Review: Murder in Shades of Fire and Ash by Ripley Hayes

Title: Murder in Shades of Fire and Ash

Series: DS Charlie Rees: Book Four

Author: Ripley Hayes

Length: 237 Pages

Category: Murder Mystery

Rating: 4 Stars

At a Glance: If you’re a fan of the author and this series, make sure to catch Murder in Shades of Fire and Ash. It’s political, it’s relevant, it’s all too sad reality, and it’s a great procedural mystery.

Reviewed By: Lisa

Blurb: A searing summer heatwave. A terrifying fire and a dead police officer.

Not your typical north Wales summer for DS Charlie Rees. Social media is awash with lies about local holiday parks being requisitioned to house refugees. Sleepy Llanfair finds itself on the radar of the far right.

Charlie is called out to a fire at an Asian-run business, and in the shattering aftermath, a body is discovered. To his horror, Charlie’s straight-talking colleague Patsy Hargreaves is the number one suspect for the murder.

In the centre of a media storm, Llanfair suffers another devastating fire and another body is discovered. Will Charlie find the evidence he needs before the whole town goes up in flames?

Review: Social media as a scourge on society plays a role in Murder in Shades of Fire and Ash, elevating fiction over reality, escalating lies and fomenting hate with little regard for the consequences. Confirmation bias as a catalyst of the crimes committed in this installment of the series is rooted in prejudice and malice. To look closely is to see how volatile the world has become.

Arson and murder and racist graffiti keep DC Charlie Rees and the little Llanfair police station taxed to its investigative limits during a heatwave that stretches patience thin. It doesn’t smooth matters over at all when one of Llanfair’s own officers becomes a prime suspect in a shocking murder. There is some romantic suspense driving this story too, as Charlie and his husband Tom navigate their partnership and, more specifically, integrate Tom’s teenage daughters into their household, something with which Charlie is struggling mightily; he can’t help but resent the intrusion on his new marriage and formerly quiet household.

Ripley Hayes consistently writes a gripping mystery and infuses them with personal touches. Her characters are not merely law enforcement officers; they have lives that reach beyond their jobs, and those touches of commonality and realism go a long way to building a kinship between characters and readers. If you’re a fan of the author and this series, make sure to catch Murder in Shades of Fire and Ash. It’s political, it’s relevant, it’s all too sad reality, and it’s a great procedural mystery.