Oh what a cleverly written book is The Burning Air by Erin Kelly. It was a slow starter, though that might have been me. Usually I like to give a new book a longish read to get into it and I kept picking this up and reading small sections. However, when I go further in I became hooked, then later I had an 'ah' moment when I realised where this was going. But it took me longer than it should have. Was that because the author was clever at misleading the reader or was I just thick!? Whatever.
This really is clever and really ramps up the tension as it moves into the second half of the book. The story begins with a diary entry from Lydia, head of the family, and a confession she wants to make before she dies. The story is then told through four other people. We see the McBride family travelling to their Devon hideaway to celebrate bonfire night and to scatter the ashes of Lydia. At the house is Lydia's two daughters Sophia and Tara and her son Felix, along with Sophia's four children (the youngest is nine months old) and husband Will. Also present are Tara's son Jake and her boyfriend Matt, Rowan (Sophia's father) and Felix has brought his girlfriend Kerry.
On the 'Tar Barrels Night' Sophia is persuaded to let Kerry babysit Sophia's baby daughter while they all go off for the evening. But Sophia returns early with her four year old son who is fractious and finds the house empty. No Kerry, no baby. There is no mobile signal at the house and the landline isn't working. When the rest return a search ensues and Will and Matt set off to call the police from where they can get a signal. But something is wrong. As Sophia goes through all Kerry's possessions she finds a driving licence. The surname is one she recognises from the past and knows her father will know it too.
The book then skips back to how this all started and what has led them to this now. The twist is good and as the story comes back to the present the dilemma close to the end could go either way. The way it began to pan out made me want to go back to the beginning to look for those clues! A real good read.
This really is clever and really ramps up the tension as it moves into the second half of the book. The story begins with a diary entry from Lydia, head of the family, and a confession she wants to make before she dies. The story is then told through four other people. We see the McBride family travelling to their Devon hideaway to celebrate bonfire night and to scatter the ashes of Lydia. At the house is Lydia's two daughters Sophia and Tara and her son Felix, along with Sophia's four children (the youngest is nine months old) and husband Will. Also present are Tara's son Jake and her boyfriend Matt, Rowan (Sophia's father) and Felix has brought his girlfriend Kerry.
On the 'Tar Barrels Night' Sophia is persuaded to let Kerry babysit Sophia's baby daughter while they all go off for the evening. But Sophia returns early with her four year old son who is fractious and finds the house empty. No Kerry, no baby. There is no mobile signal at the house and the landline isn't working. When the rest return a search ensues and Will and Matt set off to call the police from where they can get a signal. But something is wrong. As Sophia goes through all Kerry's possessions she finds a driving licence. The surname is one she recognises from the past and knows her father will know it too.
The book then skips back to how this all started and what has led them to this now. The twist is good and as the story comes back to the present the dilemma close to the end could go either way. The way it began to pan out made me want to go back to the beginning to look for those clues! A real good read.
Comments
Post a Comment