I wanted to like Sarah-Jane Collins’ debut novel, Radiant Heat, so much more than I did. The description of a woman who survives an Australian bush fire only to find that she’s still in danger sounded appealiing. However, I had a hard time liking Alison King, the protagonist.

Alison survived the fire that threatened her life by wrapping herself in a wet blanket, and sheltering in her bathtub. When she leaves the house to see the devastation, she discovers a red car in her driveway with the body of a woman in it. According to the ID, Simone Arnold is from Queensland, and resembled Alison. As Alison searches for information, she finds a paper in the woman’s purse. It has Alison’s name and address on it.

When a neighbor shows up, Alison flees with him. She shelters in a friend’s home, but her first instinct is not to seek out the police. When a childhood friend, Billy, who is now a cop, shows up, Alison tells him about the body in her driveway, but doesn’t tell him about the paper with her contact information. Instead, she uses Billy for sex, a proof of life after the danger she faced. But, there’s more danger out there.

When a police detective shows up, Detective Mitchell questions Alison, wanting to know if she knew the dead woman. They both lived in the same apartment building in Cairns at one time, and Mitchell is suspicious. It takes a while for Alison to realize the women both dated an abusive man, but knew him under different names. Now, Alison fears her ex is on her trail, and has tracked her to her home.

Radiant Heat is an atmospheric novel that capitalizes on the claustrophobic nature of wildfire. But, the focus is on an abused woman who doesn’t know how to move on with her life, or accept the fact that everything that happens isn’t her fault. She’s afraid to accept affection, and feels as if nothing is in her control. Alison King is a difficult character to like, which made it hard to like the story.

Sarah-Jane Collins’ website is https://sarahjanemaree.com/

Radiant Heat by Sarah-Jane Collins. Berkley, 2024. ISBN 9780593550342 (hardcover), 352p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley to review for a journal.