THE BURNING (MAEVE KERRIGAN #1) (2010)

The Burning:  by Jane Casey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you're a fan of UK-based mysteries and thrillers (think Tana French), the discovery of Jane Casey is a delightful surprise! The Burning is the first in a series of several books featuring Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan, all now available in the United States.

From the intense opening when we fear for the life of a young woman, the author cleverly constructs a story that is part police procedural and part psychological thriller.

A serial killer dubbed 'The Burning Man' is responsible for four violent deaths in London. The police are scrambling for clues to stop the reign of terror against single young women.

When Rebecca Haworth's body is discovered, D.C. Kerrigan suspects a copycat murder and sets about learning all she can about the young woman's life.

Alternately told by D.C. Kerrigan and Louise, Rebecca's best friend, some other literary tricks to flesh out the story. Fast-paced, intelligently written, with characters you care about, Jane Casey has been added to my list of favorite authors. (I just requested The Reckoning, book #2 from my local library.)

Bottom Line: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Title: The Burning
Author: Jane Casey
Genre: Police Procedural/Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Minotaur
ISBN: 1250006600
No. of Pages: 368 pages
Copyright: August 30, 2011 (American Edition)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: NetGalley

DISCLOSURE: Invited by NetGalley to request and receive this title for an honest review.

JANE CASEY was born and raised in Dublin. She is a graduate of Oxford with a masters in philosophy from Trinity College, Dublin. Her first book, The Missing, was published by Ebury Press in February 2010. It was shortlisted for the Irish Crime Book of the Year. This was quickly followed by The Burning (November 2010), The Reckoning (July 2011), The Last Girl (2013), and The Stranger You Know (2014). She lives in London with her husband James Norman, a criminal barrister, and their son. (Wikipedia)

2014 Edgar Nominees Announced

Aunt Agatha's in Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Mystery Writers of America awards will be made in May 2014 at their annual meeting.

In the meantime we can amuse ourselves with the nominees worthy of their consideration. The whole list can be found HERE or visit the Edgars site for more information.

Of the nominees, the ones I have read are:

Best Novel - How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel - Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman (Minotaur Books)

Best First Novel - Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight (HarperCollins Publishers)

Grand Master - Carolyn Hart (who writes delightfully intelligent cozyies)

Raven - Aunt Agatha's Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Where Monsters Dwell (2014)

Where Monsters Dwell by Jørgen Brekke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For those who love Steig Larson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I give you  Jørgen Brekke's Where Monsters Dwell. Perhaps the book would receive a better rating from me if I were one of you.

There were lots of aspects of the story that were of interest to me initially. The  three main story lines involve a monk in the 16th Century who possesses a unique human-skin covered book connected to early dissection of the human body and two horrific modern day killings, one in Richmond, Virginia and the other in Trondheim, Norway.

Establishing all the exposition takes a while but eventually the story draws the reader in as connections between the two murders become more obvious.

Richmond homicide detective Felicia Stone travels to Norway to work with Police Inspector Odd Singsaker. I found myself caring for the flawed but compelling characters.

One expects unpleasantness in a thriller, but this story contains too much specific detail for my personal taste. You can expect to find multiple murders, scenes of torture, sexual abuse, gratuitous sex, drug overdoses, and much more. Many characters have back stories that don't seem to move the action forward although when you realize that this is #1 of what has become a popular series in Norway, it makes more sense. Brekke has written two more entries.

Reluctantly I have to say that this is a strong debut. Some of the writing seems awkward so I decided to check out the translator. Steven T. Murray, has great credentials. Under the pseudonym, Reg Keeland, he is credited for all the Steig Larsson books. I still can't decide if the passages of uneven writing are the results of the author's or translator's work or a combination of both.

Bottom Line: RECOMMENDED with reservations about horrific violence. For those who enjoy authors Steig Larsson or Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs.

Title: Where Monsters Dwell

Author:  Jørgen Brekke

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Minotaur Books

No. of Pages: 368 pages

Copyright: February 11, 2014

ISBN:  1250016800

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Disclaimer: An advance copy of Where Monsters Dwell was provided to me by Minotaur/Net Galley for review purposes.

Jørgen Brekke was born in Horten, Norway. After completing his studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, he settled in Trondheim, where he currently lives with his wife and three children. Brekke taught school for some years, but recently has worked as a freelance journalist. Where Monsters Dwell, was on the Norwegian bestseller lists for four months and has been sold in twelve countries.

The Minotaur *(2005)

Barbara Vine (AKA Ruth Rendell) never disappoints. This is one of the titles I picked up at the Book Exchange recently when I met with Kathy Krentz. Out of 60,000 items I chose one that she had traded in several years earlier!

Through a friend, Kristin Kvist finds a position as a nurse at Lydstep Old Hall near a small English village. Her patient is a grown man who has been deemed schizophrenic. His sisters and Mother keep him heavily sedated and Kristin begins to suspect that there are secrets to be discovered. Her first puzzle is to find the labyrinth mentioned by her friend.

Even if you suspect the twists and turns the story is going to take, you will still find this a clever read to get lost in.

*In Greek mythology the minotaur is a half man/half bull creature that lived in a labyrinth.