Review: The Burning by Jane Casey

Author: Jane Casey
Publisher: Minatour Books
Publication Date: September 2011

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 makes her weak, 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?

I'm slowly making way through my long backlist of books that have been sitting on my TBR for a long time.  The Burning is one of those books.  This one is the first book in the Maeve Kerrigan series.  She is a rookie detective who is on the hunt for a serial killer.  

I have mixed feelings about this one.  On one hand, I really liked Maeve as a character.  She is intelligent and doesn't make dumb mistakes.  She works hard to earn respect form her colleagues.  But isn't afraid to call them out on poor behavior.  I liked her partner and thought the late in the book switch to his perspective was great as it gave me more insight into his character and motivations.  I'm not sure I love the direction their relationship is going.  I'm reserving judgement.

The mystery was a bit complex as it seems one of the murder victims is an outlier.  I called the twist of that killer early on.  So, I was just waiting for the detectives to catch up.  The reveal of the serial killer was kind of anti climatic and came out of nowhere.  But, honestly that wasn't the real focus of the book. It's the outlier. There is a confession letter in the end of the book that went on way too long.  It could have been cut way back and still got the point across.  So, I liked it well enough to try the next one, if only for the characters.

How to Fall by Jane Casey

Author: Jane Casey
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Date of publication: August 26, 2014

Sixteen-year-old Jess Tennant has never met any of her relatives, until her mom suddenly drags her out of London to spend the summer in the tiny English town where her family’s from. Her mom’s decision is surprising, but even more surprising is the town’s reaction to Jess. Everywhere she goes, people look at her like they've seen a ghost. In a way, they have—she looks just like her cousin Freya, who died shortly before Jess came to town.

Jess immediately feels a strange connection to Freya, whom she never got to meet alive. But the more Jess learns about the secrets Freya was keeping while she was alive, the more suspicious Freya’s death starts to look. One thing is for sure: this will be anything but the safe, boring summer in the country Jess was expecting.

How to Fall is a well written YA that kept me engaged through to the end.  When Jess and her mother go on summer vacation to her mother's home town, Jess finds out that she looks just like her cousin Freya who dies mysteriously the year before.  Jess takes it upon herself to discover what really happened the night that Freya died.  

I thought the mystery was really good.  I didn't see the reveal coming.  There were a number of suspects and scenarios, so it was anyone's guess as to what really happened.  I liked Jess and her determination to get to the truth.  She came across as a strong teen who felt comfortable in her own skin.  It was nice to read a YA with a female lead who isn't angsty and love sick! 

I looks like there will a be a sequel to the book.  I thought the ending for this one was perfect, so I am curious to see where things go for Jess in the next book.  I do recommend this one and I think any YA fan will enjoy it.