Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Burning-Jane Casey

The Burning
Jane Casey
Minotaur, Aug 30 2011, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312614171

In London Parks, the notorious Burning Man has battered four women before setting them on fire. A special police task force has no leads. Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan has two strikes against her in the London police as women and Irish are not very popular. She hopes her work the Burning Man task force gives her the opportunity to prove he worth to her male superiors and colleagues.

Rebecca Haworth becomes the fifth victim but she does not fit the standard set by the Burning Man in his previous homicides though overall the specifics line up. Her supervisor assigns Maeve to investigate Rebecca’s background to see why she was killed. Her inquiry leads Maeve to Rebecca’s lonely best friend Louise North even as she begins to believe either a copy cat killer or someone concealing the homicide behind the Burning Man façade murdered the woman.

This opening British police procedural is an engaging serial killer investigation due to the diligent Maeve and to a lesser degree the fifth victim and her friend. The inquiry is cleverly done to increase the tension as the count mounts. Readers will enjoy this entertaining cat and mouse game as The Burning is a fast-paced thriller.

Harriet Klausner

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