5 characters, all unlikeable and flawed in various ways, have their lives intertwined by a murder. The book flicks from one characters point of view to another, each character has some burning resentment (hence the name of the book), but which one murdered Daniel?

I managed to narrow my guess to two characters and I was right with one of them, however it could have been any of them. They all had their own demons and hatred for someone or something.

I flew through this book, it was a very easy read and had me turning the pages quickly to find out what is happening next.

I would say it’s not as atmospheric as I found ‘The Girl on the Train’ but I would say it was still a solid thriller.

The only part I didn’t like was the extracts of the novel which was weaved in between the story. I didn’t feel like it added much, and whilst it all made sense in the end, I felt like it should have been a whole separate book. It was an unneeded add on which in the grand scheme of the story didn’t really seem worth the hassle.

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in return for an honest review.

I only have one criticism and that is the book was not long enough, I loved the characters so much that I could easily have read a novel twice as long. Paula Hawkins is certainly a master at creating suspensful, original thrillers.

The book centres around the violent death of Daniel and all the women in his life and at the periphery of it. Each with their own reason for wanting to hurt him and each hiding their own secrets.

Every single main character is flawed and as per the title of the book they have a slow fire burning in them, anger, jealousy, hatred, greed, etc

Very much what I wanted to read at the moment - a well written thriller. A couple of deaths, a cast of suspicious characters, a host of motives, intriguing back stories - all adding up to a great read.

A man is found dead on a canal boat. How did he die, why did he die and who saw what? Could this be linked to a death of a young child years before?
Great characters and stories within a story. How are they linked? You need to read to find out. Enjoy.

Another brilliant thriller from Hawkins with a cast of engaging if mostly unlikable characters and a complex, twisted plot. A solid four stars.

This is a book whose title actually mirrors how I found the book.
I felt it was slow going but the book definitely gets better and better. The author provides the reader with a motley collection of characters with no-one being whiter than white. You presume that one of these must have murdered Daniel who from the flashbacks is not number one on anyone's Christmas Card List (maybe excluding Carla).
I loved the way that Paula provides further detail and explanation of exactly what happened at various points in the past and why rather than the more common approach of alternating chapters between now and then.
I found myself swapping between characters towards the end as to who might be the murderer.
The endgame provides no shocks as to be fair none are possible but the epilogue chapter does provide a sense of satisfaction at someone's demise.
A very good read and thoroughly recommended

This is such an exciting, pacy psychological thriller. I loved it and couldn’t put it down. The plot is compelling: a body is found on a houseboat and several quirky, flawed characters are under suspicion. There are many clever twists and turns, but for me the most outstanding feature of this novel is the characterisation. The author has created characters who jump off the page. Indeed, when I went for a walk in the woods straight after finishing the novel, I was surprised not to see them! A gripping and memorable read. Definitely five stars and my favourite novel by Paula Hawkins so far.

3.5 stars.
A new Paula Hawkins book is a thing to covet and this jumped straight to the top of my reading list!
Perhaps it was the anticipation and hype I've seen but this did not hit the heights of "Girl on a Train" and "Into the Water". I read it and didn't put it down though, so maybe I judge Paula Hawkins by a higher standard than other authors!
Full of dislikeable characters, the plot slowly twists and turns to reach a satisfying, although not completely surprising, ending.
Great locations, set around Regent Canal, you really get a feel for the lives of all the characters.
This is a high 3 star and recommended for readers of intelligent thrillers.

I really enjoyed the girl on the train so was looking forward to reading this. Although I preferred her previous book I still enjoyed this one. It was more of a lighter thriller than some I've read but the storyline was good and kept me turning the pages . It was written in such a way that I just had to feel for the main characters. I would recommend this book for people that like a good thriller with not too much blood and gore.

This is my first reading of any book by the author, Paula Hawkins. Personally, this interesting story started well, then confusion but confusion is good right? Makes you think and ask questions where this story is leading to.
I continued reading to the end and guest what? I'm still confused! I wrestled with the storyline, the likeable and dislikeable characters in the novel are exactly the kind you meet in real life.

This is a story about disabilities, bereavement, betrayal, love, lies, secrets and a lot, lot more, if you can keep up with the twists and turns. I stopped reading lots of times and said to myself, really, no way? So, what makes a book enjoyable? I recommend you read A SLOW FIRE BURNING.

I give a 3/4 star rating

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Sometimes when an author has had a huge success with a previous book, it can be hard not to compare the titles with each other. Fortunately, that is not the case with A Slow Fire Burning. It was so different from The Girl on the Train in every aspect that I think it would be a disservice to compare the two.

A Slow Fire Burning is an engrossing and captivating read with shocking twists. I read this book over a weekend and couldn’t put it down. It kept me on my toes. I literally had no idea what to expect as the big reveal until much later on when the pieces started to click into place. There were also a few moments that made me gasp out loud which is a testament to how deeply I’d fallen into Hawkins’ world.

Most of the characters were largely unlikeable and untrustworthy but I felt empathy towards them as they’ve all had more than their fair share of trauma. I felt that character development was one of the strongest points here. Everyone was fleshed out and believable with their own strengths, flaws and blind spots. It was also great to see that everyone had their own dark side – what they were willing to do and under which circumstances they were willing to do it.

With that said, I did feel very warmly towards Irene. She was such a strong character for me even though she was a secondary character. I loved that she was a safe space for vulnerable people around her and that she proved, time and time again, to be a force to be reckoned with even in her old age.

Overall, I think this was a fantastic thriller with a lot of depth to it. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a compulsive thriller with unreliable characters, unclear motives and a whole lot of tension.

A pacey thriller with complex women at its centre. Paula Hawkins knows how to grip her readers and sustain tension throughout - I raced through it, desperate to know how the mysetery unravelled.