This enthralling mystery, laced with trauma and redemption, showcases real freshness, sensitivity, and potency. It is a standout debut, written with a sureness of touch that makes it no ordinary first novel, and announces Key as a star talent poised to be a mainstay in crime fiction for many years to come.

3.5/5.

A twisty, tense, and gripping debut that I enjoyed. The mystery kept me guessing and I appreciated the clever FMC
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a gripping read and fantastic to see queer rep in thriller. More, please! This book had a great premise and plenty of twists to keep me turning pages and I definitely want to read more of Eve Starling!

DCI Eve Starling and her team are investigating an arson case that stirs up a lot of memories for Eve after traumatic events in her childhood. With a woman and her child dead, she needs to focus on the case as the pressure is mounting from all sides to find them.

This was a solid police procedural that could easily be the first in a series, Eve was a great MC and it has the makings of a great team to keep revisiting, I would certainly read more! It was also an assured debut from the author.

Oh this is such a strong and well written book!
I love police procedurals and this book was really interesting to read.

While I did feel like some of the plot points were predictable, it was still great to read about!

Great debut that blends police procedural and psychological suspense- two of my favourite genres.

The deadly spark introduces DC Eve Starling as her and her team investigate an arson which killed a mother and her young daughter.
The investigation is told through Eve’s POV and the POV of the main suspect. There is also a duel timeline where we get to see Eve’s past and how the main suspect became entangled in the crime.

I really like the main character of Eve, I found her really relatable and I’m looking forward to reading more about her and her friendship with fellow officer Bella.
The plot was cleverly set up and kept the pace throughout the novel.
Can’t wait for book two in the series!

I love police procedurals and really enjoyed this debut by Roxie Key. DC Eve Starling is part of a team investigating a fire in Brighton that killed a mother and her child. It's an emotional investigation for Eve as it triggers her past trauma which is slowly revealed to the reader. The novel is told from the point of view of Eve as it moves between her past and present and Anya, a main suspect and partner of the deceased woman.

This is a well written and well paced police procedural and the author introduces the reader to the mostly female investigation team. I liked the balance of past and present storylines and how this contributes to our understanding of Eve and Anya. I really liked the character of Eve and hope this is the first in a series. I'd like a bit more development of the other characters in Eve's team next time and I did feel that the ending became a little rushed. Overall an excellent start to what I hope is an ongoing series. 3.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Thanks to netgalley for providing this advanced copy.

I found this to be an impressive debut novel by the author. The story was told through various timeliness and points of view. There are a few twists and turn that kept me guessing. I found it to be well written and the main character to be likable. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

DC Eve Starling is investigating a fire that killed a mother and her young daughter, which brings back memories from her past.

The Deadly Spark is a gripping story with twists that you won't see coming.

The plot is clever and well-written in a way that keeps you turning those pages. It had me constantly wondering what was going to happen next.

I loved the characters in this book. In particular I found Eve to be very likeable and I enjoyed getting to know her through the flashbacks to her past. It's important for me to want to root for the protagonist and this was definitely the case in The Deadly Spark.

The combination of great characters and an exciting plot makes this an excellent read.

Thank you HQ for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

What a book! I was hooked from the start. I loved the way that it took you back and forward in time for the main characters so you could se how they got to this point. Eve’s story just broke my heart. There was a twist and, as usual, I didn’t see who it really was. It was gripping and faced paced and I hope there will be another one.

The storyline is told from a few different perspectives and in past and present timelines. It was well done and easy to follow. The characters were well developed and likeable and I got a feel for the main character Eve more than the others. The pace needed a little oomph and needed a little more in the way of the suspense factor. The narrator was engaging and held my attention throughout. It was a solid debut read and I’d be interested in reading the next instalment.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review #TheDeadlySpark

A new author for me, but I really enjoyed The Deadly Spark. I felt the pace dropped off slightly in the middle section and had worked out the plot like, but it was still a compelling police procedural that kept me entertained to the end. I would rate it 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

This is a really good solid novel by a new author. I saw it advertised on X and knew I had to read it! I don’t usually read policy procedurals but this changed my mind! Fast paced and twisty with some real gasp moments!! This author has talent!

The Deadly Spark is told over dual timelines - the past and the present and told in several characters' voices. DC Eve Starling, DC Bella Cortez, DCI Gillian Harbrook, DC Tiana Banks (new), and DS Jason Hooper have been asked to investigate the killing of Lisette and her 5 yo daughter Slyvie! Lisette's girlfriend Anya has gone missing. How is she involved? What happened in the house? Eve and the team need to keep their wits about them whilst trying to find out why this happened? The book is well written, full of twists and turns, and very descriptive. There were a few nail biting moments before the big reveal! I hope there is a book 2 and I will be recommending this book.

'The Deadly Spark' is an ambitious debut novel told in different timelines from various pov's. There are twists and turns, red herrings and suspense aplenty as DC Eve Starling investigates an arson that attack leaves a mother and child dead. Once I had sorted everyone in my head I raced through this well thought out and well written novel set mainly in Brighton. Fingers crossed that this is the start of a series and there is more to come soon. Many thanks to the author, netgalley and publisher for an arc.

DC Eve Starling is investigating an arson case that left a woman and her child dead. Their main suspect has disappeared, and pressure is mounting from the media to solve the case. Can Eve catch the culprit before anyone else gets hurt?

This was a good read. I enjoyed the dual perspective and the flashbacks into the past. The way the story unravels is skilfully done and gathers suspense well. There’s some great little twists along the way that I didn’t see coming and the ending was explosive! I couldn’t turn those pages fast enough!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my advanced copy.

Thank you for my early copy in exchange for a honest review .
I absolutely loved this!
Well written, great characters ,alternate narrative and timelines which made it flow and feel fast paced and fresh .
Unpredictable and packed with suspense.

It had me hooked right to the end .

A fantastic debut in a genre that’s got a lot of top reads in for me .

I look forward to seeing this on everyone’s shelves and can’t wait to read more from Roxie !

The regional crime fiction genre is getting rather crowded of late and it is hard to imagine there is room for further debut works – but this arresting novel proves there certainly is! “New writer on the block” Roxie Key introduces to her fictional protagonist Eve Starling, a Dc who is investigating a series of blazes in her home town of Brighton. A mother and daughter have been killed in the latest arson attack and Eve has almost snared her main suspect when they disappear, setting in motion an avalanche of twists, turns and false assumptions … well-written and with a believable cast that just lend itself to another outing, I thoroughly recommend this novel and cannot wait to see if we will encounter Eve Starling again in a future novel by Ms. Key!

My grateful thanks go to the novel’s publishers HQ and to NetGalley as it was their advance copy that allowed me to produce this unbiased book review.

Loved the plot, loved the character of Eve!
The twists and turns were perhaps easier to deduce than in other novels in the same genre but for me that did not detract from the enjoyable time spent in Eve's world.

Well written with such an awesome main character. She was brought to pofe amazingly and not the stereotypical female lead you get in every other police procedural. The twists and turns were well plotted out and the plot was original. I didn't get as into it as I would have hoped for some reason but it may just be me having a bad reading day! Overall I still flew through it in a few hrs and really enjoyed it