Penguin Random House UK are thrilled to announce the publication of A Slow Fire Burning, the masterful new book from international No. 1 bestselling novelist Paula Hawkins, on 31st August 2021. A Slow Fire Burning is a propulsive, twisty thriller which examines the insidious and destructive nature of past trauma. Paula Hawkins writes: ‘A Slow Fire Burning starts with a brutal murder on a London canal boat. Laura, a likely suspect, is witnessed leaving the scene and for a while it looks like a straightforward case. But what I wanted to explore in this book is the way that no tragedy happens in isolation: an accident in childhood can have ramifications a decade later; trusting the wrong person at the wrong time can derail a life completely. I am interested in the way we become the people we are: how we choose what to hold onto and how those things can wound us.’