The Burning Woman - (Inspector Reis) by Patricia Marques (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A local woman is found in a children's playground, tied up and burned to death. Her clothes are neatly folded and laid at the base of a nearby tree. Her body, charred and still smoking, is on display for all to see.

One town over, another victim is discovered in the scorched remains of a brutal fire, her clothes having been laid out just beyond the reach of the vicious flames.

Isabel Reis is called back to her post in the PolÍcia Judiciária hunt the serial killer and extinguish the red-hot city of Lisbon, or will she too get caught up in the smoke of the fire burning so close to home . . .

The blood-tingling final instalment in the critically acclaimed Inspector Reis series propels us back to Portugal, right into the path of a serial killer.

Review Quotes

Breathtakingly original, and a captivating sense of place

Broken Oaths is a mesmerising and propulsive speculative crime thriller, which had me gripped from the start and all the way to its heart-pounding conclusion. Assured writing, engaging characters and a brilliant speculative concept, the Inspector Isabel Reis series continues to be a fantastic contribution to the contemporary crime genre

A brilliant read. The premise and characters are intriguing, the story completely compelling - I couldn't put it down - and I loved the beautifully depicted setting of Lisbon

A brilliantly inventive and twisty tale

A distinctive, intriguing, immersive debut

A brilliant read and a stunning addition to the Isabel Reis series . . . Patricia Marques is an author with a gift

An amazing genre-bending debut

An original clever, inventive and suspenseful thriller. I loved being back in Inspector Reis's world

I love this series - the finest of speculative crime. Marques has really hit her stride with this one - the third in the series and the best yet!

Marques sets Lisbon alight with this beautifully drawn thriller. Gifted detective Isabel Reis is everything we want from our protagonists - original and compelling, unique and fascinating. A story that'll leave you red-eyed and sleep deprived, The Colours of Death is a bold, compelling police drama a step beyond the ordinary with writing to match

Patricia Marques debut takes the classic crime novel and the evocative setting of Lisbon, and utterly transforms both with a fascinating speculative twist.Pacy, immersive and brain-shiveringly clever. A brilliantly original crime story

This is crime fiction with a twist. Detective Inspector Reis is in pursuit of a killer. Nothing new there, but the murders take place in an alternative Lisbon, Portugal where the population is split into gifted or non-gifted and Inspector Reis is registered as gifted due to her being a telepath. This was a gripping and highly invented thrill ride. I can't wait for more

Compelling and original, this glints with freshness--Daily Mail

Praise for the Inspector Reis series

A good detective story . . . intriguing--Guardian

Beautifully told, with great verve, this is sharp, taut story-telling--Daily Mail

Crime fiction with a twist ---SFX Magazine

About the Author

Half-Angolan and half-Portuguese, Patricia was born in Portugal but moved to England when she was eight. As well as the MA in Creative Writing from City she holds a BA in Creative Writing from Roehampton. She lives in London and The Colours of Death was her first novel. House of Silence is her second.