It took me a while to immerse myself into the fourth case of Washington Poe, to be honest. To me, Craven was putting Poe’s and Tilly’s character traits on a little too strong this time. Same as the number of cliffhangers at the end of almost every chapter. Also, Tilly became more of a sidekick, which was quite disappointing. But: It got so much better the more I read. The murder, that Poe was asked to investigate, had international political dimensions (spies included), took quite a few unexpected twists and turns at the end, and its details are again incredibly diverse and interesting. Craven had me on my toes, once more unwilling to stop reading. Don’t want to spoil anyone by writing more at this point though.
I’m hoping for Tilly to be more of a partner, for a few less cliffhangers, and for Poe to evolve just a tad in the next adventures. But I am complaining at a high level right now because “Dead Ground” was once again a thrilling read.
