Another wonderful Alex Cupidi story. This series is excellent. The setting is very atmospheric, the main characters engaging and the plot is full of twists and turns. As the body count mounts up so the tension and suspense increases. There's the usual scenario of the main character going off on their own into a situation you know will turn out badly but despite the cliche, it still works well in the narrative. The pace of the story is fast and it's a great read.

Excellent. I really enjoy spending time with Alex and her colleagues, Jill is a hoot! An intriguing story that reaches into the past and a couple of near misses for Alex. The badgers were quite interesting too. I will definitely be reading the next in the series.

Grave's End is the third book in this detective series and it's quickly becoming one of my favourite detective series. I really like the central character of Alex and the supporting characters are very believable aswell. It's good the see the character progression from book to book. The plot line line was well thought out and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This series is getting better with each new book. I enjoyed seeing the characters develop throughout the books. I'm looking forward to reading more

Grave’s End sees a return for DS Alex Cupidi who faces a multiple layered investigation starting with the finding of a body in the freezer of an empty house.

William Shaw weaves the various storylines into a very readable narrative that has a number of twists and turns that keeps the reader hooked throughout.

This is the third outing for Cupidi and colleagues. Hopefully there are more to follow

Recommended

This is a good story. The characters are well rounded if somewhat slightly left of centre. I had some difficulty in getting into the book to start with as the opening chapter didn't make it clear that we were hearing the thoughts of a badger. The story would make for a really good atmospheric film with low lying mists and the hazy outline of a badger moving through the landscape. I became fully involved in the story from about a third of the way into the story. All in all a good read.

With one of the most fascinating introductions I've ever read in a crime thriller, we get the perspective of an badger. Our badger has got slower and weaker and now avoids the inevitable fights with more aggressive dominant males as he digs new tunnels to keep himself safe, venturing out of the sett at night to forage for worms.
Our badger is living in an area which has been marked for a new housing development, unsurprisingly controversial and a local campaign has been building against the proposed new builds. The badger’s thoughts work remarkably well , as we learn of this badger’s life and the dangers it faces from cars to farmers with shotguns and badger baiters and so many paralells can be drawn with "human nature" too especially in the relationship between the two police officers (Cupidi and Ferriter.)
The book also features one of my favourite characters the author has created....Bill South.
Its intelligent, tense,and the characters are "real", another absolute triumph from William Shaw whose books are totally wonderful and which offer many current social and political themes for the reader to ponder on, without once detracting from the thrilling police procedural. This is powerful and compelling storytelling. I love this series and now have to tick off the days until the next one!

Former music journalist William Shaw (left) introduced us to Detective Sergeant Alex Cupidi in Salt Lane (2018). This was followed by Deadland in 2019, and the third in the series is Grave's End. Alex Cupidi is socially something of a loner: she has a teenage daughter, Zoe, who she has raised pretty much on her own; her only other family is her mother, 80 miles or so up the road from the bleak Kent marshes, in London. Zoe Cupidi, like many other idealistic young people, is a fervent defender of nature, and sees the adult world in which her mother has to work as a grimy conspiracy to fell every tree and concrete over as much of green England as possible.

For those who know something of England, Alex Cupidi's Kent is not the rosy cheeked rural idyll of The Darling Buds of May. This is the coastal Kent of the Romney Marshes and Dungeness; beautiful in its own way, perhaps, but bleak; the coastal fringes are flat, scoured by cruel winds, and shunned by holidaymakers who prefer deck-chairs and the friendly smell of fish and chips to solitude and the mournful cry of the curlew.

This taut thriller is  distinctly unusual, in that one of its main characters is neither a fellow member of Kent Police, nor one of the villains they spend their professional lives trying to put behind bars. Instead we see - or sense - some of the action through the perceptions of an elderly badger. Before such thoughts can gain foothold, I can assure you that this is no Wind In The Willows. Our badger is not an avuncular personification. He is old, fearful of younger rivals, and hungry - always hungry.

Of course, readers have to accept that the badger's perceptions are expressed in our language. Since this particular representative of Meles Meles has none that can be written, what is the alternative? I was not convinced at the start of the book that the idea was going to work, but after reaching the last page, I think it does. Shaw keeps the badger's subterranean activity linked to the plot, and from the very start it is his sense of smell that alerts us to the fact that something is very, very wrong.

"By now, the air should smell of fresh grass, cow parsley, other badgers and dog shit. He moves forward more cautiously in the blackness and his snout meets something hard. At the end, where darkness should change to dusk, he finds the tunnel blocked. He digs, but there is something in his way, so hard his big claws make no impression on it at all. He sniffs. It smells rank. People stink."

When an enterprising junior estate agent decides to impress his girlfriend, he 'borrows' the keys to an impressive empty property, but his hopes of a passionate afternoon's grappling on someone else's bed are dashed when they find a dead body in a freezer. Alex Cupidi and her team soon identify the frozen corpse of that of a local wildlife activist. Further investigations lead them in the direction of a controversial housing development on a site inhabited by, among other various fauna, our friend the badger.

Alex Cupidi is like the proverbial dog with its bone as she relentlessly follows the trail leading away from the murdered activist. High profile government ministers, avaricious property speculators, a minor public school with a terrible secret - every time she lifts a stone, nasty things scuttle about, unaccustomed to the light. Grave's End is a totally compelling read. It is published by riverrun, an imprint of Quercus, and will be available in July.

Grave's End (and the rest of the Alex Cupidi series) would make an excellent read for fans of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series. There are obvious similarities - for example, both Cupidi and Galloway live on remote, windswept landscapes (Dungeness and the surrounding Kent marshes are wonderfully rendered in Grave's End) - but there's also an essential 'niceness' to proceedings, a sense that justice will be done and the reader can settle in to enjoy the journey without too much peril, which is just what I want in a world turned drastically and suddenly more perilous.

William Shaw is one of my favourite writers; his books sing with a sense of place and time. The settings are always stunningly evocative, and his series featuring Alexandra Cupidi mix social commentary with intriguing crime mysteries.

A bit of a departure in this book was the occasional use of the badger as a narrator, it provided a completely different perspective on the world. Fascinating. I found out a lot about badgers that I didn't know as well.

Grave's End starts with the discovery of a body in a freezer - a seemingly straightforward opening to a book that explores the world of environmental activism and political power.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Could a dead body found in an empty house that is up for sale and the protests regarding a new housing development that threatens an ancient badger sett be connected, Ds Alexandra Cupidi and her team in the serious crime squad need to establish a connection as she heads into deep water

Highly recommended

An unidentified corpse in a freezer in a luxury house currently up for sale.

A new housing development which has the pro-environment brigade up in arms.

And long buried secrets which some people will go to extreme lengths to protect.

DS Alexandra Cupidi has more than enough on her plate....

‘Grave’s End’ by William Shaw is the third in the DS Alexandra Cupidi series. No matter if you haven’t read the first two – I haven’t but still felt that I had a good handle on the main characters from the outset. This is a well plotted and topical crime thriller set in contemporary Kent focusing on the despoliation of the landscape by greedy developers intent on exploiting the government’s housing development policies. In particular, as part of their building plans, they will destroy badger setts, established hundreds of years ago. Shaw focuses on the tragedy of this by including the occasional chapter told from the voice of an elderly male badger. Cupidi’s nature loving daughter, Zoe, and one-time policeman Bill South also reinforce the importance of protecting the environment throughout the novel.
Whilst the badger narrative may sound overly quirky, it does actually work. In fact, I was in danger of becoming far more interested in these animals’ way of life than in the crime plot for the first half of the novel. However, as the number of murders multiply and Cupidi finds herself targeted, the pace quickens and there are twists and turns aplenty! Shaw also introduces a narrative from the past - bullying public school boys and an atmosphere of toxic masculinity – which he links effectively with the present.
This is a well written detective novel and I am sure that there are plenty of readers who will appreciate the additional natural history lesson as they try to work out what is going on!
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

This book, published as Graves End, starts off from the view point of a badger, and the badgers run throughout the novel providing a unique point of view as the humans wrangle over a housing development and the bodies pile up.
Packed with twists and turns, Graves End follows DS Alex Cupidi who has appeared in several of Shaw’s previous books. We also reencounter former copper William South and Cupidi’s teenage daughter Zoe, as well as Helen, her mother.
Shaw kept me guessing throughout the book and I would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy intelligent and original detective stores as well as those who love the Kent coast.

I had this book as a review copy from Netgalley, but for various reasons I’m behind in my reading and because I’m a fan of William Shaw’s series I decided just to buy the audiobook and review that.

I love the relationship between D.S.Cupidi and her younger colleague, Constable Jill Ferriter. Shaw’s setting always play a pivotal role in these books and they are rich and atmospheric as a result

In Grave’s End, Shaw draws on the geography of the coastal headland of Kent to create a mystery that is rich in detail of the area and picks up on its conservation designations as a national nature reserve, a Special Protection Area a Special Area of Conservation) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.

Utilising an introduction, unique as far as I’m aware when it comes to crime thrillers, Shaw gives us life in the area from the perspective of an ageing badger. Once top of the heap, our badger has got slower and weaker and now avoids the inevitable fights with more aggressive dominant males as he digs new tunnels to keep himself safe, venturing out of the sett at night to forage for worms.

Our badger is living in an area which has been marked for a new housing development, unsurprisingly controversial and a local campaign has been building against the proposed new builds.

DS Cupidi’s daughter Zoe is involved because of her passionate commitment to wildlife in the area; she and a friend have been watching for badgers at night, hoping to be able to show that this protected species needs the development stopped to protect their habitat.

The badger is having the territory available to it severely curtailed which is how he comes to be digging up some old human bones buried on the proposed Whitefields development. Bones that tell the sad story of Trevor Woods, a young boy who went missing 25 years ago.

First though, Shaw takes us to a rather grander environment; that of a converted Oast house where a young estate agent is trying to impress his girlfriend by inviting her in for a spot of the other, knowing the house is vacant while up for sale.

Looking for somewhere to chill their prosecco the couple find the body of a man in the freezer. Thus begins quite a complex case where the motives sometimes seem obvious, but nothing is quite as you would expect it to be. This murder victim is someone Zoe knows. Vinnie Gibbons is a fellow naturalist and he was involved in the protests against the housing development. He has been poisoned.

Alex begins her investigation of Vinnie’s death but the trail leads her in some unexpected directions, reaching back in time as well as involving contemporary local politics and takes Alexandra to Parliament and some high powered meetings.

Shaw builds in some well thought through plot points and soon we have a number of leads, but which is the most important? Frankie Collins was arrested for badger baiting. Is that arrest for a vicious crime connected to Vinnie’s death?

There’s also, as Alex discovers, to her peril, a connection between some of the individuals involved and the history of the Thornhead Boys Boarding School. As if all that was not enough to keep Alex’s mind swirling, it turns out that the fabulous Jill Ferriter has just started to date Harry French, a young man deeply involved in the Whitefields Development.

I do love Jill Ferriter. She’s screamingly funny and forthright, especially when she’s had a drink and she’s a great foil for the more straight laced Cupidi and the pair work really well together. Zoe too is developing as a character and her relationship with fellow campaigner Bill South, (who Alex was responsible for sending to prison in a previous book) is creating an interesting triad.

As Alex’s investigations proceed apace she finds her own life in danger and knows that she must solve this case if she is to survive.

Shaw has once again taken the remarkable wildlife living at Dungeness, with over 600 different types of plant: a third of all those found in Britain and made it a strong character in his novel. The third person narration of the badger’s thoughts works remarkably well as we learn of this badger’s life and the dangers it faces from cars to farmers with shotguns and badger baiters – in short as humans try to wipe out badgers through a host of hostile actions.

Credit to Jasmine Blackborow whose narration is clear and straightforward and whose reading of the badger and Jill Ferriter’s voices in particular are full of warmth and humour.

Verdict: Complex, tense, exciting and beautifully plotted, this is a class act from William Shaw whose books are rich in atmosphere and character and which offer many current social and political themes for the reader to ponder on, without once detracting from the thrilling police procedural. This is powerful and compelling storytelling. I love this series.

Did you know that a badger’s den is called a sett? And that these setts have been located in the same areas for hundreds of years? Badgers play a supporting role in William Shaw’s vivid new thriller featuring Detective Alexandra Cupidi.

Her naturalist teen-age daughter Zoe has moved on from birds to badgers and her obsessions tend to distract Alexandra who has a baffling new case. The body of a naked man has been found in a freezer in an empty country house. He’s identified as Vincent Gibbons, a protester (along with Zoe) against the development of Whiteland Fields, wild, bucolic undeveloped land home to wildlife and badger setts. Gibbons’ murder leads Alexandra to Whitehall and meetings with Ministers and in the House of Lords. There are two other unrelated plots. The arrest of local boy Frankie Collins for badger baiting has outraged long time villagers who defend the old ways. The third revolves around past happenings at The Thornhead School, a boys’ boarding school sold quickly and secretly to new management. As these plots start to swirl around each other, Alexandra is threatened and then attacked. Will she be able to solve even one of these in time to save her own life?

If you are a fan of Elly Griffiths, Tana French or Ann Cleeves, put Graves End at the top of your reading list. It should also be there if you like remote English village settings and faced paced, intricate mysteries. And the life of badgers is a delightful plus. A definite 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Quercus Books and William Shaw for this ARC.

Ever since meeting DS Alex Cupidi in The Birdwatcher, she's become my favourite female fictional detective. I've read all the books she's featured in and it feels as though she's finally more settled in Dungeness. She's less worried about her work colleagues and her reputation and more focused on her family and friends. She may be the main character in Grave's End but she's not the star. That role falls to the badger. Yes, you heard me correctly. When I first found out that one of the narrator's was going to be a badger, I was a little surprised. However, William Shaw has absolutely pulled this off and those chapters were my favourite.

But of course, Grave's End isn't just about a badger. An amorous estate agent and his girlfriend find a body in a freezer in a large, empty house up for sale. This kicks off a story about house building on the greenbelt and the environmental impact - particularly on badgers - but also deals with corruption and bullying.

Grave's End is ingeniously plotted and there are more twists and turns than the rollercoaster at Margate Dreamland. And if it wasn't for the badger, the truth may never have been discovered. William Shaw's books have featured in my top ten reads for the last three years. I don't see that changing this year. A brilliant read.

Grave's End is the fourth novel in this Kent based British crime thriller series. It can be read as a stand-alone and new readers will not feel left out. You could even read this fourth book, enjoy it and start the series from book one without anything spoiling your enjoyment. Grave's End gets off to a creepy start when a man's naked body is found in a freezer. Detective Sergeant Alexandra Cupidi and her team are on the case to solve this murder.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Grave's End. Characters from the previous novels return like friends at a Christmas party. The plot is very complex and when another body is found both DS Alexandra Cupidi and the reader wonder if the two deaths are connected. When you go to bed after a reading session, your head is buzzing as you wonder who to trust and what the devil is behind it all.

I loved how the issues around class conflicts, housing development, planning consent and local politics all played an integral part of the story. Grave's End is not a basic police procedural as there is lots more to this tale. There are even short chapters written from the point of view of a Badger. Don't worry if you know nothing about badgers as this old badger will teach you all you need to know. I found the badger tale gave this novel so much extra added value.

I found Grave's End to be a very entertaining read with lots to think about. I loved the rural locations, the wildlife and the bonds which developed between the characters. How Alex, Bill, Jill and Zoe bounced off each other was great to watch, it was as if the reader was the quiet one in the corner while the four of them got to the bottom of how and why the naked man was found in the freezer.

I like William's writing style, it is very easy to follow and roll along with. Character development is spot on. William has done it again, it is wonderful how he has published these 4 books in the series with the quality of each one being top notch. I can find nothing wrong with Grave's End and found it an OUTSTANDING read that gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

So many rave reviews but I'm afraid I didn't get on with this novel and it's a rare 'did not finish' for me. I didn't like the writing style which felt unpractised to me, and the badger chapters reminded me of a story I wrote, aged 11, in school, with a dog as the narrator. The environmental issues felt tacked on to the thriller element.

I was surprised to see Ellie Griffiths listed as one of the authors on the opening pages, perhaps this was a mistake. It didn't read like one of her novels to me. It was the first in this series I have come across but as you can guess I won't be following it up.

This is another excellent addition to the series featuring DS Alexandra Cupidi of the Kent Serious Crime Squad. This has all the essential ingredients that make for a fascinating and intriguing read. A dead body is found in an empty Kent Oast house that is up for sale. The subsequent investigation leads the team to a site where a large housing development is proposed, threatening the ancient badger setts that have been in situ possibly for hundreds of years. There are protests about the development and it has been fenced off to keep them out. As the investigation deepens, a junior government minister becomes involved which takes the inquiry back to his public school days. It becomes apparent that Alex and her team are straying into deep waters and she finds herself in terrible danger and with a rising death toll.

There is so much to praise here. The Kent setting provides a very atmospheric backdrop especially the Dungerness area where Alex lives. I love the badger perspective and this is a very creative element too but I also learned a lot of very interesting facts about these fascinating nocturnal creatures. This is a very important element in the novel and it’s a very current topic as it highlights the needs of the natural world against the need for more housing stock which obviously encroaches on important habitats - extremely thought provoking. The characters are excellent, I really like Alex and her daughter Zoe who is passionate about the environment as is ex policeman William South who has taught Zoe a lot about the wildlife in their area. Jill, Alex’s partner is another very good character and their dialogue and relationship feels very real. They banter, fall out but ultimately have each other’s backs.

The story is very well written, the plot is excellent and the pace is very good. There are plenty of twists and turns which all have the element of believability. There are moments of fear, threat and danger and there sadness for some of the victims to whom there are links to bullying and blackmail and ultimately it’s a story of revenge.

Overall, a terrific read and one I will remember not least for the fantastic old badger - what a survivor!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the arc.