Burn – a review

Author – Blake Hill

Publisher – Amazon

Date – 2019

Length – 144 pages

Stars – 5/5

Blurb

Has an arsonist from a 10 year ago resurfaced? The three fires were Detective Myles Quinn’s first case as a rookie detective. 10 years later, the arsons remain unsolved and a new rash of fires in the same businesses reopens the cold case. The current fires look the same as 10 years earlier, except for one thing…now the business owners have been murdered. Detective Quinn and his rookie partner must race against time to stop an arsonist that has turned killer.

Brief review

A well-written and well-paced crime novel.  A great read.

Review

Detective Myles Quinn has a chip on his shoulder.  A series of fires 10 years ago remain unsolved and he struggles to accept this.  He has a drink problem and generally doesn’t seem to be a likeable person.  A rookie detective joins him in the investigation of what seem like mirror crimes but with a murderous turn.

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did.  I think it is really well written.  Lots of dialogue which I find helps to get the story moving and keeps you hooked.  When I think of the actual plot then it’s pretty okay but Hill manages to elevate this with his great story-telling.  I can’t really sing its praises enough.

I’m a sucker for a good twist as my readers (if there are any) may have already gathered.  This book certainly provides a good fix in this respect.  I found myself looking forward to opening my Kindle to read this book every night and I finished it within a few days which speaks to the author’s talent.

What I liked

Fast-paced and good plot development. There’s no nonsense in this book.  It gets straight to the point and there’s no superfluous detail which can sometimes detract from the story.  It’s a great read.

What I didn’t like

At the beginning of the book, the narration seems to flip between first and third person.  I’m being pedantic I suppose as it didn’t stop me reading the rest.

Overall

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope Hill has plans for another instalment.  I think Myles Quinn is a good character and the author has certainly spent time and effort in developing him and writing a great story.

It’s included in Kindle Unlimited so, given the current situation, you don’t really have an excuse not to read it.