Out of The Ashes by Kara Thomas

About the book: 

A woman’s investigation into her family’s murders uncovers lies, secrets, and dangerous truths in a heart-wrenching novel of suspense.

When she was thirteen years old, Samantha Newsom’s family was murdered and their Catskills farmhouse set ablaze in an unsolved crime that left nothing behind but ashes.

Twenty-two years later, Sam is pulled back to her hometown of Carney, New York, under the shadows of the grim tragedy she’s never forgotten or forgiven. Authorities mishandled the evidence, false rumors were seeded about her family, suspects yielded nothing, and the case went cold. Not anymore. Investigator Travis Meacham has been assigned to the case, and he has news for Sam: a prison inmate has come forward with a shocking admission. Sam’s baby sister, presumed dead in the fire, made it out of the house that night.

It’s not the only reveal that upends everything Sam thinks she knows about the crime and her family. But Carney protects its secrets. And this time, Sam might not be able to escape the town alive.

MY THOUGHTS 

 You know when you have like 555 other reviews to do but you just want to talk about the last book you read because it knocked your socks 🧦 off? Well that is this book!! Wow!! Thank you soo much @mbc_books for putting this gifted copy in my hands. 🥰 I seriously can’t recommend this book enough!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Pub date is 5/1/23!!🎉🎉🎉🎉

Why was it so exceptional?? Let me tell you…😉 First off… Dark… gritty… Suspense filled… 😳I went in completely blind and @karathomaswrites is a new to me author. So I was absolutely blown away when I loved this so much!! 😍

Samantha is an ICU nurse… Hey girl.. I am an ED nurse… soooo I ✅Loved that…We have seen ALOT!! Not much surprises us… yet Sam did manage to suprise me…😳😬

Imagine this… your entire family.. murdered and then burned in your childhood 🏡 home.. not you… as you were spending the night at a friend’s house… now your entire family is gone… and the killer is on the loose…😳 Fast forward 22 years… you are back… you left this small town that is riddled with drugs… crime… and lots of secrets 🤫… You NEED to know what happened that night… did everyone really die in that fire? 🔥

Seriously this was so well done… I had no idea 🤷‍♀️ what to think!! Who did it? Are these cops corrupt? The writing was so atmospheric…..I could feel the small town feeling.. and it wasn’t a good one… 😬 … Let me tell you… this town put the G in gritty… 😏…. SO sketchy!!! 🤨…. Now let’s talk about THAT ending!! Wow!! 😳🤯🤯🤯I loved it!!! I know it’s only February but this is one of my favorite books so far this year!! I can’t recommend it enough!! 😍😍😍 Obviously..5 big stars ⭐️

This isn’t a thriller that is so far out there that it is over the top… this was a perfect mix.. I felt like I could be reading true crime. I seriously can’t wait to read more by @karathomaswrites !!

Kara is the author of The Darkest Corners, Little Monsters, and The Cheerleaders. She is also the author of the Prep School Confidential series from St. Martin's Griffin under the pen name Kara Taylor.

Kara has written for Warner Brothers Television and currently writes full-time on Long Island, where she lives with her husband and rescue cat.