‘INCENDIARY, TIMELY AND AUTHENTIC’ Crime Monthly

‘ORIGINAL AND DISTURBING’ Sunday Times

’UNDERLINES HOW FINE A WRITER NEWHAM IS’ Daily Mail

A tragic accident – or a ruthless killer?

When a flash mob on Brick Lane is interrupted by a sudden explosion, DI Maya Rahman dashes to the scene. A fire is raging through one of the city’s most infamous streets, the site of Maya’s childhood home. And the discovery of two charred bodies in the burnt-out building transforms an arson attack into a murder case.

With witnesses too caught up in the crowd to have seen anything useful, Maya is facing a complex investigation without a single lead. And, when reports of a second, even more horrifying crime land on Maya’s desk, it’s obvious there’s more at stake than she could ever have imagined. She must find the answers – before all of East London goes up in flames.

‘Reinvigorates the traditional police procedural … Maya Rahman is a brilliant addition to the canon of flawed-but-dogged detectives. Incendiary, timely and authentic’ Crime Monthly

‘Underlines how fine a writer Newham is and how fascinating her heroine is becoming. It’s no surprise Newham taught psychology in the East End before turning to writing – her unflinching eye and understanding of the area inhabit every sentence’ Daily Mail

‘Newham’s plots are original and disturbing, revealing aspects of Britain that don’t often appear in contemporary crime fiction’ Sunday Times

‘Newham’s gift is to make her complex, flawed characters live and breathe’ Times and Sunday Times Crime Club