Review of The Burning Air by Erin Kelly

The Burning Air is a psychological thriller based on a prominent family who have no idea what hell is coming there way so long as the antagonist has their way. The novel begins with the journal entries of  the MacBrides matriarch. So, from the beginning we know there are secrets that aren't meant to be exposed. We just don't know how deep those secrets run. After the death of Mrs. Macbride, the family meet to scatter her ashes at their old country estate. This estate is way off the beaten path. It's one of those homes that cell phones don't cover so if you find your self battling a crazy mofo, this location is probably not ideal.

This compelling dark, psychological thriller is sure to keep you up turning page after page to find out what all the big dark secrets are and how someone can be so obsessed with a family. Erin Kelly does a great job at keeping the reader engaged and hanging on to every word on the page. As the layers are peeled back on this novel the more invested the reader will become. Initially the story is pretty slow but once the protagonist is given the rheins, the story really comes together and starts to flourish.

There were moments in this story I felt that the butterfly effect was taken way too literally by the antagonist. This antagonist believes that the Macbride family has slighted them and wants to humiliate the family to the point they are unable to recover. I don't understand why they want to do this since I'm a forgive and forget kinda person. With this being such a psychologically themed thriller, the themes are at every turn. Themes such as regret, revenge, retribution, family bonds, and forgiveness. The antagonist bases their whole existence upon this family. I kept thinking of the book Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer while reading this novel. Not that it's in any way an exact replica, only in the sense that someone allowed hate and revenge eat away at their lives in the most unhealthy manner instead of just moving on.

Although for the most part, I really enjoyed reading this book. I imagine Kelly kept most of my interest because I had to know what the big secret was but ultimately, the ending fell a little flat for me. The climax had virtually no buildup and the ending was a little too neat. I can excuse these flaws because of how well developed the characters are, and how well written the novel is. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good twisted story about revenge and what it means to hold on to the things that are bothering you for so long. My advice: just let it go! ****