Multiple murders with multiple characters spilling their backgrounds in alternating timelines-- it seemed chaotic and complicated-- and I was a bit skeptical through the opening sections. It is Kate's character, though, who draws us into the story and soon both cases are hurtling along. Kate is a tenacious investigator, but her vulnerability is always evident, as well.
Alex Kenna skillfully weaves numerous plotlines together without losing pace. The cast of characters range from colorful to seedy, all very convincing. I was not aware until the end that Kate Myles's character had a backstory in a previous novel, "What Meets the Eye." I will have to seek that one out.
A very absorbing crime novel.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Two fascinating cases, one current and one decades in the past, in one riveting story.
Burn This Night is the second book in author Alex Kenna's Kate Myles detective series and features the former LAPD detective turned private investigator as she pursues two murder cases, committed decades apart, in the small tourist town of Idlewood, California. Readers new to the series should have no problem absorbing enough backstory from the current narrative to read and enjoy this latest story as a standalone. This time, Kate is helping out an old contact in the sheriff's department working on a 20-year-old cold case of murder.
Kate is the healing but still vulnerable main character, trying to gain control of her life after a messy divorce, which resulted in her ex-husband getting custody of their only daughter. She's moved in with her widowed mother for a number of good reasons and inadvertently discovers the man she always knew as her father is actually no blood relation at all; her parents had used a sperm donor after years of failing to conceive. While a shock, she also feels a sense of relief because growing up, she always knew she was somehow different from the rest of her family and was treated differently than her cousins. However, her relief is quickly followed by surprise after surprise when the results of her DNA test reveal that the unknown perpetrator of a two-decades-old unsolved murder case is an, as of yet, unidentified relative. As Kate methodically investigates the more recent case that took place earlier in the year, she pursues leads to locate blood relations that may lead to the unknown killer in the cold case. She ends up meeting a kindred spirit in a local, divorced father who sparks long-suppressed romantic interests.The plot moves quickly as Kate works her way through the painful details of Abby Coburn's death and her past relationship with the brother who is accused of her murder as well as that of the elderly neighbor who died in the fire that was set to cover up the crime. She develops several possible theories as she questions people in Abby's life, resulting in a couple of good suspects who must be examined further and ruled out. Her investigation into her own origins is a great secondary storyline, and the resolutions of the murders are surprising but plausible.
I recommend BURN THIS NIGHT to mystery readers who enjoy strong female protagonists.I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.
