Release Date: October 1, 2024
About The Book:
Ellie Stone, a journalist focusing on climate science, is staying with her 24-year-old
brother, Josh, so their parents can have an anniversary getaway. Josh is an addict, a former D1 soccer star whose post-college life has unraveled, but he’s also still, somehow, the golden boy. Ellie’s resentment at being overlooked by her parents took root in childhood, so when she and Josh argue during her visit, she decides that she’s finally had enough. In her hurry to get back to Brooklyn from New Jersey, Ellie realizes she forgot her laptop and turns around, arriving back to discover the home ablaze.
Though alive when rescued by firefighters, Josh is severely burned and fragile. Ellie is heartsick. But then she also begins to fret: is it her fault? Did she snuff out her cigarette?It’s the second time she’s been involved in a devastating fire—another holdover from childhood—and she feels guilt-ridden and overwhelmed. Plus, social media turns ugly,reacting as fast as the flames that devoured her family home.
In the aftermath, Ellie leans on Josh’s best friend, Drew, and Josh’s girlfriend, Audrey, but as time goes on, she realizes Audrey and Josh didn’t have the rosy relationship she thought they did. The police are asking questions. Suddenly, Ellie is, too.
In this page-turning story of disloyalty, sibling rivalry, and love gone wrong,suspicions abound and the tension ratchets up, right until Bokat’s chilling conclusion.
About The Author:
NICOLE BOKAT has published three novels: Redeeming Eve (2000), What Matters Most (2006), and The Happiness Thief (2021). Redeeming Eve was nominated for both the Hemingway Foundation/PEN award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction. Bokat is also the author of a book on novelist Margaret Drabble and has written essays for several publications, including The New York Times, Parents, and The Forward. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband and dog, Ruby, and has two sons.
Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicole.bokat
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nicolebokat
Twitter: @NicoleBokat
Author website: www.nicolebokat.com
Book Blurbs:
Bokat reveals the solution to the mystery bit by bit, like a jigsaw puzzle, leaving the full picture obscured until the final piece is finally in place….will confound readers’ expectations and keep them guessing.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Hang on to your breath because you’ll be holding it the whole time you read Nicole Bokat’s fascinating thriller about love, loyalty, family, and the secrets that could save—or even kill us . . .Just extraordinary.”—CAROLINE LEAVITT, New York Times best-selling author of Pictures of You and With or Without You
I blazed through Bokat’s fiery, fast-paced new thriller in a single sitting. Navigating the perilous terrain of sibling rivalry, arson, addiction, rape culture, climate change, and a pandemic, the novel’s riveting twists are driven by the questions: Who can Ellie Stone trust? What will it take for her to trust herself? What is the price if she doesn’t? You’ll turn these stunning pages with your heart pounding and your hands on fire.”—TESS CALLAHAN, author of April and Oliver and Dawnland
“This novel will grab you from the first sentence, “I didn’t start the fire,” and won’t let you go until the last. A riveting story of love, loss, and fear that raises questions about how childhood events and family dynamics shape us, influencing what we remember, who we believe, andwhether we can change the patterns of our lives.”—ANASTASIA ZADEIK, author of Blurred Fates and The Other Side of Nothing
“ . . . a page-turning mystery, a suspenseful domestic drama, deep psychological character study of warring siblings and a heartbreaking addiction saga all rolled into one poignant, powerful novel. Unputdownable.”—SUSAN SHAPIRO, New York Times best-selling author of Unhooked, Lighting Up and The Forgiveness Tour
“Nicole Bokat has once again weaved together scintillating storytelling with gorgeous prose. . . . a haunting poetic thriller.—JUDY BATALION, New York Times best-selling author of The Light of Days
Bloggers On Tour:
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Feb. 10th- Thrillers and Coffee https://instagram.com/thrillersandcoffee
Feb. 19th- Red Corset Reads https://www.instagram.com/redcorset_reads
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