition, I think these books could have used another round of editing. There are too many dropped words if I’m noticing it multiple times in the same book. These are short books, so there should be fewer dropped articles and prepositions than I’m noticing.
It’s taken four books for us to finally meet someone significant from the fourth Family, and when we did, I was disappointed to learn we were meeting someone from a whole different race, and specifically from this type of magical race that I detest in writing. I kind of hope we don’t see much more from the Pearls but figure that’s not gonna be likely now that we’ve been introduced.
Anyway, onto book five and see what comes next as Lydia’s finally maneuvered herself into a very new role in the Family.
In this book, I decided Lydia is 100% a functional alcoholic and her morning cup of whiskey is not a great start to her day if you ask me.
There are a lot of communication issues I see repeated here from the earlier books. Waiting too long to communicate something important, feeling the need to hide things, being unwilling to open up about emotions, etc. I know it’s done to amp up tensions, but after a while it comes across as pretty flat and boring to me. The same old device used one too many times.
In addition, I think these books could have used another round of editing. There are too many dropped words if I’m noticing it multiple times in the same book. These are short books, so there should be fewer dropped articles and prepositions than I’m noticing.
It’s taken four books for us to finally meet someone significant from the fourth Family, and when we did, I was disappointed to learn we were meeting someone from a whole different race, and specifically from this type of magical race that I detest in writing. I kind of hope we don’t see much more from the Pearls but figure that’s not gonna be likely now that we’ve been introduced.
Anyway, onto book five and see what comes next as Lydia’s finally maneuvered herself into a very new role in the Family.
August 27, 2024
Like the others, I “read” this one fast, listening nearly every spare moment…not entirely to find out what happened next in the immediate future, but more to find out what would happen by the end. That’s probably different in this book than in the previous ones. Though some of the ongoing mysteries and questions were answered in this book, the truth was Lydia was pretty miserable for the first chunk - maybe as much as half - of the story, and it made the reading less fun. However, I strongly felt there would be payoff for sticking through that first chunk, and there was. Even in the middle, as Lydia was gradually less miserable, there still seemed to be plot bits just sticking out every which way, not connecting to anything else, and Lydia mostly not following any one of them consistently. Until suddenly, they started to come together and the last 3 hours or so was very exciting to listen to.
Lydia isn’t wrong when she realizes she sounds like a domestic abuse victim at one point in this book. Trigger warnings, I suppose, for various things here, though I’m terrible at predicting what will trigger people.
In any case, while there are still a lot of threads hanging and things unknown, the stuff I care most about ended in a good place at the end of this book. If I needed to, I could easily take a break. I’m not going to take a break - the fifth book is queued and ready to go on my drive to work tomorrow. But, if the fifth book hadn’t been published yet, I’d be in an okay place waiting for it.
Lydia isn’t wrong when she realizes she sounds like a domestic abuse victim at one point in this book. Trigger warnings, I suppose, for various things here, though I’m terrible at predicting what will trigger people.
In any case, while there are still a lot of threads hanging and things unknown, the stuff I care most about ended in a good place at the end of this book. If I needed to, I could easily take a break. I’m not going to take a break - the fifth book is queued and ready to go on my drive to work tomorrow. But, if the fifth book hadn’t been published yet, I’d be in an okay place waiting for it.
January 9, 2025
The Pearl King just made me frustrated with Lydia. I had a feeling this was going to happen after finished The Fox’s Curse. She has a tendency to be her own worst enemy and she is absurdly naive in this book. I’ve never been a member of a gangland family but I know a lot more than her and that doesn’t seem like it should be possible, especially given her profession!
All the stuff with Fleet annoyed me as well, she is a leader in cutting her nose off to spite her face. I’m still not entirely sure what her problem with poor Fleet was. Apparently it was him warning her to escape and when she didn’t (because Crows don’t run 🙄) being upset that he did his job!
Remember when I said way back in my review for book one that I like Lydia because ‘Lydia is the kind of heroine I enjoy, she is fiercely independent but not too stupid to look for help when she needs it.’? Well she still asks for help but is so resentful and ungrateful that she is quickly becoming a heroine I don’t enjoy. She is self aware enough to know she is not a great friend but she doesn’t seem to see how she is kind of shit in all her other relationships!
I found the Pearls and their relationship to the Fae very intriguing though and I’ll absolutely be reading the rest of this series but for now I need a Lydia break.
All the stuff with Fleet annoyed me as well, she is a leader in cutting her nose off to spite her face. I’m still not entirely sure what her problem with poor Fleet was. Apparently it was him warning her to escape and when she didn’t (because Crows don’t run 🙄) being upset that he did his job!
Remember when I said way back in my review for book one that I like Lydia because ‘Lydia is the kind of heroine I enjoy, she is fiercely independent but not too stupid to look for help when she needs it.’? Well she still asks for help but is so resentful and ungrateful that she is quickly becoming a heroine I don’t enjoy. She is self aware enough to know she is not a great friend but she doesn’t seem to see how she is kind of shit in all her other relationships!
I found the Pearls and their relationship to the Fae very intriguing though and I’ll absolutely be reading the rest of this series but for now I need a Lydia break.
December 26, 2020
End of Round One
I’ll start by saying that I enjoyed this book a lot and wouldn’t have written nearly as much in this review if I hadn’t. Hopefully that will take some of the sting out of it.
The author needs to make the narrative arc more consistent and what I mean by that is that, for example, in this book Uncle Charlie is a proper gangster in a way that he wasn’t in the first three. (This appears to come as news to Lydia.)
Next, where are the other members of the Crow family? Uncle Charlie can’t run things entirely on his own, he must have lieutenants and flunkies but we never meet them.
Then there are the other Families: Lydia has had a Fox boyfriend in the past but she appears to know only him and his dad. The rest of his family are all off stage somewhere.
She knows no Pearls and precious few Silvers, even though there’s an Family alliance with the latter.
The plot device to explain this is that Lydia’s parents have kept her away from the Family milieu but in the age of social media, this just isn’t plausible.
The on-off romance with DCI Fleet (AKA Peter Grant) is nice but where are the police the rest of the time?
The world the author paints (pun not intended) is not rich enough. Lydia simultaneously knows too much and too little and that jars.
I’ll start by saying that I enjoyed this book a lot and wouldn’t have written nearly as much in this review if I hadn’t. Hopefully that will take some of the sting out of it.
The author needs to make the narrative arc more consistent and what I mean by that is that, for example, in this book Uncle Charlie is a proper gangster in a way that he wasn’t in the first three. (This appears to come as news to Lydia.)
Next, where are the other members of the Crow family? Uncle Charlie can’t run things entirely on his own, he must have lieutenants and flunkies but we never meet them.
Then there are the other Families: Lydia has had a Fox boyfriend in the past but she appears to know only him and his dad. The rest of his family are all off stage somewhere.
She knows no Pearls and precious few Silvers, even though there’s an Family alliance with the latter.
The plot device to explain this is that Lydia’s parents have kept her away from the Family milieu but in the age of social media, this just isn’t plausible.
The on-off romance with DCI Fleet (AKA Peter Grant) is nice but where are the police the rest of the time?
The world the author paints (pun not intended) is not rich enough. Lydia simultaneously knows too much and too little and that jars.
February 25, 2021
This is a different kind of urban fantasy series. The setting is London in the present day but with magically gifted individuals from four Families: Fox, Crow, Pearl and Silver. Lydia is the heir apparent to the Crow family and has made a deal with her Uncle Charlie to be "all in" with the Family in order to get out of jail. She also made a deal with the mysterious Mr. Smith to be a source of information for his shadowy government agency. Lydia finds herself balancing her life between everyone pulling on her and her own sense of right and wrong.
This series is different and darker than most. The plot lines are not easy to figure out and I actually really like that. You do have to be along for the ride and there are times when I would love to be able to slap Lydia in the head to knock some sense into her. Overall I enjoy the characters and can't wait to see where Lydia goes from here because the ending of this book is a doozy:)
This series is different and darker than most. The plot lines are not easy to figure out and I actually really like that. You do have to be along for the ride and there are times when I would love to be able to slap Lydia in the head to knock some sense into her. Overall I enjoy the characters and can't wait to see where Lydia goes from here because the ending of this book is a doozy:)
December 29, 2023
I am completely addicted to this series. I miss the characters when I take a break between books, and keep reaching for the next one. I'm glad I have all eight books in my possession but I was also happy to hear that the eighth isn't the last!
I felt like the first three books in the series all had loose ends, but I'm now realizing that its just because the story is building up to something bigger. With each book things seem to get a little darker and more serious but also more magical.
I'm a little concerned for Lydia. She was a bit of a mess in the first half of this book but managed to pull herself together. I relate to her a little too much and I think its been pushing me towards more whiskey cocktails at night. It seems like she's going to have her hands full in book 5!
Honestly, for anyone who is interested in a fun, magical mystery series that's more dark than cozy pick up the first one of these so that we can talk!
I felt like the first three books in the series all had loose ends, but I'm now realizing that its just because the story is building up to something bigger. With each book things seem to get a little darker and more serious but also more magical.
I'm a little concerned for Lydia. She was a bit of a mess in the first half of this book but managed to pull herself together. I relate to her a little too much and I think its been pushing me towards more whiskey cocktails at night. It seems like she's going to have her hands full in book 5!
Honestly, for anyone who is interested in a fun, magical mystery series that's more dark than cozy pick up the first one of these so that we can talk!
August 5, 2024
Well. Four books in and I’m glad I stuck with this series. I feel like I’ve heard some version of “she is a Crow” at least 10k times but I get the literary need to establish the importance of her family. In a world where families are routinely torn apart or estranged, there’s clearly a need.
I really like the direction Painter gives Jason.
So far so good with Fleet!
Emma is seriously neglected. She needs a plot before this series ends. Same with Henry Crow. We are 4 books in and still know nothing about him, really. And the stories he told Lydia at the pub—conveniently shelved for another book. 🤨
The actual Pearl King??? They’re all dropping acid. Or ketamine. Oh my, it’s truly a hot mess and it’s interesting. Several new strings to pull by the end of this book. So far I haven’t been disappointed. Looking forward to the next book!
I really like the direction Painter gives Jason.
So far so good with Fleet!
Emma is seriously neglected. She needs a plot before this series ends. Same with Henry Crow. We are 4 books in and still know nothing about him, really. And the stories he told Lydia at the pub—conveniently shelved for another book. 🤨
The actual Pearl King??? They’re all dropping acid. Or ketamine. Oh my, it’s truly a hot mess and it’s interesting. Several new strings to pull by the end of this book. So far I haven’t been disappointed. Looking forward to the next book!
November 24, 2020
*contains some spoilers* The best one of the series so far, the characters finally seem to be taking on a recognisable personality and thought process, there's enough action in this one rather than pages of filler that were in previous books in the series, a smooth easy read with plenty of excitement.
Slightly sad that Mr.paul fox got brushed aside for fleet but given what I've now learnt about Lydia it makes sense.
Excited to see more about how the families will interact with the removal of Charlie, and I anticipate more dealings with the gender less beautiful king of the pearl family!
All in all probably my favourite book i have read this year and bring on book 5!
Slightly sad that Mr.paul fox got brushed aside for fleet but given what I've now learnt about Lydia it makes sense.
Excited to see more about how the families will interact with the removal of Charlie, and I anticipate more dealings with the gender less beautiful king of the pearl family!
All in all probably my favourite book i have read this year and bring on book 5!
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June 28, 2025I like Painter's stories. I am reading these to distract me from the world. I love her world building and I love cosy urban fantasy. I enjoyed delving into the Pearl Family. I do not like Lydia, her massive sense of entitlement and judgement really grate.
You can be a likable character and be naive (e.g. any character that reminds you of a Labrador) or judgmental (e.g. Granny Weatherwax, who does not want to be likable but I adore her), but you can not be both. And you can having a raging sense of entitlement if you're not supposed to be a likable character. But I'm supposed to be rooting for Lydia and I'm not.
You can be a likable character and be naive (e.g. any character that reminds you of a Labrador) or judgmental (e.g. Granny Weatherwax, who does not want to be likable but I adore her), but you can not be both. And you can having a raging sense of entitlement if you're not supposed to be a likable character. But I'm supposed to be rooting for Lydia and I'm not.
September 10, 2020
Series just keeps getting better
Lydia’s backstory sucked in me in at the beginning of the first book, and watching her character arc has been completely enjoyable. I read through all four books in a matter of days, and I’m particularly impressed with the plotting in this one~especially when I read the afterword that this book was written during Pandemic 2020. Absolutely bang up job and canNOT wait to read the next. Signed up for email updates on the author’s website so I’ll know as soon as it’s published.
Highly, highly recommend.
Lydia’s backstory sucked in me in at the beginning of the first book, and watching her character arc has been completely enjoyable. I read through all four books in a matter of days, and I’m particularly impressed with the plotting in this one~especially when I read the afterword that this book was written during Pandemic 2020. Absolutely bang up job and canNOT wait to read the next. Signed up for email updates on the author’s website so I’ll know as soon as it’s published.
Highly, highly recommend.
November 25, 2020
Currently the final book of four about Lydia Crow, PI and member of a magical London Family with a very dodgy history.
These books are fabulous fun, a welcome addition to that sub-genre of London crime fantasy already occupied by the stellar works of Ben Aaronovitch, Paul Cornell, Kate Griffin and Benedict Jacka - and easily good enough to hold its own in that company. The central character is fighting her own instincts as well as various villains, some of whom are a little too closely related to her. There is an extremely strong sense of place and very well-drawn characters as well as very tight plotting. I'm excited for the next in the series, which I have already pre-ordered.
These books are fabulous fun, a welcome addition to that sub-genre of London crime fantasy already occupied by the stellar works of Ben Aaronovitch, Paul Cornell, Kate Griffin and Benedict Jacka - and easily good enough to hold its own in that company. The central character is fighting her own instincts as well as various villains, some of whom are a little too closely related to her. There is an extremely strong sense of place and very well-drawn characters as well as very tight plotting. I'm excited for the next in the series, which I have already pre-ordered.
November 7, 2024
Auch dieser Teil war wieder spannend geschrieben und es passierte wirklich viel. Am besten gefiel mir hier aber die Tatsache, dass wir endlich einiges über unsere Figuren erfahren. Die Bücher sind bisher immer sehr unterhaltsam gewesen und das setzt sich hier fort, daher gebe ich 4 von 5 Sternen.
This part was also written in an exciting way and a lot really happened. But what I liked best was the fact that we finally learn a lot about our characters. The books have always been very entertaining so far and that continues here, so I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
This part was also written in an exciting way and a lot really happened. But what I liked best was the fact that we finally learn a lot about our characters. The books have always been very entertaining so far and that continues here, so I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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