Emma's Reviews > The Burning

3.5 stars

I spent part of the time being annoyed on Maeve's behalf about the sexist and rude attitudes of her fellow police, and part of the time annoyed by her desperate need to one up her colleagues and suck up to her boss. Even so, I liked her. I like that she's got a bit of a temper; that she cleverly uses the evidence to come to conclusions, but is still anxious that she might have got it wrong; that she jumps in to help people when they're in danger, though perhaps she might have been better to throw a quick explanation to her partner; that she cares about the truth and that this, plus curiosity, drives her to keep pushing; that's she's not the top of the pile in the station, but is still prepared to work hard and out herself out there to achieve her goals and get involved. I think Casey made a brilliant and effective choice in positioning her main character; Maeve is someone who consistently has to manage the unequal power dynamics of a team in which merit can be subordinate to influence in determining action.

All of this suggests her personal growth and place within the team will be interesting to follow and, as this is number one in a series of six (so far), makes me eager to find out what happens next.