A Killing Breath By Faye Snowden
I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and Random Things Tours for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Flame Tree Press
Published - Out Now
Price - £20 hardback £6.95 ebook
Raven Burns owes her life to the kind souls who looked after her while her father, unbeknownst to them, sowed a path of blood and bodies from California to Louisiana as one of the most notorious serial killers ever known, Floyd “Fire” Burns. When Raven was a girl, Floyd brutally murdered one of those kind souls, Miss Ruth Jefferson, when the woman made the fatal decision to open the door to him on a pitch-black 4th of July night. As Raven learned of her father’s crimes, she vowed to do everything in her power to put men like him away. Decades later Raven’s hunt for a serial killer terrorizing the town leads her right back to that 4th of July night, and a memory that will make her question how much Floyd’s evil has settled in her bones.
NB - This is the third novel featuring Raven Burns (and my first read of the series) the book stands very well on its own but there will be some discussions of the series history.
The concept of the detective novel has long appealed to me. I’ve mentioned before I enjoy the way a detective can explore a community from top to bottom and for the reader give us a sense of a place’s history, structure and wider issues. While I seek out the puzzle of who has committed the crim I am always fascinated by how the wider world it sits in come alive. I was very impressed to have all of this and more await in Faye Snowden’s excellent novel A Killing Breath which delivered a fascinating mystery, a compelling lead character and most of all an engrossing community to get to know.
Raven Burns now works as a police detective in the town of Byrd’s Landing in Louisiana. However she is also the daughter of Floyd Burns a notorious serial killer who travelled across the States killing with his daughter in tow and her unable to stop him. Now she works to prevent anyone like Floyd to go free. The finding of three men killed in the shadow of a rundown church unsettles the local community and one of the victims was once a friend Raven could rely on to hear her out when she was a troubled teenager. There are a host of suspects and many know Raven of old. However this case begins to uncover some of the secrets of Byrd’s Landing and as more deaths occur Raven realises this case may be getting personal and connected to her own past.
This was my first experience of the Raven Burns’ series and safe to say I’ll be catching up on the other novels very quickly! We quickly get a summary of who Raven is and we get to witness what her murderous father was capable of before we jump back to the present day. Snowden has a wonderful ability to create atmosphere and this story feels dark, menacing and a feeling of danger lurking in plain sight. The discovery of the first bodies and the decaying church they search nearby really set a tone for the story where we soon realise no one is safe and that raven is up against a formidable opponent. Beyond the feeling of suspense I did love my first trip to Byrd’s Landings and exploring the community from the wealthy owner of a hospital to a group of old timers trading stories over food plus Raven’s colleagues in the police department who trade jokes, insults and support for one another. What jumps out for me is a sense of depth, history and texture int he town that grows quite essential to understanding this particular case. Byrd’s Landing feels a great location for a long running series and I look forward to the earlier cases exploring more of how this world works. Another highlight for me is the dialogue between characters. There are a lot of great lines that help explain character’s interactions, humour and where they come from. There is a great pleasure in reading that kind of bac and forth to further help build up a sense of location but also the bigger cast and as a UK resident its just really interesting to see how Louisiana comes alive on the page.
Finally there is Raven herself as the main character and she is absolutely fascinating. Her relationship with her deceased father both in flashback but also how he appears mentally in her mind commenting on what he sees makes her really stand out against some detectives I’ve met. She has a sense of humour but is also clearly troubled by her past and her own sense of guilt over what her father did. Very determined, very keen to get results and yet also we get to see a detective actually sometimes joke and show a more vulnerable side. As this case increasingly target those close to Raven we see this is very much about what Byrd’s Landing has given her in the sense of a second chance and now there is a risk that this could all be taken from her. It makes the case personal and builds tension all the way to a hard hitting finale
I strongly recommend this for lovers of crime novels who enjoy a southern gothic atmosphere, disturbing mysteries and compelling characters. Very much one of those books that once I started I did not feel like letting go of until the very end. I will be definitely reading more by Faye Snowden soon!
