The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor, Penguin/ Random House, $37

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. A ripper of a yarn that will have readers on the edge of their seats while they wait for the next twist. Reverend Jack Brooks is assigned to a small town in the back of beyond. Chapel Croft has a dark history and some very strange residents. When her (yes Jack is a woman) teenage daughter makes friends with a young man she doesn’t trust she has to tread lightly. In fact, she must tread lightly around all the residents of this strange little village. Things start to go wrong when they receive menacing messages and Flo starts having visions of burning girls. The danger is not just from within the community — someone else is looking for Jack and they are closing in. If you like thrillers, you will love this. —