The burning girls by Rita Herron is the third book in the Detective Ellie Reeves series and what a brilliant book I was hooked within the first few pages just like the two book in this series. The first book was called The Silent Dolls and the second book was called .Wildflower Graves.

"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. On 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,"

Will Detective Ellie Reeves catch the killer before they kill again?

WoW this was a cracking read throughout.

I would recommend you read both books in this series so you can understand the whole story However, you can get by reading each as a standalone. book.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the free ARC they provided me with; this is my honest and unbiased review of it.

I started reading The Burning Girls expecting to find a very thrilling mystery story about a serial killer, something that could take my mind off some stressful things happening in my life. But what I found in it was so much more!

The Burning Girl, by Rita Herron, is the third book portraying her character Detective Ellie Reeves, and tells the story about a series of murders being committed in the Appalachian Trails that starts when they discover the body of a Jane Doe completely charred and think that would be just a simple murder investigation. But when another body, now of teenage Katie Lee Curtis, is found bearing the same characteristics, Reeves begins to suspect they may have another series of murders about to happen. And that premonition comes to life when two other women are found dead, all of them being murdered and then burned, with their bodies being surrounded by rows of stones that look like the tombstones of a local church.

The story then goes deeper into the topic of women abuse and the terrible consequences of it. As we go further into the lives of the victims, we discover they are all connected by a series of violence, that seems to be happening for a very long time. The link between the four victims exposes a very rotten face of our society, that is sadly very misogynistic.

This was the first book I read by Herron, and I can say I can’t wait to read more from her. The author has all the characteristics I look for in a good mystery book. Short chapters, a very fast pace and plot lines that converge to form an intricate bigger plot.

Herron knows how to keep the reader interested and eager to know what the next page will bring. How she slowly unravels the story makes for a perfect experience, keeping the reader hooked until the very last page.

If you like investigative stories, The Burning Girls is a must!

The Burning Girls is an easy read but once finished I found it was just as easily forgotten. When you want a book to pass the time but doesn’t require you to think about it too much this will fit the bill but the author hasn’t been added to my list of must read as soon as a new book is published.

Blog tour http://lianareads.home.blog/2021/06/15/the-burning-girls-by-rita-herron-blog-tour/

The burning girls by Rita Herron is indeed a page turner novel. ​

I was hooked from the beginning to the end and wanted to know where will the author take me with this story, especially after our heroine finds out that she’s adopted and wants to find herself in this life. ​

I must say that I found the crime scenes that she investigated quite disturbing but very well described and I felt that i was there watching it with my own eyes. ​

I enjoyed it and it’s a great thriller for any readers that live spending their afternoon lost in a great book.

The Burning Girls was such a fun read. Detective Ellie Reeves must deal with secrets from her past when a crazed killer (one who burns bodies) starts a race against time with the detective. Herron had me turning the pages rapid-fire. The dots slowly connect, but Herron kept me guessing the whole time. Twists, secrets, and can you figure out who the killer is? Highly recommend.

Where to start with The Burning Girls. Rita Herron is gifted writer who gives readers stories after stories that pull readers into her dark world. This is book three in the Detective Ellie Reeves series and it will not disappoint.
Ellie Reeves is a fantastic female lead character that will have readers crying with her as she face heartache and joy.
From beginning to end the story take on moments that are unbelievable and yet reader of this author will not be able to get enough. Each time Ellie gets close to the truth and it is ripped away readers will feel her pain as if it was a friend hurting.
Characters are dark and gritty at times bring the characters into the lowest times of their life and yet the author is able to keep the story well paced.
This is a can't miss series. The theme in the story might trigger individuals.
Thank you to netgalley for a copy of Rita Herron The Burning Girls

I had a great time with this book. Rita Herron is a relatively new author to me, this being the second book of hers that I have read. After experiencing her work for the second time  I have added her to my list of must read authors.

The Burning Girls proved a difficult book to put down. Once I started reading, I found myself sucked into the world of Detective Ellie Reeves. Ellie is reeling from news she received in relation to her childhood. As she tried coming to grips with the lie her parents told her, she found herself  plunged into the world of a crazed killer whose modus operandi involves killing his victims and burning their bodies beyond recognition. It appeared he chose his victims randomly, but as the story progressed, the connection between them became clear. As the bodies started piling up, Ellie found herself in a race against time (Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock) to stop the killer before he claimed another victim.

Several things took place in the story and I wondered at each page turn how each of the events were. As I made my way through the story, the dots slowly connected. The case was quite complex, placing Ellie in a precarious position. The deeper she dug, she discovered she may have a connection to the victims.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Although there were at least three I didn’t particularly care for. I admired Ellie’s dedication and the way she approached the investigation. The characters were so well fleshed out that by the end of the story my heart cried for the killer. He too was a victim. I won’t say how. You would have to discover it for yourself. This book showed how sinister the human mind can be.

The story was well crafted with its well paced twists, secrets and nail biting moments. I spent the majority of the story attempting to figure out the killer’s identity. Never once did I get it right. There was a hint of a romantic entanglement. This got little page time, but from what I have read so far it seems rather complicated. She will have choices to make.  

Conclusion/Recommendation

Overall, a thrilling read and one I recommend to fans of suspense, mystery and thrillers.

Another riveting action pact Ellie Reeves novel that o could not put down! Ellie's reprieve from the last round of murders was a lot shorter than she could have hoped for. Reeling from the knowledge that she is adopted and the horrors that resulted from the life time of lies she is thoroughly unprepared when more murders and terror again plague her town. They are horrific and do not seem to follow any kind of pattern. It's going to be hard one for Ellie and the town and will really put them through the ringer. I love this world and cannot wait for more!

Detective Ellie Reeves is back, and she is carrying a lot of baggage with her.
First point to make, if you haven’t read the first two books in this series, I would suggest doing so before reading this one.
While the case at hand does not require any prior knowledge and be read as a stand-alone, Ellie’s personal life takes a more prominent place in the story.
While the author does a good job of explaining things, I sometimes felt like it was “just enough” to get by. You will most certainly have a deeper understanding of Ellie’s frame of mind if you have her full backstory from the first books in the series.
Now, with all of that being said, the case itself is a good one. Just like Wildflower Graves, the author jumps right into the action.
(Side note: This is one of the few authors I have found who does this. Others may have a few months in between the action in books, and that’s fine. But these take place within a few weeks of each other.)
This immediate continuity allows for the author to build on experiences without having to go through a lot of exposition explaining what had previously occurred. It gives the story a bit of urgency and allows the reader to truly submerse in the story.
Submersion is good, because there is never a lot of time to breathe in these plots. Ellie pretty much stumbles across crimes in the Appalachian Mountains every time she tries to go hiking to clear her head.
It’s actually sort of ironic, really.
Anyway, you can read other book report reviews that recount the plot. I’m here to tell you that Ellie remains sharp-witted and a bit stubborn in her investigation process. There were a few times that I felt her personal life infringed on the investigation a bit too much.
But I also liked her growth as she comes to terms with the bombshell news. Ellie is not a static character; she definitely learns and adjusts as information continues to be revealed.
I will say that this story is told from multiple points of view and if you’re not concentrating, you could get lost pretty quickly. I would highly recommend setting time aside to really concentrate on this one, because it’s a good plot with a winning heroine, and you should give it the time it deserves.

The Burning Girls, by Rita Herron, is the third book in the Detective Ellie Reeves series. Detective Ellie Reeves has found out that she was adopted and given the name of Gillian Roach. a social worker that could help her find her birth mother. Before can decide how what she wants to do she attends the scene of a local wildfire, alongside Cord McClain a Member of Search & Rescue for Bluff County, where the burned body of a woman has been located surrounded by a stone circle. Ellie believes the woman was murdered with the stones deliberately placed.

The next day another body is found by teenagers at Moody Hollow. They believe they it is Katie Lee Curtis from their school, a silver necklace engraved with her name helps to identify her. Katie Lee Curtis was also found in the middle of another stone circle. More bodies are discovered with different manors of death but always with a ring of stones and burned. Ellie will investigate the victims and their families secrets in order to solve the case.

This book can be a stand alone story but it does make me wish I had started at the beginning. The writing is very good and it pulls you in from the very beginning.

Thrilling. Tense. Heart pounding. A suspenseful, brilliantly pacy read. One I couldn't put down. It deserves ten stars, a hundred. Do read this one.

“As the fires rage, he makes them disappear”

Recently my reviews all seemed to have opened in the same way, with me commenting that this is another of those series which just keeps on giving and getting better as time goes on!

There are some great storylines, characters and authors out there, and this package is definitely high up my list, for oh! so many reasons.

Opening lines which have you hitting the ground running without having time to think about where you are heading; a storyline which is action-packed with plenty of twists and turns; a cliff hanger ending which doesn’t quite tie up all those loose ends and unanswered questions even though it brings this particular case to a finite conclusion; and most importantly everyone who matters makes it out alive – but only just and all slightly the worse for wear!

Add to those four important criteria for a good story, a fifth which sets it above the rest and makes it a great read – A genuine sense of time and place so real you can almost touch, taste and feel those mountains, the loneliness of time seemingly standing still, the watching eyes that are never far away, the claustrophobic stench of smoke and the burning flames just waiting to engulf you. Fear and isolation like you have never known before, all fuelled by some mind-blowing folklore – And all without having to move from the comfort of your own armchair!

I might have been a tad concerned that all three of Ellie’s cases to date have directly involved her and her family, perhaps to the point that the townsfolk and her superiors might just be beginning to wonder if she is more trouble to have around than they really need, especially when you add up the body count she is collecting and the conflicting emotions it is causing her, as she desperately strives to prove herself and separate her personal and professional lives. But what the heck! With gripping and desperate, heart pumping action like this, who’s really thinking about that too much right now.

With a perpetrator who is ‘hidden in plain sight’ and lives amongst them as part of the community, this well structured, highly intense and atmospheric, multi-layered storyline, grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let you go. You are led kicking and screaming by a consummate author who has total authority over both her audience and characters, although she allows the latter a genuine voice of their own, which makes it appear as if they have control over their own futures and destinies and are not really totally at the mercy of the stroke of a pen by Rita herself, drawing you into their lives – and deaths! The multiple strands of this unconventional, complicated, manipulative storyline are expertly drawn together into an epic climax, and just to whet the appetite a little, they include rape, arson, hallucinogenic drugs, adoption, a corrupt faith minister – and of course, those all consuming murders. The chapters are kept ultra short, which keeps the storyline fluid, transitions seamless and the gripping plot, pacey and suspenseful. The narrative is observational, detailed and descriptive, the dialogue conversational and assured, as all those dirty little secrets bubble to the surface a little at a time and threaten to overwhelm this intimate rural community. With time being very much the word of the moment during this investigation, running out as it is, for both Ellie and the criminal she seeks.

The entire cast of characters are multi faceted and emotionally complex, and although well drawn and defined, are totally not easy for me to connect to, invest in, or engage with. There is very little synergy between them, as they all appear rather edgy and often quite vulnerable. Ellie does seem to have built up an early rapport with most members of her team however, with the exception of the sheriff, who has his sights set on her downfall from grace just as soon as possible and isn’t afraid to let everyone know that, including Ellie herself. She really does need to watch her back around him in the future!

Detective Ellie Reeves has had her trysts with killers, not once, but twice. They say the third time's the charm, but is it? The town of crooked Creek is already suffering from numerous forest fires, whose sources are unknown and in the midst of it all a body of a female is discovered, burnt and surrounded by stones arranged in a circle in some kind of ceremonial display. When another body is found within a span of 24 hours, Ellie has her work cut out for her.

Besides the murders and the chase to catch the killer, the plot was really well developed in terms of Ellie's personal backstory and her own struggles. I have not read the previous two books in the series, however, that did not seem to pose a problem in connecting the dots. The gaps were adeptly addressed. So, it is safe to say from my personal opinion that this book can be picked up without reading the previous two in the series.

The ending for me did seem a bit rushed, but boy did I never guess what was coming. This book is a thriller in the true sense. I couldn't stop myself from speculating who is the killer and being wrong at every turn. The number of sub-plots this has is astounding, but you won't get lost in them. Each acts as a stepping stone in building the suspense, and it does so brilliantly.The language is not superfluous and does not distract you from the main story.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for providing the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Links to my review of The Burning Girls on;
1. Instagram / Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQI_cwVrnJr/?utm_medium=copy_link
2. Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4059326306
3. My Blog: https://averyoriginalusername.wordpress.com/2021/06/15/the-burning-girls-by-rita-herron/
4. Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/gp/customer-reviews/RVLN4D0SJVUS5?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

Loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. I haven’t read this author before but I am so glad I did! Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I loved it. So gripping and twisty. I loved the writing, the plot and the characters which were well developed. I was hooked from the beginning and found it hard to put the book down, I would definitely recommend it to fans of well-written crime writing.

This writing was amazing, there are very few books I read with this many characters in it that are just exquisite. Seriously, all the delivery for a thriller was so realistic (sometimes it can get overdramatic and this was not that way at all). Also I loved that you could read this book as a stand alone despite it was the third in it's series. With this particular book there were several locations so that part can feel overwhelming at first, however given the fact that the characters were so detailed and easy to follow you can keep up with the locations easily.

Detective Ellie Reeves appears to have another serial killer on her hands. Coming off of an extremely hard case that threatened herself, colleagues, and friends, she is flabbergasted that another killer is on the lose. Worse than that the victims appear so random it's difficult to find where the tie in is. The only thing that is similar is they are all burned and surrounded by a circle of ritual stones. With a determination and a personal connection, Ellie dives in and will not rest until she finds out who is doing these horrific acts.

Thank you so much to Rita Herron, Bookouture, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is OUT NOW available at Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or your local bookstores.

Goodreads review link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4045757551
Blog link: www.instagram.com/whataginger.reads

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.

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The Burning Girls is the third instalment in Rita Herron's Detective Ellie Reeves series set in the isolated town of Crooked Creek, Georgia.

When the Fourth of July festivities results in a young girl with dark hair lying dead, Ellie is called in to investigate. The girl is surrounded by stones, smoke drifting in the air. Ellie identifies the body as eighteen-year-old Katie Lee Curtis, as she is wearing an engraved silver necklace. Prior to this, Ellie had been to a river where she spotted a woman’s black shoe caught in a tangle of vines, and a broken pearl necklace near the water’s edge. The victim's remains were surrounded by a circle of stones.

The pacing moved along with alacrity and I loved the exciting plotline. Full of thrills and totally addictive, it held my attention from the very first chapter. Wonderfully executed by Rita Herron, the story is told primarily from differing viewpoints; the thoughts of other characters are dotted here and there. The Burning Girls was sinister, chilling, and multifaceted. Ellie is a likeable central character with a pronounced sense of justice on behalf of the victims, as well as determination and plenty of grit. Rita Herron's clever writing continued to wow me, resulting in my refusal to put this book down until the end! This brilliant story had me confounded as to the perpetrator's identity until the glorious reveal. I'm already excited and eager for book four. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Wow, what a book!! Thrilling, twisty and yet full of very human characters as well.

This is book 3 in the series; I haven't read the first two books but now I wish I had. It isn't essential to do so, but I think it would help in understanding where Ellie is coming from a little more.

Ellie finds herself trying to solve a series of murders in her town. The women have few things in common with each other, so why these particular women? It seems that every time Ellie pulls on a thread, another one loosens somewhere else.

With the help of the Sheriff (who doesn't actually seem that helpful, just saying), Derrick the hunky FBI agent and Cord, the kind but troubled ranger, she slowly puts the puzzle together and it is one heck of a puzzle! Just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist.

Just read the book - or better yet, start reading book 1 and keep on going :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

This is the third book in the series but my first one. It’s important to say that they can be read as standalones although I would advise that the remainder books in the series are read.

DI Ellie Reeves is chasing up on some personal problems. Meanwhile, a deranged killer is murdering and burning women on the first adding a call card to its kills. DI Reeves recruited the help of the FBI and will then be set up to chase this peculiar killer.

The plot was really interesting with several twists and really fast paced. It was difficult to put this book down until I actually finished the read. With plenty of drama and a really well thought timeline, I was really gripped trying to find out how it would all end up in the story.

DI Reeves is a really interesting character and I really enjoyed to see the interactions between her and other characters in the book. I look forward to hearing more about her history and life.

Overall, a rollercoaster of a thriller that I just couldn’t put down. I will definitely read the previous and future books in this series.

I would like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.