Review of "A Slow Fire Burning: A Novel of Suspense" by Paula Hawkins

This story revolves around the death of a twentysomething man named Daniel, who seems to be a lost soul.

Daniel lives on a dilapidated houseboat moored in a London canal, and though Daniel is a gifted artist, he isn't doing much with his life.



Daniel's houseboat neighbor is a woman named Miriam, a spiteful middle-aged busybody who notes that Daniel isn't following the canal's 'houseboat rules.'



When Miriam goes over to Daniel's home to complain, she finds Daniel stabbed to death.



As the police investigate Daniel's homicide, they learn that a young woman named Laura was with Daniel the night before he died. Laura admits she had a one-night-stand with Daniel and fought with him, but insists she didn't kill him.



Unfortunately for Laura, she's a troubled girl with a history of violence. When Laura was ten years old, she was badly injured by a hit-and-run driver. After being hospitalized for months - and relearning how to walk, talk, eat, etc. - . Laura emerged with a lack of impulse control and a limp.



To add to Laura's troubles, her divorced parents are less then helpful when she phones them for assistance. Both parents are remarried, and they make excuses to leave Laura on her own.



The family of murdered Daniel seems prone to tragedy. Daniel's mother Angela died a couple of weeks before Daniel was killed, from a fall down the stairs. The two incidents in close proximity make police suspicious, and they try to connect the two deaths.



Angela's sister (Daniel's aunt) Carla is unable to provide much help about her stricken family. Carla has been estranged from Angela for over a decade, ever since Carla's three-year-old son Ben perished while Angela was babysitting. Ben fell off a second-story balcony, and Carla and her ex-husband Theo believe Angela was drunk and negligent.



Even more than Carla, Theo blames Angela for the horrible misfortune.



The plot thickens when nosybody Miriam, who found Daniel's body, sticks an oar in. Miriam has a grudge against Theo, who writes thrillers. Miriam thinks Theo plagiarized a story she wrote, and she plans to get revenge by framing Theo's wife Carla for Daniel's murder.

The story has a multitude of characters, and their ubiquitous bad behavior is a sad commentary on human nature. Still, I found the book compelling, and was properly shocked at some of the big reveals. A good book for armchair detectives who like to suss out clues.



I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Rosamund Pike, who does an excellent job.

Rating: 3.5 stars