The Burning

A Novel (Maeve Kerrigan, Book 1)

By: Jane Casey

Narrated by: Sarah Coomes

The Burning Man. It’s the name the media has given a brutal murderer who has beaten four young women to death before setting their bodies ablaze in secluded areas of London’s parks. And now there’s a fifth.

Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious detective constable, keen to make her mark on the murder task force. Her male colleagues believe Maeve’s empathy clouds her judgment, but the more she learns about the latest victim, Rebecca Haworth, from her grieving friends and family, the more determined Maeve becomes to bring her murderer to justice. But how do you catch a killer no one has seen when so much of the evidence has gone up in smoke?

Maeve’s frenetic hunt for a killer in The Burning, Jane Casey’s series debut, is a gripping introduction to one of the most engaging crime fiction characters in recent memory.

©2011 Jane Casey (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Enjoyable, but predictable.

Spectacular performance. Although I, admittedly, don't know enough about the various different English accents to vouch for authenticity, every character had a distinct voice and personality. The story itself was enjoyable but largely predictable. Mysteries and whodunit thrillers are probably one the hardest genres within which one can choose to craft a story, so that's understandable. It's a fine balance between giving the reader clues and leaving them in the dark, but I just didn't feel that there were enough suspects in the story. Anyway, enjoyable nonetheless.

Another feminist London detective novel?

This audible presentation had all the appropriate English voices and words. Mysteries with the protagonist being a woman are very popular these days. Efforts to portray the detective as a feminist are also quite common but in this case I thought the effort at feminism fell quite short. The effort to present the psychology of several of the major characters was very good I thought.

2 stories in one

The author crammed two books in one. At a point I didn't think she knew how to end the book. Although I wanted to understand the killer's back story, it went on longer than expected or necessary, in my opinion.

A great crime novel. ..

Well written and read. Even though you pretty much suspect who it is, you still have more to discover.

Alert for Angela Marsons fans

If you could sum up The Burning in three words, what would they be?

If you like Kim, you will love Maeve. I plan to work through this series while waiting for the next from AM.

Excellent

Very happy to have come across this writer. I will be reading this entire series.

Enjoyable police procedural

If you could sum up The Burning in three words, what would they be?

English (as in Scotland Yard), Enjoyable, Feminine Perspective

Who was your favorite character and why?

One of the selling points for this series is of course the lead detective, Maeve Kerrigan, who is smart and fairly unflappable. She definitely has some commitment issues in her personal life that she's going to have to get over...I sometimes find myself losing patience with all the back and forth with her boyfriend/fellow police officer, Rob.

Have you listened to any of Sarah Coomes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I appreciated Maeve's obvious empathy with the female victims.

Any additional comments?

A good listen if you enjoy British police procedurals with a psychological bent.

Good Police Procedural

The first book in the Maeve Kerrigan series is told from two POV’s. That of Maeve Kerrigan, a young up and coming detective constable, and Louise North, a solicitor working at a financial firm who happens to be a friend of the latest victim, Rebecca.

The Burning starts off on a high note when a young woman fears she might be the next victim of the serial killer, “The Burning Man” and decides that she isn’t going down without a fight. Unfortunately for her and the residents of London she is mistaken, and the “The Burning Man” is still stalking the streets.

Maeve and her co-worker Rob Langton are investing the horrific murders of the five women who are supposed to be victims of “The Burning Man”. As they delve into the life of Rebecca (the fifth victim), they discover that everything doesn’t completely add up. And their investigation takes them someplace they hadn’t expected…

The Burning is a cleverly written crime mystery that is perfectly suited for a rainy weekend. Maeve is a solid strong character who is dealing with the stress of her job and her relationship with her live in boyfriend Ian. I enjoyed witnessing the banter between her and Rob. They have a good rapport and work well together. It wasn’t as much of a psychological thriller like I had first anticipated, but I did enjoy it and found the story to flow nicely.

Sarah Coomes was outstanding with the delivery of the story

Preferred print version

I've been waffling between three and four stars but because the characters are strong and I think the series has a lot of potential, I ended up giving 4 stars. I listened to most of it on audio but did end up reading some of it in print and that may have played a part in my mixed feelings. While there was nothing specifically bad about the reader of the audio, for some reason it left me feeling lukewarm about the book. I found myself enjoying it much more when I was reading it in print.

Maeve is a strong, intelligent, likeable character. She works with an interesting mix of men, some good to work with, others not so much. Interestingly enough, despite the book's title, the "Burning Man" case is not the focus of the book. Early on, an apparent fifth victim is discovered but Maeve believes she may be the victim of a copycat. The bulk of the book is spent investigating that victim and solving her murder. I figured it out (which I think many readers will do, whether intentionally or not, I am not sure), but it was enjoyable to watch Maeve figure it out. The reader is privvy to much more insight and information than Maeve is because we get the benefit of chapters narrated by the victim's best friend. Those chapters add an interesting dimension to the book that would have been missing without them.

The Burning Man case itself was wrapped up a little too easily but it provided action and a bit of excitement to the book which is otherwise slower paced (but still utterly readable).

I look forward to giving Maeve another try but I will read it in print instead of listening to it on audio.

The Burning by Jane Casey

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The book is long but it is never not interesting. I liked the characters.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not totally. I figured out early on who it was (I have a knack for this) but what was interesting was the detail and how the crime was solved.

Have you listened to any of Sarah Coomes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Absorbed.

Any additional comments?

I definitely will listen to more of this author's books.