A family are killed around their dining table, their right hands cut off, and the house set alight. The fire service and police are quickly alerted and the scene discovered. As the investigation kicks off, the police find out that the mother felt she was being watched before she died…
Their Burning Graves is the 8th book to feature DC Morgan Brookes alongside her boss and lover Ben Matthews. There are mentions of events from previous books but no detail about the crimes or criminals.
The deaths at the start are quite shocking. The scene was so well written that I could imagine the panic and horror vividly. Ben is upset when he realises he knew the mother and he is determined to find justice. Once again though, it is Morgan who pushes the limits of the law as well as placing herself in danger in order to catch the killer.
The plot twists come thick and fast. I was swept up in the story thanks to the natural style of writing. The majority of the book is written to show the police perspective but there are also chapters showing the victims and potential victim as well as the killer. This increases the tension as we await the next attack.
There was obviously a major plot development for the police team in the last book (which I somehow missed, grrr!) This gives an emotional element to Morgan and Ben as they struggle to balance their professional investigation with their personal feelings. I felt that the ending was a little abrupt and wanted to check in on one character and her dog as I genuinely cared about them!
Their Burning Graves is a tense detective thriller and I love the relationship between the main pair.
They are picture perfect. A young, happy family sat around the kitchen table. But no one moves as wisps of smoke filter into the room and the house becomes a burning grave around them…
When reports come in of a family trapped in a burning house, Detective Morgan Brookes rushes to the scene. But as soon as she enters the ruined home, she is devastated by what she finds. Tied to the kitchen table, Sally and David Lawson, and their young son, had no chance of escaping the flames and the smoke…
Neighbours all agree the Lawsons were the perfect family, and CCTV shows nothing suspicious. Morgan’s only clue is the silver crucifix necklace around Sally’s neck. Because according to friends, she wasn’t religious. Was someone passing divine judgement on this mother and her family?
Focusing on Sally’s last steps, Morgan gets the breakthrough she needs – just days ago Sally had confided in a friend that she felt someone was watching her. And when Morgan finds photos of Sally on her neighbour Luke’s phone, all the pieces slot together.
Only then another local woman reports feeling watched. Nothing seems to link her to Luke, but Morgan can’t ignore it. Could the killer still be out there? Going deeper into Sally’s past and uncovering the killer’s motivations is her only chance to save more innocent lives, but can she solve the twisted puzzle in time?
A completely addictive and gripping crime thriller! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.
Author Bio
Helen Phifer is the Bestselling writer of the hugely popular Annie Graham, Lucy Harwin, Beth Adams and her current series featuring Detective Constable Morgan Brooks published by the fabulous Bookouture.
She lives in the busy town of Barrow-in-Furness surrounded by miles of coastline and a short drive from the glorious English Lake District.
Helen loves reading books that scare the heck out of her and is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years. Unable to find enough scary stories she decided to write her own and her debut novel The Ghost House released in October 2013 became a #1 Global Bestseller.
