Bloggin' 'bout Books: Mystery Series Debut Tense and Compelling

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Mystery Series Debut Tense and Compelling

4:52 PM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan is used to being ridiculed by her mostly male colleagues. They mock her gender, her looks, her Irish heritage, her "womanly" empathy, her work habits—everything. Although the 28-year-old lets it roll off her back, she's still eager to prove she's a valuable member of the London murder squad, that she's there on her own merit and not because she's sleeping with the boss (a rampant, untrue rumor). She longs to be part of the hunt for a vicious serial killer called The Burning Man. Solving the case would earn her much-needed bragging rights. Not to mention bring a murderer to justice.

When a new victim is found, Maeve and her colleagues are puzzled. The murder seems to be the work of The Burning Man, but the M.O. doesn't quite fit. Are they looking for the same killer or a copycat? Assigned to look into the private life of the dead woman, Maeve makes some startling revelations that lead to more mystifying questions. Who was Rebecca Haworth? What led to her brutal death? With few solid clues, it's difficult to find answers. The more Maeve learns about Rebecca, though, the more determined she is to find the woman's killer. Even if it means putting her own life on the line. Which it inevitably will.

The Burning, the first book in the Maeve Kerrigan series by Irish crime writer Jane Casey, is a tense, fast-paced thriller. While the mystery at its center is certainly compelling, it's the characters that really come first here. Maeve is tough, but caring and devoted. Eternally likable, she's also flawed, which makes her feel very real. Louise North, who is Rebecca's best friend and a dual narrator with Maeve, is likewise intriguing. While I would consider The Burning a character-driven novel, the plot definitely moves along at a clip. The story isn't quite as twisty as I wanted it to be, but it definitely kept me riveted. A few chapters in, I found myself reserving the next two books in the series. That's how much I liked The Burning, especially its understated but unforgettable heroine. I've learned since that Casey just knows how to pull me in—once I start one of her books, I (almost literally) can't stop reading. Fair warning.

(Readalikes: Books by Sharon Bolton and Tana French; also other novels in the Maeve Kerrigan series, including The Reckoning; The Last Girl; The Stranger You Know; The Kill; After the Fire; and Let the Dead Speak)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, depictions of illegal drug use, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love: Another library ~~fine~~ find

5 comments:

Mac n' Janet21 April, 2017 07:09
I'm a big fan of this series too.
ReplyDelete
Replies
Jenny21 April, 2017 10:01
I'm glad you found another series to immerse yourself in.
ReplyDelete
Replies
Grace @ RebelMommyBookBlog21 April, 2017 11:24
Oh I don't know this series. But if it is fast paced and a likable MC I will have to add it!! Great review!
ReplyDelete
Replies

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Books Read in 2024 (asterisks denote favorites)

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14. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda* (Jan)
15. The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Jan)
16. Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce* (Jan)
17. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson* (Jan)
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21. My Imaginary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
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23. Artifice by Sharon Cameron* (Feb)
24. Something About Sophie by Mary Kay McComas (Feb)
25. Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow (Feb)
26. My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
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28. Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead (Feb)
29. Murder on Millionaires' Row by Erin Lindsey (Feb)
30. Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson (Mar)
31. End of Story by A.J. Finn (Mar)
32. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (Mar)
33. My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Mar)
34. Where There's Smoke by E.B. Vickers (Mar)
35. Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong* (Mar)
36. The Kind to Kill by Tessa Wegert (Mar)
37. Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban (Apr)
38. Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Apr)
39. Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright (Apr)
40. The Girl Who Wasn't There by Penny Joelson (Apr)
41. The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers [audio] (Apr)
42. The Secret of Rainy Days by Leslie Hooton (Apr)
43. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (Apr)
44. The Nights the Lights Went Out by Karen White (Apr)
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46. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch [audio] (Apr)
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48. Dust by Dusti Bowling* (Apr)

49. Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie (Apr)

50. One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (Apr)

51. Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest (Apr)

52. The Hunter by Tana French (May)

53. Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell (May)

54. The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters [audio] (May)

55. Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird (May)

56. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson* (May)

57. No Matter What by K.M. Frost (May)

58. Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen (May)

59. The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain [audio] (May)

60. Candy Cane Crime by Amanda Flower [novella] (May)

61. An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves (May)

62. Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs* (May)

63. Borrow My Heart by Kasie West (May)

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68. The Lost Girls of Willow Brook by Ellen Marie Wiseman [audio] (May)

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71. The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss by Gary Foster [audio] (Jun)

72. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (Jun)

73. A Deadly Endeavor by Jenny Adams (Jun)

74. The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie (Jun)

75. Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen, and the Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn [audio] (Jun)

76. The Watchers by A.M. Shine (Jun)

77. Deep Water by Jamie Sumner (Jun)

78. First Victim by Debbie Babitt (Jun)

79. One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome* (Jun)

80. Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix [audio] (Jun)

81. When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer (Jun)

82. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (Jun)

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84. 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Jun)

85. Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (Jun)

86. Trouble Island by Sharon Short (Jun)

87. Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn (Jun)

88. I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter* (Jun)

89. Falling Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Jun)

90. Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey (Jun)

91. First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly* (Jun)

92. Homecoming by Kate Morton* (Jul)

93. The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King* [audio] (Jul)

94. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager* (Jul)

95. The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (Jul)

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114. Stowaway by John David Anderson (Aug)

115. Consigned to Death by Jane K. Cleland (Aug)

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Mystery Series Debut Tense and Compelling

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