Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish this book because I couldn't connect to the characters and the plot was convoluted.

I could not get into the book and found the writing not to be so great. The storyline kind of lost me at parts so ultimately I dnf'd.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall in exchange for an honest review. This book was so good and twisty like some of the roads in California. I really liked Bailey and getting to know her throughout the book, and the surprises that kept popping up.

I was curious to check out this new Rachel Howzell Hall novel as I had seen the author's name mentioned in a few different discussions about crime/ investigation type novels.

I went in expecting great things, particularly as I had also picked up at least one of her other books on a Kindle deal.

Unfortunately this one did not hit the mark at all. I try not to DNF books and, I guess, I can give this one at least a small amount of credit in that I was curious to find out what was going on.

But the execution of what was going on was really poor. I've seen one or two other reviews that have compared this to a first draft and I would say that's fair.

The novel opens rather intriguingly, and the security guard's ominous warning gives things an immediately eerie feel (aspects of this conversation contribute to a glaring plot issue later on but I won't give that away here).

The problem here is that the novel tries to do too much. There is too much jumping around with character perspectives. We, inexplicably get snippets from Jack's book instead of just a simple recap from Bailey. Then we get snippets from what seems to be another book but it's from the POV of a real character.

The whole thing is just a mess, in need of a guillotine wielding editor, and asks you not just to suspend disbelief but to fling it completely out the window.

I'll give it some credit for being intriguing enough to finish and, with some tougher edits and a better idea of what it was trying to actually say, it could have been decent.

My thanks to the publishers, via Netgalley for the eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall was a fast paced, intriguing read with interesting plot points. I absolutely loved the writing and plan to read more from this author.

Rachel Howzell Hall is back with another suspense-filled thriller that’s as gripping as it is unsettling. What Fire Brings takes us deep into the rugged, eerie landscape of Topanga Canyon, where Bailey Meadows, a writer on a mission, has just taken up residence. She’s supposed to be helping thriller author Jack Beckham revive his bestseller magic, but Bailey has another purpose—to find her missing friend, Sam Morris, who was last seen in these dangerous canyons. Overall decent read!

Bailey Meadows has just moved into the remote Topanga Canyon home of thriller author Jack Beckham. As his writer-in-residence, she’s supposed to help him once again reach the bestseller list. But she’s not there to write a thriller—she’s there to find Sam Morris, a community leader dedicated to finding missing people, who has disappeared in the canyon surrounding Beckham’s property.

The missing woman was last seen in the drought-stricken forest known for wildfires and mountain lions. Each new day, Bailey learns just how dangerous these canyons are—for the other women who have also gone missing here…and for her. Could these missing women be linked to strange events that occurred decades ago at the Beckham estate?

As fire season in the canyons approaches, Bailey must race to unravel the truth from fiction before she becomes the next woman lost in the forest.

Once again Rachel Howzell Hall delivers another scorching read. She is one of the authors that I will prioritize over anything going on in my life. I was hooked from start to finish. Will recommend to others.

twisty and fun and i love all the vibes of this. would recommend, tysm for the arc, 4 stars, great thriller.

2.5 ⭐️
This book was not my jam.
Unreliable narrator and all over the place time lines made this a very confusing read.
I also found it too political and I kind of hate Covid books. It’s just too soon.
Sad this one wasn’t for me.

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis was intriguing and I looked forward to reading it. The story dragged for the first half. I kept putting it down because it wasn't holding my interest. The story was also extremely difficult to follow. I never really knew what was happening. This book wasn't for me.

This book starts out with Bailey Meadows who is a PI in training who goes undercover so of course right away I was pulled in. Bailey goes undercover to a residence program for authors. She was matched with Jack Beckham, whose name just exudes wealth. Jack's family has lived in Topanga Canyon for generations. Jack says he wants to work with Bailey as he is looking to get back on the best sellers list and working with Bailey, he can reach different audience. Bailey is really looking for info on a person name sam.

I enjoyed this story. At certain times, it was a bit all over the place.

Whooaa!
What in the crazy crows balls have I just read! Talking about intense! Yes, I call it that! What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall had me gripping the edge of my seat. Undercover female detective, Bailey Meadows is all that and more. Add in impersonating writer, murdered body, missing friend and remote location and we definitely had great ingredients of a truly mysterious, dark and twisty serial murder mystery! The plot was awesome and the book was written beautifully. Great read over all and perfect for the season!

3.5 stars, rounded up. What I think Rachel Howzell Hall does so well is capture different LA environs and their personalities. In this one, she also captures the attitudes and impacts of fire in this area, as well as a complicated mystery. Readers should pay a LOT of attention to the details as they go through this story!

Definitely a book for library purchase. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC.

What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall is a book I should have enjoyed more than I did. It seemed to have all the elements that would make an interesting read.

There are a variety of characters, each with their own quirks and personalities and a compelling plot – a woman who is trying to determine the fate of a missing person by going undercover as a writer-in-residence at the home of a famous novelist. But, as a rookie investigator, Bailey, makes some questionable decisions and she often takes things at face value, without showing much skepticism or even curiosity.

The story moved slowly until the last twenty percent of the book and, throughout, the plot was somewhat difficult to follow. The story was often interrupted by the seemingly random insertions of police reports along with various timelines. With a little more work, I think some of these things could have been dealt with differently, thus making the story flow more smoothly.
The last few chapters reveal a couple of huge twists. One of them I figured out and the other was a surprise. The final scenes somewhat redeemed the book for me. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

A fast paced thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I really loved What Fire Brings and I will be recommending to everyone!

An engaging read filled with dangerous secrets and twisting suspense, creating a sense of claustrophobia where nothing is as it seems. The tension-driven narrative and believable characters add depth, but the disjointed writing and occasionally hard-to-follow storyline detract from the overall experience.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

First things first - this book needs some MAJOR editing. The writing is really bad and almost impossible to follow. The form was really bad - there was plenty of incorrect punctuation, major run on sentences, and no structure. The poor writing/editing is my biggest qualm with this book. Everything else feeds off of this - it's hard to follow, all over the place, confusing, boring, and so forth. Not sure what was going on during the editing stage of this book, because the current version should not be published!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to the author & #thomasandmercer for my gifted copy‼️

If you’ve ever read any books by Hall then you know she writes super slow-burn thrillers. She’s literally the only author I’ll accept this from lol like no matter how much the book drags I go back for more. But I love her writing style, the way she slowly builds up to the climax, and there’s always a clever twist you didn’t see coming.

What Fire Brings was interesting because nothing was what it seemed. Bailey Meadows went so deep undercover she basically lost sight of reality. As she began uncovering secrets and linking things together strange events began happening. The weird security guard that doesn’t actually work for the security company, the old lady that keeps popping up with random hints, creepy stuff occurring in her cabin, and the danger of the wildfires increased Bailey’s anxiety and paranoia. It seemed as though someone or something was trying to harm her or maybe it was all in her head.

This was one of those books where you don’t know who to trust because everyone is a suspect. It was also the twist in the end that got me. I’m still lost on how this played out because Bailey wasn’t just undercover. She suffered from confabulation, dissociative fugues, PTSD and past trauma so maybe she suppressed her real identity as a defense mechanism or it could’ve just been the amnesia. I just need answers as to how Sam was looking for Sam but didn’t know she was. Like when did the disconnect with reality first occur. The ending was really mind blowing literally had me saying wtf as things were revealed‼️I also really liked the twist with Jack cause I did not see that coming.

Overall, it was okay but I wouldn’t recommend if you don’t enjoy slow-burns. Despite the pacing the story really takes the reader on this psychological rollercoaster to uncover the truth. With themes of trust, survival, mental health, and exploring the unknown Hall once again creates a decent thriller.

Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐️

Tension Driven..
A writer in a desperate search for a missing friend becomes a writer in residence - her true reason hidden away. As Bailey learns something new each day which may help her search, she uncovers potentially dangerous secrets from the past. Twisting and turning, claustrophobic suspense where nothing is really as it seems. Tautly written with a credible cast and a tension driven narrative.