I never DNF books, but I strongly considered it with this one. My interest was piqued around 75% of the way in, and I thought to myself, "Maybe the rest of the book will make the first 75% worth it"... Alas, it did not. The remaining 25% was incredibly frustrating to follow, and it was just too unbelievable. The writing style throughout the book was all over the place, almost haphazard - I felt like I was reading this story in fragments that were out of order. The author had me losing my mind, I kept thinking I was misremembering things, or maybe I had missed a crucial plot point earlier in the book that was coming back around now... So once I finished, I went to other reviews, and I was almost glad to find out that I wasn't the only reader that had the same gripe with this book. Looking at the cover, reading the synopsis - this is most definitely the kind of book and story I'm attracted to. But the delivery left a lot to be desired, and I think a good amount of editing might have been needed to clean this up - I truly believe it could have been much shorter, given the substance and takeaways we were left with. At the 90% mark, I just wanted it to be done - I gave up on any understandable or 'appeasing' ending / resolution / explanation. Some pros - I already mentioned the cover, which is gorgeous. And then there were the descriptions of the CA nature and setting, it absolutely put me in the book. I will say I'm curious what kind of research (or first hand experience?) the author did to attain the level of descriptions she used, it was pretty impressive. But other than those 2 things, I'm left speechless - and not in a good way.

The tenth book written by American novelist Rachel Howzell Hall is titled What Fire Brings. Bailey Meadows is excited and a little anxious to be taking up the role of writer-in-residence on the renowned author Jack Beckham's estate in Topanga Canyon. Even if Jack selected her because she is black and that satisfies his need for diversity, equity, and inclusion, an up-and-coming writer would be delighted. Bailey, however, isn't genuinely a budding writer; rather, she's an undercover agent attempting to obtain her private investigator license, with a fictitious writing resume and non-original work.

Avery Turner, the head of Bailey's agency, has assigned her to find any evidence of Sam Morris, a missing private investigator who traveled to Topanga six months ago. Was Sam searching for a different missing female? Was she searching for her missing eighteen-year-old mother, Theresa Morris? Sam was known for recovering missing women, but perhaps that wasn't to everyone's taste.

Bailey has been informed that there won't be much coverage for cell phones or Wi-Fi, but she has devices to capture what she hears, makes lots of notes, and has a list of items, locations, dates, and individuals to be sure to check out. Sam visited a psychiatrist regularly. Did she experience a dissociative fugue or a psychotic outburst? Did Sam disappear of her own volition, was she abducted by someone on Jack Beckham's land, had an accident, come into contact with a wild animal, or ran into a bad person? Is Bailey able to pull this off?

While attempting to find clues, but she is being sidetracked by sounds and footsteps near her cabin, dead air phone calls, odd texts from unknown numbers, low-battery smoke alarm chirps, and her own recuperation from a stab wound from a mugging. She is also trying to avoid taking too many Percocet's for this reason.

There is a security guard who might not be, a disheveled old woman who emerges from the woods with an ambiguous message, the possibility of fire, and flyers for a woman who has been missing for six years, all of which she can only investigate when the Wi-Fi momentarily comes on.

Although she has already been informed about other missing women in the area through conversations with Jack and his crew, It appears that Jack's father vanished inexplicably, along with two ladies who were closely tied to him.

The latest novel by Howzell Hall is somewhat convoluted, with characters that don't always match up. Journal entries, flyers, evidence and criminal reports, and novel excerpts are added to Bailey's story. Before long, the reader starts to question if Bailey is telling the truth or if she is being duped.

Even though Jack turns out to be a poisonous man—which is not surprising—his conversations with Bailey about writing and the author experience provide an authentic viewpoint, probably as a result of Howzell Hall's personal experience. The protagonist's inner monologue is frequently darkly humorous, and she is brave and intelligent, which makes for an intense, compelling page-turner.

Pretty creepy thriller books. It explores several of the tropes common in thriller books and makes fun of them, particularly in the way that women are often abused by male writers in this genre simply for the women's entertainment. It also discusses how easy it is for people to get away with crimes if people don't look too closely. I finished it pretty quickly once I set and actually paid attention to it.

Warning: racism, sexism, SA

Thanks so much to netgalley and Harlequin for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I had a hard time connecting with any characters and the plot. A few things rubbed me the wrong way in the beginning and I couldn't get into the story after that.

I hope others love this one!

Thank you Netgalley & Thomas& Mercer for an eARC ♥️♥️♥️


- 5/5 stars

Rachel Howzell Hall's 'What Fire Brings' is a wildfire of a thriller - it consumes you, ravages your emotions, and leaves you scarred (in the best way possible)! Bailey Meadows' search for her friend Sam is a heart-pounding journey through the treacherous Topanga Canyon, where secrets lurk in every shadow and the past refuses to stay buried.

As Bailey delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a web of lies and deceit that threatens to destroy everything she thought she knew. With each turn of the page, the tension builds, the stakes escalate, and the truth becomes more elusive. Hall's writing is a masterclass in suspense, expertly ratcheting up the tension and keeping you on the edge of your seat.

The characters in this book are complex and relatable, with flaws and strengths that make them feel like real people. Bailey is a strong and determined protagonist, but she's also vulnerable and struggling to come to terms with her past. The supporting cast is equally well-developed, with motivations and secrets that add depth to the story.

The plot is a maze of twists and turns, with surprises lurking around every corner. Hall expertly weaves together elements of the past and present, creating a story that's both a gripping thriller and a thought-provoking exploration of trauma, grief, and healing.

What Fire Brings was one of my favourite reads of 2025! There was so much that I loved about the book: the Topanga Canyon setting, the fascinating protagonist Bailey, and especially the twists that blew my mind and I never suspected.

Read this if you like:
-people aren’t who they seem to be trope
-story within a story
-flawed and feisty protagonist with a great voice
-unreliable narrator
-twisty psychological thriller with tense moments throughout
-intentionally misleading and disjointed plot that represents the protagonist inner psyche
-dual timelines
-luxurious locations surrounded by wilderness and the constant threat of natures wrath of wildfires

My rating 5 out of 5!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC that will be published June 11 2024.

It is challenging to review books such as this; the line between sharing just enough to entice other readers, and revealing too much of what makes the experience so gripping, is very fine.

Despite enthusiastic recommendations, I had never read anything by the author before, and boy, was this quite the intense introduction to her work. The story has an almost claustrophobic feeling; partly because of the narrative voice–first person, present tense, and entirely from the point of view of a Black woman willingly putting herself in a dangerous situation–and how the book is structured around it; and partly because all I knew about the story than what the blurb reveals.

Beware: rape; gaslighting; torture; dissociative fugues; depression.

From the beginning of the story, it is clear that Bailey is under great stress; the mission she has taken on–searching for a missing Black woman by stepping into the world of wealthy white privilege–would be risky under almost any circumstances, but more so because, now that she’s moved into the Beckham estate, she is entirely alone and mostly cut off from the world outside.

“They don’t like it when Black folks wander up around here for too long.” (Chapter 1)

It would be bad enough, should Jack and those around him be innocent in the missing woman’s disappearance, for Bailey’s subterfuge to be discovered–at the very least, there may be legal repercussions over signing a contract under false pretenses. But it is increasingly clear that things are not what they seem, and that the danger is greater and more immediate than a mere breach of contract.

Then there’s the fact that Bailey is not the most reliable of narrators–or is she? Are the people around her really who they say they are? Who keeps calling her and then not speaking when she answers? Why can’t she make contact with her support network?

The feeling of foreboding builds very quickly; Bailey’s position is much more precarious than even she, with all her flights of imagination, could have imagined.

“How has this–putting my body at risk over and over again–become part of the job? How is constant danger and injury part of the journey to expose the lies, expose the truth? Since forever. Girl Reporter Nellie Bly acted insane to be committed to an insane asylum to see firsthand patients assaulted and faced with sexual violence, forced into ice-cold baths, compelled to eat rotten meat and drink contaminated water…if she could last for ten days at Bellevue Hospital, I can come close to asphyxiation after sipping a little coconut water.” (Chapter 9)

The worldbuilding is fantastic; there is a lot of historical context, local politics and landmarks, as well as current events, woven into the narrative in ways that feel very relevant to the characters; even climate change works to increase the feeling of foreboding in the narrative, as “fire season” in California is now, more or less, a year-round concern.

The story is set in May 2021, and the COVID-19 pandemic also plays a role; there’s even a scene taking a jab at the meaninglessness of adding “masks required” in the invitations to an event that involves food, drink, and shouted conversation at close quarters.

As one of the characters is a successful author, and Bailey’s cover story is that she wants to write, the exploitative nature of publishing, performative allyship, and the parasocial relationship between writers and fans are discussed, even as Bailey reflects private on how race and gender change how all of these affect writers.

“Why can’t she just write books about talking cats who watch over cupcakeries until one day she find a dead body in a vat of buttercream frosting? But make it funny. On, and make her white. Or Black but, you know, normal. Not Black Black.” “We can always kill what’s-her-face in the book. If writers are anything, we’re petty as fuck” (Bailey and Jack, chapter 16)

There are a few passages from one of the books-within-the-book interspersed in the narrative; the formatting of the ARC didn’t make the transitions between Bailey’s narration and these passages very easy to follow; this may have been done on purpose, to increase the feeling of disorientation while reading, but I hope the published edition has some sort of cue to indicate the switches back and forth.

The last few chapters are a crescendo of twists, revelations, and further twists, ending in an explosive climax that left me breathless.

My only real quibble with the novel is the aftermath. The universe is righted, the villains pay, and we can assume that good things will come to those who deserve them, though this is not made explicitly clear; but the ending is bittersweet more than anything else, and I wanted more for our heroine. I wanted her full and unequivocal happiness.

What Fire Brings gets a 9.00 out of 10

Gooood lord, this was a wild unhinged ride.

As Bailey Meadows goes undercover as thriller author Jack Beckhams writer-in-residence in order to find her friend Sam - things get extremely creepy in the remote Topanga Canyon.

I absolutely love the way Rachel Howzell Hall writes. I actually was laughing out loud at a few parts. The way this story unraveled was so insane but I loved it. I was definitely left a little confused at the end on what the hell just happened but I fully enjoyed the entire ride getting there. I can’t wait to read more of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was quite the read. Personally I felt that the beginning half of the book was a little slow, although I understand that all of it was necessary to set up the second half of the book. I think that the female main character was an interesting person to follow, but the fact that we were in her head the whole time really tripped me up. At times I was confused and not in the fun way. The ending was interesting but I also thought that the climactic scene where she confronts the bad guy was used as a way to explain away all the confusion I had while reading. I’m not sure if that’ll make sense, but essentially there was a monologue that explained everything and it felt out of place. Overall I struggled through the first half and then I FLEW through the second half. I wish I could give half stars because this is a solid 3.5 star for me, but I can’t so I’m rounding down to a 3.

Thank you Netgalley, Rachel Howzell Hall and Thomas & Mercer for the ebook. This was a pulse pounding fast paced page turner with twists and turns you won't be able to keep up! I loved the psychological aspect and honestly the ending had my mouth hanging open!

Bailey Meadows is a newbie PI on an undercover mission to find out if the successful thriller author Jack Beckam has something to do with missing women in Topanga Canyon. She is posing as an aspiring writer participating in Beckam's writing programs he is organizing on his estate surrounded by tick Santa Monica Mountain woods where fires often spontaneously start and destroy everything in their way...

Things I liked:
-This is an amazing premise for the novel, especially coming from a thriller author. There is something meta about the whole thing I assumed she had a lot of fun with.
-I love the way RHH writes dialogue. There is along scene of conversation between Jack and Bailey on a trip and, my god, it says so much when you go back and read it again after finishing the novel.
-The whole mystery and the twist in the middle of the huge fire was just a great way to finish the novel.
Things I wished were done a bit differently:
-I have a soft spot for RHH's books. I own all of them and not all of them are my favorite, but I always love to read them, if that makes sense. There is something wonderfully messy about her characters and her writing. Like a screen with too many opened tabs there is a lot of disconnected information thrown at reader without any sense of organization, cut of sentences and lines of thinking abruptly abandoned left to hang there... I know it can be jarring for some readers, but I love that about Hall's characters and their thinking process. I just trust her to lead me where she wants and often it's worth my time. This messy, raw writing is one of her charms, but in a novel like this it's extra accented because our main character, Bailey, is an unreliable narrator. Not even she knows what's happening or what happened to her.For example, you get a random info she is stabbed and you get confused because you wonder why is she on this job- things like that. Because of her condition she tends to slide into paranoia and we have those scenes that read like they are a lot more then they are because she feels like they are. It's not easy following her thought process, no matter how realistic it sounds. With all of that said, I feel like it was not necessary for this premise. There was so many things happening already, a perfectly set up stage... and this was just clouding the whole mystery at the center. With an added natural disaster like fire which brings a whole another level of vibe and thrill, it just was too much. I imagined the story without it and the way mystery unfolded proved it could stand on its own. So, there.

All in all, a fine offering from RHH, but not one of her best.

“Things, people, disappear in forests like this, disappear and no one would ever know, or even figure out where to start looking.”

What Fire Brings is the tenth novel by American author, Rachel Howzell Hall. Bailey Meadows is pleased and a little nervous about becoming the writer-in-residence on the Topanga Canyon estate of famous author, Jack Beckham. An emerging writer would be thrilled even though Jack has chosen her because she’s black, and that fits his need for diversity, equity and inclusion. But Bailey isn’t actually an emerging writer: she’s trying to qualify for her private investigator’s licence, and is undercover, with a manufactured writing history, and work not her own.

Bailey has been sent by her agency boss, Avery Turner, to look for any trace of another PI, Sam Morris, missing since she went to Topanga six months earlier. Was Sam looking for another missing woman? Was she looking for her mother, Theresa Morris, missing eighteen years? Sam had a reputation for successfully finding missing women, and maybe that didn’t suit everyone…

Bailey has been warned that cell phone cover and wifi will be patchy, but she’s equipped with some gadgets to record what she hears, she takes copious notes, and has a list of things, places, dates and people she needs to check out. Sam was seeing a psychiatrist. Did she have a psychotic break, or go into a dissociative fugue? Did Sam leave voluntarily, meet with an accident, encounter a wild animal or a nasty person, or did Jack Beckham, or someone on his estate, have a hand in her disappearance? And can Bailey pull this off?

While trying to pick up clues, Bailey is distracted by footsteps and noises around her cabin, dead air phone calls, strange text messages from unknown numbers, low-battery smoke alarm chirps, and she is still recovering from a mugging that left her with a stab wound, for which she’s trying not to swallow too many Percocet.

She encounters a dishevelled old woman who appears out of the woods with an enigmatic message, a security guard who might not be, there’s the threat of fire, and fliers for a woman missing six years, all of which she can only research when the wifi momentarily kicks in.

She already knows about other women who have gone missing in the area, but from chats with Jack and his staff, it seems that two women closely related to Jack and his father also mysteriously disappeared.

Howzell Hall’s latest is very twisty, and no one is who they first seem to be. Bailey’s narrative is supplemented with journal entries, fliers, evidence and crime reports, and extracts from novels. The reader is soon wondering is Bailey a reliable narrator, or is she being gaslighted?

And even though Jack turns out to be a toxic male (no surprise there!), his discussions with Bailey on writing and the author experience offer a perspective that certainly feels authentic, doubtless because of Howzell Hall’s own experience. Her protagonist’s inner monologue is often blackly funny, she’s smart and gutsy, making this a tense, gripping page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

Honestly I had no idea what was happening. This was super confusing from the start. It felt like someone telling a story and their friends on the sideline throwing in random tidbits that aren’t that important. I found the writing disjointed and the storyline confusing at all points.

Liked the idea of this but not the execution. The ending makes sense but getting there was absolutely unhinged. I only kept reading to see this all turned out so I guess that’s a bonus.

An undercover job that becomes a survival mission for herself. At the same time, going undercover to investigate Bailey and the dangers involved at the canyon. It's a fast-paced novel with great characters that pull you in from the beginning. A plot that has you thinking this could have happened. Bailey's character is charming and so likable that you don't want the story to end.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to more by Rachel Howzell Hall.

This story will have you hooked and will definitely keep you guessing with all the twists in the book.

This book just is full of all kinds of thriller and suspense vibes and everytime you think you have it figured out you don't as everything looks as though you know what it is well you won't.

The end reveal will have you thinking about this book after you are done reading it. This has a great plot, great insight and the characters are so complex will have you wanting more from the author.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I’ve read one of Rachel Howzell Hall’s novels before, so I was interested in checking out her latest thriller.

What Fire Brings, the story of Bailey Meadows, who’s investigating the disappearance of a woman at the residence of a thriller writer. It provided a nice starting point, which immediately plunged the character into an unfamiliar setting with people she might or might not be able to trust. With the low to no internet access or phone service, despite being in Topanga Canyon on an expensive estate—not far from L.A.—the setting had an almost isolated atmosphere to it. Not going to lie: it was an interesting set up, especially with how quick the story introduced the players and pointed toward its overarching mystery.

And it was thrilling, for the most part. For me, however, the middle of the story got a little shaky; especially after how much I enjoyed the way Hall set up the circumstances of the mystery and Bailey’s motivation. At times I was frustrated with her, especially where it seemed there wasn’t much progress being made on the disappearance she was supposed to be investigating. And it felt a little like some clues just kind of fell into place or were a little muddled (there was a reason for this, so I’m glad I stuck with the story). That being said, What Fire Brings was highly readable with a couple of big—and very smart—twists toward the final stretch of the book, which made all the pieces click together. Nothing was as it first appeared. And, ultimately, the story was far more sinister, dark, and tragic than I initially suspected.

So despite the few aspects about the book I was lukewarm on, overall what was good about What Fire Brings outweighed the rest. And, ultimately, I liked this thriller.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Thomas & Mercer) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

This book is a bit of a wild ride, and one that will leave you questioning everything ... including what exactly is going on! It's hard to talk about the story without giving a lot away, but let's just say that I frequently found myself confused while reading this book. Which made it a little hard to get into. The last quarter of the book was very fast-paced and gripping though, and it wraps everything up. If you like unreliable narrators and plots that that leave you guessing and questioning every character, this might be the book for you!

A huge amount of words for a small plot. It's not unpleasant to read at first, as the writing itself and the characters are very good. But instead of getting clearer, everything turns into a real mess, before the not very surprising ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. Unfortunately I could not get into the storyline of What Fire Brings. I made it to the 12% mark and had little interest in the storyline. I spent the entire time confused on what was going on.