Burn after Reading : The Gripping and Addictive New Thriller from the Number One Bestselling Author

A ghostwriter is tasked with capturing the memoirs of a man who might be a murderer and he's ready to confess...Get ready to be addicted to the gripping, must-read new mystery thriller from the bestselling author of 56 Days and The Trap.

THE INSTANT #1 BESTSELLER

‘Sharp, clever and wonderfully tense – an outstanding one-sitting read, I adored it’ -- Andrea Mara, Sunday Times bestselling author of Someone in the Attic

'The perfect thriller' -- L. V. Matthews, author of the Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Twins


The night Jack Smyth ran into flames in a desperate attempt to save his wife from their burning home, he was, tragically, too late - but hailed a hero.

Until it emerged that Kate was dead long before the fire began.

Suspicion has stalked him ever since. After all, there's no smoke without fire.

A year on, he's signed a book deal. He wants to tell his side of the story, to prove his own innocence in print. He just needs someone to help him write it.

Emily has never ghostwritten anything before, but she knows what it’s like to live with a guilty secret.

And she's about to learn that some stories should never be told . . .

Praise for Burn After Reading:

‘[An] ingeniously twisted, intriguing and entertaining mystery. Bravo! -- Liz Nugent, bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond

'A masterclass in suspense, utterly addictive, intelligently crafted, and impossible to put down' --Clémence Michallon, bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant

'This is one red hot thriller that boasts a vivid, true-crime authenticity at its molten core' --Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal

'A craftily constructed and genuinely sinister thriller' -- Mail on Sunday

‘Tense, chilling and extremely well-plotted -- Sarah Turner, 'The Unmumsy Mum', bestselling author of Stepping Up

'I love novels about authors writing and there’s just the right level of detail . . . A very compelling, original and entertaining thriller' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Captivating, original and perfectly plotted. Another brilliant book from this first class author' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'This story is compelling and haunting in places and kept me gripped to the page' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
** Don't miss Catherine Ryan Howard's 56 DAYS, now available Amazon Prime Video! **

BURN AFTER READING was an instant #1 Irish Times bestseller on 20/4/2025

Catherine Ryan Howard is the author of 56 Days, which was an overall No. 1 bestseller in Ireland and a Kindle top ten bestseller, as well as winning Crime Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2021, and The Nothing Man, which shot straight to the top of the Irish bestseller charts on publication, was a Kindle No. 1 bestseller in the UK and was shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.
Her work has been shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Novel, and longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2023. She lives in Dublin.