Once secrets catch� they spread� Deadly fires are lighting up Brighton, and the latest case is alarmingly close to home for DC Eve Starling. The blaze was deliberately set, and a mother and daughter didn’t make it out of the smoke.
Eve’s investigation takes her deep into her own uncomfortable past. When her key witness disappears, and with the killer always one step ahead, Eve is desperate to solve the case � whatever the cost.
But Eve has no idea how close she is to the flames, and playing with fire can get you burned�
I'm a crime thriller author from Northampton, where I live with my wife Laura and daughter Hallie.
I've always been a writer... although the stories I wrote as a child about my pets will never see the light of day, I knew from a young age that one day I wanted to see my name on a book cover. I studied Creative & Media Writing at Middlesex University and then went on to become a copywriter for a global brand.
When I'm not writing (or mumming!), I can usually be found reading, painting, gaming or playing the bass guitar.
An amazing debut novel! I galloped through this book, unable to stop reading. To say I enjoyed it is an understatement, and I'm not easily impressed. As a police procedural novel, it ticked all the boxes for me: excellent storyline, great characters, a range of emotions, and a plot twist that I never saw coming. The characters were well written, engaging and believable - who hasn't had chocolate for breakfast at some point! The plot was intreguing and well crafted. I had to check that this actually was a debut novel, as it was written with such skill and aplomb. I can't wait to read more by Roxie Key, hopefully featuring Eve Starling.
Absolutely cracking read. Quality of the writing is so confident and self-assured. Feels like a fresh take on the police procedural with a fascinating lead character in DC Eve Starling - hope to see plenty more of her in future books. The tragic case at the centre of the story is heartbreaking enough, but then we have Eve’s own secrets bubbling away from her past to complement the two timelines that the author skilfully weaves together throughout to great effect. Highly recommended and can’t wait to see what Roxie Key writes next.
A mother and her daughter have died in an arson attack, will their killer be brought to justice?
“The Deadly Spark� is an assured debut, complete with compelling characters and a layered mystery.
Due to one of the victims being a young girl, some may find this a difficult read but, in my opinion, that’s a testament to the quality of this incredibly well-written novel.
Roxie Key has crafted a believable story that hits the reader where it hurts.
Not only is “The Deadly Spark� a great crime novel, it’s full of humanity, too.
With The Deadly Spark, Roxie Key boldly sears her name into the crime fiction conversation. An enthralling mystery run through with trauma and redemption, carrying real freshness, sensitivity, surprises, and potency. It is a standout novel written with a sureness of touch that renders this no ordinary debut - and announces Key as a star talent that is sure to be a crime fiction mainstay for many years to come.
With many thanks to HQ and Netgalley for this arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily
WOW! Let me just get my breath back! This is an incredible debut - so good it felt like I was in the middle of a series. Fantastic storyline with a brilliant twist, this is proper edge of your seat stuff. Eve was such a likeable and believable character and I genuinely hope Roxie Key goes on to make this into a series of books. Debuts don’t come much better than this, take a bow Ms Key
#TheDeadlySpark #NetGalley Brilliant. Once secrets catch� they spread� Deadly fires are lighting up Brighton, and the latest case is alarmingly close to home for DC Eve Starling. The blaze was deliberately set, and a mother and daughter didn’t make it out of the smoke. Eve’s investigation takes her deep into her own uncomfortable past. When her key witness disappears, and with the killer always one step ahead, Eve is desperate to solve the case � whatever the cost. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advance copy.
DC Eve Starling is investigating an arson case that left a woman and her child dead. Their main suspect has disappeared, and pressure is mounting from the media to solve the case. Can Eve catch the culprit before anyone else gets hurt?
This was a good read. I enjoyed the dual perspective and the flashbacks into the past. The way the story unravels is skilfully done and gathers suspense well. There’s some great little twists along the way that I didn’t see coming and the ending was explosive! I couldn’t turn those pages fast enough!
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my advanced copy.
What an amazingly hot debut from the wonderfully talented Roxie Key� We are introduced to the world of detective Eve Starling when they investigate a double murder after two bodies found in a deliberately set house fire, including a young child. Who would want to kill them and why? ? A key suspect goes missing and a witness also disappears so what is going on? This book is brilliantly written in the present, and also in the past building up to a dramatic conclusion . Do you not want to give too much away, but as a debut, this was truly magnificent� Cannot wait for more books from this amazing author, and hopefully they will involve the brilliant Eve Starling!!!
CWs: implied past suicide, domestic abuse, alcohol abuse, past adult-minor relationship, lesbophobia
Galley provided by publisher
It only took me a few pages to work out that The Deadly Spark wasn’t for me. The culprit was, of course, the writing style, so this is going to be a very brief review. There wasn’t anything outright bad about the book except that, which is a personal issue really. I’m very particular about writing styles and, if for any reason I dislike it, that’s it the book is a dud for me. And that was primarily the case here. I had a couple of other issues minor here and there � namely how ridiculous the plot seemed, and also that � but I did find myself curious as to how it would end, and that’s what kept me reading all the way.
A mother and daughter die in a house fire. Arson is suspected. For DC Eve Starling, the case forces her to confront a past she has tried to run from.
This is a dual timeline, dual POV thriller/police procedural that moves at a fast pace. It is decently twisty with a cast of interesting and compelling characters. I always enjoy Imogen Wilde as a narrator and this audiobook was no exception. She does regional British accents so well!
Not quite a 4 star read as I really didn't care for the final twist.
Roxie Key’s debut novel, The Deadly Spark, is really very good: a proper thriller, well-constructed, intricate, and with excellent characters and a cracking plot. It’s set in Brighton, where a series of arson attacks have got the police worried, and the latest attack has had deadly consequences, because a young mother and her 5-year-old daughter have perished, making it a murder inquiry. Soon another murder follows.
The protagonist is a detective constable with a tragic past, called Eve Starling. As she and the police team investigate the latest fire they find the main suspect (after all others have proved to have good alibis) to be the dead woman’s partner � a young woman called Anya, who has disappeared and may now be dead.
Described as a ‘psychological suspense crime thriller� there are several strands to the story. There’s Eve’s present and Eve’s past; Anya’s present and past; and the mysterious Kate, a woman whom we immediately realise is, in fact, Anya on the run. In Eve’s past there’s a tragedy that has to do with fire, although we are never sure if this is relevant. And Anya has an equally tragic past, which she’s running and hiding from. To start with, the changes of narrator and timeline are very confusing but you soon get used to it. The murder is eventually solved by Eve when she witnesses Anya’s reaction to seeing someone of whom she shouldn’t really be scared of. But along the way the reader is presented with several surprises, some quite shocking.
Yes, the construction of this novel and the plot are complicated! But Roxie Key tells all the different stories so cleverly that they and the timelines never feel muddled. And the writing is good. The chapters are short and sharp, with each one ending so the reader is looking forward to the next instalment of that particular story/timeline.
The author also writes with a light hand and the characters she has created are beautifully drawn, with the foibles we all have as well as an extra layer that we hope we don’t! The almost-all female team of detectives are particularly vividly described and all of us enjoyed reading about several women, all in key roles, working in a team led by a woman. And as for the villain, well they were very well camouflaged, right up until the point they were about to be revealed. But that wasn’t nearly the end of the story, because all the different threads are tied up in unexpected ways and the real ‘end� is immensely satisfying, with a very surprising twist on what is almost the last page.
Obviously, reading this as a group, some of us liked this book more than others, but the majority view of Oundle Crime is that we’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, light read with a clever plot, because it ticks all those boxes. Apparently, there’s another book about Eve Starling in the pipeline which we look forward to reading, and in the meantime we give this 4 Stars. Review by: Oundle Crime
So, so good!! The story is so layered with multiple plots and subplots across past and present keep you so engaged and gripped as you are reading to find out so many different things, not just the main crime the book is centred around. This is really well written though as unlike other books, everything is linked very clearly and you're not re-reading parts to remember everything that's going on. I felt the characters were really well-written and developed too, and the twist at the unpredictable, but also made sense, as little foreshadowing hints had been dropped throughout the book, so it didn't feel like it came out of nowhere, but was also a shock to the reader. An incredible debut, I can't wait to read more from Roxie Key :)
Picked up at Crime Central in Manchester after listening to the author talk about her debut novel. This is a great thriller with tonnes of pace and intrigue.
Each character is beautifully drawn and believable. Pulling the multiple strands and time periods together in order to propel the story is expertly handled and had me unable to put this down as it raced to it's conclusion.
If this is just the beginning I can only imagine just how great the rest of this author's work will be.
When a head teacher and her young daughter die in a house fire Brighton Police are soon on the case. It appears an open and shut case. The victims girlfriend appears to have the motive, means and was seen running away from the crime scene. DC Eve Starling is one of the case officers who doesn’t think things fit together quite right. With demons of her own to confront, can she get to the truth before time runs out and others are hurt.
Great debut novel from Roxie Key. As a police procedural there’s plenty to keep you gripped from the dual aspect and dual time line to well rounded characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.
DC Eve Starling is investigating a murder involving a deliberate blaze which was set. Unfortunately this is a bit close to home for Eve and she has to try and face the past. Eve, a long with her team, are desperate to solve this crime. Will they manage to find out who the perpetrator is?
This is a solid debut thriller with an interesting narrative. The story is told in a few different perspectives and in past and present, which I enjoyed and managed to pick up the backstory from. I liked most of the cast of characters and would be happy seeing them come back in a second novel and learning more about them. The story is quite evenly placed and it’s easy to follow the investigation. I did feel at times the story lacked a little depth and I guessed the twists early on but overall this wasn’t bad for a debut and I would read the next in the series. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.
Wow what an outstanding debut novel. I genrally enjoy thrillers or psychological genres, and this was slightly different following more of the detetective role that I loved. The split timelines of the main character Eve from when she was a young girl at the (then timeline) and how this impacted her life to the (now timeline) was brilliantly done. She had to face various personal triggers as anyone would, in reality, making this totally relatable to the reader.
There were various twists in this storyline I didn't see coming, and it really had me gripped from the beginning right until the very end. I absolutely loved it. I hope this is the beginning of a series because I'd most definitely like to read more and could see alot of potential for this character and the team she worked with to grow and continue in the future. This really was fantastic. It gets all the stars from me 🌟
Regarding the narration this was well narrated imo it flowed well and I had no problem following the storyline and listening to tones, frequency and pitch of all the various aspects and depicting moments within this story. The emphasis was done well where required etc overall really I can't offer any constructive criticism on this book at all.
Thank you to Harper Collins Audio UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book in return for an honest and open review.
what an incredible debut novel! 🤯 when roxie reached out to me and asked if she could send a copy of her debut novel, i was immediately intrigued & agreed! after finishing this book, i am SO glad i did so! the suspense, the “who done it?�, the not knowing who to trust, all of it made for such an interesting, ‘im on the edge of my seat� kind of thriller!! i honestly cant believe this is a debut novel! the writing is SO good, it all just flows so effortlessly! there wasn’t a single point in the book where i felt like it was missing elements from the plot! i would definitely recommend this book to my thriller girlies, it would be a PERFECT thriller to read in autumn/winter! i cant wait to read more of roxie’s work! 🫶🏽
What a fantastic read! So well-written, fabulously twisted and thrilling, The Deadly Spark is a great example of police procedural. I listened to it and finished it in one day. It's so so good that I just couldn't stop. There's something really captivating in the way it's written, in the story itself, it had me hooked right from the first sentence. DC Eve Starling is a great lead, tenacious, strong and yet vulnerable. I do hope there'll be more books featuring her in the future. I absolutely loved The Deadly Spark and highly recommend it to all crime readers out there.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for my copy of the book.
A well written book that had me gripped! DC Eve Starling has to face her traumatic past when people are dying in fires in her hometown of Brighton. When a mother and her young child are the latest victims, all of Eve's emotions are triggered.
Told from Eve's POV in the present and the past, and from Anya's POV as the main suspect in the case, the pacing is spot on and the twists are plentiful.
I really enjoyed getting to know Eve and the balance of personal and police procedural within the story. I hope there is more to come.
5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Roxie Key and Harper Collins for an ARC in return for an honest review.
An absolutely belting debut novel, right from the first words I was completely gripped. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know DC Eve Starling, and her team. I’d be intrigued to know if there are plans for a series. She’s such a well written character that I’d be keen to follow up with.
The plot was absolutely solid, there’s a definite “up to date� feel around the style of policing. The story was fast paced, intriguing and there were some heart hammering moments, along with a massive twist that I did not see coming. Absolutely well deserved 5 stars 🌟 #Jorecommends
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio UK for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.
WOW! Fantastic read, I couldn’t believe the twist at the end, didn’t see it coming!! Such a gripping story, I loved the main characters and the way the author gave you a view point from each of them both then & now. It was fast paced and I loved it! A brilliant debut from Roxie Key and I cannot wait for more in the series!! Could also imagine this as a TV series too 🧡🔥👏🏻
Brilliant read. Descriptive language throughout really set each scene and the pace made it a real page turner. Hard to put down as you just need to read the next chapter!!
DC Eve Starling is investigating a fire that killed a mother and her young daughter, which brings back memories from her past.
The Deadly Spark is a gripping story with twists that you won't see coming.
The plot is clever and well-written in a way that keeps you turning those pages. It had me constantly wondering what was going to happen next.
I loved the characters in this book. In particular I found Eve to be very likeable and I enjoyed getting to know her through the flashbacks to her past. It's important for me to want to root for the protagonist and this was definitely the case in The Deadly Spark.
The combination of great characters and an exciting plot makes this an excellent read.
Thank you HQ for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Roxie, Wow, What a first ever book, I was hooked and loved it, Can’t wait to read your next one, Send me a signed copy pls as I’m a fan of your after reading this, A very big well done and thank you for sharing this Great book, I loved it.
An enjoyable read that follows two main charachters as their past story is told along side what is happening in present day. A decent twist at the end that keeps you guessing just how everyone is involved in the crime.