Big Thrill Recommends The Big Thrill Recommends: BURN THIS NIGHT by Alex Kenna

The Big Thrill Recommends: BURN THIS NIGHT by Alex Kenna

Recommended by G. A. Rivers

BURN THIS NIGHT, Alex Kenna’s terrific follow up to her recent debut brings us a new protagonist, Kate Myles, a self-described ‘pathologically messy ex-cop-turned-private-eye with flaming ADHD.’ Still reeling from a recent divorce, losing custody of her young daughter, and an unfortunate opioid addiction she’s managed to conquer, Kate is trying to make her new career as a P.I. a success even as she lives in her mother’s house. Saving enough money so she can sue for custody of her daughter is a top priority for Kate, but life with her mother gets messy when Kate is shocked to learn her deceased father is not her biological father. Soon after, a retired homicide officer working cold cases for the LA Sheriff informs Kate she might be genetically related to the unidentified killer connected to a twenty-year-old murder in Idlewood, a scenic mountain town Kate knew from family visits. When Kate is hired to investigate a recent arson/murder in Idlewood with help from her LA Sheriff connection, she’s determined to solve the case and maybe even the cold case too.

Ms. Kenna unfolds the story artfully from the very first page, weaving Kate’s and two other character’s perspectives as she builds the story using key events from the past and present. It’s a compelling read and the twists and turns are many. Also, modern themes of genealogy, genetic testing and biological vs the parent who raised you heighten the story’s relevance to present day. Kenna weaves all of it into a compelling, character-driven thriller. BURN THIS NIGHT is a slow burn of a story that keeps the tension rising and the reader guessing until the final pages. If you enjoy a small town thriller steeped with the complications of today’s world you’ll find this book hard to put down.