Told in alternating timelines, this gripping mystery about a PI and her quest for answers is full of twists and turns, perfect for fans of Allison Brennan and Gytha Lodge.
Struggling private investigator Kate Myles is shattered to learn her late father isn’t her biological dad. She’s still reeling when she discovers that an unknown distant relative is the prime suspect in a decades-old murder investigation. Trying to convince her to take on the case for free, an old colleague recommends her as an investigator for a recent arson murder in the same small town.
After giving up on a failed acting career, Abby Coburn is starting over as a promising social work student. With her life on the right track, she’s determined to help her brother, Jacob, whose meth addiction triggered a psychotic break and descent into crime. But when Abby dies in a fire that kills two other people and destroys part of the town, the police immediately suspect Jacob.
Burn This Night is an engaging and addictive PI murder mystery novel. It is the second book in Alex Kenna’s “Kate Myles” detective series. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone, but afterwards you’ll likely be eager to read book 1, so you may as well read it first. The story follows Kate Myles, a former police officer turned private investigator who lost her job due to an opioid addiction. When she discovers her deceased father isn’t her biological father, she searches for answers on an ancestry website where she learns her DNA is connected to a killer of an unsolved murder. When she reaches out to an old colleague about the murder, he recommends she take a PI job in the same small town of Idlewood, California, where the murder took place, but to investigate a suspected arson attack that killed a young woman named Abby Coburn. Abby’s mentally unstable brother Jacob has been charged, but Kate isn’t convinced he’s guilty, and suddenly she’s immersed in a town full of secrets and potential culprits, and her own safety is soon threatened!
The book is a short read, fast-paced and unpredictable. As there are two murder mysteries to solve with interconnecting characters and timelines, along with Kate’s own complicated story, the book becomes more multi-layered and interesting as it goes along. The story is told from the alternating first-person perspectives of Kate, Abby, and Jacob, alternating between present-day Kate and past timelines for Abby and Jacob. With each timeline switch, more clues are presented to readers, adding to a more perplexing picture. The story is not at all predictable, and the twists and turns, especially those in the second half, often come out of nowhere, adding further layers to the story. Kenna introduces a lot of misdirection and red herrings, so predicting the killer is no easy feat in this one. When everything finally comes together at the end, readers will have to suspend their disbelief, but in exchange they get a high-stakes, thrilling conclusion.
It should be noted that there is darker subject matter in the story that can be triggering to certain readers, including child custody issues, drug addiction, mental illness, and body violence. The book also features some very interesting information about fertility clinics and ancestry searches, which is very interesting and provides some real-world insight into unsolved case investigations. What first appears as a generic PI mystery novel quickly becomes something much more. Kate is a feisty and impulsive character, still healing and attempting to gain control of her life. Through the story, her self-growth is evident as she tries to detach herself from her family’s unhealthy patterns of repression and poor communication. There is also a romance subplot for Kate that adds further intrigue to the story and introduces not just her love interest but additional side characters. Everything in this cleverly crafted book is connected, and the ingenuity of it all is presented at the end.
In summary, this is a highly original, multilayered PI murder mystery story that punches a lot of substance into its short pages. Readers who enjoy stories with morally grey characters, feisty FMCs, family drama, multiple timelines, and unpredictable plot points will really enjoy this book. Narrators Jennifer Walden and Christopher P. Brown do a great job narrating this audiobook, injecting a lot of emotion and suspense into the listening experience. If you’re looking for your next fast-paced and engaging murder mystery book or series, the Kate Myles detective books are a great option!
