Crow Court by Andy Charman – Book Review

PUBLISHERS BLURB 

Spring, 1840. In the Dorset market town of Wimborne Minster, a young choirboy drowns himself. Soon after, the choirmaster—a belligerent man with a vicious reputation—is found murdered, in a discovery tainted as much by relief as it is by suspicion. The gaze of the magistrates falls on four local men, whose decisions will reverberate through the community for years to come.

So begins the chronicle of Crow Court, unravelling over fourteen delicately interwoven episodes, the town of Wimborne their backdrop: a young gentleman and his groom run off to join the army; a sleepwalking cordwainer wakes on his wife’s grave; desperate farmhands emigrate. We meet the composer with writer’s block; the smuggler; a troupe of actors down from London; and old Art Pugh, whose impoverished life has made him hard to amuse.

Meanwhile, justice waits…

MY REVIEW 

Crow Court is set in 1840’s Wimborne, Dorset. A choirboy has taken his own life by jumping into the local river.

Then the abusive choirmaster is murdered. This small community feels justice has been done, but the effects ripple through for a long time.

The four men who found the man’s body have suspicion fall on them, some believe they were responsible.

So, the story begins.

This is told in fourteen chapters, each one a separate tale involving different members of the community. It builds such a sense of time and place….you feel you know the area and the people of Wimborne.

You get to know these people, their lives, loves and struggles as the effects of these deaths trickle through everyone.

This is a beautifully written, almost poetic piece of historical fiction with a love of Dorset clearly coming through. A stunning and compelling read.

Thank you to Random Things Tours for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour, for the promotional material and an ARC of Crow Court.

Purchase link : https://amzn.to/367hnrK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Andy Charman was born in Dorset and grew up near Wimborne Minster, where Crow Court is set. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies and magazines, including Pangea and Cadenza. Crow Court is his first novel, which he worked on at the Arvon course at The Hurst in Shropshire in 2018. Andy lives in Surrey and is available for interview, comment and events.

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