London is terrified by a serial killer
who bludgeons young women to death and sets them on fire. The police,
including the elite squad let by Superintendent Godly, is having
trouble finding the killer when another murder is committed. On the
surface it looks like the work of the Burning Man, but is it?
Rebecca Howorth, a privileged young
woman is found dead in circumstances that look like the work of the
Burning Man. To most of the squad, it appears that the serial killer
has taken another victim, but DC Meave Kerrigan isn't sure. There is
a superficial resemblance, but something is off. She feels her
inferior position on the squad, being female and having an affinity
for the psychological side of crime, so she's loath to say too much
about her ideas.
The Burning starts
slowly with Maeve unsure about her theory of the murder. Chapters alternate between Maeve's observations and
thoughts and those of Louise, Rebecca Howorth's best friend. However,
after the midpoint of the book, the action picks up. It ends as a
very satisfying mystery.
In the
beginning, I did not like the character of Maeve. She was too needy,
wanting recognition by her boss, Superintendent Godly, on whom she had
an obvious crush. She was extremely self-absorbed, always wondering
how she was being observed by her colleagues, particularly Godley.
After the midpoint, she gained confidence and the action speeded up.
I ended up liking her.
The
plot is engrossing, if you like who done-its. It wasn't hard to
figure out that Maeve was right and it was a copycat killing, but the
author had several suspects to choose from. I enjoyed the ending.
I
recommend this book if you like a good mystery.
I
reviewed this book for Net Galley.
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