A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

Good morning, everyone! Today I’m a stop on the Random Things tour for Paula Hawkins’s latest, A Slow Fire Burning.

Daniel Sutherland is dead. When the body is found, there’s no question he’s been murdered. And the prime suspect is a woman who admits she spent the night with him. She has a temper and lashes out. She’s got a cut on her arm and the man’s watch in her possession. But, as it turns out, the case is most definitely not as clear cut as that. 

I think by now readers know that Paula Hawkins pens the twistiest of thrillers and this is no exception. 

From the start, the reader is introduced to a number of characters, but there are three standouts: Laura, the prime suspect; Miriam, the dead man’s neighbor; and Carla, the dead man’s aunt.

Laura is odd. Miriam notes that people call her Mad Laura, and the reason is explained soon enough. She works in a launderette, doesn’t get along with her step mother, and does act somewhat inappropriately depending on the circumstances. But is she a murderer? Could she have fallen into a rage and killed Daniel after they hooked up?

Miriam herself is someone who seems to be an acquired taste. She spies on the comings and goings of her neighbors—most of whom are temporary, and she’s sure to remind them if they overstay their welcome. She’s the one who found the body. And as it is soon revealed, she has a reason to relish in the attention and power the investigation gives her. But are her motives deeper? Maybe she killed Daniel. 

Carla is Daniel’s aunt. In fact, her own sister, Daniel’s mother, passed away shortly before the book begins. She was seen (by Miriam) visiting Daniel just before he was murdered. And her own story is complicated by a tragedy that could very well be a motive for murder. 

A Slow Fire Burning is somewhat true to its name in that the plot unfolds at a very deliberate pace. And while clues are certainly thrown our way, I found, true to Hawkins’s previous books, that I really couldn’t unravel the mystery on my own. 

I actually love a slow burn! There, I said it! I love to sink into a story and really get to know the characters. Slow burns can get a bit of a bad rap, but I think that’s mostly due to the author’s inability to create a fully rounded story. Careful plotting, excellent characters and world building, and pacing that feels natural, whether that be slow or fast, are all elements, regardless of genre or audience, that are part of the writing craft. Done well, a slow burn can be quite enjoyable. But if all of those pieces don’t come together, the pacing can absolutely feel plodding. 

So what’s the deal with A Slow Fire Burning? In my opinion, Hawkins gets all the pieces just right! (Though I do want to mention, really so many characters! It took me a bit to wrap my head around who was who in this story.)

A Slow Fire Burning is even more proof that Paula Hawkins is an exemplary talent! 

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

After hunting high and low for the perfect home, Helen and Nate are determined now to build their own. They've found a plot of land that fits their needs exactly and have laid the foundation for their future house, but soon find that their dreams could end in nightmares.

The land they've chosen has a bad reputation to begin with but when someone starts stealing items and leaving behind strange and even threatening messages, Helen and Nate have to wonder if it's all worth it.

It turns out, their land was once home to the notorious Hattie Breckenridge, a woman hanged for being a witch after she was blamed for a fire that claimed the lives of several of the town's children. Decades later, her legend still haunts the people of the tiny town where Helen and Nate have chosen to build their home. What's more, Hattie was rumored to have buried treasure somewhere on her property and local treasure hunters are none too pleased with the idea that outsiders might stumble across it.

Helen and Nate spend ample time house hunting but nothing fits the bill. In fact, the only home Helen fell in love with would have required so much work that Nate convinces her it's easier for the two of them to build their own home.

Modeled after the house Helen fell for, their home-to-be isn't overly complicated and they have the funds to build and outfit it exactly how they want, even after buying the land they've chosen to build it on. And the land came at a bit of a steal considering the previous owner lost his wife (literally) there.

But the property has more of a history than that and Helen, a history buff and former teacher, decides to dig into the story just as soon as she hears the first whispers about Hattie Breckenridge.

Helen is drawn to Hattie's story in no small part thanks to the fact that she believes she's seen Hattie herself. And she finds herself mysteriously drawn to items that have a tie to Hattie's story. Which increases her sightings of Hattie exponentially. Much to Nate's displeasure.

There's a pretty big subplot involving a local girl whose mother has left. The girl in question spends her time treasure hunting on Helen's property, convinced if she can find Hattie's treasure then her mother will return.

Jennifer McMahon has been a go to for me since her debut, Promise Not to Tell. Her plots are always intriguing and her writing deliciously creepy as well as clever and suspenseful. And so each new release goes on my must have list just as soon as it's announced and I gobble it up as fast as I can get my book junkie hands on it.

The Invited has all the hallmarks of a great McMahon outing: a questionably paranormal setting, a mystery at the center of the plot, and average folks facing a potential danger that could cost them everything. And yet, something was missing from this latest.

Simply put, the book wasn't as strong as McMahon's previous titles. It's a good read but not a wow one.

Pre Pub Book Buzz: I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon

There are a ton of literary "buzz" topics for me - you know, those things that when they appear in a book's description you just absolutely have to have them even though you have a gazillion other books about the same thing. And while I don't have a gazillion Anastasia books, it does qualify as one of those subjects I'll buy every time. So when I heard that Ariel Lawhon's new book was going to be about her, I immediately added it to my wishlist. (To be fair, Lawhon is an author a lot of authors I read read, so anything by her is likely to end up in my wishlist anyway.)

Here's a bit about I Was Anastasia from Goodreads:

Russia, July 17, 1918 Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia where they face a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed.

Germany, February 17, 1920 A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal. Refusing to explain her presence in the freezing water or even acknowledge her rescuers, she is taken to the hospital where an examination reveals that her body is riddled with countless, horrific scars. When she finally does speak, this frightened, mysterious young woman claims to be the Russian Grand Duchess.

As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre at Ekaterinburg, old enemies and new threats are awakened. The question of who this woman is and what actually happened to Anastasia creates a saga that spans fifty years and three continents. This thrilling page-turner is every bit as moving and momentous as it is harrowing and twisted.

I Was Anastasia isn't out until next February, but Lawhon's two previous releases The Wife, The Maid, and the Mistress and Flight of Dreams (about the Hindenburg) are both out in paperback. And if you've read those and are a fan of stories based on Anastasia, I recommend checking out Ariana Franklin's City of Shadows in the meantime. 

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

When Ruthie comes home late after an evening with her boyfriend, she thinks she's lucky to have avoided an argument with her mother, Alice. But when she wakes the next morning to no sign of Alice, Ruthie realizes her mother has gone missing. While searching the house for clues, Ruthie and her sister make two strange discoveries: first, their mother has boarded up her own closet. Second, a board in the floor of their mother's room hides a book based on the century-old writings of a woman who once lived in their very home, licenses belonging to two strangers, and a gun. 

Alice may be a bit on the strange side, set in her ways and set on enforcing those ways with both daughters, but Ruthie knows she'd never abandon them. What's worse, Alice isn't the first person to go missing in their area. As Ruthie tries to unravel the clues and find their missing mother, she turns to the book for answers about Alice's fate and the secrets she's so obviously been keeping. 

I love Jennifer McMahon's work. In fact, this is one author I have to admit I'm a total fangirl over. There's almost always (I can't remember 100% positively so we'll go with almost) a dual storyline, and there's definitely always an underlying element of dread and an eeriness that seems to be somewhat beyond the normal realm of possibilities. Well this time she jumps wholeheartedly into the supernatural!

In 1908, Sara Harrison Shea suffers a great loss. One that breaks her. But there's hope. Her story unfolds intermittently as Ruthie's own present day story does. But it's not just Sara and Ruthie that are the heart of the story. West Hall, Vermont, a small town with strange tales and a string of missing people is where Katherine's husband, Gary, spend his last day. He lied about where he was that day, claiming to be photographing a wedding elsewhere. And Katherine may not have ever known but for the fact that Gary was killed in a car accident on his way home.

Now she's come to West Hall to investigate, eventually following a thread that leads her to Sara Harrison Shea as well.

McMahon's always been a pro at building fantastic suspense and in setting the perfect tone and atmosphere for that suspense. It's one of my favorite things about her work, that and the way she draws out a plot, feeding little clues to the reader along the way. The Winter People is no exception, but I think those elements are amplified with the addition of the obviously paranormal goings on in West Hall.

I do wish that some of the pieces of the story had been further developed. Fawn's own clear ability to see the winter people in particular was something I wish had been explored more. Honestly considering how much I enjoy McMahon's work, she could have doubled the size of the book and I probably still would have wanted more. Her pages are the kind I love to get lost in, her stories the kind I find myself getting so involved and immersed in that turning the final page is almost painful.

The Winter People is a fabulous addition to McMahon's list of titles. It is, as I mentioned before, a bit of a break from her previous work considering it does have that paranormal element, but I'm certain fans will still be pleased. I'm also certain it's a great starting place for folks unfamiliar with her work.

Rating: 4/5

And no, this isn't McMahon's latest release. I actually have that one (The Night Sister) waiting in my TBR along with one of her older titles as well. I find McMahon's become one of the authors I save for a rainy day (literally) or for when I need a boost out of a book funk. But then I feel guilty about not having read them as soon as they release! It's a real dilemma for many reasons - as a fan I want to not only buy the books when they release but I want to read and review them and encourage everyone to go out and buy them. But it also creates a massive backlog and eventual overwhelming TBR to get to. As such, I signed on for the Backlist Books Challenge hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews. You'll see more of these soon considering I've hoarded a massive collection of horror reads and have been in that particular mood of late!

Pre Pub Book Buzz: The Winter Girl by Matt Marinovich

This year has truly flown by - it amazes me, in fact. I can't understand why as I get older this seems to happen more and more. July is almost over, August is right around the corner, then fall, then winter (ugh), and I seem to be hastening the flow of time even further by looking at books due out in 2016!

In spite of all of that, I must admit that Matt Marinovich's upcoming The Winter Girl sounds so great that I'm kind of looking forward to January even if I do want to hold onto summer a little longer.

A scathing and exhilarating thriller that begins with a husband’s obsession with the seemingly vacant house next door.

It’s wintertime in the Hamptons, where Scott and his wife, Elise, have come to be with her terminally ill father, Victor, to await the inevitable. As weeks turn to months, their daily routine—Elise at the hospital with her father, Scott pretending to work and drinking Victor’s booze—only highlights their growing resentment and dissatisfaction with the usual litany of unhappy marriages: work, love, passion, each other. But then Scott notices something simple, even innocuous. Every night at precisely eleven, the lights in the neighbor’s bedroom turn off. It’s clearly a timer…but in the dead of winter with no one else around, there’s something about that light he can’t let go of. So one day while Elise is at the hospital, he breaks in. And he feels a jolt of excitement he hasn’t felt in a long time. Soon, it’s not hard to enlist his wife as a partner in crime and see if they can’t restart the passion.

Their one simple transgression quickly sends husband and wife down a deliriously wicked spiral of bad decisions, infidelities, escalating violence, and absolutely shocking revelations.

I'm already picturing myself cozying up with this one! The Winter Girl is due out in January from Doubleday. 

No Beaches to Speak of

Every summer millions of folks finally get to go on vacation. This means an abundance of recommended beach reads. Just what is a beach read? Well, my thinking is that a beach read is a paperback (easy to transport) book that's going to really grab your attention but not require a lot of thought. Chick-lit is especially good for this as are mysteries and thrillers.

Not being in school and not having kids, summer really doesn't mean much to me in the way of changing my reading choices, nevermind the fact that we really don't have any beaches nearby for me to worry about sandy hardcovers. I do, however, think long and hard about my vacation reads. I am a determined reader who really isn't inconvenienced by hardcovers (although I do see the point in packing paperbacks). I travel light on clothing so there's usually plenty of room for books in my luggage!

This year, we are planning a road trip. A friend of ours is getting married just a few hours from where we grew up and we want to bring home plenty of Louisiana stuff that we can't get here - the car makes it easier.

In preparation for this trip (still a month away, btw) I have already made some purchases for road trip reading! One of these is Terri Persons's latest, Blind Rage. Rage is the follow-up to last year's Blind Spot (which I also read on a trip home to the folks'). 

Persons falls into the recent influx of "psychic detective" fiction. What I really liked about Persons's debut was that it still felt new and fresh even with the growing popularity of the subject matter. Unlike George Shuman's 18 Seconds, however, Persons didn't seem to get much recognition. I'll keep you posted on Rage, but in the meantime, I recommend you run out and buy Spot - newly out in paperback and perfect for a travel tote or beach bag, or just late-night reading!

So, here's my review of Blind Spot from bookbitch.com:

Everyone has heard that twins have a special connection. When Bernadette Saint Clare and her sister were young, they developed a special talent – they could see through each other’s eyes. Then, her sister died in a car accident and somehow Bernadette’s vision was transferred to that of her sister’s killer. Now, Bernadette can see through murderers’ eyes and uses her talent to help her in her job as an FBI agent. After being transferred to yet another new office, Bernadette finds herself in an odd situation. Her new supervisor seems to believe in her ability. On her first day in St. Paul, Minnesota, two boys find a hand while fishing; a body is discovered that afternoon in the woods. The first problem is that the hand is that of a woman and the body is that of a man. The second problem is that just one month ago, a hunting dog brought home a severed hand and a body was discovered shortly thereafter. Bernadette’s gift leads her to a serial killer hell-bent on his own form of retribution. Although the “psychic” detective is appearing quite often lately, it’s still a concept that I find intriguing. Persons’ thrilling debut makes a great stand-alone, but I sincerely hope, and suspect, that we will see more of Bernadette Saint Clare in the future.

Why the heck is a domestic an import?

I have been known to go to some great lengths to get my hands on books that I want. Back before Matt Reilly became big, I paid beaucoup bucks to have a mass market copy of Contest and a hardcover copy of Area 7 shipped over from the UK. I still buy my Mo Hayder and Joanne Harris books this way because I just can't wait that extra 6 months knowing that the book is out there.

When I was still working at the bookstore, we received a copy of Michelle Wan's debut mystery Deadly Slipper. Interior decorator Mara Dunn has never recovered from her twin sister's disappearance nearly 20 years ago. She has relocated to the Dordogne region in France and serendipitously comes across her sister's old camera - film still intact. The film contains a series of orchid shots. Mara, convinced that this may be the key to finally uncovering Bedie's fate, contacts orchid expert, Julian Wood, to help trace Bedie's path. Julian's interest lies in a photo of what he believes is an extremely rare orchid growing in the wild - something any decent orchidologist would die to see. The question becomes, did someone kill to find it?

I know you're thinking orchids? C'mon. It's true, I love, love, love this series. First of all, it's cozy but not cute. In fact, the characters that pepper this series almost push the book beyond cozy - they're damn creepy some of them! Plus, you add in all the derelict buildings and secrets the townspeople don't want outsiders privy to and you've got an extremely atmospheric series about a very surprisingly heated topic - orchids, who would have thought that flowers could incite such a passionate and violent response?   

Anyway, I didn't get the store's ARC of Slipper, I did contact someone at RH and request it, though. Of course, after reading it, I had to have the second book, Orchid Shroud, as soon as it was released. Then I waited. Where was book 3? No release last year, but I finally found something this year. Strangely enough, it's a Canadian edition. The book was just released in Canada, has no US release date, and her original publisher is here in the US. It's a Canadian branch of the same publisher that's released A Twist of Orchids. 

I have no idea why it's happened this way. I have never seen this. I did, however, have Cynthia at High Crimes order my Canadian copy (at about a $5 higher price than a US editions would cost) and now I am itching until it comes in at the end of the month. Why oh why can't the publishing industry just cater to my every whim and need? Ha, ha, just kidding, but until it does, I'll continue to do what it takes (pay the price when I can afford it) to have my favorites shipped.