"A writer's search for her missing friend becomes a real-life thriller in a twisting novel of suspense by the New York Times bestselling author of These Toxic Things.

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."

But her investigation could become a True Crime bestseller depending of she makes it out alive...

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. Quite the twisty thriller from an author who stays original and never disappoints. Held me from start to finish.

Know that this is slow in the beginning but then, then it gets more interesting. Bailey is pretending to be a writer but she's really at Jack's to explore the canyon where her friend Sam went missing, Turns out though, that more women have disappeared over time and Bailey finds she's in danger. This has a few good twists and I liked Bailey's voice. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall is a riveting thriller that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go until the very end. Set in the remote and treacherous Topanga Canyon, this novel follows Bailey Meadows, who has taken up residence in the home of bestselling author Jack Beckham. But Bailey isn't there to write; she's on a mission to find Sam Morris, a community leader who has vanished in the surrounding wilderness.

The canyon is no stranger to danger, with its drought-stricken forests, looming wildfires, and lurking mountain lions. As Bailey delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a chilling connection between Sam's disappearance and a series of women who have gone missing in the same area. Could these incidents be linked to dark secrets from the past, buried within the Beckham estate?

With longer chapters that immerse you in the suspenseful atmosphere, What Fire Brings keeps you guessing at every turn. As fire season looms, Bailey races against time to untangle the truth before she becomes the next victim of the unforgiving wilderness.

Rachel Howzell Hall's masterful storytelling and skillful pacing make What Fire Brings a must-read for fans of gripping mysteries. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Bailey Meadows is a private investigator in training who recently relocated to Topanga Canyon. She may have gone to the remote Southern California area as a part of a writers-in-residence program for famed thriller author Jack Beckham, but her real motives have a little to do with writing a book. Bailey is looking for the missing founder of a nonprofit. One that actually helps other families find missing loved ones. Yet now owner Sam Morris is the missing person herself. Bailey begins searching for Sam in the dangerous canyons she was last seen in, particularly the area around Beckham‘s estate. Strangely enough many other women over decades have gone missing in this very same location. Could this all be connected? As Bailey frantically searches for answers, she begins to wonder if she may end up being the next missing woman.
What Fire Brings is a psychological thriller that takes the reader on a wild ride through the treacherous canyons of Southern California as we follow the clues of missing women with our FMC Bailey. I will say the beginning of this book was a bit of a struggle for me to get through as it was on the slower side till about 35% in. I also found some writing style choices to not necessarily work for me. As it came off as rather choppy with the story unfolding through police reports, flashbacks, dreams, thoughts from the past missing women, and then of course mostly from Bailey who at times was very scatterbrained. I can appreciate the authors intentions behind these creative stylistic choices when it came to the FMC though as they did tend to showcase Bailey’s frantic searching in an immersive way. Once I became use to these stylistic choices though I did begin to enjoy the book and the plot more. The last quarter without a doubt had me turning pages as many of the twists were beginning to reveal themselves, some of which I did not see coming. Overall What Fire Brings was a unique thriller that fans of slow burn mysteries will without a doubt enjoy.
What Fire Brings comes out June 11th, 2024.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I got to 20% and unfortunately had to DNF. I struggled to get into this one because it felt all over the place. The writing style felt choppy and didn’t really make sense in places. I think the story had alot of promise and some parts had my attention. But when the story reverted back to the choppiness it lost me again. I may give this one another try later but it just wasn’t holding my attention right now.

This felt like trying to solve a mystery using someone else's brain.

You get the hint in the beginning that the main character may be under some type of psychological distress, but it's never really acknowledged or explained. As the story proceeds, you're limited to knowing only what the character is able to understand. If she can't remember something, you can't remember something. If she reads an article out of context, you read it out of context. If she can't process new information, you can't process it. This structure, at times, could be confusing to read, but I was always "getting it" just enough to stay intrigued.

Ultimately, this was a standard thriller plot made more interesting because of the way it was told. The characters and setting were also stronger than other books of its type. Suspension of disbelief was too high for me to love this, but otherwise a solid read.

This was not a book that wowed me. I thought the storyline was a great idea and very different from the usual books I read. However, this just didn’t hold my attention, and I found myself putting the book down after reading for just a little while. I honestly just didn’t enjoy it.

What Fire Brings
ARC - Pub Date June 11, 2024

I love a good mystery, especially one with a remote setting but the first third of this book was a little tough to get through. I did not love the writing style (choppy sentences and confusing sequences) and felt like the main character was very difficult to connect with. The story follows Bailey Meadows, an aspiring PI, who is “undercover” at a writing retreat, trying to find a missing woman.

About 60% of the way into the book I was ready to DNF because I disliked the main character so much and thought the story was really dragging with that said I am happy I did not DNF. The ending is very gripping and I loved the twists! I also came to not despise the MC by the end of the novel. This is a good thriller overall but be prepared for a slow start. Also, the cover is beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this!

Unfortunately I had to DNF. Completely missed the mark as to what the book was even supposed to be about. The MC wants to be a PI, but doesn’t investigate anything, or has anxiety about the smallest inconveniences. This was supposed to be a story about finding a missing girl, but she’s hardly ever mentioned and we get little to no information about this missing character, and when we do, it’s completely irrelevant.

4.25 stars!

This is my first book by Rachel Howzell Hall, but it will not be my last! This book followed Bailey Meadows as she stays at the illustrious Beckham property as a writer in residence in Topanga County in Southern California. Growing up in Southern California myself, I thought all of the conversations about fires and living in a place where wildfires happen, were very relatable. I also liked how the idea of fire was used to add tension to the events of the novel.

I do think the beginning 35-45% of this book was a little slow, but once the action really gets going and things get revealed I was absolutely hooked. I had to know what was going to happen and I was ripping through the pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

No. Just no. If I have to suffer through one more fucking ellipsis or dash I'm going to scream! Seriously, I've tried, but sometimes you just KNOW it isn't going to work. On paper, What Fire Brings should have been a great fit for me. I love a good remote setting and a bookish angle; add a missing person case as well as the promise of danger and I was all in. Not that I'm denying that it was the absolutely stunning cover that first caught my attention of course... But still, I fully expected to have an excellent time with this story, and to my surprise the complete opposite ended up happening. I'll try to explain briefly why I ended up making the decision to DNF below.

First of all, I have to say that I still love the premise of What Fire Brings. This story had SO much potential, and it's a shame I wasn't able to convince myself to read any further. I've seen reviews mention that the last third of the book makes it all worth it, but that only makes me question if it can be called 'worth it' if you have to trudge through what is basically the majority of the book first. With the way I was struggling, for me personally I don't think it was. Sure, I would have liked to get to the interesting part and truly see what What Fire Brings was all about, but this ment skimreading more than half of the book to get there, and I just didn't see the point.

Why did I struggle so much with What Fire Brings then? In one word: the writing. To say that I despised the writing style is an understatement, and it is something that is VERY hard to overcome with it being such an essential part of a book. The punctuation, the unfinished sentences, the word choice, the messy structure and random incorporation of information... It all just grated SO much on me, and I started to hate ever single second I had to spend with this story. You know something is wrong when you stop reading to browse other reviews to see if you are the only one struggling... And there is definitely something wrong when you would rather iron or clean the bathroom than read another page. Oh yes, this story was just about as fun as a trip to the dentist for me! And seriously, if I have to suffer through another ellipsis or dash in the middle of a sentence, I might just murder my kindle.

This wasn't all though, because I also had issues with the main character Bailey Meadows. There is no way on earth you can convince me that Bailey could be a decent PI one day, or even one in training. She is basically a complete mess and a tense ball of anxiety, and it is a miracle people don't see straight through her. I don't think I would ever be able to connect to her, and even though I've seen in her reviews that her 'state' is later explained, I honestly don't think it would have redeemed the story for me. I also wasn't a fan of how it was set during the pandemic with multiple mentions of masks and other elements and no clear function in the plot other than being a filler.

Anyhow, I know that I only read 14% of What Fire Brings, so you should probably take this review with a grain of salt... There are simply some things that are impossible to overcome, and having such a strong aversion to the writing style is one of them. I'm sad I had to add to add another DNF to my list this year, but I really don't want to waste my weekend reading something that is so clearly not for me.

I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous efforts, but I’m not sure how I feel about this one. The following may contain minor spoilers so please bear with me. Bailey Meadows is such an unreliable narrator, that I figured out the main twist from the beginning. I also had issues with one of the plot points: how could a rookie PI write well enough to make an established author give her an opportunity many professionals would kill for. This is explained in the end, but it bothered me throughout the novel. It also mixed police reports and newspaper articles, Bailey’s journal, as well as parts of the fictitious novel that made Jack Beckham famous. The puzzle pieces fit all in the end, and there was a big reveal that I didn’t see coming, but the parts seemed disconnected. I loved the author’s writing and the way she describes Beckham’s mansion and the nature in Topanga Canyon. I was also involved in the story and rooting for Bailey. Possibly my biggest issue was that it relies too much on true crime, which is a genre I don’t like. I was really looking forward to this one, I may just be the wrong reader.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Thomas & Mercer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

In my opinion, this book wasn't horrible, but it wasn't. a five star read either. Still I think this book would be worth a read for fans of Colleen Hoover, Sally Hepworth or Megan Miranda. I will also still check out other books by Rachel HH in the future!
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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a fast paced thriller. I have Red on her books from Kindle unlimited and I was very excited to read this one. This is a nailbiting page that will have you at the end.!

City girl Bailey Meadows is at the Topanga Canyon ranch of mystery writer Jack Beckham, supposedly as a struggling novelist/attendee to an emerging writers conference plus the chosen recipient of mentorship with Beckham. In reality, she’s a private investigator in training looking for another Black woman who disappeared in this area, Sam Morris. Morris herself was looking for her missing mother and also had applied to the writing program. The best-selling author, a person with a murky past, wants Bailey’s assistance with the sequel to his novel about….a serial killer responsible for missing women in the same canyon. Too close to true life? Bailey wants to find out.

Rachel Howzell Hall has a track record of creating strong, smart, confident Black women who can solve puzzles and independently get solutions. Bailey, is, however, a tad scatterbrained and forgetful (on painkillers after a mugging incident), and unexplainably distressed at times (a food allergy that requires a life-saving Epi-pen shot also has her on edge). The book is interspersed with moments from dreams, passages from the missing woman’s life, old police reports, and flashbacks to a devastating fire years ago — which sometimes made transitions from chapters challenging. Fire is also a looming character: especially once we learn it takes 90 minutes for a wildfire to sweep from the canyon to the ocean, but it would take over 7 hours to evacuate the residents on the lone escape route.

The last third of the book is action-packed and filled with surprises — Bailey is a bewitching main character and the author has again created an amazing portrait of a complicated young woman. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Guilty, guilty, guilty: Jack rants that he’s criticized for characters with green eyes, because…yeah. Anyway, no green eyes in this book.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The drought in Topanga is its own character and properly described as a fire magnet. And the author knows her Barbra Streisand rose bushes.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

What Fire Brings is slow to start and in this readers opinion this makes the beginning of this thriller a bit lackluster. I don’t mind details in a story but feel like it was a bit overdone at times throughout the read. The plot doesn't truly pick up until about halfway through but once it does, I did end up enjoying the story. Although imo, we stay too much inside the main characters head; Bailey is an enigmatic character and I liked how what happened to her mom tied into this current investigation..

At the end of it all, what makes up for the lack is this authors writing. Because by the end of What Fire Brings, you’re truly invested in a good outcome for Bailey.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read/review.

It was a slooooooow burn with multiple POVs - that is not for me and always makes me score lower because of it. This book may not be my favorite but loved the story just found myself rushing to get through it!

This book was so many things. Thrilling. Confusing. Unpredictable. Consuming.

The story follows Bailey who is working as an undercover PI that is searching for her missing friend under the guise of a writer doing a 1x1 workshop. As you read you start to predict who you think the killer is… what you think is going on… but the wild twists in the final chapters are something you won’t see coming!

The multiple POVs was a bit confusing at times on what was going on or whose POV I was reading. In the end it makes sense but in the middle I was for sure lost.

The main character is an inspiring PI who is assigned a missing person. Sounds good right? Bailey the MC joins a writing program to find said missing person. This book was promising but it left me board, it was all over the place. The joinery entries was random but worked in this book at the same one. I did like this author other books but this was just a little boring.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was a wild ride with lots of little tidbits and trails and flashbacks and evidence logs and cuts to another book throughout. Unfortunately, there's unreliable narrators and then there's whatever Bailey was. There was so much going on in the book, I really found it unnecessary to also have the main character be confused and stressed all the time, it made all the breadcrumbs hard to follow when literally no one in the book was. It also kept a couple of the bigger twists from really hitting bc of the main character being so out of it.
Also idk why this is based during covid, I've read a couple books that used covid as a closed door murder scenario but this just talks about masks and testing occasionally it's odd.
Premise: great, extra components: could cut a couple.