Book Summary and Reviews of The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns

The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns

The Burn Palace

by Stephen Dobyns

  • Critics' Consensus (1):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2013, 480 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

From award-winning author Stephen Dobyns comes a sardonic yet chilling literary novel of suspense about a small New England town beset by all manner of inexplicable – and perhaps supernatural – criminal acts.  

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. A tour de force genre buster that could be a breakout." - Publishers Weekly

"Dobyns peoples this literary chiller with a fully rounded cast of memorable characters, from an eerily self-possessed 10-year-old with an unusual gift to an opera-loving policeman who secretly longs to be a set designer. Expertly paced and smoothly written, this should appeal to both thriller and horror fans" - Booklist

"This is an intricate who-done-it with richly drawn characters, a superb sense of place, and just enough otherworldly action to tantalize. Requiring close attention, it is not for those looking for a quick read but should appeal to readers of literary mysteries and lovers of New England fiction." - Library Journal

"An utterly believable tale, and Dobyns isn't above scaring the reader silly with surprise twists and turns. Nicely done - and you may never look at doctors the same way again. " - Kirkus

This information about The Burn Palace was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Click here and be the first to review this book!

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Author Information

Stephen Dobyns

Stephen Dobyns is the author of more than thirty novels and poetry collections, including The Church of the Dead Girls, Cold Dog Soup, and Cemetery Nights. Among his many honors and awards are a Melville Cane Award, Pushcart Prizes, National Poetry Series prize, and three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. His novels have been translated into 20 languages, and his poetry has appeared in the Best American Poems anthology. Dobyns teaches creative writing at Warren Wilson College and has taught at the University of Iowa and Sarah Lawrence College.

More Author Information

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked The Burn Palace, try these:

  • Into the Savage Country jacket

    Into the Savage Country

    by Shannon Burke

    Published 2016

    About this book

    An adventure which illuminating how extreme circumstances expose the truth about the natures of individual men and their bravery, loyalty, and friendship.

  • The Animals jacket

    The Animals

    by Christian Kiefer

    Published 2016

    About this book

    For fans of Denis Johnson and Peter Matthiessen, a literary thriller from one of the most exciting new voices in American fiction.

  • Blood Is The Sky jacket

    Blood Is The Sky

    by Steve Hamilton

    Published 2004

    About this book

    At once elegant and enormously suspenseful, Steve Hamilton's Blood Is the Sky heralds his arrival as one of the premier crime writers working today.

We have 10 read-alikes for The Burn Palace, but non-members are limited to three results. Join free to see the complete list of recommendations.
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!
Book Club Giveaway!
Win L.A. Women

L.A. Women by Ella Berman

Two ambitious writers in 1960s LA face betrayal when one writes a novel based on the other's life.

Enter

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    Days of Sun and Shadow
    by India Hayford
    A young woman’s coming-of-age story set in the early American frontier, shaped by tragedy, nature, and resilience.
  • Book Jacket
    Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
    by David Woo, Margalit Shinar
    Nine linked stories reveal how globalization sparks life-changing consequences across continents.
  • Book Jacket
    Chelsea Girls
    by Catherine Lloyd
    A glamorous biographical novel on Mary Quant, whose daring design of the miniskirt revolutionized fashion.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket
    An Infinite Love Story
    by Chanel Cleeton
    “A tender, romantic drama that soars as high as it’s astronauts.” —Kate Quinn
  • Book Jacket
    Summer of Love
    by Kerri Maher
    Three women reshape their family's Napa Valley winery after the 1967 Summer of Love.
Book
Trivia
  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

The C is A R

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.