Fantastic debut from Krysten Ritter. I thought this might be terrible as a lot of celebrities' novels are, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It's gripping and vivid. A real treat.

This is an atmosphere drenched and compelling crime debut from Krysten Ritter set in Barrens, a small town in Indiana. As children, Abby Williams and Kaycee Mitchell were best friends, only for Kaycee to turn on Abby with her coterie of friends at school. Hating her father and her miserable life, Abby is the one that got away. She lives in Chicago and is a environmental lawyer, returning to Barrens after a decade away, to investigate Optimal Plastics, a corporation that singlehandedly saved Barrens from economic and social devastation. It funds a number of social enterprises, provides scholarships and employment, and is at the heart of the community, with the majority of the town fiercely loyal to the company. Optimal is, however, dogged by rumours of corruption, contaminating the water supply and more. Abby may have moved away from Barrens, but Barrens and its secrets have never left her. This time she wants answers to the past, only to find that the past looms large in the present.

Abby arrives in Barren with a group that includes her best friend, Joe, a black gay lawyer, setting up office on the Gallagher farm. They find a community hostile to their presence and the threat they represent. Two complainants drop their claims, but they continue to probe. Abby finds herself confronted by ghosts from the past, from the meanest girl, Mischa, who is now Vice Principal at Barren High School to her father who is a shadow of his former self. Haunted by Kaycee, a talented painter, telling her that problem is not that she cannot draw but that she does not see, Abby is convinced there is a connection with Kaycee and their current investigation into Optimal. Kaycee was popular, a born liar, poisoned Abby's dog, involved in the deplorable Game and blackmail, and apparently pretended to be sick with her friends to scam payments from Optimal and left Barrens soon after. However, Abby had seen Kaycee coughing up blood and displaying other worrying symptoms, and knows Kaycee was sick. Abby strikes up a relationship with Condor and Brent, and finds her drinking is spiralling out of control, all too aware that she is drawn to things that hurt the most. As all those close to her abandon her, questioning her conviction that the past and Kaycee is relevant and connected to Optimal, Abby finds her sanity is on the line as the past threatens to bury her.

Krysten Ritter has written a gripping and beautifully written crime debut. It is tense and suspenseful, drawing in the reader with ease. The greatest strengths of the book lie in the complex character creation and development of Abby, a woman who wants to come to terms with the past so that she can be alive in the present. Ritter presents a picture of a woman paying a heavy price as she gets closer to the truth, no-one believes her, yet despite her life disintegrating around her, she clings on with a tenuous grip with determination. She wants to do right by her childhood friend, Kaycee, even though Kaycee is a less than admirable character. The portrayal of Barren and its community is done remarkably well. I loved this brilliant book and whilst it does have its flaws, I recommend it highly. Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.

To be honest, I only reviewed this as it is based in Indiana which is the name of my new granddaughter! However, what is basically a big company allegedly polluting water, and the resulting conspiracy theory, the book turns out to be far more than that. One of the investigators, Abby Williams, returns to her home town after being away for some time. It is this homecoming which is really well described with her having to come to terms with old college friends and her father. She struggles with many trust issues, and I loved this aspect of the book.

I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed this intense and atmospheric tale from Krysten Ritter - whilst it is far from being the first "Girl escapes small town only later having to return and face her demons" tale I have read, it is definitely one of the ones of superior quality and storytelling - Abby as a character immediately engaged me and the well layered, twisted yet authentic plot just sealed the deal.

Big corporation v socially engaged lawyer is another type of story that I love to read - this is also the defining theme within "Bonfire" which the author uses to great effect - mixing up Abby's past life with her present, making her see things with new eyes and eventually leading us to answers and a rather heart stopping conclusion. I liked that Abby was portrayed as strong, driven, yet haunted by her very realistic demons - there was no sense of safety within the story for her at all, no promises made that she would endure. The supporting cast are cleverly woven in, the socially relevant big corporation cover up is given a new little twist and ultimately this is a tale of redemption and understanding. Sometimes you know, you just can't go home....

The small town setting is beautifully described, you can smell the "Bonfire" in the air, see the good and the bad and all the area's in between - I want to describe it in some ways as "mean girls on acid" but that doesn't really say what I mean, Krysten Ritter building her relationships between the people you meet in an intelligent and thought provoking way. The mystery elements are clever, you'll love/hate/love Kaycee as remembered by Abby and the ups and downs between these two girls is one of the strengths here.

Very good indeed. Yes. I'm aware of course that the author is a well known and much admired actress - I have not watched any of her screen moments but I'm fairly sure that if she is as good an actress as she is writer I'd better go track them down.

Recommended.

Kristen Ritter is a strong writer who is able to build suspense and create characters. I started reading because she was awesome in Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 and Jessica Jones but I kept reading because the story sucked me in and wouldn't let me stop.

ARC gratefully received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this debut novel from Krysten Ritter. Abby Williams is a lawyer and a new case sees her moving back to the small town she grew up in. I really enjoyed learning the truth and unravelling the mysteries along with her. My thoughts pretty much alined with Abby's the whole time. I was suspicious of the same people and felt her frustration and disappointment when she was doubted and kept hitting barriers.

Abby's determination to get answers kept me engaged and interested. The truth when it was finally revealed shocked me as much as Abby.

This was an immersive page turner from start to finish. I enjoyed the fact that as focused as Abby was about the case and getting answers there was a lot of human emotion throughout the book. She isn't just a lawyer. There's emphasis on the fact she's a daughter and friend too.