The Burning: The gripping detective crime thriller from the Top 10 Sunday Times bestselling author (Maeve Kerrigan, Book 1)

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This is the first book in the DC Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey. Having previously read and enjoyed 'After the Fire'which is the 6th book in the series, I decided to read the complete series and predictably started with the very first book 'The Burning'. The Burning, is an excellent follow up, with a psychologically interesting plot and complex, well-drawn characters Irish Independent So if you enjoy, good realistic police procedurals, with engaging characters then I recommend you read this, or better still, give yourself a treat and start the series from the beginning. A thrilling murder mystery and British police drama, The Burning Man is a captivating novel centered on a London serial killer with a nasty habit of burning his victims after he kills them. Though up against several policemen who are as ambitious as she is, Detective Constable Kerrigan is determined to catch the villain. When Rebecca Haworth is murdered, however, the hunt for said serial killer takes on a whole new dimension.

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Maeve Kerrigan is even better conceptualised. She faces challenges and is battered by them, for most of this novel she is struggling with her past relationships, current case, and being stalked by Swain (who is from a previous book that I hadn't read). She is not a superwoman, things affect her. She is intelligent and dedicated, her hard work helps solve cases. She's someone I want to know about, read about, and support. Staring at my Kindle screen, i'm cheering her all the way. My reasons for feeling this way about this story are somewhat difficult to put into words as so often I’m pulled in by stories that make me feel a certain way. But if I were pressed to choose a practical reason, I would say that I took joy in immersing myself in the world Jane Casey created. For example, I could literally feel the stifling heat of the overheated police detachment, as I could actually see myself sitting in any one of the living environments that this story took me into.

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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.

Maeve, a DC constable in London is determined to solve the case of the Burning Man. Someone is brutally beating these women and setting them on fire. Rebecca is the latest victim but something is off, different about her death, she was not beaten. Added to the great characters, a complex but not confusing plot, there are a few contemporary issues to explore and finally, there is no mistaking the setting, a North London council estate. I recommend this series to anyone who says they like crime novels, there isn’t another series quite like it! These two characters in the book are speaking in a first person narrative alternating each chapter. Took me a few chapters to get used to it but I enjoyed the reading style after a bit. After a few chapters I was looking forward to reading Louise's narrative more than Maeve's because it was less boring. Course, after a few chapters, I'd figured out Louise and her plot to frame Gil for the murder of Rebecca. Summary: A serial killer's on the loose in London. Young women are not safe out at night but the latest victim, Rebecca, leaves a very interesting tale behind and it's up to energetic and ambitious police detective Maeve Kerrigan to fit the pieces of the jig-saw together - with some surprising results along the way. Delving into real human emotion whilst being a fantastic crime read, I cannot recommend this series highly enough to crime lovers. It's well written, the plot is tight and exciting, the pace is steady but really hold your attention and before you know it you are at the end and ready for another in this great series.Londen wordt opgeschrikt door een seriemoordenaar die eerst zijn slachtoffers vermoord en daarna in brand steekt. I find Maeve Kerrigan quite the enigma. Usually I can classify principal characters as strong or weak; Tana French's Cassie Maddox & S. J. Bolton's Lacey Flint are strong, admirable & very capable, whatever their personal problems. The alcoholics who pervade Scottish & Scandanavian crime novels seem pathetic and contemptible. Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway is a little on the weak side & Sophie Hannah's Simon Waterhouse & Charlie Zailer are so weak they have to lean on each other to keep from collapsing in a heap. Maeve excels in her determination to succeed on Godley's team; she shows a lot of initiative & her insecurities are understandable. But Maeve's deference to her mother - a provincial & bigoted Irish boor - befits a 16 year old, not a mature woman of 28 who has served on the police force for five years. Maeve should make it clear that if her mother wants a relationship with her, Maeve expects her to respect and support her choice of careers. It was also hard to believe that Maeve would live with such a poor excuse for a man as Ian, who seemed more likely to be dating Pippa Middleton - or more accurately, would think he ought to be dating Pippa Middleton, who really seems to prefer men with character. Even after reading all the Maeve Kerrigan series thus far, it is still hard for me to grasp the mystery of her character - strong & decisive sometimes and very weak and vacillating at others. This is one of the more cleverly plotted murder mysteries I have read. Throughout the book the reader is led on numerous trails of who the suspect may be. When the killer is revealed, however, it comes as a bit of a surprise.