Title: The Burning Girls
Author: Rita Herron
Description:
The girl was beautiful, even in death. Her skin was translucent beneath the sliver of moonlight peeking through the bare branches of the surrounding pines, and her chestnut hair had tumbled around her pale shoulders. Around her, smoke twisted in the air, curling into the inky sky.
The remote town of Crooked Creek has barely recovered from its most recent tragedy when wildfires tear through the mountains. Detective Ellie Reeves is grappling with her own heartbreak––she has just discovered she was adopted and that her childhood was a lie.
Under the scorching summer sun, Ellie is called to a river where a body has been found. She spots a lone woman’s shoe caught in a nearby tangle of vines, and a pearl necklace scattered by the water’s edge. The remains are surrounded by a circle of stones, which Ellie is certain means something. Was the victim––whoever she was––caught in the fire or is something more sinister at play?
The Fourth of July usually means festivals and fireworks, but when another body turns up the town is left in tatters. A young girl with dark hair lies dead, surrounded by stones, smoke drifting in the air. Thanks to an engraved silver necklace, Ellie identifies the body as eighteen-year-old Katie Lee Curtis, and the diary she finds hidden under the teenager’s mattress could get her close to the killer.
With two victims in less than twenty-four hours, it’s clear Ellie’s up against a serial killer, and she vows that no more innocent girls will be sacrificed. For her, every day is a battle to come to terms with her past, but when this case becomes personal, will she win?
A totally gripping and utterly addictive page-turner that will have you racing through and reeling at the twists. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot, it’s best read with the lights on!
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Burning Girls' by Rita Herron.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Rita Herron, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 10th June 2021.
This is the second book I have read by this author. It is also the third book in the 'Detective Ellie Reeves' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read 'Wildflower Graves' which is the second book in this series and a book I would highly recommend reading.
I was originally drawn to this book by its gorgeous eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of fans of Melinda Leigh, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot.' I am a huge fan of Melinda, Lisa AND Kendra so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Rita and if this is as good as 'Wildflower Graves' it is sure to be an amazing read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue and 161 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in North America, USA 🇺🇸.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Detective Ellie Reeves and Special Agent Derrick Fox. I enjoy books written in third person with several protagonists as it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters.
'The Burning Girls' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Rita discusses/includes sexual assault.
WOW!!! JUST WOW!!! CONGRATULATIONS RITA ON ANOTHER HUMONGOUS PAGE TURNING SUCCESS!!!!
OMG!!!!! What did I just read!!?!?!? Right, OK, hold on a minute let's start at the beginning!! First impressions after what attracted me to the book. 161 chapters!!! 445 pages!!! OK yep this is going to take me ages!! Ummmmm.... Nope!!! I need more!!! Absolutely flew by!!! The chapters range from one page to about four pages so please don't let the amount of chapters put you off, you will miss out on one of the best books I've read in a while!! I could not out this book down. I would read one chapter, tell myself one more, just to find the next one ended in a cliff hanger and there was no chance I was leaving it there!! Several chapters and hours later its 3am and I have finished the book without even noticing the time!!
The book is extremely smooth and well written so you just glide through the pages turning one after another and getting completely lost in them. The descriptions are vivid so I really did become lost in the woods with our characters. The storyline itself was scarily realistic which made it even easier to imagine everything going on. The cover and the synopsis all work perfectly well with the plot. Although this book is part of a series it can be read as a standalone. Anything that you need to know about previous cases, etc is explained in just the right amount of information, not too much to be too repetitive if you've read the previous books and just the right amount to understand what's happened if you haven't.
The storyline itself was extremely compelling and gripping. It was also unique and I haven't read one anything like this one. Get ready for one heck of a roller-coaster ride. Absolutely rammed full of suspense, secrets, shocks, plots, twists, turns, murder, tension and everything else that you love in a psychological thriller. This is not just one storyline, you are getting so many plots in this book that it will keep you guessing all the way. I have read sooo many crime novels now it is very hard for me to be surprised and shocked but that I was and very wrong on many occasions. Just as I thought I was a smart Alec and worked it all out thwack... Here comes another explosion. Honestly, just Wow!! I would have never guessed who was doing what and then it wasn't just one shocker there were several twists thrown in. You will take this book wherever you go because once your hooked that's it!! I don't think I've actually read a larger book so quickly in months!!
I absolutely loved meeting all the fantastic string characters again!!! I love the range of different characters, their personalities and all the different relationships they had... The hate, the secrets, friendships and most definitely a spark of hidden love. Ellie Reeves you are a hero!!! Absolute wonderwoman!! I LOVE books that have such strong female leads and you cannot get much stronger than Ellie, that girl is a fighter!!! She goes through so many emotions and traumas yet isn't wrapped up in an institution but kicking butt!!! Derrick and Cord played their parts perfectly and I cannot wait to look back at the first book which I have yet to read and more ahead to see the history and future of all these fantastic characters. Although it has been quite a while since I've read 'Wildflower Graves' and I've read loads of books since, as soon as I started reading this all the characters and cases came straight back to me which show how much of an impression Rita leaves with her books.
I have raved about this book long enough but I will tell you a few things to end. You WILL miss out of what is definitely one of the best psychological thrillers if you do not pick up this book. This book NEEDS to be turned into a movie. I CANNOT wait to read more books by this extremely talented woman.
Overall a mind blowing, page turning, explosive psychological thriller that will keep you up at night.
Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Hardboiled, Noir Fiction, Police Procedural and Crime Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Melinda Leigh, Angela Marsons, Carol Wyer, Tess Gerritsen, everyone and YOU!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!
445 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@RitaHerron @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn't think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn't have to get a real job.
With over ninety books to her credit, she's penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.
Author Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ritaherron
Website: www.ritaherron.com
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3ahRsjI
Apple: http://apple.co/2WkgoiB
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Wkgqad
Google: http://bit.ly/2LE7WIF
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