First Published: 2016
The first chapter in this new Katie Maguire case shows us a dancing school or group, rehearsing.
Suddenly, one of the dancers, Catriona, smells something burning, and even though some of the others tell her that it must be the undertaker next door, she decides to check. So she opens a door, and a large flame hits her, burning her body, and the hot air rushes to the studio, injuring most of the people. Catriona is dead, and the instructor, Nicholas, tells all the others to find shelter in the attic. Once again when Nicholas opens the door, flames jump out of the place, surrounding everyone and killing them.
At the station Katie hears about the fire, so she tells the superintendent she will go. Before leaving, she runs into Conor, who in the previous book she had a relationship with and later found out he was already married. Conor wants to talk, but Katie has to leave and promises to call him. Katie and Inspector Dooley rush to the place, and the fire officer tells her that they haven’t spotted anyone behind the windows, which will mean they are all dead. And then Katie spots a shape on the roof. It is a girl who is rescued and taken to the ambulance. Katie asks her name, but the girl has so many problems breathing that she can’t even utter her own name.
I wonder if this fire is an arson attack, and if that is the case, why would anyone want to burn this dancing school and kill these apparently innocent people? I am also curious how that conversation between Katie and Conor will go. I have to say that I didn’t root for him in the previous book because I was disappointed that the story between Katie and John was over. I was angry with Katie for turning her back to John when he needed her, and it was so sad how he died. So I hated it when she slept with this new man while poor John was still hoping to have a relationship with her.
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