This is an intelligent well paced novel , very sad in parts which is beautifully narrated by actress Rosamund Pike who instills it with drama and pathos. Laura is a damaged young woman having been seriously injured by a car as a child. Her choices she is told are not always good ones. But how the reader is made to feel
For Laura willing her on! I have loved all of Paula Hawkins recent thrillers/mysteries and she has a talent for making them all different which is no mean feat. Characters are brought to life by writer and narrator and the result is a clever and very readable journey.

Just as compelling as her previous two novels! I found Laura a brilliantly-realised, flawed, relatable character and I loved the inclusion of an older character too - elderly characters are often missing from the psychological thriller genre. The audio book is read very well, with clear distinctions between each voice.

The latest offering from Paula Hawkins is an excellent read!
The story starts with the murder of a man on a boat on the canal. He is found by an older lady who lives on a neighbouring boat.
Then the story twists and weaves it’s numerous strands into an enjoyable , and intriguing read leaving me second guessing who may have committed the murder.
The characters are all different in their nature and to be honest not the most likeable , although Laura is amiable and I felt sympathy towards her.
The book is cleverly written, with sub plots and connections with the characters, which would have all been too much to take in if written by a writer of an inferior calibre . The reader does need to concentrate and not let their mind wander the essence of the narrative could be lost.
The narration by Rosamund Pike was excellent , overall an excellent , enjoyable and erudite novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio.

My least favourite of Paula Hawkins' books to date, this just feels over-crammed with characters and sub-stories, secrets and hidden connections between people. It becomes increasingly unlikely that so many people in London, rather than a small village, should have so many secret and shared histories all of which are uncovered throughout this book. On top of that, there's a book-within-the-book structure, another increasingly common trope (think Magpie Murders and the Cormoran Strike book) which serves to add more unnecessary padding.

Pared back, this would have worked better for me: as usual Hawkins is good on creating interesting characters, especially Laura in this book. But it feels like the book requires a greater investment of time than the story justifies.

The reading is well done, and it's a good audiobook for commuting.

A Slow Fire Burning is a much anticipated novel.

We start at the end. Daniel is found dead on his houseboat. Miriam found the body. Miriam has secrets and she knows some of the darker sides of other characters. Laura was involved in a car accident as a child which has had a profound impact on her life - including a lack of filter when engaging with others and a tendency towards getting into trouble. However, she is more unfortunate than a bad apple, or is she. Carla and Angie are sisters, fractured by a tragedy that happened many years before. And so we are introduced to numerous characters; all are hiding things, all have a link that could implicate them in what is going on. All are unreliable.

This is a cleverly plotted book. It needs careful attention to ensure that none of the nuggets of information are missed.

However, I struggled to like or engage with the characters - maybe save for Laura and Irene. It somehow feels a little slow, despite lots of plot, possibly so stuffed with information that the balance isn’t quite right.

I listened to the audiobook. The narration is excellent and requires full concentration. A very worthwhile 3.5*

Thanks to PRH and Netgalley for an (audio) ARC.

A Slow Fire Burning (Audiobook)
Written by Paula Hawkins,narrated by Rosalind Pike
I give this 3.75 stars

When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Who are, whether they know it or not, burning to right the wrongs done to them.How far might any one of them go to find peace? How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame?

The title aptly describes the book for me. We have a murder then a mix of likeable/unlikable characters that are introduced ( l loved the way the narrator managed to make them all stand out as different and identifiable throughout the story) Next come the lies and secrets and past tradegies that gradually unravel as this multi layered mystery unfolds.The writer has such a clever way of giving you complex and unreliable narrators that keep you guessing till the end! I found this a very quick read.
With thanks to Netgalley,Paula Hawkins and Penguin Random House UK Audio for my chance to listen and review this audiobook.

A very intricate plot. Lots of sun stories. I love the characters. It’s so nice to have a variety of people in a book, this one has from quirky young lady to posh middle aged man to cunning old women. There were many twists and turns in the plot- so many that I had to concentrate quite hard. At one point the only thing I was certain of was that I hadn’t killed anyone. Any one of the characters could have done it.
I loved listening to this book as an audio book as the narrator really built the characters. She help keep who was how in my head. Really good book! Thank you Netgalley for giving me a pre published copy.