The Burning

A Novel

By: Jonathan Kellerman, Jesse Kellerman

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Things get personal for Deputy Coroner Clay Edison when a murder hits close to home in this riveting, emotional thriller from the bestselling father-son team who write “brilliant, page-turning fiction” (Stephen King).

A raging wildfire. A massive blackout. A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home.

For Clay Edison, it’s all in a day’s work. As a deputy coroner, caring for the dead, he speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. He prides himself on an unflinching commitment to the truth. Even when it gets him into trouble.

Then, while working the murder scene, Clay is horrified to discover a link to his brother, Luke. Horrified. But not surprised. Luke is fresh out of prison and struggling to stay on the straight and narrow.

And now he’s gone AWOL.

The race is on for Clay to find him before anyone else can. Confronted with Luke’s legacy of violence, Clay is forced to reckon with his own suspicions, resentments, and loyalties. Is his brother a killer? Or could he be the victim in all of this, too?

This is Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman at their most affecting and page-turning—a harrowing collision of family, revenge, and murder.

Critic reviews

“This is another superb crime thriller from the prolific and talented father-and-son Kellermans. Set in the San Francisco Bay Area during one of the state’s terrible wildfires, the story is . . . a riveting page-turner of a mystery with pulse-pounding action, and a compelling look at family dynamics and loyalty. The shock ending doesn't hurt, either.”—Booklist (starred review)

“As always, the Kellermans guarantee that readers will turn pages rapidly to enjoy the complex characters and intricate plot turns. It’s another winner for mystery readers.”—Library Journal

“Intriguing . . . the bestselling Kellermans provide food for thought along with a tidy mystery.”—Publishers Weekly

Good story

Good story, dynamic, good level of mystery till almost the end. The characters match the story line well

Frustrating

Overall, it was a bit slow moving so it was a relief that it wasn't a long novel. The actions of the main character were extremely frustrating and it's hard to believe that there could be another book in the series because there's no way he'd still have a job. After listening to the first two Edison books, it was nice to get more of the backstory. The voice actor continues to have little to no variations from character to character which makes following dialogue confusing.

Figured out at least part of it before the end.

But I loved the story. And I also enjoyed hearing some of the back story.

Not terrible.

The story and narration were good, but there were parts that were a struggle to get past.

SORRY

Sorry about previous review. The review left was for the 4th book. The Burning. Sorry about that.