I first encountered Catherine Ryan Howard, an Irish maestro of the unputdownable plot twist, at Granite Noir. I read her book the Nothing Man and was hooked, in fact she’s probably the person I’ve enjoyed most from any Granite Noir and that’s a good list, but I now always preorder her books. Catherine turned lockdown paranoia into 56 Days and made a fascinating exploration of the true crime genre wrapped in a brilliant thriller with The Nothing Man. This means I had high hopes from Burn After Reading…
Like most of her work it’s rooted in Ireland even if most of the action happens in the US the protagonists are all Irish. Jack Smyth, a cycling hero and busnessman dives into a raging inferno to save his wife Kate from their burning home, he tells the story of how she died in his arms as he pulled her from the fire, however it is then discovered that she was dead before the fire. Hero? Or something far more sinister? Emily is a crime fiction writer who is “persuaded” into writing the story from his side, she though has her own secrets. What unfolds is a delicious slow-burn (pun very much intended) of interview-room interrogations set against the sun-soaked facade of Sanctuary, Florida—a gated community that’s still being built. Howard’s genius here, as always, is in the layers. She dips into that O.J. Simpson “If I Did It” vibes without ever feeling derivative. Emily’s not just a new ghostwriter finding her way she acts as a mirror to Jack’s story.
Great pacing, brilliant story and certainly enough to keep anyone guessing. Howard’s genius Is always that the books are amazingly readable and never as obvious as things may seem. I would heartily recommend this to anyone who enjoys an easy to read mystery.