Too Many Fires

Daniel Owen Welsh Mysteries, Book 5

De: Ripley Hayes

Narrado por: Elliot Fitzpatrick, Maria Nicola Johnson

DCI Daniel Owen is barely holding things together when an old flame crashes into his life, with a dead body and enough emotional baggage to sink a ship.

Then the fires start.

Who is Jonathan Cole, and why is he living at a run down holiday park? Did he kill the park's owner? Daniel wants to believe Jonathan is innocent, and Jonathan wants to seduce Daniel. Mal, now Superintendent Kent, wants to come home. His undercover officer has disappeared from the same holiday park, and that can't be a coincidence, can it?

No matter where they look, Jonathan's past is engulfing them all in flames.

©2021 Ripley Hayes (P)2021 Tantor Media

What A Mess

You might miss a few things, but I’d say to skip this one. It’s a complete mess, and frankly, Daniel is an idiot. (And yes, I do realize he’s had some emotional trauma from past cases, but his response to all that is difficult to describe other than it’s poorly executed.) I can’t say too much without spoilers, suffice it to say Daniel is insufferable and unlikable through the entire book. The mystery was overly convoluted and not satisfying, and everything wrapped up too quickly. And the ending, which I’m assuming is supposed to be a balm for all the bullsh*t, is just wrong. “You’ll do anything for the person you love” is all well and good, but Mal came across as a doormat, not romantic. Definitely not the best of the series. I did enjoy the narration, so that’s the only thing that kept this one from being a 1 star read for me.

Great story. Great narration.

This story wanders down some dark paths for Daniel, and Elliot Fitzpatrick does a wonderful job of voicing Daniel's turmoil. This was an emotionally impactful story that does an amazing job of illustrating the effects of emotional trauma.