The first thing I have to mention about this book is the fact that whoever commissioned the cover art clearly hadn't read the story. I get that the title alludes to arson but the story really doesn't - unless they are trying to be all esoteric about "houses" and links to family but somehow I think I overthought that.
The basic tale is your standard serial attacker/killer (spoiler - not every victim dies) thriller. The twist comes from the fact that they select their victims from a dating app and that it isn't the police that solve the crime but a collection of quiz question setters called The Brain Pool (think QI Elves on steroids). The twist in the plot is a good one and I genuinely didn't see it coming as the author obfuscates with language so I genuinely found out what was happening at the same time as the characters.
I will admit that after reading the First Impression/Early Chapters of this book I was not impressed and wrote it off as just another book in a crowded genre. However, seeing it on sale for my e-book made me decide to give it a go and I am so glad I did. I really got sucked in to Solomon's world and that of his very dodgy brother. It did turn out to be a real page turner that managed to stay just far enough away from accepted rules of the genre to keep it fresh and interesting whilst creating deep characters that you could feel empathy with - even the horrendous DI Fox and her overweaning ambition.
There is genuine tension in the plot and I couldn't help but keep turning those pages and doing the one more chapter dance resulting in just being on time for work after not getting enough sleep. The crimes themselves are shocking but related in such a matter of fact way you don't feel that they are there just for shock value but as an intrinsic plot point.
Overall a very strong thriller that gives me hope for the genre as a whole.
The basic tale is your standard serial attacker/killer (spoiler - not every victim dies) thriller. The twist comes from the fact that they select their victims from a dating app and that it isn't the police that solve the crime but a collection of quiz question setters called The Brain Pool (think QI Elves on steroids). The twist in the plot is a good one and I genuinely didn't see it coming as the author obfuscates with language so I genuinely found out what was happening at the same time as the characters.
I will admit that after reading the First Impression/Early Chapters of this book I was not impressed and wrote it off as just another book in a crowded genre. However, seeing it on sale for my e-book made me decide to give it a go and I am so glad I did. I really got sucked in to Solomon's world and that of his very dodgy brother. It did turn out to be a real page turner that managed to stay just far enough away from accepted rules of the genre to keep it fresh and interesting whilst creating deep characters that you could feel empathy with - even the horrendous DI Fox and her overweaning ambition.
There is genuine tension in the plot and I couldn't help but keep turning those pages and doing the one more chapter dance resulting in just being on time for work after not getting enough sleep. The crimes themselves are shocking but related in such a matter of fact way you don't feel that they are there just for shock value but as an intrinsic plot point.
Overall a very strong thriller that gives me hope for the genre as a whole.