Burnt paper sky: Book 1 in Gilly Macmillan's detective series

I've read three of Gilly Macmillan's standalone novels. You can read my review of those books here. I am intrigued by the author as her books are cleverly constructed and her characters beautifully drawn, and so far I have not guessed what was going on. She takes seemingly ordinary people and situations and turns them into cracking stories.

Macmillan has written two novels about DI Jim Clemo. This review is of book 1, Burnt paper sky. To me, the book is less a police procedural and more about the impact of the crime on the people involved in it. Read on for my full review.

Burnt paper sky | Published December 2015 | Read January 2025

Burnt paper sky is set in Bristol, where nurse-turned photographer, Rachel Jenner, lives with her eight-year-old son, Ben, after a recent divorce from her doctor husband. Ben goes missing one Sunday afternoon while out walking in woodlands with Rachel after he skips ahead of her just for a moment.

DI Jim Clemo is called in to head up the investigation into Ben's disappearance. He puts forward his girlfriend, DC Emma Yang, to be the Family Liaison Officer on the case. DI Clemo is under a lot of pressure to find Ben as the clock is ticking. There are pages dedicated to his investigation - and he does all he can to find Ben - but the real interest lies in the impact of the case. DI Clemo's story is told partly in retrospect, through interactions with his therapist after the case is closed. I warmed to Jim but felt that his story took a backseat even though the investigative part of the book was interesting to read and the case clearly took its toll on him.

The focal point of the book for me was Rachel. Her story is compelling and I was invested in her strength and will to find her son. Rachel takes part in a disastrous press conference soon after she reports her son missing to appeal for help in finding Ben. From then on, Rachel faces unwanted media attention and the public turn on her, both for her emotional responses and her guilt over letting Ben out of her sight. Macmillan paints a strong picture of Rachel's character as she starts to unravel under the strain of Ben's disappearance and public perception. Her emotions are raw and real and I felt every part of here quest to find Ben. Macmillan shines an intelligent and thoughtful light on media portrayals of worried parents in such situations. She shows how easily words and actions can be interpreted to fit certain perceptions of people's reactions to stress and how perception influences presumed guilt. There's a strong theme of perception versus reality in the book, around the people we think we know (or presume to). The book also shows how a missing child investigation can reveal things bubbling under the surface about people and relationships.

The book highlights the role of social media in perceptions of people and how easily someone can be eviscerated by keyboard warriors, particularly when they change the focus of an investigation. I thought that Macmillan skilfully used blog posts and social media comments to present this theme without overusing the literary device.

There are lots of players in this story and sub-plots going on that mean Rachel has to cope with more than just her son's disappearance. Some of this could have been left out as they didn't add much to the story, but that's only a minor niggle. All the players were well fleshed out, each with their own flaws and fragilities. The book felt very authentic to me.

There was a long list of potential suspects so it was difficult to work out who was involved in Ben's disappearance and what happened to him. Macmillan constructed the Big Reveal in a realistic way, the pacing was just right, and I liked the restrained way she wrapped things up.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐