My Rating ~ Five Stars

RELEASE DATE: 9 September 2021

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Pengin Books

Pages: 372

Blurb

The monsters have known each other their whole lives. This is their final summer before college – time to hang out, fall in love and dream about the future.

Until they accidentally start a forest fire which destroys their hometown and leaves death in its wake.

Desperate for the truth to remain hidden, the group make a pact of silence.

But the twisted secret begins to spin out of control and when one of the friends disappears they all become suspects.

We know how it starts but where does it end?

Review

Thank you to Penguin Books for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review!

When five friends catch up at the lake one day, it’s supposed to be relaxing and fun. But one unfortunate moment turns it into a disaster. A fire starts and quickly spreads into a raging bushfire. Hannah is the sheriffs daughter and she knows how much trouble they could be facing if anyone finds out they were the ones to start the fire, even if it was an accident. As the fire rips through homes, wildlife and lives, the friends are left scrambling to keep their crime a secret.

I live in a fire prone area and this book was absolutely terrifying to read. The sheer panic and dread the fire caused leapt off the page in the most heart stopping way. None of the characters were particularly likeable and Hannah mooning about over Drummer made me want to shake her, but I felt like that was the way I was supposed to feel. It gave me the ‘never quite sure who to trust’ feeling about everyone in the book.

The story takes place in two parts, the first in increments of time after the bushfire, showing the percentage the fire had been brought under control and the death toll. The second half is in time slots following one of the characters going missing. The entire book was intense and I was on the edge of my seat, not only about the fire, but watching the secrets and evidence fall like dominoes around the friends, as they tried to stay one step ahead.

If you enjoy fast paced mysteries, make sure you check this one out!