The Burning Island

By: Hester Young

Narrated by: January LaVoy

The newest haunting mystery from the beloved author of The Gates of Evangeline, featuring Charlie Cates, a headstrong heroine who must confront her unwanted supernatural gift and bring dark secrets to light if she ever wants to leave the Big Island....

Journalist Charlie Cates has always believed in facts, in what can be proved - her career depends on it. Which is why she has never truly accepted the supernatural visions that guide her to children in danger. After her work on a high-profile missing-child case brings unwanted fame, she reluctantly flees to the lush Big Island of Hawaii with her best friend, Rae. Determined to avoid her disturbing visions, Charlie begins writing what seems to be a harmless interview of a prominent volcanologist, Victor Nakagawa. But her hopes for a peaceful vacation are soon dashed by haunting dreams of a local girl who went missing six weeks earlier.

In the small and sleepy town of Kalo Valley, Charlie and Rae come to realize that even paradise has its ugly secrets, and the Nakagawa family is no exception. In order to find the missing teenager and stop a dangerous predator from striking again, Charlie is forced to embrace the gift she has always tried to conceal. Meanwhile, someone is watching her every move, and the closer Charlie gets to the truth, the more distant her chances of ever leaving the island alive.

With a deliciously eerie and fast-paced story told in vivid prose, all with an overlay of supernatural suspense, The Burning Island is a pulse-pounding mystery perfect for fans of Jennifer McMahon and Kate Atkinson.

©2019 Hester Young (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Brace for a hair-raising cliff dive into waters dark and deep." (Publishers Weekly)

"Young engagingly weaves Hawaiian mythology, history, and sociology into a novel of suspense in a vividly portrayed setting, whetting the appetite for more of this psychic protagonist." (Booklist)

"Intriguing characters and unanswered questions keep the story moving at an engaging pace....Those looking for solid suspense stories, especially those with psychic or supernatural elements, will enjoy this novel." (Library Journal)

loved this read!

loved story and the narration by January lavoy. She is the only one I can bring myself to listen to.

Didn't know what I was getting myself into

Was an awesome read. I was drawn into the book from chapter one and recommend the read

Tedious and Juvenile

I actually finished this book, and was interested to see 'whodunit'. However, the book had a lot of drawbacks for me and I won't continue the series.
1. There is A LOT of useless dialog. It reminded me of an old computer game of Clue, where the characters would be stationary, doing something like picking up trash or reading through papers and when the 'detective' (you) went up to them they would feed you the next clue without much prompting. Even when not engaged in conversation, the MCs would muse constantly "well, we know from what X told us, that Y" or "remember when so and so showed us Z" as if the reader couldn't keep up with the clues.
2. Both female main characters have male names (Charlie and Ray). Not only are they male names, but two men my sister dated, so I was thrown off every time they were called by name.
3. The plot is about a missing 16 year old girl and most of the supporting cast are extremely dysfunctional teenagers or dope-smoking 20 year-old surfers. Yet the two 40-something main characters dive right in, hanging out with and sharing confidences with the kids. It was like a YA story with soccer moms thrown in.
4. The missing girl is an identical twin. I wonder if the author has met any twins? As an identical twin myself, this whole thread rubbed me the wrong way from start to finish.
5. The psychic power that Charlie has is a convenient prop that's only used when there is no other way for her to know something. It's absent through most of the book even when they are touching her things, visiting her spaces, etc.

The Burning Island by Hester Young

January LaVoy is an amazing narrator! I truly enjoyed the book. I would definitely listen to the next one!!

Unsatisfying Ending

I love January Levoy's narration and overall a good story. however, the ending was very bad. I would skip the last couple of chapters after the suspect is revealed and make up your own ending.

Good and a bit different

I enjoyed the story but it did drag a bit in the middle or early second half. Seemed like repeat filler instead of character enhancement. Over all good entertainment.

Just Okay

This book is just okay. It was not clear in the description that it was I think the third in a series. You certainly don't need to read the others to understand this one but it might have been good to know. January LaVoy is always a great reader and the book overall was an easy listen. The characters are not entirely likeable but tolerable.

Hawaiian Paradise?

This was not one of my favorite books in the series it started out kind of slow but It did pick up the end and overall it was pretty good.

Interesting storyline

I thought the mystery was weaved and revealed in many clever ways, and I didn’t necessarily foresee the ending. Good narration and pacing as well

I enjoyed the story

The ending made me want a series to get written. I love the narrator and find myself looking for her as much as some of the authors I love. This book kept me guessing the whole time.