Book Review: The Fire Killer by Ross Greenwood

A lovely big welcome back to Ross Greenwood and the blog tour for his novel, The Fire Killer.

When DI Barton is asked to investigate a seemingly innocuous fire that kills, he believes it’s either children fooling around or a worrying racially motivated crime.

As he delves deeper into the case, he soon realises that there is a history of similar blazes spread out over many years, all within a close area. And after an idea is suggested by pathologist Mortis, Barton suspects he has the arsonist’s motives wrong.

When a night worker comes forward with a tip, Barton narrows down the suspects. Yet all of them act suspiciously and he knows for sure that one or more of them are lying. And when a huge house blaze shocks everyone, Barton fears the killer has lost all control.

Who is The Fire Killer? What will be next to burn?

*****

DI Barton and his team are back! 

A mysterious person is setting fires and it’s not long before arson turns into murder. Time is running out. Can they find The Fire Killer before they kill again? 

Having previously read The Cold Killer, I was excited to start reading DI Barton’s latest case. If you haven’t read any of the previous novels, don’t worry. This can be read as a standalone although I do recommend them. They are so good! In fact, DI Barton and his team are now amongst my favourite fictional crime solvers. The Fire Killer is book five in the series. In case you wanted to pick up this series from the beginning, it starts off with The Snow Killer, then The Soul Killer, The Ice Killer and the Cold Killer. 

Ross Greenwood immediately draws you into the action so I very quickly got pulled into the story, wanting to know what happens. 

The tension and suspense builds very well and I was with these characters, invested in trying to find this killer.

I do like how the point of view shifts between DI Barton and the killer. It gives the story a very rounded narrative that allows the reader to be in the mind of this person as they try to justify and give reason for their actions. 

It’s going to be a little tough to talk about the plot as I don’t want to give a lot away. The plot moves well and there is a huge intensity bubbling below the surface all the way through. 

I couldn’t figure out what was going to happen. A sign of a good crime/thriller. 

The Fire Starter is full of twists, turns, suspense and surprises. Whether you’re already a DI Barton fan or looking for a new crime series, this book is perfect. 

I loved it. 

About Ross Greenwood: 

Ross Greenwood is the bestselling author of ten crime thrillers.

Before becoming a full-time writer he was most recently a prison officer and so worked everyday with murderers, rapists and thieves for four years.

He lives in Peterborough. 

Say hello to Ross on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bookbub. You can also sign up to his newsletter by clicking here. 

The Fire Killer was released on 30th May 2022 by Boldwood Books. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones.

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.