A Lovely Way to Burn

It doesn't look like murder in a city full of death.

A pandemic called 'The Sweats' is sweeping the globe. London is a city in crisis. Hospitals begin to fill with the dead and dying, but Stevie Flint is convinced that the sudden death of her boyfriend Dr Simon Sharkey was not from natural causes. As roads out of London become gridlocked with people fleeing infection, Stevie's search for Simon's killers takes her in the opposite direction, into the depths of the dying city and a race with death.

A Lovely Way to Burn is the first outbreak in the Plague Times trilogy. Chilling, tense and completely compelling, it's Louise Welsh writing at the height of her powers.

Short-listed for Deanston Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award 2014 (UK)
Short-listed for Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Writing Award 2014 (UK)
Long-listed for Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2015 (UK)

“You know you're in for a seriously chilling read in this apocalyptic thriller when three very unlikely killers - an MP, a hedge fund manager and a vicar - go on a murderous rampage in the sweltering capital-- Marie Claire”

I was with Louise Welsh's gutsy gripping heroine Stevie Flint every terrifying step of the way - Kirsty Wark, author of The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle

I read it in two sittings, pausing only to sleep and dream about it. Gripping, perfectly paced and beautifully written - Erin Kelly, author of The Poison Tree

A terrifying journey into the possible, this is dystopia for today. Feral, frightening and fascinating, A Lovely Way to Burn gripped and chilled me in equal measure - Val McDermid

The first in a trilogy, and it should be huge - Bookseller

I've felt for a while that we are in the mood for an intelligent slice of London-based dystopia, and I think Louise Welsh has cracked it with A Lovely Way to Burn . . . it kept me up all night nervously turning the pages - Cathy Rentzenbrink, Bookseller

Welsh constructs an intelligent mystery within the pages of A Lovely Way to Burn . . . It's close enough to what we know to be utterly terrifying and that was part of its hold on me. Welsh has taken our everyday lives, given them a twist, and put them in the background of an intriguing, addictive novel - Girlreporter

The book isn't out until the 20th March but a mixture of Welsh's writing style and the subject matter made it impossible to resist - Crimepieces

This is can't put down good - Candis

Louise Welsh is the author of five highly acclaimed novels including The Cutting Room and, most recently, The Girl on the Stairs. She has been the recipient of several awards. A Lovely Way to Burn is the first novel in the Plague Times trilogy.

Visit Louise's website for more information:

It doesn't look like murder in a city full of death. A pandemic called 'The Sweats' is sweeping the globe. London is a city in crisis. Hospitals begin to fill with the dead and dying, but Stevie Flint is convinced that the sudden death of her boyfriend Dr Simon Sharkey was not from natural causes. As roads out of London become gridlocked with people fleeing infection, Stevie's search for Simon's killers takes her in the opposite direction, into the depths of the dying city and a race with death. A Lovely Way to Burn is the first outbreak in the Plague Times trilogy. Chilling, tense and completely compelling, it's Louise Welsh writing at the height of her powers.

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