The Burning Rooms is a thriller I couldn't put down. It is a great new addition to the series. I was riveted throughout. Highly Recommend.

THE BURNING ROOMS is the fourth book in the Tallman's Valley Detectives series by Australian Author Anni Taylor. I was first introduced to this author's work when I read ONE LAST CHILD, the first book in this suspense series, and was immediately drawn to the author's expertise in setting a steadily increasing dire tone of impending doom that kept me on the edge of my seat. Taylor has crafted the same sense of urgency, complex characters and emotional turmoil in THE BURNING ROOMS. While each book in this series stands alone, I advise reading the previous books for an evening of entertaining reading.

Javier and Nicole Garcia are having a celebratory anniversary dinner at a nice restaurant when a creepy phone call sends them rushing home to find their house burning down - presumably with their children inside. Without any thought of their own safety, they rush inside and find themselves trapped by the fire. By the time their friend, Detective Franco, arrives on scene, the only person he can save is their young son. After the ashes cool, Javier and Nicole's bodies are recovered but there's no trace of the remains of their teenage daughter Sienna who was babysitting her young brother. Deeply disturbed by the devastating experience and the haunting flashback to a similar fire over a decade earlier, Det. Franco vows to find the arsonist he suspects has done this before - despite the fire being ruled accidental. Calling on his ex-homicide partner Kate Wakefield, Franco begins a frantic search for the missing girl and a serial arsonist. His superiors believe he's losing it and close to a breakdown, but Kate was also at the scene of the earlier fire and agrees Franco may be on to something. Can they unmask a murderer and arsonist before he strikes again? Where is Sienna? Is she hiding . . . or in danger?

THE BURNING ROOMS is a tense, action-packed thriller that had me burning through pages searching for answers. Taylor expertly sets a dark tone of desperation early on that drives the increasing pace throughout until the final shocking reveal. Multiple points of view, including one from "the Incinerator", gives readers insight into the minds and motivation of various players, and yet the identity of the arsonist remains a mystery until the end. With a large cast of red herrings, the author does a clever job of misdirection challenging Kate and Franco, as well as readers, to sift through the evidence and unmask a villain. Taylor's attention to minute details is evident as she meticulously builds suspense through twists and turns as is her gift for manipulating and developing strong characters. Fans of previous books will enjoy seeing Kate in action again.

THE BURNING ROOMS is a raw, emotional, suspenseful story that's impossible to put down. Once again, Author Anni Taylor has rendered a mesmerizing story rich in suspense and place. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries and suspense thrillers and especially to fans of the Tallman's Valley Detectives Series.

I LOVED this book. It was the perfect way to continue on where the last book left off, and showed where our favorite characters have been and what they are up to now. I do wish there was a was less of a focus around the Wakeland family this time around, and that the idea was really handing off baton to Grimshaw and Franco, but I still love Wakeland's character and don't think I can complain that much.

I really enjoyed this book! I am a fan of this author, but this one might be favorite. Told from multiple point of view, this book jumps right in and keeps you reading until the end. I absolutely loved the characters- even the less likable ones were written in a way that made them feel real- and enjoyed following the investigation and the creepy tone the story has. I will say it took me a minute to get into it because the first chapter, the one where the fire is actually happening and there's a dog and kids inside the home, was written so well that it was really stressful and emotional to read (this is possibly just a me issue because I have a small child and a dog :). I was a little concerned that the whole book would be too heavy, but it quickly moved away from the fire scene and into the investigation and it ended up being totally fine. I really enjoyed this!!

Thank you to Anni Taylor for letting me read the latest in the Tallman’s Valley series. It was a page turner with lots of interesting characters.

Jace and Nicole are at their anniversary dinner when they get a call saying their house is on fire. Sienna is home watching her little brother so this is terrifying for them. They rush out of the restaurant and home to a scene of horror.

Their friend and detective Jace is reminded of another fire that took place in the valley. Detective Kate Wakeand comes out retirement as well to help with the case, but can she work with former colleagues who have deceived her in the past?

A great follow up to the first three books in the series! Thank you to Anni Taylor, Netgalley and Victory editing for an exciting ARC to read and review.

The Burning Rooms is the 4th in the Tallman Valley Detectives by Anni Taylor.
I was completely immersed in this clever story which was executed brilliantly with some nerve-jittering suspense.
This is a fantastic read! I could NOT stop reading it!

Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thirteen years ago, Detective Jace Franco attended a crime scene in Tallman’s Valley where a house had burned down taking the lives of a family with it. On the porch of the house was a miniature model of the house that was destroyed. Now he’s been called out to another fire, with friends of his and their children trapped inside and there on the porch, is an exact model of the house. Could the two fires be connected and could this be the work of the same arsonist after all this time?

Detective Kate Wakefield was once Franco’s partner and also at tended the scene of the first fire. She is now semi-retired, and working part time for the Federal Police, but Franco is able to talk her into coming back to the Tallman’s Valley police to help Franco hunt for the arsonist.

This is the fourth instalment of Anni Taylor’s Tallman’s Valley series and it’s great to reconnect with these characters again. In the three years since the last episode, life has moved on for Franco and Kate. While Kate has been enjoying travelling and spending more time with her husband Pete, Tallman’s Valley police have a new Inspector and has been combined with another station and not everyone is fitting in yet.

Told from several viewpoints, including a character called ‘the incinerator’, keeping the reader guessing who the arsonist is and what their motivation is for the fires. The well written plot weaves together a number of different plot lines that combine to make a fast paced, mystery with a dramatic ending. Altogether a gripping and suspenseful read!

Maybe the second in a series but reads fine as a standalone. Set in a wet Australia, a couple having a night out receive a strange phone-call, rush home to find their children apparently missing and smoke, This rapidly turns to an horrendous fire in which they are killed. First on the scene is Detective Franco, also a good friend; the stress build up well with cold cases having similarities to this fire, also all deemed accidental. His old partner returns and is drawn into the case/s. His area police department is being merges with another and this causes some friction. His marriage is struggling, more friction; The story is taut and complex but works well and there is a satisfactory ending. The main thing I actually disliked is that each chapter is narrated by one of the three main characters, in the first person. While the chapters are clearly headed as to whose point of view/thoughts we are reading it can take some sentences before you settle back into that person' character. This broke the tenseness for me but it was still a good read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Franco’s journey in this case is fraught and I found myself questioning his reliability as he struggled to make sense of the situation, the fact that I was thinking about him as if he was a real person is testament to the author’s skill in creating characters who seem so genuine, with relationships and dialogue that could be taking place next to you. This is an interesting thriller with genuine moments of creepiness. Almost gothic in feel, those duplicate houses were a great touch.

Celebrating their twenty fifth wedding anniversary at a posh restaurant, Nicole Garcia couldn't let go of the worry for her children. Her sister Lucy was meant to babysit, but at the last minute, couldn't. So Sienna, their fourteen year old daughter, was caring for her younger sibling, Elijah, for the couple of hours they'd be gone. But a haunting phone call to Nicole and Javier saw them fly out of the restaurant and tear home. The house was on fire, the children unable to be found...

Detective Jace Franco raced to the scene, terrified at what he might find at his good friend's house. And it was worse than he could imagine. The strangeness of the model house on the front verandah hit Franco, but before long it was gone. In his devastation, Franco began the investigation, but was soon to learn Sienna's body wasn't in the ruins of the house. Was she alive? Frantically, Jace went to the home of his old homicide partner, Kate Wakeland, begging her to help. Kate's instincts were always spot on, but this was a bad one.

The Burning Rooms is the 4th in the Tallman Valley Detectives by Aussie author Anni Taylor and it was exceptional! Set three years since the last episode, Tallman Valley police force was in the middle of an upheaval. With a new Inspector, and a couple of other detectives that weren't particularly nice, nevertheless, the team around Franco and Wakeland worked well. I enjoy Kate's character and this whole series and am looking forward to #5. Highly recommended.

With thanks to the author via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was an awesome story! There’s a serial arsonist in Tallman’s Valley but Detective Jace Franco knows in his gut that there’s more to the crimes. He remembers another fire over a decade ago where a model house was left on the front porch of a house that burned down. But as it also burned, there’s no proof connecting that crime to this one. And as he already has a strained relationship with other officers, no one is inclined to listen to him. Luckily, our favorite ex-detective Kate Wakeland is brought in by Jace to consult on the case and she trusts his instincts.

The story is told from multiple points of view, giving the reader more insight into the case's developments than any particular character has. As the plot progresses, the different threads weave together, and you won’t believe how they all connect in the end. There are many suspicious characters and it’s easy to think they’re all somehow involved, but don’t be fooled! Not everyone is as they seem in this town.

This story hooked me from the start - a creepy phone call of a children’s rhyme and a house on fire - crazy! And it only took a few instances of the word ‘ladybird’ for me to end my confusion by Googling it to discover it’s another word for ladybug! I never knew that, and it makes sense once you realize that’s what the characters are talking about. Fun facts like this are why I love reading stories not based in the U.S.!

I hope there are more books in this series to come. Even though Kate was supposed to be retired, the author was able to include her in the special role she was hired for. And the end of the story definitely makes me feel like we’re not done with Tallman’s Valley. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

A brilliant follow on from the other Tallman's Valley books. A suspenseful thriller that keeps you guessing and turning the pages. Great!

The fourth book in the Tallman's Valley Detectives series and this time we have a serial arsonist at work.

When the home of Javier and Nicole Garcia burns down Detective Jace Franco is first on the scene. The family are friends of his and, after the emergency is over and they discover the teenage daughter is missing, he is determined to find her as well as catch the fire bug. As the police investigate, this fire is discovered to be just part of a history of similar events.

Franco is a bit of a loose cannon in this book but fortunately he is able to persuade Kate Wakefield to return to work and assist on the case. She has been my favourite character throughout this series so this made me very happy. What follows is lots and lots of great investigative work and some very creative thinking from Franco and Kate leading to a satisfying conclusion.

The book is written from several different points of view which helps to maintain the tension as well as developing each individual character. I was totally absorbed and read it as fast as I could. And did I detect a hint there at the end that we may be seeing more of Kate in the future? I hope so.

An excellent read and well worth five stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
By Anni Taylor

Tallman's Valley has more crime in it than Mount Thomas and I love it!

This is a fast paced story that I binged in one day. This story is told from a few POV's that all started to come together beautifully and it had me guessing the who and why until the very end.

This can be read as a stand lone BUT I strongly suggest that you read 'One Last Child' it's absolutely fantastic and is book 1 in a series that one of the characters in this book belongs to.

This talented author has written a cannot put down novel. I could not stop reading. Secrets and red herrings kept me guessing. I do not favor stories with multiple voices, but this worked. Missing girls…friends and family…fires…burning homes…scary rhymes…the plot thickens. This would make an intriguing movie for television. Do not try to guess the ending too quickly. Not easy. This writer has my attention. I will wait for more books. Thanks Netgalley