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Crow Investigations #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 problems: 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?
The Night Raven is the first book in Crow Investigations, an exciting new paranormal mystery series from bestselling author of magical fiction, Sarah Painter.
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 problems: 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?
The Night Raven is the first book in Crow Investigations, an exciting new paranormal mystery series from bestselling author of magical fiction, Sarah Painter.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2018
1539 people are currently reading
6830 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 607 reviews
April 21, 2022
A mix of urban fantasy and a heavy dose of new adult makes a clunky, not totally pleasing read.
The good: the urban fantasy world. Pity that the world building itself wasn't that deep. But it was fresh and interesting at least.
The bad: the new adult theme and heroine. Why would I want to read about a 27 yo woman who is not able to keep a job, doesn't really know what she wants to do or be in life? And of course is hormone driven... (at least it's not the story).
She's not that bright, when not downright stupid, she's ignorant and gullible. And moreover she's really very very easy to manipulate and can't say no to save her life. Nor does she have boundaries
The plot was interesting but not particularly tight. And I am not sure it had a meaning except to set the series going.
The good: the urban fantasy world. Pity that the world building itself wasn't that deep. But it was fresh and interesting at least.
The bad: the new adult theme and heroine. Why would I want to read about a 27 yo woman who is not able to keep a job, doesn't really know what she wants to do or be in life? And of course is hormone driven... (at least it's not the story).
She's not that bright, when not downright stupid, she's ignorant and gullible. And moreover she's really very very easy to manipulate and can't say no to save her life. Nor does she have boundaries
The plot was interesting but not particularly tight. And I am not sure it had a meaning except to set the series going.
Read
October 25, 2018London urban fantasy with four warring magical families as the setting for a detective plot. A very nice idea with some intriguing characters, which manages to set up a world and a bunch of future plot elements without overwhelming the current story. Lovely cover, too.
Lots of good stuff, but sadly let down by inadequate editing. (If I had a quid for every time I wrote that...) There are plot holes, clunky phrasing with repeated names, grammar errors, stray punctuation marks to the point where I'm wondering if someone uploaded the wrong file. It's a shame because in the highly crowded field of London fantasy this is offering something a bit different, fresh, and entertaining, and I'd have liked to recommend it more wholeheartedly.
Lots of good stuff, but sadly let down by inadequate editing. (If I had a quid for every time I wrote that...) There are plot holes, clunky phrasing with repeated names, grammar errors, stray punctuation marks to the point where I'm wondering if someone uploaded the wrong file. It's a shame because in the highly crowded field of London fantasy this is offering something a bit different, fresh, and entertaining, and I'd have liked to recommend it more wholeheartedly.
May 6, 2021
4.5 this was a great UF tale! I thought I’d give it a try and I’m so glad I did. The world building was good and I liked Lydia Crow, Fleet and Jason. I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
May 7, 2025
A really great read not what I expect and pleasantly surprised.
Happy Reading 📗📘📚📓📙📕📚📓📗📘📚📓📒📙📕📚📓📗📘📒📔📓📚📙📕📚📓📗📖
Happy Reading 📗📘📚📓📙📕📚📓📗📘📚📓📒📙📕📚📓📗📘📒📔📓📚📙📕📚📓📗📖
May 26, 2022
Simply entertaining! This is not deeply profound or a challengingly life changing read - it was fun.
Four London families - Pearls, Silvers, Foxes and the Crows - that have some magical abilities. Lydia was kept away from the Family as a child and left London to get further away. However her Uncle Charlie who is head of the Crow Family offers her a place to stay when she needs to come back.
I really enjoyed Lydia as a character and others were good too. It was light, pacey and easy to read. It felt quite like an introduction to a series rather than a full book but I will certainly be reading the next book when I get the chance.
Four London families - Pearls, Silvers, Foxes and the Crows - that have some magical abilities. Lydia was kept away from the Family as a child and left London to get further away. However her Uncle Charlie who is head of the Crow Family offers her a place to stay when she needs to come back.
I really enjoyed Lydia as a character and others were good too. It was light, pacey and easy to read. It felt quite like an introduction to a series rather than a full book but I will certainly be reading the next book when I get the chance.
April 28, 2020
So... this was... a hair above ok?
It's got something that rises above the sum of its parts, and to be honest there's a lot to complain about with the parts.
The resolution is unsatisfactory in the same sort of way as if you have a suicide in a mystery novel be an actual suicide and not a murder, yet somehow I didn't really mind, perhaps because I wasn't really invested in the investigation. The investigation that she doesn't really seem to get started with until halfway through the book, or display any sense of urgency about. In fact nothing much seems to happen until two-thirds of the way through the book, apart from the attack at the very beginning. Yet somehow it didn't drag at all.
On the contrary, it read very quickly, despite there being a distinct lack of flow for me. Everything from plot-points, to incidental actions, to sentences, to specific words just kind of occur without feeling as if they were prepared for, much less inevitable. Near the beginning I backtracked a couple times, rereading to see if I'd missed something, but no.
I thought it might be going more in the PNR direction than UF, but no that aspect of the story wasn't developed either, just random lusty thoughts appearing in the text out of thin air.
It's not clear to me how much is down to editing, or if it's first book syndrome, or if the author's way of thinking, or the pattern of connections in her mind is just incompatible with mine.
Somehow, though, I could still see myself reading the next one someday.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's got something that rises above the sum of its parts, and to be honest there's a lot to complain about with the parts.
The resolution is unsatisfactory in the same sort of way as if you have a suicide in a mystery novel be an actual suicide and not a murder, yet somehow I didn't really mind, perhaps because I wasn't really invested in the investigation. The investigation that she doesn't really seem to get started with until halfway through the book, or display any sense of urgency about. In fact nothing much seems to happen until two-thirds of the way through the book, apart from the attack at the very beginning. Yet somehow it didn't drag at all.
On the contrary, it read very quickly, despite there being a distinct lack of flow for me. Everything from plot-points, to incidental actions, to sentences, to specific words just kind of occur without feeling as if they were prepared for, much less inevitable. Near the beginning I backtracked a couple times, rereading to see if I'd missed something, but no.
I thought it might be going more in the PNR direction than UF, but no that aspect of the story wasn't developed either, just random lusty thoughts appearing in the text out of thin air.
It's not clear to me how much is down to editing, or if it's first book syndrome, or if the author's way of thinking, or the pattern of connections in her mind is just incompatible with mine.
Somehow, though, I could still see myself reading the next one someday.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2020
This book had such a compelling premise. Competing magical mob families in London. Renegade private eye daughter returns to live over a ghostly cafe... gets randomly attacked... than she has to investigate the disappearance of her cousin. It all sounds interesting in theory but none of these story-pieces lead to anywhere interesting. None of it gets explored. Perhaps future books in the series will lead to better stories and more in-depth exploration of an intriguing world... but I found this story and Lydia herself a bit drab... or at least under-developed. A good story needs conflict that makes sense! A character needs motivations. I found none that made any sense.
October 23, 2018
I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this one, and I loved it so much that I blurbed it! This is what my blurb says: "My favourite new urban fantasy series, clever and twisty and deliciously magical, with a shivery sense of wonder that feels utterly grounded in its London setting. Perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch, Genevieve Cogman or Robert Galbraith!"
Grab it!
Grab it!
September 29, 2020
3.5
I really did liked this for the most part- but some of the character interactions were a little lacking for moi.
So, the good--I enjoyed the London backdrop, and the mix of historical mystery with modern mysticism. We get information on all of these magical families and how powerful and fear inducing they use to be. While some of that old fear and magic lingers, its interesting that the stories have been interwoven into this reality-like legends being passed down through generations.
We also get a more urban fantasy and contemporary storyline with Lydia being a relatively new detective who has been forced back to her home town and into the peripheral of her Family -as well as her unclaimed legacy as a Crow, and all of the secrets that go along with it.
However, there was something missing in the story.
Maybe..I don't know... I didn't quite feel the punch of mystery or fear or romance- and didn't quite connect with Lydia enough to really root for her.
But I am interested in what is going on with the other Families and this power struggle going on- maybe as the story progresses the questions will make the story more interesting?
‘You always were sharp.’ Not that sharp, Lydia thought, putting her mobile onto the floor by the bed. I came back to London.
I really did liked this for the most part- but some of the character interactions were a little lacking for moi.
So, the good--I enjoyed the London backdrop, and the mix of historical mystery with modern mysticism. We get information on all of these magical families and how powerful and fear inducing they use to be. While some of that old fear and magic lingers, its interesting that the stories have been interwoven into this reality-like legends being passed down through generations.
We also get a more urban fantasy and contemporary storyline with Lydia being a relatively new detective who has been forced back to her home town and into the peripheral of her Family -as well as her unclaimed legacy as a Crow, and all of the secrets that go along with it.
However, there was something missing in the story.
Maybe..I don't know... I didn't quite feel the punch of mystery or fear or romance- and didn't quite connect with Lydia enough to really root for her.
But I am interested in what is going on with the other Families and this power struggle going on- maybe as the story progresses the questions will make the story more interesting?
August 29, 2019
Not for me
I like a good mystery but this story dragged from the first chapter. I was 44% into the book and only 3 days had passed with nothing interesting happening. The MC is too passive for my taste, letting all the men in her life walk all over her. If prefer she step up and take action rather than whinging about things. Her constant reminders of her slack of power screamed woe-is-me.
The love interest was sudden and depthless, both as a character and as a plot point. Side characters needed more development; they feel very thin.
Overall not a book for me.
I like a good mystery but this story dragged from the first chapter. I was 44% into the book and only 3 days had passed with nothing interesting happening. The MC is too passive for my taste, letting all the men in her life walk all over her. If prefer she step up and take action rather than whinging about things. Her constant reminders of her slack of power screamed woe-is-me.
The love interest was sudden and depthless, both as a character and as a plot point. Side characters needed more development; they feel very thin.
Overall not a book for me.
April 20, 2022
This was good in parts, as it is the first in a series there was some world setting which may be fleshed out more in later books.
Lydia Crow left London, fled more like, for Scotland but now after a disgruntled client threatened her physically she's been put on forced annual leave and has returned to London. Her uncle Charlie Crow has let her stay in a flat above a disused café in Camberwell but the first night a strange man tries to kill her and is only stopped by a ghost who somehow materialises and pushes the man over the balcony.
This is a London ruled by four families: the Crows, The Foxes, The Pearls and the Silvers. Lydia's uncle Charlie is the head of the Crows, years ago the families really were supernatural but these days all they have is a vestige of their former powers. Uncle Charlie is clearly some kind of South London racketeer and wants to bring his wayward niece Lydia back into the fold, as repayment for the free accommodation he first tries to get her to re-open the café and then, when that fails, asks her to find her cousin Madeleine who has gone missing.
Lydia knows she shouldn't get close with the police, even if DCI Fleet's smile and voice do something to her insides, but soon Lydia will have to make a decision, back to Scotland or start a new life in London.
Issues I had with this. First, the Maddie investigation story is a bit weak, okay I guess Lydia is a trainee PI and can only cope with a small investigation but really? Second, I feel a special snowflake heroine (and possibly several others) coming - the families are allegedly getting weaker but Lydia seems to be developing some kind of superpower, Paul Fox seems to be powerful and two others seem to be very powerful too. Third, it was all too choppy, too many people, uncle Charlie, Paul Fox, DCI Fleet, Lydia's friend Emma, Maddie, the ghost, the woman running the café. Fourth, I can see a love triangle in the works.
I think I will give the next book a go to see whether all of this starts to bed in properly and the investigations become more meaty, but I might look out for a 99p deal.
EDIT: currently available for 99p at Amazon UK.
Lydia Crow left London, fled more like, for Scotland but now after a disgruntled client threatened her physically she's been put on forced annual leave and has returned to London. Her uncle Charlie Crow has let her stay in a flat above a disused café in Camberwell but the first night a strange man tries to kill her and is only stopped by a ghost who somehow materialises and pushes the man over the balcony.
This is a London ruled by four families: the Crows, The Foxes, The Pearls and the Silvers. Lydia's uncle Charlie is the head of the Crows, years ago the families really were supernatural but these days all they have is a vestige of their former powers. Uncle Charlie is clearly some kind of South London racketeer and wants to bring his wayward niece Lydia back into the fold, as repayment for the free accommodation he first tries to get her to re-open the café and then, when that fails, asks her to find her cousin Madeleine who has gone missing.
Lydia knows she shouldn't get close with the police, even if DCI Fleet's smile and voice do something to her insides, but soon Lydia will have to make a decision, back to Scotland or start a new life in London.
Issues I had with this. First, the Maddie investigation story is a bit weak, okay I guess Lydia is a trainee PI and can only cope with a small investigation but really? Second, I feel a special snowflake heroine (and possibly several others) coming - the families are allegedly getting weaker but Lydia seems to be developing some kind of superpower, Paul Fox seems to be powerful and two others seem to be very powerful too. Third, it was all too choppy, too many people, uncle Charlie, Paul Fox, DCI Fleet, Lydia's friend Emma, Maddie, the ghost, the woman running the café. Fourth, I can see a love triangle in the works.
I think I will give the next book a go to see whether all of this starts to bed in properly and the investigations become more meaty, but I might look out for a 99p deal.
EDIT: currently available for 99p at Amazon UK.
April 7, 2024
This was a pretty uneven series start. I read the whole thing but I still don't really understand much. It's like the whole book was painting a picture using invisible paint.
Pretty much every conversation feels loaded and veiled. I don't understand anything about the magic, or what's going on with the four families. Or what they can do. I don't know what Madeline was doing at all - if she was getting out, why was she still in London at all? Why did she try to kill Ivan? Why on earth did Charlie want Lydia (FMC) to deal with it?
Why does it seem like everyone's powers are starting to strengthen? To be fair, that question is likely a series-long plot point, so I can live with not having that answer in this first book. But Madeline said the families are getting weaker and it's obvious that isn't the case. The Fox people we met shocked Lydia with their power. The Pearl store pretty much mesmerized Lydia with its power, so potent she was almost trapped.
What kinds of magics are real in this world? We're told the Silver family can talk anyone into anything - gift of gab, basically - and the Pearl family could sell ice to an Eskimo (how that differs from the gift of gab, I have no clue). But we're not told anything much about the Fox and Crow gifts. There is light implication in this book that the magic comes from deities, perhaps descendents of deities... and that the Crow family came from Norway. So... Odin? I don't know. We got almost nothing, seriously.
Lydia's personality and narrative are equally choppy. Sometimes she sounds and acts like a spoiled 18 year old, other times she's some world-weary adult. She's bitchy with the ghost for no reason, this despite the ghost saving her life when they first met.
She and Fleet are circling each other, but it came on so fast that it wasn't very believable.
I don't know. I'm lightly interested in continuing, but that may be just because I want answers to those questions. We'll see.
Pretty much every conversation feels loaded and veiled. I don't understand anything about the magic, or what's going on with the four families. Or what they can do. I don't know what Madeline was doing at all - if she was getting out, why was she still in London at all? Why did she try to kill Ivan? Why on earth did Charlie want Lydia (FMC) to deal with it?
Why does it seem like everyone's powers are starting to strengthen? To be fair, that question is likely a series-long plot point, so I can live with not having that answer in this first book. But Madeline said the families are getting weaker and it's obvious that isn't the case. The Fox people we met shocked Lydia with their power. The Pearl store pretty much mesmerized Lydia with its power, so potent she was almost trapped.
What kinds of magics are real in this world? We're told the Silver family can talk anyone into anything - gift of gab, basically - and the Pearl family could sell ice to an Eskimo (how that differs from the gift of gab, I have no clue). But we're not told anything much about the Fox and Crow gifts. There is light implication in this book that the magic comes from deities, perhaps descendents of deities... and that the Crow family came from Norway. So... Odin? I don't know. We got almost nothing, seriously.
Lydia's personality and narrative are equally choppy. Sometimes she sounds and acts like a spoiled 18 year old, other times she's some world-weary adult. She's bitchy with the ghost for no reason, this despite the ghost saving her life when they first met.
She and Fleet are circling each other, but it came on so fast that it wasn't very believable.
I don't know. I'm lightly interested in continuing, but that may be just because I want answers to those questions. We'll see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2024
Judging from the other rave reviews here I’m in a clear minority. I loved the premise of the story unfortunately I found the delivery completely confusing - to the point that the main character kept being referred to as Scottish with she wasn’t and that whole confusion was more interesting than the story, it was disjointed but also had a childlike essence which would’ve been fine for a YA, which this isn’t. You hope that the first in the series would completely captivate you and reel you in, unfortunately this wasn’t the case.
Not for me sadly.
Currently included in audible 🎧
Not for me sadly.
Currently included in audible 🎧
January 31, 2021
I've been putting off reading this for a while (the luxury of having a huge TBR pile) but someone recommended this for a fun, easy, short read after a heavier book and I'm really glad I picked it up.
Although it gets into some action quickly, it peaks and troughs throughout so at times I felt I did want more. But overall, I'd have said 3.5/4 stars stars and I'll be continuing with the rest of the series to see where it leads!
Although it gets into some action quickly, it peaks and troughs throughout so at times I felt I did want more. But overall, I'd have said 3.5/4 stars stars and I'll be continuing with the rest of the series to see where it leads!
January 12, 2021
I very much enjoyed this one. The magical world is interesting. I like the idea of the four ancient magical families that currently exist in a truce.
I was intrigued by the characters. I like that the protagonist isn't portrayed as being an extra-special snowflake (though of course, her abilities are almost certainly going to turn out to be stronger than realized).
There was also a refreshing lack of the near-constant mortal peril that so often comes with urban fantasy. There is certainly danger, but I (and by association the characters) weren't constantly being banged over the head by in. In essence, there was some actual problem solving, as opposed to simply moving from crisis to cris.
It was fun.
I was intrigued by the characters. I like that the protagonist isn't portrayed as being an extra-special snowflake (though of course, her abilities are almost certainly going to turn out to be stronger than realized).
There was also a refreshing lack of the near-constant mortal peril that so often comes with urban fantasy. There is certainly danger, but I (and by association the characters) weren't constantly being banged over the head by in. In essence, there was some actual problem solving, as opposed to simply moving from crisis to cris.
It was fun.
July 26, 2019
3.25🌟
Promising start to a new urban fantasy series with an interesting main character and shadowy magical world set in London.
Although this first book seemed a little rushed and didn't go into much detail about the 4 magical families, the premise is an interesting one and will hopefully develope more in subsequent books which I would definitely read
A quick, entertaining read on a boiling hot day.
Promising start to a new urban fantasy series with an interesting main character and shadowy magical world set in London.
Although this first book seemed a little rushed and didn't go into much detail about the 4 magical families, the premise is an interesting one and will hopefully develope more in subsequent books which I would definitely read
A quick, entertaining read on a boiling hot day.
January 16, 2020
3.5 stars as I enjoyed this London based urban fantasy story that kicks off a new series. It wasn’t perfect, but there was enough in it to make me want to read more in the series. True, I am bored with instalust and hormone-driven female leads, but okay it does seem to be the prevalent meme in so many genres so why not here too.
August 27, 2020
Interesting
Very interesting start to a new to me author.
Very subtle in the story and world building? Going to interesting to see where the author take us to in her story.
It's got my interest .
Very interesting start to a new to me author.
Very subtle in the story and world building? Going to interesting to see where the author take us to in her story.
It's got my interest .
February 4, 2024
I enjoyed this quite a bit. I didn’t know anything about this series but it seemed like something I would enjoy and I did. The magic part is a bit understated, the mystery was secondary, the family was mafia like and all of the parts added up to an interesting and fun read. I think this first book was primarily setting up the characters. I can’t wait to try the next one for size. 🐦⬛
September 19, 2025
3.5 stars
I liked this. Has magical/paranormal elements.
It was interesting and a good start to a series.
Some stuff that was just ok for me was the romance. No real depth and the romance was very background. The h also had a lot of personal hangups
Also her ex Paul hooking up w her very young cousin was VERY ICK TO ME.
And since I saw that he MAY come back as a love interest later? No way. And that’s what’s keeping me from moving forward w the series till more books come out I know for sure.
I hope she stays with Flint and that they build and get stronger. FFFF Paul.
Otherwise it’s interesting and short books.
Safe
No talks about their past except her ex.
No OPD
I liked this. Has magical/paranormal elements.
It was interesting and a good start to a series.
Some stuff that was just ok for me was the romance. No real depth and the romance was very background. The h also had a lot of personal hangups
Also her ex Paul hooking up w her very young cousin was VERY ICK TO ME.
And since I saw that he MAY come back as a love interest later? No way. And that’s what’s keeping me from moving forward w the series till more books come out I know for sure.
I hope she stays with Flint and that they build and get stronger. FFFF Paul.
Otherwise it’s interesting and short books.
Safe
No talks about their past except her ex.
No OPD
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2021
This was another random pick on surfing the literary retail websites. The cover and blurb pulled me in. Cool points to the author.
The story started off fine with author Sarah Painter bringing Lydia Crow back to London, a place once ruled by 4 magical families of which The Crows were most powerful.
The head of her family wanted Lydia to find her missing cousin. Therein started my niggles, being the first book, what should have hit me hard was a damp squib, telling me the same information repeatedly. Move on, girl. I already had an idea of who or what Lydia was. Meandering in the first half of a debut was never a good idea. Sighhh…
But then in the last section, the book got faster and interesting. It kept to a fast pace with Lydia coming into her own. Ultimately, the author decided to make her comfortable in her own skin.
And luckily, that made me pick up the next book to decide if I would continue or give up on the author.
The story started off fine with author Sarah Painter bringing Lydia Crow back to London, a place once ruled by 4 magical families of which The Crows were most powerful.
The head of her family wanted Lydia to find her missing cousin. Therein started my niggles, being the first book, what should have hit me hard was a damp squib, telling me the same information repeatedly. Move on, girl. I already had an idea of who or what Lydia was. Meandering in the first half of a debut was never a good idea. Sighhh…
But then in the last section, the book got faster and interesting. It kept to a fast pace with Lydia coming into her own. Ultimately, the author decided to make her comfortable in her own skin.
And luckily, that made me pick up the next book to decide if I would continue or give up on the author.
May 31, 2019
As the opening book in an urban fantasy series, this novel has a lot to do - setting up characters and establishing the world and its rules as well as delivering a plotline that keeps the reader's attention. It didn't fully succeed in this.
I like Lydia Crow, the fledgling private detective who arrives back home in London to escape briefly from a threatening client. Unfortunately for Lydia, she's in hot water the minute she sets foot in her bolthole. Although she's a member of the most powerful of four magical families in the capital, Lydia believes she is a damp squib, despite the fact that she patently has some magical power. For me, the book would have been better if Lydia had realised her power and explored it more.
The investigation she carries out for her uncle is a bit of a red herring and has an unsatisfying ending. Perhaps the person she finds is being set up as a villain for future books, but it didn't feel like that.
After the initial burst of action, not much happens until late in the book and when it does, it's just a bit peculiar and unexplained.
I wouldn't be averse to reading more books in the Crow Investigations series, but I can't say that I'll be bolting off to download them immediately.
I like Lydia Crow, the fledgling private detective who arrives back home in London to escape briefly from a threatening client. Unfortunately for Lydia, she's in hot water the minute she sets foot in her bolthole. Although she's a member of the most powerful of four magical families in the capital, Lydia believes she is a damp squib, despite the fact that she patently has some magical power. For me, the book would have been better if Lydia had realised her power and explored it more.
The investigation she carries out for her uncle is a bit of a red herring and has an unsatisfying ending. Perhaps the person she finds is being set up as a villain for future books, but it didn't feel like that.
After the initial burst of action, not much happens until late in the book and when it does, it's just a bit peculiar and unexplained.
I wouldn't be averse to reading more books in the Crow Investigations series, but I can't say that I'll be bolting off to download them immediately.
October 9, 2020
Good book. Would’ve been better if homegirl was the raven, very strange ending tbh?! Like why did the author do that? Completely unnecessary. Romance was not very fleshed out, seems like one moment they were getting to know each other, on a superficial level, and the next they’re in bed together? And then we’re back to superficial conversations again. Won’t be reading the next book sorry, not enough suspense to keep me reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2021
2 stars
This was ok; thankfully, it was short (novella length). The story had a lot of potential but it was presented in a very dry and sterile manner. I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of it.
This was ok; thankfully, it was short (novella length). The story had a lot of potential but it was presented in a very dry and sterile manner. I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of it.
May 19, 2023
Das Konzept und die Charaktere gefallen mir und der Schreibstil ist auch gut. Allerdings fiel es mir am Anfang schwer in diese Geschichte hineinzufinden. Die ganze Welt wird zu Beginn nicht erklärt und auch der Hintergrund unserer Protagonistin Lydia wird zunächst gar nicht beschrieben. Ein bisschen mehr Erklärung am Anfang hätte mir gut getan.
I like the concept and the characters and the writing style is also good. However, I found it difficult to get into this story at the beginning. The whole world is not explained at the start and the background of our protagonist Lydia is not described at all. A little more explanation at the beginning would have helped me.
I like the concept and the characters and the writing style is also good. However, I found it difficult to get into this story at the beginning. The whole world is not explained at the start and the background of our protagonist Lydia is not described at all. A little more explanation at the beginning would have helped me.
July 28, 2023
Lydia Crow establishes her business as a magical private investigator in this first book in the series. She investigates the disappearance of her cousin, makes allies and possibly enemies.
Solid, but a bit boring for a mystery.
Solid, but a bit boring for a mystery.
May 1, 2022
I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading the second one. I liked both the mcs - Lydia and Fleet and definitely looking forward to the next one.
Recommended 👍
Recommended 👍
February 22, 2024
I enjoyed this first book in the Lydia crow series. Definitely going to carry on with this series.
July 27, 2022
Fascinating book. I wouldn't read it again. I feel there were too many unanswered questions. That may be part of the point, as this is a series, but it didn't wrap up cleanly. It was not a bad book.
November 8, 2022
Am not sure if I like this book or not really. It's the story of 4 families in London named Pearl, Crow, Fox and Silver and they all claim to have special powers, I think this is set in the modern day!! Anyway Lydia Crow is a still learning private investigator and left to get away from her family and live in Aberdeen, but she is in a bit of trouble with a client who may, or may not be, pursuing her (I think the book may have been better if he was). So, she moves temporarily back down to London and her uncle Charlie, her nemesis, has asked her to look into the disappearance of her cousin Maddie, he has set her up in a building he is renovating with a cafe on the ground floor and she's on the top, the building is a work in progress. What her uncle doesn't tell her is that there is a ghost in the flat, a talking one, who seems a nice lad. I know I know I was doing a double check that this was modern day.
The plot isn't that great but I did wade through to the end, where Lydia has now befriended the local police officer whom she likes and a non-entity if there ever was one, found her cousin but frankly I don't think it was worth it that girl is going to be nothing but trouble with her powerful skills which could lead to murder if left unchecked, and the talking ghost beginning to become more human (ironically I thought he was the best character in the book).
Hmm this book seemed to be a mix of crime, fiction and mysterious magical mystery, and I don't think it worked on any of those levels, may be better to stick with one only. It just didn't do it for me as I didn't particularly like the wishy washy heroine Lydia and her bonkers family with their thinking highly of themselves genetically left hangovers. Not a series I will be following.
The plot isn't that great but I did wade through to the end, where Lydia has now befriended the local police officer whom she likes and a non-entity if there ever was one, found her cousin but frankly I don't think it was worth it that girl is going to be nothing but trouble with her powerful skills which could lead to murder if left unchecked, and the talking ghost beginning to become more human (ironically I thought he was the best character in the book).
Hmm this book seemed to be a mix of crime, fiction and mysterious magical mystery, and I don't think it worked on any of those levels, may be better to stick with one only. It just didn't do it for me as I didn't particularly like the wishy washy heroine Lydia and her bonkers family with their thinking highly of themselves genetically left hangovers. Not a series I will be following.
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