Kristen Bird

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and the author for the ARC of Watch It Burn.

Let me just start with how much I loved the characters in this. So many well developed personalities. This is a big must for me in any 5 star read, as having a mental picture in my head is very important to me. I don't know how other readers picture books which the read, but for me it's almost like a film going on in my brain; this was a book which I could perfectly pictures the characters and events unfolding like a movie.

There are so many elements unfolding in this book, a town run by a rich white family that appears perfect from all sides, a school teacher with a fear of water that manages to find a dead woman downed in several inches of water and a journalist attempting to uncover how this happened and what is going on in the town by digging through the newspaper's old editions and records.

Our dead woman who happens to be the grandmother and matriarch of the town's beloved 'ruling' family was immediately intriguing because if so beloved, then why killed? Our three main ladies (go girl power) have been friends since high school and all realize that something is incredibly wrong with this death and how can someone 'accidentally' drown in 2 inches of water. Of course our ladies can't help but dig deeper, not to mention that Robin, happens to have married into the family and they hope to keep her safe from whatever evil is lurking.

A complicating subplot is that Beverly (the dead) happened to run Genitive, a personal development company. Although Genitive seems like a genuinely developed self-help campaign, we know many supposed self-help companies and group have a strong tendency to veer into cult territory, regardless of being developed altruistically. Well folks, I have to say some elements start to feel suspect the further you read about Bev's family and genitive.

All three women are incredibly different and I loved each of them. This is a book that I feel like I can't write about without revealing too much. That being said, it was fantastic and takes many twists.

Any lover of small town drama, family drama, mystery, thriller, cult reader should pick up this book. I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this fast-paced read.… (más)

Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird is a mystery where three women work together to find the secrets behind a woman's death and a self-help movement. It is a highly recommended small town domestic mystery.

When out on her morning run in the small Texas town of Edenberg, Nichole Miller, an elementary school teacher, finds the body of 65 year-old Beverly Hoffman. She calls 911 and then her best friend, journalist Jenny Martin. Jenny has recently moved back to her hometown in hopes of saving her marriage and reestablishing her writing career. Jenny rushes to the scene and immediately realizes that Beverly's death was no accident.

Jenny and Nichole are sure Beverly's death is tied to her husband George Hoffman and his cult-ish personal-development company Genetive. Hoffman has bought up most of the town and controls everything in Edenberg. The two women are friends with Robin, Beverly’s daughter-in-law, and enlist her help to expose the truth behind Genetive. Robin knows the lies, secrets, and manipulation behind the Genetive empire.

Watch It Burn is a well-written examination of a death, small town politics, family trauma, a self-development cult, and a megalomaniacal man trying to control everything. The narrative is told through three points-of-view, Jenny, Nichole, and the deceased Beverly. Beverly is the most interesting narrator because she knows the truth. You know from the opening that you are not only trying to solve a murder, but waiting to discover who set the entire town on fire.

The beginning of the novel does move at a slow pace and it takes some time to really hold your attention. Once the three women decide to register and attend a weekend retreat to the private Genetive compound, the plot picks up the pace. The inside look into the cult of Genetive is interesting, but also serves to increase the tension and a sense of danger. The cult itself seems to be composed of some stereotypes combined with some real cults. 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to MIRA for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/02/watch-it-burn.html… (más)

High school senior Emily comes from a renowned family in her Texas community. One night, she goes missing after watching a movie with friends.

Catherine, her mom, is very worried, which is understandable.. She believes that Emily may have been harmed by an acquaintance.. There are two other women in town who suspect as well.

Which of them is true?

Finding Emily at the beginning of the story causes the loss of suspense. Considering the tale, I debated whether that was the right choice. A story told from the perspective of multiple characters: Emily, reminiscing about what led her to the present, when she is rescued but lying comatose in the hospital. The other points of view are those of Catherine, Emily’s mother, and Leslie and Morgan, mothers of students Emily attends school with. As the story unfolds, the characters reveal secrets, lies, concealment, and denials.

The story starts well. It tells the story of a family that moved from Oregon to Galveston after a scandal. Emily is a senior in high school and attends a prestigious private school owned by her grandmother. One night, she disappears at a party. At the halfway point in the book, she disappears, and things go south.

There is strange behavior that people do, as if straight out of a terrible movie. It makes little sense why these things are done. In retrospect, it seems even more outrageous. I kept reading to find out how things ended.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this one.… (más)