The Raven & The Crow: A Tale of Crime and Folklore Set in a Remote English Village
by Guy Sheppard
Traditional DetectivesAdded on January 11, 2026
Description
Jaimie can’t breathe. Jaimie can’t speak. Other patients are sick. Other patients can’t help him. On his chest struts a raven who says ‘the devil is coming’. Doctors say he is delusional after weeks spent lying in the Intensive Care Unit of his local hospital, having survived Covid-19. Next night he sees the bird’s prophecy come true: someone dressed in full PPE and crow-mask attacks a young woman called Ivona in the bed opposite… When Detective Sergeant Alison Ellis arrives to search the wards, she finds no violent intruder. Surely Jaimie’s superstitious talk of crime and folklore is as confused as her own elderly father who lives in a care home? Except the dying Ivona cries out ‘The Crow will kill us all.’ Can Ellis enlist a real bird to help solve the mystery of the crow-man before anybody else dies? Can a raven ever play detective?
Reader Reviews
A very enjoyable read; a blend of folklore and crime set in the first lock down with an unreliable narrator. Has he seen a murder by a 17th century plague doctor or is this a result of the treatment in the ICU and his dementia? We find out more as the plot unfolds and the main narrative is augmented by a possible romantic entanglement between the investigating officer (female) and a nurse ( male), a dispute over land and planning as well as challenging father/ daughter relationship. The change o
Terrible. Terribly written with an inconsistent plot that jumps between its own story.
