Jack Smyth, former cyclist, ran into his burning house in a vain attempt to rescue his wife from the flames. However, when it transpires that his wife was already dead before the fire started, sympathy for Jack soon turns to suspicion and, one year on, Jack feels the only way to tell his story is through writing a book.

Emily, whose first novel was a major success, is struggling to write her second book. Tied into a two book deal, she is at risk of having to return her advance when she is given the opportunity to ghost-write Jack's book. Although she has never done anything before, the chance to clear her debt is too great and she agrees.

What follows is a brilliant, page turner full of twists, turns, deception and a thrilling conclusion. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Emily Joyce has a job as a ghostwrite for former professional cyclist Jack Smyth who lost his wife a year ago in a fire. She is asked to write his memoir and get a confession out of him if possible. The book is full of twist and will leave you guessing who can Emily trust.

I loved everything about this book!
From the cover and the very clever title, the setting in Dublin and Florida, and characters you can believe in and care about.
I have read a couple of books by Catherine Ryan Howard, and her "Nothing Man" stayed with me for months as one of the best thrillers ever.
So I was delighted to be allowed to read an advance copy of "Burn After Reading".

Emily is a bestselling writer, who is finding it difficult to produce the second novel she promised the publishers.
So they ask her to spend some time ghostwriting a book for a charismatic retired professional cyclist, rumoured to have murdered his wife. He wants to put the record straight, squash the rumours, and prove his innocence.
The story is told from various viewpoints and back and forward in time, then it all slowly weaves together.
But who is telling the truth? Who is a friend, who is a threat? Who are the mysterious woman and strange man who seem to be following Emily?
The story almost has more twists and turns than the tour de France..
I really enjoyed the slightly unreal atmosphere of isolation, and the bizarre but believable setting.
Like Emily, the only things I knew about professional roadracing were "yellow jersey" and "Lance Armstrong cheated". So I found the insights into a racing team fascinating.

The only problem with this book (and it seems to be a fashion these days) is that quite a chunk of it from near the end appears at the beginning. So throughout, I already knew part of where it was leading, and exactly how Emily would end up in danger, which made it much less tense and enjoyable for me than it could have been.

I discovered Catherine Ryan Howard through a book subscription box where I got a copy of The Nothing Man (which is also an amazing thriller if you haven’t read it!) and was so excited to receive an advance copy of her latest thriller. This story is compelling and haunting in places and kept me gripped to the page. I loved the flashbacks and excerpts of story within the story giving added information whilst providing a lot of suspense. It seems cliche to call it suffocating but the short chapters and tense action make it exactly that!

Thanks so much to Netgalley & everyone for a chance to read this book. Also massive thank you to the publishers for resending me a copy of the book in a,new format.

This book was brilliant. I really liked the character Emily & the plot was fast paced & gripping I stayed up late to finish it. I can picture this book being made into a TV series as it had really good characters & a really good plot a brilliant book

Throws you right into the action, and then leaves you to recover your breath as it builds up the tension.
Forever left guessing what is the truth, who is lying?
At times I was very frustrated when we swapped back to a different time, and I was left desperate to know what happened next.
Cracking read.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 3rd March 2025. This book was a twisty plot that me engaged throughout! It was full of suspense and it was hard to work out the truth.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
As is the norm with Catherine Ryan Howard books, she has you at the first chapter. I immediately liked Emily, as we follow her across the pond and into a world of secrets and lies. Captivating, original and perfectly plotted the author creates a story full of suspense and twists. You never know who quite to trust or believe in this book which keeps the reader thoroughly engaged. Another brilliant book from this first class author

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading more.

Burn after reading sees Emily a one book wonder writer struggling to fulfil her contract with her publishers after the resounding success of her debut novel leaves her suffering from writers block. She is drafted in to ghost write Jack Smyth's story who may or may not be a murderer after his wife Kate perishes in a house fire.

The isolated property they are both in together makes for a suspenseful atmosphere as we uncover what happened that night and who is telling the truth.

This story is a great read if you enjoy this particular genre and I would definitely recommend.

I will say the pink numbers on each line were annoying and messed with my eyes. But I gave it a second try and got into the book. Emily published a book years ago and is having trouble coming up with a second. In exchange the company offers her a gig ghost writing for a famous cyclist who may or may not have killed his wife before a house fire took his home. As Emily starts interviewing, she’s not sure if jack is innocent or not. She also starts getting threats about her first book. Who is out to get her? And did jack murder his wife?

I am sorry to say that I couldn't get into this book. I am disappointed because I thought I would enjoy it but not for me hope other readers enjoy it more.

A good entertaining chilling read. Plenty of twists and turns and very fast paced . Another brilliant book from Catherine Ryan Howard. A fantastic read and I would definitely recommend it.

Catherine Ryan Howard is firmly in my favourite authors list with classic killer thrillers including The Nothing Man, 56 Days and The Liar’s Girl, so this was a must read ASAP.

Emily is a one-hit wonder author, her debut was hugely successful but writer’s block and self doubt have prevented her from writing another book, failing to complete her two book contract.

Jack Smyth was a rising star in international cycling before a crash ended his career, a house fire killed his TV star wife and suspicion has haunted Jack ever since. There’s a hope that ghostwritten biography might help clear his name, and Emily might be the woman for the job.

Catherine Ryan Howard is a maestro with original, unpredictable structures and Burn After Reading locks the ghostwriter and the star under suspicion in an isolated property, is he telling the truth or trying to cover up the murder?

I love novels about authors writing and there’s just the right level of detail, also with Jack’s ambitious rise in European cycling.

There’s plenty of reveals, twists and ‘who can you trust?’. This is a very compelling, original and entertaining thriller.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers

I absolutely love Catherine Ryan Howard's novels but have sadly been unable to read Burn After Reading due to the numbers that appear on every line of the text. This completely interfered with my ability to read the text. I have noticed this in some other NetGalley books and I'm really hoping this can be remedied so I am able to read the novel and give a fair review.
The three stars does not reflect my review of the novel but I'm unable to submit this without entering a rating.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher