Last year I read Jane Casey's first book, The Missing and was not totally overwhelmed by the ending which I thought rather spoiled the rest of the story. I said so and then received an email from the author thanking me for my review but saying it had made her 'wince a bit'. Of course, I was immediately stricken with guilt but this is what reviewing is about and I have to be honest. Problem is I don't like dissing books in any way as I know full well I am totally incapable of writing a novel and, as a blogger, am very aware that as a critic I am an amateur. However, I had to tell the truth and after such a promising start I felt really disappointed by the denouement revealing the culprit which I had already guessed as well.
So it was with trepidation that I found myself reading The Burning by the same author and I am going to say straight away, with enormous relief, that I thought it was a terrific read and streets ahead of her first, much better plotted and with more believable characters.
Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious detective constable and is keen to make her mark. As a woman in a male environment she has to work twice as hard to prove her worth and also learn to deal with the sexism that is part of her daily routine. She is involved in the investigation to track down The Burning Man, a brutal serial killer who has beaten four young women to death before burning their bodies. A fifth body has been found but there are differences in the manner of her death which make Maeve think that this is a separate murder. She investigates and the more she learns about the victim, Rebecca Haworth from her friends and family, the more she is sure that there are two murderers abroad. She meets Rebecca's ex-boyfriend Gil Maddick, darkly handsome, brooding and dangerous, her best friend Louise North, cold and self possessed and very jealous of others involved with Rebecca. It appears that the golden lifestyle enjoyed by Rebecca has been falling apart, a drug habit, broke and now out of a job and all is not as it seems on the surface.
Once started I read right through until the end. Narrative pacy and strong and I found myself liking Maeve Kerrigan very much and hope that we meet her again in another detective novel.
I am so pleased that I liked this book and Jane, if you are still reading Random Jottings after last year, then I hope you see this review!
