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A review by beate251
The Deadly Spark by Roxie Key
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a police procedural and psychological thriller set in Brighton, where one particular fire that kills a mother and her child brings up trauma from her own life for DC Eve Starling.
Together with her colleagues, Eve tries to solve the puzzling case. We get 2 POVs and three timelines - Eve and suspect Anya, timelines from their past and the present.
It takes a while to get your head round the many characters, especially when some of them aren't who they pretend to be. I don't want to say too much, except that Eve's trauma resurfaces with this case, making it difficult to keep her emotions in check, but it does help at the end. It felt like a circle was closed.
This is a very assured and well-written debut novel with an an impressive big twist that I personally didn't see coming, but looking back, the clues were there. This was tense and gripping - highly recommended, from an author to watch.
Together with her colleagues, Eve tries to solve the puzzling case. We get 2 POVs and three timelines - Eve and suspect Anya, timelines from their past and the present.
It takes a while to get your head round the many characters, especially when some of them aren't who they pretend to be. I don't want to say too much, except that Eve's trauma resurfaces with this case, making it difficult to keep her emotions in check, but it does help at the end. It felt like a circle was closed.
This is a very assured and well-written debut novel with an an impressive big twist that I personally didn't see coming, but looking back, the clues were there. This was tense and gripping - highly recommended, from an author to watch.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail