Bloggin' 'bout Books: Likable Heroine + Compelling Plot = Another Winning Maeve Kerrigan Mystery

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Likable Heroine + Compelling Plot = Another Winning Maeve Kerrigan Mystery

6:42 PM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for After the Fire, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Maeve Kerrigan mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Murchison House, one of the concrete high-rises that makes up London's seedy Maudling Estate housing project, is no stranger to police activity. The place is a magnet for every kind of criminal activity possible. This time, a savage—and suspicious—fire has ravaged through the building, leaving many residents displaced and desperate. Four people are dead, one of them an outspoken politician well known for his racist rantings. What was a man like him doing in a dive like Murchison House?

As DC Maeve Kerrigan and the rest of the murder squad look into the incident, it becomes crystal clear that the fire was no accident. Neither was the politician's death. Plenty of people had reason to loathe Geoff Armstrong, but who actually killed him? Everyone connected with Murchison House has something to hide, including Mr. Armstrong. The more Maeve discovers, the more risky her job becomes. Murchison House has always been a dangerous place—will it be a deadly one for the intrepid DC Kerrigan? As if she doesn't have enough to worry about, Maeve is still dodging the skin-crawling attention of her stalker; dealing with a condition that could put her job at risk; and trying to sort out her feelings for one DI Josh Derwent. One thing is clear—she's in for a wild ride.

You've probably realized by now that I'm a raving Maeve Kerrigan fan. Jane Casey's heroine is brave, tenacious, and, above all, human. She's unfailingly likable, an always compelling narrator whom I happen to adore. The series also boasts intriguing minor characters and taut, engrossing plots. After the Fire, the sixth installment, is no exception. With a number of didn't-see-that-coming twists, the story kept me riveted. As always, I'm intrigued to see where Casey takes Maeve next. Wherever it is, I'll definitely be along for the ride!

(Readalikes: Other books in the Maeve Kerrigan series, including Left for Dead [novella]; The Burning; The Reckoning; The Last Girl; The Stranger You Know; The Kill; and Let the Dead Speak; also reminds me of books by Sharon Bolton and Tana French)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

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

3 comments:

Jenny28 July, 2017 09:04
I like when the victim is unlikeable. It makes it fun to see if the author can make you feel sympathy for them or at least want to see justice.
ReplyDelete
Replies
Mac n' Janet28 July, 2017 10:14
I love this series, I'm reading Let The Dead Speak right now.
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Replies
Katherine P29 July, 2017 13:29
This sounds like a really good series! It's been on my TBR for awhile so this was a good push to read it. I like that the main character is likable. So often in procedurals they're so dysfunctional that it makes it hard to really connect to them.
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Books Read in 2024 (asterisks denote favorites)

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12. My Plain Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Jan)
13. Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong (Jan)
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)
18. More Than a Body by Lindsay and Lexie Kite (Feb)
19. All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay (Feb)
20. Slayed on the Slopes by Kate Dyer-Seeley (Feb)
21. My Imaginary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
22. Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee (Feb)
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)
27. Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt (Feb)
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)
45. Flippin' Skaters by Teresa Richards (Apr)
46. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch [audio] (Apr)
47. The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes* (Apr)
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)

64. Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham (May)

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66. The Weight of Everything by Marcia Argueta Mickelson (May)

67. Make the Fireflies Dance by Rachel Bateman (May)

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

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70. Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan (Jun)

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)

83. The Great Trouble: A Story of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson [audio] (Jun)

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)

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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)

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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)

96. The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave (Jul)

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106. Popcorn by Rob Harrell* (Jul)

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109. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (Aug)

110. The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon (Aug)

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112. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett* (Aug)

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

116. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman* (Aug)

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120. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Aug)

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178. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie (Oct)

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Likable Heroine + Compelling Plot = Another Winning Maeve Kerrigan Mystery

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