Crow Court is a novel of short-stories set in Wimborne Minster in the 19th Century Crow Court is a novel of short-stories set in Wimborne Minster in the 19th Century

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PRIZES

Shortlisted
Crime Writers Association Historical Daggers Awards 2022

Crime Writers Association
The CWA Daggers

Best British Novel
35e Festival Du Premier Roman de Chambéry 2022.

Lecture Plurielles
Festival du premier roman

Longlisted
Desmond Elliott Prize

The National Centre For Writing
Desmond Elliot Prize 2021

PRESS

"With a keen sense of the drama of a provincial life whose physical and spiritual fabric is on the cusp of change, with the coming of railways and the publication of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, this is an original and compelling debut."

DAILY MAIL
Jane Shilling: Must Reads

"Charman’s clever, elegantly constructed, utterly convincing debut paints an intimate picture of a community wondering about the killer in their midst..."

DAILY MAIL
Eithne Farry: Historical Fiction

"This vivid historical drama, set in 19th-century Dorset, begins with suicide and murder before spiralling out to tell a dark tale of justice covered up."

I NEWS
Sarah Hughes: 75 of the best books for 2021

"Charman allows readers to watch the repercussions of... events play out over several decades. It’s a demanding format to adopt in a first novel, but he makes skilful use of it."

THE SUNDAY TIMES
Nick Rennison: The best new historical fiction for February 2021

"As gripping as Hilary Mantel and as convincing as Sarah Perry, Crow Court achieves a rarity in historical fiction: it truly places you in the here and now of a world once removed. Time slips away and life – real life, with all its ugly faces and animalistic impulses – shines through. Debut novels shouldn’t be this perfectly formed."

BEN MYERS

"A gripping mystery, beautifully teased out over several decades, full of intrigue and ambiguity."

ANDY HAMILTON

"This clever narrative is both page-turning and original - an innovative and beautifully-written historical novel that features an array of diverse characters and voices from its vividly-realised Dorset setting."

JANE HARRIS

"There are so many wonderful parts to the book. The storm at sea is brilliant and the end is deeply moving... You keep thinking you know where he is going but then you are surprised. There is a warmth and humanity, an acceptance of the vagaries and challenges of life. Plus a great sense of period and place."

ALICE JOLLY

"A confident and exciting debut: exactly observed, densely textured and richly flavoured, Crow Court is throbbing with life."

RICK GEKOSKI

"Historical fiction has an exciting new voice, a new star. Crow Court already looks, feels and smells like a classic."

BEN MYERS