Thriller

Review: Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez

~ megs14malloy

Before She Finds MeBefore She Finds Me by Heather Chavez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Before She Finds Me is the latest release from Heather Chavez. I went into this very excited, as I really enjoyed Chavez’s two earlier releases, No Bad Deed and Blood Will Tell.

In this novel we follow the perspectives of two different women, Julia and Ren. On the surface, these women are as different as different can be, but their lives are about to become entangled in some pretty serious ways.

On the day Julia is moving her daughter, Cora, into her new college dorm, a viscous, seemingly senseless attack rocks the campus and leaves Cora injured.

It’s only due to Julia’s quick reaction that Cora wasn’t more seriously hurt. Unable to stop thinking about the event, Julia starts to question whether it was as random as everyone else seems to think.

Ren, pregnant with her first child, is a trained assassin, as is her husband, Nolan. Ren doesn’t know Julia and she wasn’t on the campus that day, but she knows who was, Nolan, and he’s left a big ole’ mess in his wake.

Ren needs to clean-up after him. After watching footage of the incident numerous times, Ren is curious about the woman in the crowd with the unbelievable reaction time. Who is she and what, if any, is her connection to this job?

When both women begin to hunt for answers, it’s inevitable that their paths are going to cross and their going to find themselves on opposing sides. With both Ren and Julia willing to risk it all to protect their families, which mother is going to come out of this alive?

Y’all, I went into this one with the highest of hopes. I found both of Chavez’s earlier novels to be engrossing and fast-paced. I had a blast with them. While I have read many great reviews for this newest book, I just could not connect with it.

The opening scenes were intense as heck, but then it slowed way down. By 21%, I was feeling nothing. I could have taken it, or left it. I just kept reading other reviews and they were glowing. I decided to keep going.

By 50%, I was contemplating giving up, but again, the rave reviews kept me going. I started feeling myself going into a slump. It felt like I had been reading it forever.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the writing. I still really enjoy Chavez’s writing. It’s fluid, well-thought out and her characters feel real. However, the plot was plodding along slower than a snail crawling up hill.

Frankly, I don’t know if snails crawl slower going up hill, but you get the picture.

When I finished, it was cause for celebration.

At that time, if you asked me how long it had taken me to read this, I would have guessed 6-weeks, but it was actually just shy of a month. It wasn’t fun.

This made it tricky for me to rate. I love Chavez and her writing, but it’s clear this one didn’t hit for me. My personal experience was more of a 2-star, but I know there is a good story in here and if you can be drawn into it, or into the characters, I know you will have a good time with it.

So, with all this being said, and my tiny complaints aired, just ignore me. Go read all of the 4-star and 5-star reviews for this one. If you have any interest at all, give it a shot.

I will definitely be continuing to pick up all of Chavez’s books as they are released. Just because this one didn’t knock me out of the park, doesn’t mean the next one won’t.

Thank you to the publisher, Mulholland Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to seeing what Heather Chavez comes up with next!

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Review: The Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett

~ megs14malloy

The Weekend EscapeThe Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

After reading the synopsis for The Weekend Escape, I knew I needed to read it. This set-up is my absolute go-to for atmospheric, thrilling reads.

A deserted island, a vicious storm, a murderer amongst friends…

The weekend was intended as a fun reunion for six friends, Val, Bobbie, Juliet, Amanda, Lyndsey and Sonia, but almost as soon as the women arrive on the deserted island, their destination for the weekend, things take a turn for the worst.

The women form a bit of an informal climbing group, they’ve been climbing things together since they were school girls. Their mountain this weekend, an old lighthouse.

A climbing incident leaves one of the women injured. Inclement weather and other extenuating circumstances make communication with the mainland impossible.

Power outages, misplaced poison, secrets, lies and a mysterious Bird Warden, add to the tension and spiraling happenings. What started as a weekend for fun and adventure has turned into a weekend of survival and a fight for their lives.

Who will make it through the weekend escape?

I had fun with this. The setting and atmosphere delivered as promised. I also enjoyed learning about the characters and all their drama, as well as their shared history.

While I’m not sure how memorable this story is overall, it made for a fun weekend read.

I will say this is very, very, very similar to She Started It, which I read not long ago. For the record, this one was published in 2021. I wish I’d have read it first. I actually enjoyed this one more than SSI.

I liked this setting more and I also didn’t find this to be predictable, as I did SSI. I couldn’t help but make comparisons throughout while reading, which I did find to be distracting. I wish I had read this one and this one only.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a deserted island story, or stories involving friends weekends gone wrong. This had some intense moments and it was fun watching it all unfold.

Thank you to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it!

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Review: She Started It by Sian Gilbert

~ megs14malloy

She Started ItShe Started It by Sian Gilbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

If one of your closest friends asked you to be her bridesmaid and then extended an invitation to an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas for the Hen Party, you would accept, right?

What if someone you were only slightly close friends with, but had grown apart over the years, did the same? You might accept, but think it was odd they were asking you, right?

Now what if someone who you weren’t close with and may not have always been kind to asked? Would you still say yes?

Personally, I would say, hell yes in the first instance, a kind, I’ll pass, for the second instance, and hide under a rock from the third, because that seems entirely off to me.

For Annabel, Esther, Tanya and Chloe, best friends since childhood, instance three becomes their reality when they are invited by Poppy Greer to attend her extravagant Hen Party in paradise.

The women are taken aback. They weren’t that close with Poppy. None of them have seen her in years, but it is a free trip to the Bahamas. They may not have been best friends with her before, but if she wants to take them on lavish vacations, they could always change that, right?

I mean, honestly, what’s the worst than could happen?

Traveling to the private island, the group are in good spirits. They’re meeting their hostess there and the trip is off to a jubilant start. They’re anxious to discover what Poppy is like after all these years. They couldn’t even find a picture of her on her socials.

Upon reaching the island they find a new and approved Poppy. She’s not the mousy-artist they remember, but a confident, beautiful woman. This could get interesting.

There’s no doubt that She Started It is a propulsive read. I’m always here for the drama and what better setting than a remote island in the Caribbean.

We get everyone’s perspective in this, including a past perspective via Poppy’s diary entries. There were times I felt it was hard to distinguish between the various women’s perspectives; they’re all quite similar, but I did start to get used to it as the story progressed.

Additionally, I could have done with a bit more intrigue. It all seemed fairly obvious quite quickly what was going on and I wish that initial suspense could have been drawn out longer.

With this being said, those are small nit-picky things and may not bother other Readers in the slightest. At the end of the day, this is an entertaining read and strong debut.

My recommendation: Grab your popcorn, grab a cocktail, sit back, relax and enjoy the shit-show!

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Review: What Remains by Wendy Walker

~ megs14malloy

What RemainsWhat Remains by Wendy Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After a violent incident in a department store, Detective Elise Sutton was hailed a hero in her community. The truth is though, Elise doesn’t feel like one.

She’s battling complicated and conflicting emotions about that day and the only person who seems to understand is the man she saved. A man she comes to know as Wade Austin. The two of them are now connected by the event.

Unfortunately for Elise, he’ll never let her go.

Elise quickly realizes she’s called a wolf to her door. This man is not who he says he is and soon he becomes an eminent threat to her and everyone she cares for.

Racing against the clock, Elise works to outsmart him and severe their tie before it’s too late. This guy has done his homework though and always seems two steps ahead.

Y,all! Wendy Walker has done it again. This was so gripping. The opening scene, oh my word, I was at the edge of my seat. 100% in it.

There were a lot of elements to this, like Wade’s interactions with Elise, that really got under my skin. The circumstances were playing off some of my own real-life fears. I always love when a narrative is actually able to raise my heart rate and that was certainly the case here.

I liked Elise as a main character. She was smart, resourceful and fiercely independent. I did get angry at her now and again for her secretiveness, but I understand her motivations for being that way.

I loved her partner, Rowan. I sort of wish we would get more Thrillers with them as a detective duo. I feel like there is more we could explore with them personally and since they specialize in cold cases, I am sure there is plenty of interesting mysteries for them to dig into.

Wishful thinking, I know. I’m sure this is a standalone, but this just gives you an idea of how much Walker sold me on this detective partnership.

In addition to the steady pace and tension throughout, the ending of this got nail-biting intense. I was at the edge of my seat, flying through the pages so fast, I think I saw sparks come from the end of my fingers.

I would absolutely recommend this to people who enjoy a taut, intense, well-plotted Thriller. I always enjoy Walker’s stories, but I think this is my favorite one yet!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’m sure you can tell by this review, but I’ll say it one more time, I loved it!!

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Review: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

~ megs14malloy

All the Sinners BleedAll the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

When I first completed the audiobook for All the Sinners Bleed I decided to give it 4.5-stars, not rounded up. My thought process was that I didn’t connect to it emotionally in the same way that I did Razorblade Tears, which I gave 5-stars.

For some reason, in my little pea-brain, I was thinking because I didn’t feel that way that it wasn’t as good a story for me as that one. Hence the slightly lower rating.

Even though that was my reasoning initially, and I stress the initially part, I was wrong. Here we are, a full 4-days after I completed the book, and I cannot stop thinking about Titus, Charon County, or this mystery.

First, can we all acknowledge that Adam Lazarre-White is one of the most talented voice artists out there. I could listen to him read anything and be lulled into happiness. It’s true. You think I’m embellishing, but I’m not.

In this story we follow Titus Crowne, the first black sheriff of Charon County in Virginia. Titus used to work for the FBI, but decided to come home for a number of different reasons.

He ran for sheriff with the hopes of making a difference in his community; changing it for the better. The job has had it’s ups-and-downs, but overall, it seems they’re are making headway. Then, a year to the day after his election, a school shooting rocks their small community.

Caution: Scenes from school shooting on page.

A teacher is dead and the shooter, a former student and someone Titus knows well, is shot and killed by the responding deputies.

Even though there are many witnesses, Titus insists on an internal review of the shooting. It’s the right thing to do.

Looking into the teacher, and the former student, Titus and his department unknowingly open up a big ole’ can of worms. It appears the student was abused by the teacher. The teacher everyone felt was so pristine was anything but.

Y’all, this story goes dark and I loved it. It’s extremely interesting. There are religious elements, a cult-like atmosphere, buried bodies and so many secrets it makes Washington D.C. seem transparent.

The most compelling thing about this novel though is simply Cosby’s quality of storytelling. From the very first chapter I was reminded of how easy it is to get swept away by his writing. The way the plot and characters are developed is a masterclass in style.

Titus is such a great main character. He has so many admirable qualities, but he also has a past. He’s human, he struggles with things and second-guesses himself, but he always works hard to do the right thing. He’s the type of character you want to succeed.

He’s also the type of character I’m really hoping I will meet again. To my knowledge, this is a standalone novel, but man, would I love to someday get a follow-up. I’m not ready to say goodbye to Titus.

The mystery aspect, which involves many dead bodies, goes there. It gets graphic. I was actually surprised by how dark certain scenes got. I was living for it.

I recommend this to Readers who enjoyed The Echo Man. If you like that mystery, I think you could end up really vibing with this one as well. There was just something about this that gave me the same level of toe-curling enjoyment that that one did.

I loved following along with this investigation and felt my pulse ratchet up a notch every time the stakes were raised, which spoiler alert, was a lot!

I highly recommend this one for your Summer reading list. If you love a fast-paced, intense, Police Procedural Thriller, this is an absolute must for you. It’s a nail-biter!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I loved this!

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Review: The Last Word by Taylor Adams

~ megs14malloy

The Last WordThe Last Word by Taylor Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had the pleasure of Buddy Reading The Last Word with my beautiful niece, Lyss. I knew when she texted me the night we started saying she couldn’t read it if she was home alone, it was going to be good.

And it was!!! We had such a fantastic time with it. Although I am sure having someone to chat to about it while I was reading it, enhanced my experience, I am still proclaiming this to be my favorite book of 2023, so far.

The Last Word is getting a lot of buzz right now and IMO, it’s totally warranted. This is Adams returning to his No Exit-style and a lot of people, myself included, are eating it up.

If you aren’t aware, this story follows, Emma Carpenter, a woman who after a personal loss has secluded herself in a beach house on the Washington Coast. She’s technically house-sitting, but really she’s licking her wounds and trying to heal her broken heart.

Her days are spent with her dog, Laika, reading a ton of cheap e-books, walking on the beach, doing some drinking and chatting with the only neighbor via a whiteboard and binoculars. You know, the usual winter activities on an abandoned coastline.

After reading a particularly horrendous Slasher Horror novel, Emma can’t help herself. This book is trash. Absolute trash. She has to warn other unsuspecting e-book readers.

Therefore, she heads over to Amazon to leave a snarky 1-star review. She’s surprised moments later to get a direct reply from the author. He’s offended by her review and demands she take it down.

She refuses, or course. They go back and forth for a bit and he tells her that if she doesn’t take it down, she’ll regret it. Emma’s not playing this game. Sorry, loser, but your book sucked. Emma refuses to engage further.

Then things start happening…

Y’all, I loved this from the first 5-pages. I was hooked immediately. I’m not even exaggerating.

Honestly, the self-absorbed part of my brain wondered, did Taylor Adams write this after reading my review of Hairpin Bridge? Feeling frightened, I went back and read my review. It wasn’t that bad, so I figured I, at least, was in the clear.

As a reviewer and horror lover, this novel is disturbing, fun and disturbingly fun in so many different ways. It played on some of my biggest fears.

While I can see that there are some aspects of this that not everyone will love, for me, it was pretty much a perfect reading experience.

Even though I saw many of the twists coming a mile away, it didn’t damper my enjoyment of them one bit. I was still completely engaged and loved sitting by as Adams revealed it all in his own time.

I also loved the characters. Emma was a classic-feeling ‘good for her’ horror-girlie and I’m always down for that. Some of her lines had me laughing out loud and I loved watching her sort of come back to life throughout the story.

Lyss and I had some great discussions regarding this plot, both while we were reading it and after. I would absolutely recommend reading this with a friend. There really is a lot to discuss, as far as themes, structure and character development.

This is a case where I would recommend reading the hard copy, if you have the opportunity to do so. The way the book is arranged, including things such as the font choices, makes this a unique reading experience. I love how it was layed out.

I am so happy that Adams knocked this out of the park for me. Wild, crazy, gripping, anxiety-inducing terror ride of seclusion and desperation. I loved, loved, loved it.

I’m really looking forward to his next release!

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Review: The Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass

~ megs14malloy

The Vanishing HourThe Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Kira has a missing daughter. Aden has a missing father. Grace was a missing girl once. These individuals have something else in common, Rock Harbor, Maine.

Welcome to Rock Harbor, a quaint tourist town with a seedy side. The drug scene is rampant, strip clubs and sex workers lining the streets and it seems everyone is keeping secrets.

When Kira’s daughter Brooke wanted to move to Rock Harbor to live with a boy she used to know in the summers, Kira was completely against it. But Brooke is technically an adult so she couldn’t stop it.

After Brooke disappears, Kira returns to the family cabin to begin the search herself. No one else will search for her daughter like she will. They’ll consider her a runaway, or worse, a throwaway.

When Aden hears his father has disappeared, he doesn’t believe it. Surely Dad has gone fishing or something and forgot to pass the message along to Mom. 70-something year old men don’t just go missing, do they?

Even though he suspects it’s a big fuss over nothing, Aden dutifully returns to his family home in the town he happily left years before, Rock Harbor.

From the safety of the cocoon she has built for herself in the hotel she runs, Grace knows nothing of the missing people. It’s the off-season, there are no guests and she’s not talking to anyone on the outside.

Since her own horrifying experience as a missing person, Grace avoids all media outlets and really, the outside world in general. She very rarely leaves the hotel grounds.

As the Reader, you get a front row seat as these three individual’s lives are set on a collision course with one another. Who will survive the vanishing hour?

I was entertained by this one. It drew me in and I finished it quickly. While it isn’t my favorite from this author, I would recommend it to Readers who enjoy stories with a gritty small town feel, full of dark secrets, deceptions and lies.

We get to see the underbelly of Rock Harbor in this story and it’s not pretty. Also, a great example of how monsters can hide in plain sight.

Initially, I felt a little thrown by the number of perspectives. I wasn’t sure how they were related, or how they would ever be able to merge in a meaningful way.

Glass succeeded in pulling it off. I felt like I really got to know our three mains and surprisingly, I was equally invested in all three of their stories, which was a plus.

In addition to enjoying watching the perspectives come together, I liked watching their relationships evolve. As they saw a similar plight in one another, and began to open up to one another, I felt that really added to the story.

Also, I always enjoy amateur investigators and this story definitely has that!


There were some twists I found surprising and some that I was a little underwhelmed by. I did like how this one wrapped up though. It was a wholly-satisfying ending.

I will say, as someone from Maine, this didn’t feel like Maine at all, like not at all, but I understand artistic license and know that the author intended this as a fictional town.

So, I tried to pretend it was just somewhere else entirely. It felt more like the red light district of Montreal to me.

Overall, besides the fact that I was thrown by the setting, it was a pretty entertaining read and I would recommend it to people looking for a twisty, suspenseful tale.

Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am looking forward to more from this author!

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Review: The Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon

~ megs14malloy

The Revenge ListThe Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

In The Revenge List we follow Frankie Morgan, a single-woman living in Portland, Maine, who works as a Project Manager for her Dad’s construction company.

Frankie has had some difficult times in her life, beginning with the hit-and-run accident that killed her Mom when Frankie was just a teen.

Since that time, things have snowballed. Now Frankie finds herself a barely functioning adult, filled with anger, guilt and growing list of regrets.

It doesn’t matter where she is, or who she is dealing with. Frankie has a short fuse and zero restraint when it comes to her reactions. There’s no take a deep breath and count to ten in her playbook.

After an explosive incident at work involving a very important client, Frankie’s Dad is fed up. Her temper is having a major impact on their family and their business.

As luck would have it, a woman he is friendly with leads a local anger management group. It is arranged that Frankie will start attending; required, not requested.

At her first session, one of the tasks is to create a list of people to forgive. People who have angered her in the past that she will now forgive. Even though she thinks it a little silly, Frankie goes along with it and records her list in her favorite notebook, the one with sunflowers on the cover.

In the events of the evening that follows, Frankie sort of forgets about the list. It was just an exercise, it doesn’t mean anything, but then the list goes missing.

Shortly thereafter, individuals on her list start getting injured in very bizarre ways. At first, after the first one or two, Frankie thinks it must be a coincidence, but three? And it’s starting to get closer to home?

Is Frankie losing it, or is someone actually targeting the people on her forgiveness list?

Desperate to get to the bottom of it before it’s to late, Frankie begins to investigate the harmful incidents. Things get wild and crazy from there. Trust no one.

I had a lot of fun reading this. I had been looking forward to it for a while, having really enjoyed previous works from Hannah Mary McKinnon.

I enjoyed the choices that McKinnon made in telling this story. For example, it felt refreshing to have just one-POV.

I feel like for the past two or three years, the vast majority of stories that I’ve read have featured dual, or multiple, POVs. And while I love that, I also liked getting the chance to just ride out this entire narrative with Frankie.

I felt like because of that choice, I genuinely got to know Frankie’s character and it felt important to hear it all from her. It gave great insight into the reasons why she was the way she was. It made her actions make sense.

In some ways, she’s not a super likable person, but I felt myself really empathizing with her and connecting with her. She’s like that friend who you love, but who always makes the stupidest choices and you just want to grab her by the shoulders and shake the heck out of her.

The best part about Frankie’s journey was watching the growth she made as a character. I wasn’t expecting much in that regard, but I loved how McKinnon gave her room to learn and change.

When you first meet Frankie she is bogged down in her anger. It literally feels like she is being crushed by it. It’s palpable. As she evolves over the course of the story, you can feel that weight dropping off. It was impressive to me how McKinnon was able to capture that feeling so well.

As far as the overriding plot went, I was super intrigued in the first half. I had no clue what was happening. Then there was a bit of a shift and I felt like the answer was then obvious, but I was still invested in following along with Frankie as she got the evidence she needed.

I would say it’s a slow-burn story, but the tension does continue to build throughout. Additionally, it gets bat-poop crazy at the end, so be prepared. Grab your popcorn and be prepared to yell at the book. I did.

And the ending!? Don’t even get me started. I mean, I can’t say anything, but like, Hannah!? Hannah Mary McKinnon!? What the?

It made me so devilishly happy, but also…

Overall, I had a fun time with this one, I really did. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I also feel like this one is going to stick in my head for a while.

Thank you so much to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait for more from this author!

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Review: The Echo Man (Major Crimes #1) by Sam Holland

~ megs14malloy

The Echo ManThe Echo Man by Sam Holland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Echo Man is a debut Adult Thriller from Sam Holland. This novel released in 2022 and the follow-up, The Twenty, just released in early-May.

In anticipation of the release of The Twenty, which I was kindly gifted a copy by Crooked Lane Books, I wanted to be sure to pick this one up first.

I don’t know if, or how they’re related, or if you need to read them in order, but when I can, I do like to pick up an author’s work in order of release.

I decided on the audio for this one and loved that format. It was so addictive and cringey, hearing it out loud. It was exactly the reading experience I needed at the moment.

This is one of those stories that is hard to explain, but it was expertly woven together, so when you’re reading it, everything fits; everything makes sense.

There’s a woman named Jessica, married, living with her husband and their daughter. We start following her just before her house is set on fire. She narrowly escapes with her injured daughter in her arms. Her husband, sleeping in a different room, wasn’t lucky enough to make it out.

The police suspect Jessica is guilty of setting the fire, but she didn’t do it. Because of a shady history though, she’s afraid of not being believed and she flees from the hospital where she was being treated for minor injuries.

She befriends a disgraced detective, Nate Griffin, who knows Jessica isn’t guilty. In fact, he suspects the crime against Jessica and her family may have been committed by a criminal who has gotten away from him in the past.

There’s also a detective duo, Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin, who are simultaneously working a series of seemingly unrelated murders. As the bodies begin to add up, Cara can’t help but notice how the crimes seem to match those of famous serial killers.

You’re following these two separate duos, watching as their stories begin to blend and ultimately thread together into one nail-biting, pulse-pounding conclusion.

I found it very compelling. I was so into what was going on with Jessica, but also loved following along with Cara, on the more police procedural side of things. I felt it was the perfect blend of their two storylines; and I liked having one civilian perspective in addition to the investigators.

Both sides were equally interesting and the pace at which it alternated was perfection.

Let me be clear, this isn’t a story for the faint of heart. It’s not your average Thriller and it definitely took me by surprise. This gets DARK. Honestly, it contains some of the most brutal depictions of violence that I have ever read and I read dark shit for fun, like that’s my comfort zone.

I’m talking toe-curling, grimacing, exclaiming expletives whilst listening to it, dark. Not only that though, what a solid mystery; so good!

Overall, I am beyond happy that I finally made time for this one. What a way to enter the scene, Sam Holland.

I will remember this one for a long time to come and am looking forward to beginning The Twenty soon!

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Review: Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas

~ megs14malloy

Out of the AshesOut of the Ashes by Kara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

🧡🖤🔥🖤🧡🖤🔥🖤🧡🖤🔥🖤🧡🖤🔥🖤🧡

Out of the Ashes follows Samantha Newsom. Sam is 35-years old and works as a nurse in NYC. She hasn’t had an easy life, filled with early trauma that has had lasting repercussions.

When Sam was 13, her family was murdered and their home set ablaze. Sam escaped harmed, as she was at a friend’s house that night for a sleepover, but the rest of her family, her Mom, Dad and baby sister were not that lucky.

Sam was taken in by family after the tragedy, but her life was no longer filled with love, or warm relationships. Particularly, tenuous was her relationship with her Aunt Mitch. The two butted heads something awful.

Needless to say, Sam was eager to leave her small town of Carney, New York, behind when she got old enough. She’s rarely gone back since.

She still keeps in contact with her Uncle Gil though and when he dies, he leaves Sam his house, hoping she’ll keep it. Return to her roots.

Sam doesn’t want anything to do with Carney. The mystery of who killed her family was never solved, in large part due to the actions of local law enforcement. She doesn’t want to be reminded of all that.

When Sam is contacted by an Investigator, Travis Meacham, who has been assigned the cold case though, she sees a glimmer of hope for finding the truth.

Meacham reports he has a fresh lead. A prison inmate who claims that he saw Sam’s baby sister, Lyndsay, being removed from the home before it burned.

Could her sister be alive? Was she kidnapped, not murdered?

She needs to take care of her Uncle’s house anyway, it’s the perfect excuse to return to Carney. While she’s there, Sam plans to do some digging of her own.

Sam’s determined to get the answers she deserves about the night that shattered her life forever. With Meacham’s help, she just may be able to solve this decades old mystery.

I really enjoyed this Adult Debut from Kara Thomas. It’s the type of gritty Crime Fiction I tend to enjoy, the kind that feels a bit Hillybilly Noir, for lack of a better term.

The title of this book fits it to a tee. Sam literally feels like a phoenix rising from the ashes. She’s been through some things, it’s definitely had an impact on her adult life, but I felt like throughout this story, she grows and is sort of able to rebuild herself.

I loved Sam as a main character. This story is told entirely through her perspective and I appreciated that choice by Thomas. It felt fitting with the nature of this story.

I love the trope of a character leaving their small town in the dust and then returning many years later to investigate something that happened in the past. Luckily for me, that’s exactly what this is.

Out of the Ashes is a slow-burn, but I didn’t mind. Overall, I felt it easy to get swept up in the story. There’s a lot of drama in the town and with Sam’s remaining family.

At times I struggled a little trying to keep up with the dynamics between them all, but I feel like for the most part, it was really well done.

There is one really powerful family in the town, they own a large farm that employees a lot of people, and Sam and her family are quite involved with them. They definitely added a sinister, dangerous tone to the narrative.

The majority of the story is fairly bleak. There’s not a lot to be jazzed, or happy about, but honestly, there shouldn’t be. It’s not that kind of story.

The town is floundering, drugs have had a huge impact, like in many small towns in America. The locals seem a bit desperate and suspicious of outsiders.

They definitely view Sam as an outsider at this point. She’s been gone too long, has a fancy education and a solid career.

I felt for her. The jarring nature of her return to her hometown. That’s always something I enjoy reading about. I’ve been in that position, so find it easy to relate to. When I do visit my hometown, it’s like a completely different world.

There were some twists in this I didn’t see coming and I did like how Thomas continued to build the tension throughout. She also allowed Sam to gain strength and confidence as the story progresses. Sam’s a bit of a badass.

The conclusion almost brought me to tears. I was stunned. It was wrapped up really well. I’m impressed with Thomas’s ease of transitioning into the Adult Thriller genre. I hope she continues to write YA Thrillers too though, because she is one of my favorite authors in that space.

Look at you being all multi-talented, Kara Thomas!

Thank you to the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I think this is a great effort for an Adult Debut.

I definitely recommend this one for fans of dark, gritty Crime Fiction.

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