The Gilded Nest - Sarah Painter ****
By Brian Clegg
It’s been over five years since I first reviewed Sarah Painter’s Crow Investigations books, which has turned into a solid UK urban fantasy series. To reprise, although not strictly a police procedural (the main character, Lydia Crow is a private investigator rather than a cop), this London-set series combines crime and magic with a genuinely original scenario. There are four ‘magical families’ in London with special abilities who have used these abilities to further their families fortunes – sometimes legally, often otherwise.
Lydia is part of the the somewhat dodgy Crow family, but has been brought up out of the family circle and at the start of the series had just moved back to London to be dropped back into things in a big way. There are some lovely details – for example her coin (read the book for an explanation) – and Lydia’s unlikely ghostly assistant, whose role grows through the series.
By book 9 (The Gilded Nest) things have developed considerably. Lydia has a live-in boyfriend who also happens to be a DCI, leading to some interesting conflicts of interest. She has become head of her family, with all that entails, but along the way lost most of her growing abilities. What’s stands out about this book is that it is more of a police procedural than most of the series as Lydia and boyfriend Fleet investigate what looks like a serial killer’s tribute to Jack the Ripper (though this time the victims are sleazy men). At the same time, we learn more about Lydia’s past with flashbacks to ten years ago, and see a gradual revival of her powers.
Altogether, a matured and effective addition to a series that continues to please (number 10 is published in February 2026). Because I’ll definitely be reading it, I can’t complain that the book finishes on something of a cliffhanger to the next one in the series, though it’s not a practice I like to continue for long.
You can buy The Gilded Nest from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
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Now Appearing is the blog of science writer Brian Clegg (www.brianclegg.net), author of Inflight Science, Before the Big Bang and The God Effect.
Source: http://brianclegg.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-gilded-nest-sarah-painter.html
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