I absolutely loved The Girl on the Train and was ecstatic when I got to read this book in exchange for my review.

Personally I prefer The Girl on the Train but this had a good storyline and was very well written - which is expected by Paula Hawkins.

A young man is found murdered and we meet three very different women - Laura who is a suspect, Carla - the murdered man's aunt and Miriam who is the neighbour. The characters are somewhat unlikeable but for me there was something interesting about each of them

The book does not mess around and gets straight into the murder and we are plunged into the storyline. Each woman's story is intertwined with the others and makes for a very interesting and intriguing novel.

I did find the pace quite slow in the middle, but it did not put me off reading further.

Thanks to NetGalley, Paula Hawkins and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Hawkins has a way of bring her characters to life, their flaws as well that you find yourself invested in them. (Irene I love Irene I could relate to her younger self on so many levels she just spoke to me)

A compelling murder mystery based on revenge, deceit, jealousy, pain and trauma.

Laura’s life has been troubled since she was in an accident as a teenager. She is seen as hot tempered, difficult, a loner and in some cases, dangerous.

Miriam witnesses Laura leaving the scene of a crime with blood on her clothes but experience has taught her that it’s easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Carla is trying to come to terms with the death of her nephew. She trusts no-one.

I was such a big fan of The Girl on The Train and so I was excited to read the latest novel from Paula Hawkins.

The blurb for this book caught my attention immediately and from page one, you’re placed straight into the action. Paula Hawkins has a great way of pulling you into the lives of her characters until you look up and realise that it’s the middle of the night and you’ve read the book in one sitting.

Told from the point of view of Laura, Miriam, Carla, Irene and Theo, the narrative pulls the reader to and fro and this very much added to the suspense and overall tension of the plot.

Each character brought something interesting to the story. Laura’s backstory is tragic and you can understand why she struggles to be steady.

Miriam is a bit of an enigma and her backstory is revealed gradually through the book (and I believe could have been a novel in itself.)

Carla and Theo are the characters I struggled most to empathise with. There was just something about them that didn’t click with me, especially Theo. All that being said, I suspected all of them at various points of being the person responsible for the murder at the centre of the plot. I didn’t know who I could trust. I didn’t see the trust and turns coming.

There is really not a lot else I can say about this book without giving anything away.

Overall, Slow Fire Burning is a thriller but also an interesting look at human nature and how far we will go to get what we want and need and how one decision can change the course of your life.

It’s full of mystery, suspense and tension. I loved it. Paula Hawkins is becoming one of my favourite authors in this genre.

(Thank you to Transworld and Netgalley for the advanced review copy.)

Book Review
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A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
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Thank you to NetGalley for my arc of this book.
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I’ve read both of Paula Hawkins previous books which I thoroughly enjoyed and this didn’t disappoint. The story focuses on the unfortunate lives of Carla, Theo, Angela, Miriam, Laura and Irene - all interlinked and mourning for their own reasons.
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It’s starts a little slow but soon builds, keeping you guessing all the way through. I didn’t warm to Miriam for most of the book, her story ends a little abruptly for my liking, but did feel for her later on. Everyone has a sad back story, so the book has a bit of a depression over it but that doesn’t hurt the story at all.
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Overall, a quick easy read that make me think, and change my mind a few times!

Paula Hawkins does it again with her latest novel A Slow Fire Burning and its brilliant! A powerful and compelling novel that will have you hooked right to the very end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Given how huge Paula is following The Girl On The Train I was delighted to get a copy of this to read ahead of publication. I'd also really enjoyed Into The Water a few years so had high hopes for this one. On the whole, I felt A Slow Fire Burning lived up to those expectations.

I found it quite hard to get into initially, with the sections quoting from Theo's book, and all the different characters, but as with most books like this, the further I got the more it made sense and the loose ends started coming together and the narrative and the characters' connnections became clearer. Where it suffered is I didn't feel any of the characters had any likeability. With the exception of Irene, everyone involved had done unpleasant things to other people during their lives, and therefore I wasn't rooting for anyone to have a happy ending.

The core theme of people being a victim of circumstance and their futures dictated by events of the past felt realistic and truthful, and it was tragic to see how events in childhood for Miriam and Laura had shaped their adulthoods.

Not a pleasant or easy read in places, but nonetheless a very well written and gripping book - one that will no doubt see Paula back at the top of the best seller lists when this is published next week.

In Paula Hawkins's latest thriller, we try to decipher who killed Daniel, a troubled young man who lives on a boat in London. Around him there are a bunch of (very) troubled characters (trying to avoid spoilers here): a couple who lost their son (trigger warning: child death), Daniel's mother (who's an alcoholic), Miram (the nosy boat neighbor), the deeply hurt Laura, and the lovely lovely Irene (who forgets things).

Some of the characters were hateful, some I just wanted to hug and comfort. I thought that their depth and pasts were well done. What "bothered" me (for lack of a better word) is the attempt at a "book within a book" which made us live some of the most traumatising experiences for one of the characters twice. I just read The Plot recently, and it was impossible not to compare how the "book within a book" plot was executed in both books. I don't know that it was needed in this book, and I can't say I loved or enjoyed how it was done.

This is a 3.5/5 for me. It definitely kept me reading and wanting to know what happened, and I hurt with some of the characters, but I didn't love the execution.

My first Paula Hawkins novel and well, it was ok.

A story of family grief, secrets, revenge, mis direction, unreliable narrators, it certainly is a slow burner and, if anything a little too long.

There is so much crammed in here story wise, yet the pacing itself is very slow. The “story” within the story did little imo, only adding to the confusion.

Some interesting characters and the author did manage to keep a hell of a lot of plates spinning at the one time but despite all that I wasn’t overly engaged with the story. It feels like it’s trying too hard to be clever.


Not bad but not great.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

I loved the Girl on the Train, so was really looking forward to this one after my wish was granted - thanks!
It took a while to get to grips with the various main characters. The advanced copy did not come out very well on my Paper white Kindle - lots of words with missing two letters at the start and the switch of chapters/characters was sometimes seemingly lost/not clear. Overall this led to a bit of confusion and extended the time it took to get to grips with the book. Sure it'll be ironed out in the release version.

Stuck with it though and enjoyed the story. It didn't get that pulse going quite as much as I would have liked but the story and characters were interesting and varied with enough twists to keep the reader wanting the plot to get revealed.

Many thanks for the ARC.

I loved The Girl on the Train but Paula Hawkins latest novel: A Slow Fire Burning for me, fell way short of the mark. I couldn’t gel with any of the characters, found the plot lines overly long and the whole book quite tedious. Sorry but this wasn’t for me. I’d rate it 2.5 stars at best. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and the author for the chance to review.

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
Publication Date 31st August 2021
Published by Doubleday
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No Spoilers

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic but you could understand their motivations and I felt that added to the overall story. I loved the character of Laura and was really rooting for her by the (satisfying) ending. Plenty of twists and turns along the way, it would make a great film/series.
Highly recommended.

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Another great read by ‘Paula Hawkins’, I was thrilled that my wish was granted on Netgalley. The characters are generally not very likeable and all have their own issues which make them prime suspects in the murder of Daniel, whose body is found on the house boat he is living in. That being said, I had so much sympathy for Laura, she clearly has her own physical, mental and emotional issues to deal with and it is clear that she puts so much effort into trying to behave in a way that is considered ‘normal’. Although this is a real challenge for her and she makes some very wrong decisions along the way, finding it impossible not to share exactly what she is thinking.

‘A Slow Burning Fire,’ is well written and very well developed. So many stories weaved together and although it is a slow burner as the title would suggest, it is dark and full of suspense making it well worth sticking with.

A Slow Fire Burning is a slow burning thriller, that throws the spotlight on 3 women, who are connected in some way to a body found on a boat.

This had an interesting premise, and also featured a book within a book, as every few chapters were actually an extract of the book of one of the characters. The book is told from MANY POV's and I really had to concentrate to try to remember who was who..... I'd go back a chapter and check the name, then realise who the current narrator was...this continued for a good 50+ pages. Eventually I did figure out who the characters were and then the book got easier to read.

Paula tells a good story with her writing, and she made me turn the pages (or swipe the pages) as fast as possible.

However, in the end I felt like the plot twist was a bit predictable and there was really so much that didn't need to be included in the book.... even the book extracts...I didn't find them necessary.

I think because Girl on the Train gave us this massive twist, I was expecting the same here. So that is my mistake in a way, w.r.t expectations.

Good storytelling/writing, too many characters, albeit some of them were interesting and some of them were unlikeable. This wasn't so much a 'whodunnit', than a character study on these different people, their different circumstances and tragedies.

Theo and Carla are a complicated pair. Divorced and living separately, they still care deeply for each other and are on more than good terms. A tragedy happened in their lives and this led them to become estranged from Carla’s sister Angela and Daniel, Angela’s son.

Daniel lives on a houseboat, his neighbour being Miriam, a local busybody with an horrific past.

Angela lives next door to Irene, and they are good friends, so when Irene doesn’t hear from Angela for a few days she starts to worry and goes knocking on Angela’s door. Irene gets a little confused, but fortunately Laura, the girl from the laundrette is passing and comes to Irene’s rescue.

From the very start this book was captivating. All of the characters were totally believable and relevant. The interweaving of the character stories was done with the skill we come to expect from this author. I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley.

Like most people, I loved Girl On The Train. Into The Water was meh, but on the whole I was looking forward to reading the author's 3rd book.

I did find it very readable. The descriptions of people, places and scenarios were spot on and I found the plot interesting. There were a lot of secrets to discover amongst the cast of characters and I enjoyed slowly unravelling those secrets.

None of the characters were likeable, with the exception of Irene, who was lovely. This didn't necessarily impact my enjoyment of the book but I do prefer to have characters to root for.

There was a 'novel within a novel' format which I didn't really see the point of. Every few chapters we would get to read excerpts from a book written by one of the main characters and I just don't really understand why, in my view it didn't add anything to the plot at all, unless I'm missing something!

There were a lot of different subplots running alongside the main murder mystery but whilst this can sometimes be confusing, I think it was handled well in this book and I never felt lost.

The ending was satisfactory - all loose ends are cleared up, but I didn't get a 'wow' moment either.

Overall I would probably recommend the book, as it was well written and I did enjoy it. In my view it was not as good as Girl On The Train but definitely better than Into The Water.

This book is the real deal! I loved it, as it has a bit of everything. It really is a cleverly written story. The story is written at a slow and steady pace as it weaves a brilliantly addictive mystery together. There are so many different elements to this story with quite a few different characters but everything comes together perfectly at the end. The characters are all quite difficult, unreliable witnesses, with their own complications and agendas. The characters are all so well written but as for whether you like them or not is a different thing altogether…Irene and Laura are just the best characters, you can’t help caring about them, both are misunderstand but both add the perfect dose of humour to what otherwise might be a very dark and difficult read.

I've stumbled past my normal one third rule and made it – almost – to the halfway point, but I've had to put it down. I was a Paula Hawkins fan after reading Girl on a Train; didn't like the film, but really enjoyed the book. Then read her second Into the Water...hmm, didn't quite hit the mark, but having been sent a free download of this one by Netgalley...

Here we have a bunch of the most unlikeable characters, the first one of whom is actually a dead body, gruesomely murdered in his houseboat. The others live either in houseboats on the water, or very close by, and all are connected in one way or another by the dead boy, whose name I can't even remember now – that's how much of an impact this book has on me. I didn't like any of the characters, all of whom are flawed or broken, which is fine, the occasional flaw can work, but these people are all grey, bland to the point of being pointless.

I doubt I shall return to this as I've had so many others calling me

This is a dark and twisting thriller.

When Daniel Sutherland is found dead on a houseboat, Laura Kilbride is quickly identified as a suspect. Miriam, his neighbour on the water, tells the police everything she can about his visitors… or does she? Carla, Daniel’s Aunt, is grieving his death while still mourning the loss of his mother Angela, her sister. Her husband Theo can’t seem to help her. And then there is Irene. Angela and Daniel’s neighbour, and friend to Laura. Who killed Daniel, and why?

This cast of characters is linked in every direction. It’s the kind of book where ideally you want to flick backwards occasionally to see if a clue lines up with information you’ve just learned! There are several interesting side stories that all lend authenticity to the characters and the way they react. I think I liked Irene best as she was just a lovely lady who didn’t really ask to get involved, but did her best once she was. I felt for Laura, especially with her back story and I liked the ending her character was given.

The book is fast paced and well written in the main, though there were a few repeated phrases that stood out. I did enjoy the book as I have enjoyed this author’s previous works, and I am sure it will be another bestseller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for granting my wish to read this book.

The concept of A Slow Fire Burning summed up so much about my experience of reading this novel in both the lives of the characters and what the reader discovers, and the way that the plot simmers and the tension and suspense slowly build. After a man is found murdered on a house boat, the cast of characters are all potential suspects as their secrets and potential motives emerge through the story. I particularly liked Laura and Miriam, although I got a little lost with Carla's point of view at times.

I enjoyed reading throughout, and found the more I read, the more I got drawn into the book. A great psychological thriller, with a slow burning plot that I found gripping.

5 characters, all unlikeable and flawed in various ways, have their lives intertwined by a murder. The book flicks from one characters point of view to another, each character has some burning resentment (hence the name of the book), but which one murdered Daniel?

I managed to narrow my guess to two characters and I was right with one of them, however it could have been any of them. They all had their own demons and hatred for someone or something.

I flew through this book, it was a very easy read and had me turning the pages quickly to find out what is happening next.

I would say it’s not as atmospheric as I found ‘The Girl on the Train’ but I would say it was still a solid thriller.

The only part I didn’t like was the extracts of the novel which was weaved in between the story. I didn’t feel like it added much, and whilst it all made sense in the end, I felt like it should have been a whole separate book. It was an unneeded add on which in the grand scheme of the story didn’t really seem worth the hassle.

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in return for an honest review.