Finished this compelling story last night and this morning I woke and thought 'EVERYONE in this book has committed a wrongdoing, it not an actual crime. From bunking off school and going to the pub drinking underage, neglect of a minor, cruelty and disinterest towards a son and a daughter (and step-daughter), concealing the truth of a fatal accident / crime, plagiarism, entering someone else's property and taking their belongings, incest or incestuous thoughts, verbal cruelty, bodily harm, harm to an animal, murder, serial killings (maybe)... l've probably missed out some too!

It's not a jolly read, which is a great understatement, but kept me guessing and turning the pages.

I read this book some time ago. A decent twisty page turner, perfect for passing away a few evenings of easy reading.

This is a twisty thriller. It is well written. It is a slow burn. The storyline is a little complex in places. A good thriller

I was really looking forward to this after enjoying girl on the train but didn’t enjoy it as much. Definitely worth a read though.

A gripping read. This is the second book I have read by Paula Hawkins and it does not disappoint. I was hooked from the start and interested in all the different characters back stories.

I really enjoyed The Girl on the Train, so I had high hopes for this one This one was interesting and kept my attention throughout. There were lots of twists and there were some areas where I felt tense reading and was waiting for the penny to drop, which made for good reading!

I didn’t love the characters. I know you don’t always need to, but I found it hard to relate to any and a little removed from the story as a result. The whole thing made me very sad for some of the characters, who had it so hard.

3.5 for me this time

I loved Paula Hawkins book girl on a train but this fell much shorter. The characters were not likable and when I got to the end of the story I didn't really care who had done it. I just read to finish the book.

It's a convoluted story and I feel like the amount of characters involved and called by different names confuses the points of the story.

A solid read. Maybe not as good as her first book. But she writes well and I read this in two sittings. Definitely recommend.

A twisting turning tale of family, unlikely friendships and people not always being what they seem on the outside. Kept me hooked throughout though not as strong punches to the gut of shock as I was hoping for.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

If you want an easy book then move along now. You really need to concentrate with this storyline. It jumps from different perspectives and narratives all the way along.
There are also excerpts from the novel that one of the characters has written.
That said, it’s not a bad thing. I did read this in just two days!
It follows a number of characters all living alongside a canal. There are sisters, a nephew and few other locals. They are all connected and those that you don’t think are speaking to each other are meeting in secret. So when a body is discovered it’s going to be difficult to pin it on a single person.
Everyone has a reason, don’t they?
When it’s revealed that there was a previous tragedy in the family it only serves to complicate things.
If you make sure you concentrate then this is a gripping story.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book.
Ultimately it was too long and too confusing.

There was so many different plot lines, I found it hard to remember if they were the same book. It wasn't enough t keep interest.

A absolutely adored The Girl on the Train so had high expectations for this one.
I enjoyed it but just not as much.

I found the first half quite slow. I recognise that it’s important for character development but it didn’t keep me gripped or make me feel desperate to continue picking it up.

I didn’t really connect to any of the characters and felt that I had some unanswered questions at the end.

The twist is good!

I’d recommend giving it a go but it’s not one of my favourites.

This was average and forgettable with a very basic plotline - a man gets murdered and then nothing much else happens. I was still waiting for the plotline to get going when i checked and saw i was 69% of the way through the book. The characters were boring and not developed - i did not care about any of them.

A compelling read with plenty of twists, turns and red herrings. The body of Daniel is discovered on the boat he has been renting and that is when the finger pointing commences. Whodunit? You will have to read to find out...

I love to have a book on the go on my phone for when I have a random minute to spare to read. I was lucky enough to be given an advanced copy of this on @netgalley. ⁣
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Laura has spent most of her life as a troubled, loner and things get worse when she is witnessed leaving the scene of a crime. Meanwhile, Carla is reeling from the brutal murder of her nephew and tragic death of her sister. But who was responsible? ⁣
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This book was tense, medium-paced and well-written. The only part I wasn’t sure of was the inclusion of passages from a fictional novel written by one of the characters - however the two narratives woven together were very interesting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This book was a nice return for Paula Hawkins and I really enjoyed it! It was a well-written thriller, just like you would expect from Paula Hawkins. It had me guessing for quite some time, which doesn't normally happen with a thriller for me.

The cast of characters for me, was a little bit too big and rather unlikeable which meant that I struggled at points to continue with the story, because I found myself rolling my eyes and really hating on the characters. For me, the characters were a big part of why this wasn't a 5* read for me.

As always for Paula Hawkins, this is an incredibly written story, however, there were some pacing issues, which lost me a bit. There were so many twists and turns, that as always, Paula Hawkins kept you guessing right up until the very end, and was gasp-worthy. I thought the title was really well suited to the slow-burning of deceit, hate, and lies that drove the plot. The ending totally had me, I think Paula Hawkins is back with a bang.

Slow to start but it definitely gets better as the story progresses. Paula Hawkins had big shoes to fill with this book after 'The Girl on The Train' was such a huge success. Whilst I don't think it quite gets to that level, the plot is good, the characters interesting and there are a few good twists and turns to keep you slightly guessing. I'm pleased I persevered to get to the end of this book but it won't be one I come back to.

My first Paula Hawkins novel and it was ok.

A story of family grief, revenge and oh so many secrets. I found the story very slow and at times i was tempted to give up. It certainly was a slow fire burning!

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

Some interesting characters and the author did manage to keep a lot going on at one time but despite all that I wasn’t overly engaged with the story. It feels like it’s trying too hard. It wouldn't put me off picking up another by the author but i won't be in rush to do so.

Not bad but not great.

I loved The Girl on the Train (book and movie) and I had heard a lot about Paula Hawkins' newest novel, A Slow Fire Burning. I was thrilled when I was approved for an ARC copy.

I did hesitate a little before requesting it because of the word gruesome and I don't like gory thrillers, but I was curious to see if it lived up to the hype created about it, and if it was as good as The Girl on the Train.

The writing is gripping and the thriller is twisty with lots of secrets and lies. It kept me guessing.

Thanks to Paula Hawkins and publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars.

This book wasn’t for me. There were too many bland characters to follow and the central story just wasn’t enough to pull me in. I read 20% then DNF.