Bloggin' 'bout Books: Likable Heroine + Compelling Plot = Another Winning Maeve Kerrigan Mystery

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Likable Heroine + Compelling Plot = Another Winning Maeve Kerrigan Mystery

6:42 PM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for After the Fire, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Maeve Kerrigan mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Murchison House, one of the concrete high-rises that makes up London's seedy Maudling Estate housing project, is no stranger to police activity. The place is a magnet for every kind of criminal activity possible. This time, a savage—and suspicious—fire has ravaged through the building, leaving many residents displaced and desperate. Four people are dead, one of them an outspoken politician well known for his racist rantings. What was a man like him doing in a dive like Murchison House?

As DC Maeve Kerrigan and the rest of the murder squad look into the incident, it becomes crystal clear that the fire was no accident. Neither was the politician's death. Plenty of people had reason to loathe Geoff Armstrong, but who actually killed him? Everyone connected with Murchison House has something to hide, including Mr. Armstrong. The more Maeve discovers, the more risky her job becomes. Murchison House has always been a dangerous place—will it be a deadly one for the intrepid DC Kerrigan? As if she doesn't have enough to worry about, Maeve is still dodging the skin-crawling attention of her stalker; dealing with a condition that could put her job at risk; and trying to sort out her feelings for one DI Josh Derwent. One thing is clear—she's in for a wild ride.

You've probably realized by now that I'm a raving Maeve Kerrigan fan. Jane Casey's heroine is brave, tenacious, and, above all, human. She's unfailingly likable, an always compelling narrator whom I happen to adore. The series also boasts intriguing minor characters and taut, engrossing plots. After the Fire, the sixth installment, is no exception. With a number of didn't-see-that-coming twists, the story kept me riveted. As always, I'm intrigued to see where Casey takes Maeve next. Wherever it is, I'll definitely be along for the ride!

(Readalikes: Other books in the Maeve Kerrigan series, including Left for Dead [novella]; The Burning; The Reckoning; The Last Girl; The Stranger You Know; The Kill; and Let the Dead Speak; also reminds me of books by Sharon Bolton and Tana French)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love: Another library ~~fine~~ find

3 comments:

Jenny28 July, 2017 09:04
I like when the victim is unlikeable. It makes it fun to see if the author can make you feel sympathy for them or at least want to see justice.
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Replies
Mac n' Janet28 July, 2017 10:14
I love this series, I'm reading Let The Dead Speak right now.
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Replies
Katherine P29 July, 2017 13:29
This sounds like a really good series! It's been on my TBR for awhile so this was a good push to read it. I like that the main character is likable. So often in procedurals they're so dysfunctional that it makes it hard to really connect to them.
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Books Read in 2025 (asterisks denote favorites)

1. Coram House by Bailey Seybolt (Jan)
2. She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke (Jan)
3. My Salty Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Jan)
4. The Echoes by Jess Montgomery (Jan)
5. The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro (Jan)
6. Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal by Raquel V. Reyes (Jan)
7. Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell (Jan)
8. Away by Megan E. Freeman (Jan)
9. Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh [audio] (Jan)
10. A Golden Grave by Erin Lindsey* (Jan)
11. All Over the Map by Lanie Jacobs (Jan)
12. Stranded by Nikki Shannon Smith (Jan)
13. Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany [audio] (Jan)
14. The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright (Jan)
15. How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn (Jan)
16. A Dream of Death by Connie Berry (Jan)
17. The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos, RN* (Jan)
18. Red River Road by Anna Downes [audio] (Jan)
19. Janitors School of Garbage by Tyler Whitesides (Feb)
20. Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce (Feb)
21. Janitors School of Garbage: Trials of the Trash by Tyler Whitesides (Feb)
22. The Brightwood Code by Monica Hesse [audio] (Feb)
23. A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry (Feb)
24. The Crash by Freida McFadden (Feb)
25. To Catch a Storm by Mindy Mejia (Feb)
26. Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen (Feb)
27. A World of Hurt by Mindy Mejia (Feb)
28. If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell (Feb)
29. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano [audio] (Feb)
30. Wool by Hugh Howey (Feb)
31. Shift by Hugh Howey (Feb)
32. Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns [audio] (Mar)
33. The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan (Mar)
34. Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright (Mar)
35. Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber (Mar)
36. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (Mar)
37. The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden (Mar)
38. The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor [audio] (Mar)
39. You Belong Here by Megan Miranda (Mar)
40. Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (Mar)
41. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth* [audio] (Mar)
42. Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks With Monks and Amish Farmers helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human by Carlos Whittaker (Mar)
43. Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister (Mar)
44. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto* (Apr)
45. Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams (Apr)
46. The Wind Called My Name by Mary Louise Sanchez (Apr)
47. What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan (Apr)
48. The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth [audio] (Apr)
49. That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White (Apr)
50. A Pie to Die For by Gretchen Rue (Apr)
51. The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian (Apr)
52. The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes (Apr)
53. Cold As Hell by Kelley Armstrong* [audio] (Apr)
54. Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry (Apr)
55. The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden (Apr)
56. Petals and Poison by Jess Dylan [audio] (Apr)
57. It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson (Apr)
58. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah* [re-read] (May)
59. Outside by Jennifer L. Holm (May)
60. You Are Here: Connecting Flights by various authors, edited by Ellen Oh (May)
61. The Silver Shooter by Erin Lindsey* (May)
62. The Art of Betrayal by Connie Berry* (May)
63. The Secret Room by Jane Casey* (May)
64. The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary by K.B. Jackson (May)
65. The Sasquatch of Harriman Lake by K.B. Jackson (May)

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Likable Heroine + Compelling Plot = Another Winning Maeve Kerrigan Mystery

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Books Read in 2025 (asterisks denote favorites)