The Girls in the Fire

This is the second in Dea Poirier's Detective Harlow Durant series. I haven't read the first, but didn't have any trouble reading this one as a stand-alone. Enough back story was filled in that I could make sense of it.

Here, she and her partner Lucas are called to Saranac Lake to investigate a grisly murder. A young woman's body has been found, burned almost beyond all recognition. Then a second. Then a third. Another detective, Chad, is already in the tourist town investigating a serial killer. Is this a second serial killer in the same area? Harlow and Lucas have got to figure out what's going on.

There were a number of unlikable people in this book, starting with the main character. Harlow Durant is a detective, a loner with a troubled past. She's constantly on the move, trying to stay ahead of her parents and anyone else who might unravel her history. There are very few people she trusts enough to let them know her story. Her partner Lucas is one person that she lets in. He knows the details of her dark past, and trusts and likes her regardless.

Harlow's parents are both detestable characters – her father is a serial killer (yes, you read that right), her mother is just abusive and horrible. Chad, a fellow detective, is a jerk. He's constantly needling Harlow, giving her grief about anything he can, and she returns the favor. The pawn shop owner from whom they're trying to get video evidence is just low-level sleaze. The common thread among the victims, a well-to-do gentleman, is hitting on Harlow every chance he gets. It's a grimy undercurrent to an interesting story.

That being said, even with all the characters you'll love to hate, it was still a very compelling read. It took me a couple of chapters to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. The victims, though it was revealed that they had their own issues, were characters you cared about. They deserved justice, and I was cheering for Harlow as she worked to provide that for them.

And if you don't like cliffhangers, boy, you will not like the end of this book. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I read that last page. I didn't see it coming, and I've got to read the next book now!

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy from Netgalley and Bookouture. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.