The Burning Rooms by Anni Taylor

Publisher's Synopsis

A SERIAL KILLER WITH A BURNING DESIRE

In the country town of Tallmans Valley, an arsonist is burning homes down. Their signature move is placing an identical model of the house on the front porch before setting the fire. But no one is there to witness this in the silence of each dark winter night.

A happy couple is out celebrating their anniversary when they receive a chilling phone call – a recorded children's verse warning them their house is on fire and their children gone. They race home to an inferno and missing children.

Detective Jace Franco is first on the scene and is confronted by scenes that will haunt him. The couple were good friends of his. And there's something else – a model house near the front door. He sighted exactly the same thing thirteen years ago, at a fire that claimed the lives of a whole family.

Franco becomes certain a twisted killer is at work. But with the fire officially deemed a tragic accident, his team is not convinced.

There is just one other person who saw what Franco did thirteen years ago – Franco's former homicide partner, Kate Wakeland. Can he tempt her away from her new role with the federal police for this one case?

Or will the arsonist continue to destroy the evidence with each of their deadly blazes?

Reviews From Elsewhere

Mystery and Suspense Magazine

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. Read Full Review

Amazon

Enthralling police procedural with great characters and enough backstory to keep you invested. Kate is one of my favorite detectives. This was a creepy case. Read All Reviews

GoodReads

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. Read All Reviews