The Burning by Jane Casey (thoughts)

The Burning was definitely a thrilling read and not at all what I expected it to be!  This is the first book that I picked up for Carl's R.I.P. Challenge and it was a perfect fit for so many reasons.  I was left constantly guessing and then second guessing myself as I read the book which made it a definite winner for me!

In this book, Maeve Kerrigan is a detective helping to investigate the latest death attributed to a serial killer that the press has dubbed The Burning Man.  His victims are all women that have been severely beaten to death and then their bodies burned.  The police have little to go by and no suspects when they come across the latest victim.  Unfortunately, this victim's death seems to be a bit different than the rest and there are questions that aren't easily answered.  It will be Maeve's duty to dig into the most recent victim's life with the hope of uncovering a critical piece of evidence that will help them find the killer.  But instead Maeve finds danger like she has never known.

What I really liked about this book was that the author had me guessing from almost the very first page.  It is clear from the very beginning that the latest murder is different from the previous ones, and the question of what that means plays a very important part of this book.  I liked the way the author switched points of view between the main characters.  The way that she did it left me questioning almost everything that was happening.  The author also did a really good job of fleshing out the main characters without really letting their motivations become clear.  That sounds confusing but it wasn't.  Instead it added to the atmosphere of the book which was quite dark and thrilling!  I also really liked Maeve Kerrigan's character and am anxious to see what happens to her in future books.

My one complaint with this book was that one of the two story lines ended in a surprisingly abrupt manner.  It wasn't what I was expecting at all.  I don't want to really go into more detail than that but I will admit that it was a bit jarring.  That being said it also added to the suspense because by then I was so fully invested in this book that I could not decide on what was really going on.  I had guessed the killer, second guessed myself, convinced myself that I was wrong, then went back and forth like this for the rest of the book.  There was a lot that I didn't see coming at the end.  There was also some unresolved stuff for Maeve that left me wanting more.  I'm eager to dive into the second book just to see what happens next!

Overall, a really solid beginning to this mystery series!  I'm so glad that I finally took the time to read this book (considering I probably checked it out from the library five times before I finally did).  It was worth it though and I have high hopes that this series will get even better with the next book.  I would recommend this one to both mystery lovers and fans of thrillers as well because this book was a little bit of both.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A thrilling read with one of those dark, questioning atmospheres that I love so much!

Disclosure:  Checked out from my local library!  Like five times but who is counting???  :) And a great way to kick off the R.I.P. Challenge!