This was my first book by this author and I was keen to read it as I’ve heard good things about her other books. Told from two POV over dual timelines it did keep me turning the pages and it had good tension and twists, but for me I felt the ending was lacking something. Overall though a good thriller set in a different kind of location. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for letting me read and review this book.

Burn after reading is another thrilling story from Catherine Ryan Howard. Deeply layered and twisty, this story keeps you guessing while staying entertaining for the duration. Written with a well defined talent, Burn After Reading is yet another heavy hitting mystery that is reminiscent of the genre as a whole.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard is a Mystery thriller which is based around Irish sport star Jack Smyth, whose wife died in a fire which many people believe he started.

To combat the bad publicity Smyth is writing his personal story of the events surrounding the fire with a ghost writer Emily Joyce, a writer who had a bestseller a few years ago but has been suffering from writer's block.

If Burn After Reading sounds familiar,then that is because it is loosely based on the O.J. Simpson, who was found not guilty in a criminal court and liable in a civil court (less burden of proof in a civil court), who subsequently wrote a book.

While the stories are similar Catherine Ryan Howard does turn the story in to more of a mystery thriller novel by having characters interacting with Emily whose perspective we get through most of the story, Although there are flashbacks through Jack’s deceased wife to add context to the events before the novel is set.

As a reader the premise of Burn after Reading, did attract me to the story as someone who is old enough to remember the OJ case from the very beginning,

However, the downside that comes from having such high expectations from a novel is that it can let you down, which this does.

While the writing and the characters were done well with each having their own flaws and while you only got one aspect of each individual due to the style of the novel, Emily seemed a fair narrator.

Having said that Burn after Reading was let down by its execution, yes there were twists and turns so you were unsure of the ending. The problem was there was never one event which took this novel to a must read book of its genre.

Ultimately Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard is a competent novel which readers who are aware of the story that this novel is based on will get something from it, It just will not make many best of the year list.

Burn After Reading is Catherine Ryan Howard’s latest standalone thriller and this one was inspired by the OJ Simpson case.

A dead wife in suspicious circumstances, the husband, Jack Smyth, is a professional athlete and all the evidence seems to point at his guilt, but he’s determined to prove his innocence.

The main character is Emily. She is struggling to write her second novel after the huge success of her debut book. As she’s already spent the advance and her publishers are losing patience she has no option other than to fly out to Florida to be the ghost writer for Jack Smyth. This means spending time with a suspected murderer in an isolated and deserted new town.

There are a couple of storylines running throughout this book. Emily has a secret that could destroy her career which she is determined to keep hidden at any cost. Jack may also be guilty of murdering his wife, so why would he choose to publicly reveal his secrets. Is he dangerous and is Emily risking her life to write this book?

The story has dual timelines so the reader slowly learns more about the events that led up to the wife’s death.

Overall I found this a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining book. If you enjoy books with twists and turns then you should love this too.

I’ve not read anything by Catherine Ryan Howard before and the bio had me intrigued, I was not disappointed this is a cleverly written thriller set in a new town in Florida still under construction giving it an eerie feel, I shall definitely be checking out other books by this Author.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard in return for my honest review.

I’ve read all this authors books and this was a highly anticipated read for me after I heard her talk about it at Theakstons Crime Festival last year. Unfortunately it fell rather flat for me and didn’t live up to my expectations. I wasn’t engaged in either of the timelines and so didn’t feel that exciting feeling when you switch from one to another and the narrative felt messy. Definitely not as good as her previous books but an ok read.

I’ve read quite a few books by this author, so was delighted to get a copy of her latest novel, Burn After Reading. The cover appealed to me and fits quite well with the story and title.

Emily is living in fear of paying back a €25,000 advance to her publisher as she’s been unable to write a second novel. When she gets the opportunity to write off her debt by being a ghost writer, she jumps at the chance. Jack Smyth has been suspected of murdering his wife and covering it up by setting a fire. He wants to write a book to tell his side of the story. They head to a development in Florida that’s still under construction. Emily feels like she’s being followed and watched, but by who?

The book switches between timelines and different characters points of view and this disrupted the flow of the story for me and made it feel a bit disjointed. Normally this author writes pacy, thrilling books that you can’t put down, but this one felt slow. It does pick up a bit in the last section but not enough to redeem itself I didn’t think.
I didn’t connect with the characters and maybe this contributed to why I felt it was so disjointed.

There are some serious issues dealt with in this book, such as sexual assault, coercion, domestic abuse, but in a way these felt skimmed over.

The ending was underwhelming and a damp squib for me.

This book was OK overall but I think this author definitely has more gripping and pacy books.

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

I really loved how unpredictable the book was! The atmosphere was weird and a bit scary and I had the urge to make sure my front door was definitely closed.

Burn after reading by @cathryanhoward

This book gave me the serious chills. It’s not often a book moves me that way (given how many thrillers I’ve read) but reading this in the house alone at night gave me a few chills

The writing is so atmospheric and tense and creeps the reader out. Jack is a weird character and the weird things that keep happening in the holiday home. The remoteness; the weird behaviour and then there’s the fact that Jack could be a killer. You would not find me ghost writing his book.

I enjoyed the story within a story aspect of this book and I always do find that this authors writing style is very unique and one I enjoy reading

This book is a great thriller for reading round the pool. It’s out on Thursday and highly recommend from me.

Thank you so much to the publisher for gifted finished copy

i've been singing catherine ryan howard's praises for the past few years and i was v excited to get early access to her latest

this book explores morality, ghostwriting, the true crime industry, all set in an eerie new community in florida. so compulsively readable, very tense and unsettling, and again i really liked the ending

Wow! This book pulled me in from the start. It's full of twists that keep you guessing right til the end. Highly recommend.

My first read by this author and I must admit, I struggled with it. The premise was so good that I decided to keep going but I just couldn't have any connection with the characters, and the chapters, although short, were all over the place and I had to keep going back to keep track.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

This was as you would expect from this author a book full of twists and turns most of them. I just didn’t see coming making it one heck of a good read. I liked the character of Emily and enjoyed the rapport between her and Jack and how it changed as the book progressed. This is one that I would recommend to all lovers of crime fiction perhaps it could’ve been a little shorter as towards the end as it seemed to drag a bit but that’s my only gripe. All in all it’s a book I enjoyed a lot as it kept me guessing.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another cracking read from Catherine Ryan Howard, Burn After Reading is full of plot twists and suspense.

Emily is a successful debut novelist, struggling to write her second book. Summoned to a meeting with her publisher, she is asked to ghostwrite a memoir for famous cyclist Jack Smyth.
After agreeing, Emily is flown to Sanctuary, a partially built town in America, where she is staying next door to Jack.
It turns out that the memoir she is being asked to write is actually a “non-confession “ from Jack, regarding the death of his wife, previously thought to have died in a house fire, but is now known to have been dead before the fire started.

This was a challenging read, told from multiple pov and timelines. I loved the twists.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for my honest review.

If you like your thrillers darkly clever, and just a little bit unhinged, Burn After Reading is your next obsession.

Catherine Ryan Howard delivers a wild ride through the world of true crime, fiction, and the blurry lines in between. It’s a story within a story—where the author’s manuscript might just be confessing to a real murder.

Catherine Ryan Howard knows how to write a twisty thriller - and this is is another well-crafted and compelling read.

Emily is a writer who, after a successful debut novel, is struggling with second book syndrome. In order to placate her publisher she agrees to ghostwrite the memoir of former professional cyclist Jack, who lost his wife Kate in a house fire. With evidence suggesting Kate was dead before the fire, Jack is the prime suspect - and the book is his opportunity to put his side. Emily flies to Florida to spend a week interviewing Jack - and things take some unexpected turns. What really happened - and what secrets is Emily herself keeping?

This is a story that keeps you constantly off balance, never quite knowing who to believe or who to trust. The fact that it all takes place in Sanctuary, a still under construction new town, adds to the sense of unease and isolation. Told in a mix of timelines and from multiple points of view, this is a book that keeps you guessing as details are slowly revealed - and keeps you turning the pages eager to get to the truth.

I was more disappointed than anything else by this book. Having enjoyed previous work from Catherine Ryan Howard and then whist it was on my tbr list I seemed to constantly be reading encouraging reviews and recommendations of it but the reality wasn’t as good as the anticipation
So going against what evidently is the majority view I thought the characters were leaden and despite a very original plot the story just dragged for me. The forward by the author was enticing so maybe just overall I heard and read too much so it was almost an inevitable fail.
It’s the book of the month for discussion in one of my book groups so I will be interested to see if anyone shares my opinion…

Emily is offered a chance to ghostwrite the autobiography of professional cyclist Jack Smyth who lost his wife in a house fire the year previous. She really wasn’t in a position to turn down this offer as her 2nd book was overdue to her publisher and she wasn’t in a position to pay back the advance.
She heads to Florida to interview Jack but with a lot of restrictions and this is when things start going wrong.

This is a decent read and will certainly keep the pages turning but not up to the author’s usual high standards. Somewhat disappointing.

Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and the publishers for this ARC.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I did not know who to believe in this book and thought the ending was really satisfying

I don’t tend to read crime or thrillers because I am a massive wuss, but I make an exception for Catherine Ryan Howard because she has the most brilliant ideas. The concept for Burn After Reading - inspired by OJ Simpson’s own apparently fictional confession - blew me away and I couldn’t wait to read it.

There’s something almost comforting in CRH’s writing, even when she’s writing about horrible events, I think it’s knowing you’re in safe hands with a writer totally in control of the material. I was gripped by this book from the opening pages and read it in a day. Towards the end I thought it got a bit convoluted and convenient, but not so much that it spoiled my enjoyment. Also the setting is fantastic and unlike anything I’ve read before. 4.5/5