4.5 Stars from me
Wow! What a strong debut – I was hooked and am absolutely in love with Red.
Okay, so she’s a little bit arsony but what a character, I was captivated by her.
I found following the forensic investigation in to unraveling the cause of a fire super interesting too, the descriptions and ‘clues’ left by the way the fire burns and what that tells the fire investigator is just so impressive.
Even though we know all the way through that Red set the fire and is therefore essentially ‘the baddy’ in this story I was rooting for her all the way through and desperately hoping that she’d get away with her crime.
I hope there will be more books to come from this author, and definitely more including Red.
My thanks to the author, Headline and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.
Blurb: FIRE INVESTIGATOR BY DAY. SERIAL ARSONIST BY NIGHT.
Dr Catherine Jenkins – known as Red – is the UK’s best fire investigator. Called out to crack the origins of deadly blazes, she understands fire like no one else. Because Red has a secret: she’s a serial arsonist.
It’s a powerful addiction born from painful memories better left buried, but she can keep it in check – most of the time. And if she slips up, she’s always in a position to cover her tracks. But after her brother has twins, trauma bursts from the haze of Red’s past – and in desperate need of release, she burns down an empty derelict house just to keep breathing.
The next day, she is called to the scene by the police, led by the indomitable DS Lina Karim. Red’s tasked with establishing the origins of the blaze. Simple, routine work.
Except this time is different: a body has been found.
Who is the victim? Did Red cause their death? Or does somebody know more about her than they should?
As Red and Lina get closer, more than one game of cat and mouse is being played, but one thing is for sure:
someone is going to get burned.
