Title: Burn This Night

Author: Alex Kenna

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Rating: ★★★★ ½ 

Why I read it: Found at the library

If you need a quick, easy thriller to bring you out of a slump, I have just the book for you!

At less than 250 pages, Burn This Night is short, sweet, and delivers everything I was looking for to get back into the thriller world. The main character, Kate, is a private investigator with a complicated past. She’s far from perfect, but she is determined to get back on her feet and back in the field. She agrees to take a case to help out an old friend, and along the way, not only figures out who committed a heinous murder in a small town, but also finds out a bit about herself. 

It sounds cheesy, but I promise it’s not! It has mystery, intrigue, a little bit of romance, and twists and turns to keep you guessing. The story unfolds through multiple POVs: Kate, the victim, and the primary suspect, which gives you a well-rounded look at the story and keeps you engaged in trying to figure out what is really going on. I will admit that at first I had a bit of trouble with the timeline (there are several flashbacks), but once I got my feet under me, it wasn’t a burden by any means. 

The author incorporated elements of foreshadowing into the book that completely went over my head until the twist was revealed. Perhaps to others the signs would be more obvious, but I truly thought the author’s method of pointing out key details was smart and unlike things I’ve seen in other books. 

Another positive – multiple storylines were happening at the same time, but not in a confusing way. I enjoyed how each of them developed, and it made the story pass quickly. One minor complaint, and one of the reasons for the ½ star deduction, is that there are a few loose ends that didn’t get tied up at the end. The main pieces fell into place nicely, but I got a little too invested in a few of the red herrings and wanted those explained! Maybe that’s just me, though!

A couple of other small things that warranted more of an eye roll than anything: there was a clear reference to Grease, but it was flagged as a nod to West Side Story (c’mon editors!), and at one point, two rounds of burgers were delivered to the same two-top table within two pages. Truly not a big deal, though, as the rest of the book made up for it!

My nitpicks aside, I think this book is worth your time, and I’m happy that I randomly stumbled across it at my library. 

TL;DR: Fast-paced palette cleanser with an interesting plot. Thriller fans, give it a try!