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Bonfire

By: Krysten Ritter
Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
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Publisher's summary

“A phenomenal, haunting debut.” (Gillian Flynn)

Nothing burns as bright as the truth.

It has been 10 years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all visible evidence of her small-town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands.

But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town’s most high-profile company and economic heart, Abby begins to find strange connections to Barrens’s biggest scandal from more than a decade ago, involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her closest friends - just before Kaycee disappeared for good.

Abby knows the key to solving any case lies in the weak spots, the unanswered questions. But as she tries desperately to find out what really happened to Kaycee, troubling memories begin to resurface and she begins to doubt her own observations. And when she unearths an even more disturbing secret - a ritual called “The Game” - it will threaten reputations, and lives, in the community and risk exposing a darkness that may consume her.

With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote rural town of just five claustrophobic square miles, Bonfire is a dark exploration of what happens when your past and present collide

©2017 Krysten Ritter (P)2017 Random House Audio
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, November 2017

The author is currently well known for the super-strong badass hero she plays in Netflix's Marvel universe, but the character she's written here has a strength and spunk that makes her a superhero of another kind. Lawyer Abby Willams' return to the small town in which she grew up will require her to take on not only the area's biggest employer in an environmental crimes investigation but also the traumas of her youth and the personal fallout she's dealt with for years. The story, full of mind games and suspense, moves along thanks to rich character development as you meet the characters in this sad and suspect town, Karissa Vacker's effectively moving narration, and the tension that builds to one satisfying resolution. —Abby, Audible Editor

Critic reviews

"A vicious years-old small town scandal makes the perfect backdrop for this gritty, moody mystery that will have listeners ripping through the audiobook at top speed. Bonfire ushers in a bold new voice to the suspense genre. I can't wait to see what Ritter dreams up next." (Mary Kubica, New York Times best-selling author of The Good Girl)

What listeners say about Bonfire

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Worth a read/listen

I had been waiting for this book to come out since I was curious to see what kind of writing voice Krysten Ritter has. Plus, I love mystery so the plot seemed right up my alley for what usually grabs my attention. The story didn't disappoint at all. It had a good balance of suspense, pacing and storytelling that didn't give it all away, but didn't drag at the same time either. The narrator was great too and gave life to each of the characters in her inflections and voices for them. The only issue I ran into is that I tend to be really good at predicting early on who the villain is and the answers to the big mystery. It wasn't any different this time either, but I still highly enjoyed dissecting the clues right along with Abby the main character and seeing if I was right as the story went on. I was also pleasantly surprised by the bit of romance added into the story, which I always appreciate since I'm kind of a romantic. Overall, I think this book is worth a read/listen and I'm looking forward to other mysteries that Krysten Ritter might write.

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8 people found this helpful

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Not brilliant, but good

This book was pleasantly surprising. At first, I worried it would fall into the same old conventions--woman uncovers mystery / no one believes her / she goes insane, but is vindicated in the end. I was happy that the book didn't totally follow that stream.
Though it felt like an amalgamation of a few books in this genre, the story went to an interesting place and kept me entertained. Good quick read with a great narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

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Best book I've listened in a long time 😊

The story is so good that at the end I didn't realized that I was almost done. I truly wished the book was longer so I could be with these wonderfull characters at least for a couple of days more. Krysten Ritter, well done! 👏👏👏

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6 people found this helpful

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Probably best for young adults

Not a bad first novel, but felt a bit labored and amateurish; probably more fitting for the young adult genre. Having said that, Ritter shows promise as a writer - I'll definitely read her next novel.

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4 people found this helpful

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Perfect. Loved it.

Couldn't put it down, so to speak. Great characters, plot and speed. Lived up to the great reviews.

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Great Read

kept me hooked. I enjoyed the rich charact9 and the landscape. I'm definately a fan!

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Riveting

Riveting story from start to finish. Incorporates two-hot button topics together beautiful showing that corruption and abuse are multi-layered. The female at the center is a wonderful Verizon- flawed but strong in her beliefs.

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1 person found this helpful

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Excellent read!

I couldn’t stop listening. Great writing, characters and a plot that kept me guessing the entire time!!!

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Fantastic

This book was good from start to finish. I enjoyed the characters and the story line. I really hope she continues to write more novels.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable Thriller

The book started off slow but it ended up being an enjoyable read. I really loved the way the author chose to end the story!

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