The debut thriller from the star of Jessica Jones

There are any number of actors/celebrities who have their names on novels as "author" whose output ranges from putting their names on works mostly written by others (Gypsy Rose Lee e.g.) to "pretty good for an actor" writing (Gene Hackman);

But the ranks of those whose writing is of a level that they could BE successful writers even if they weren't known elsewhere is, let's face it, sparsely filled: Steve Martin, Jason Segel, certainly, and the best by far, Sterling Hayden (Note: Sam Shepherd was NOT an actor who wrote, but a writer who was a pretty credible actor)

To this s,all elite, we must now add Krysten Ritter

Bonfire is not a vanity project; not a one-off related to her acting work (although she certainly would be ideal for her heroine) It is a super work of suspense that brings a fresh voice and viewpoint to the oft-told tale of the small-town kid who escapes to the big city and success of a sort and then must return home to find that many mysteries of her past are, as William Faulkner put it, not even past

Bonfire is a barn burner

Anyone who survived adolescence in a small town will relate to Abigail Williams, the prodigal daughter who returns to her hometown as an environmental lawyer investigating a corporation that’s endeared itself to the town. She faces her demons while unravelling two mysteries: a frenemie that’s been missing since high school graduation, and a corporate coverup. But is the girl really missing? And is there a coverup? You’ll have to read to find out.

Flawed character that returns to her hometown to solve a decades-old mystery surrounding disappearance of a high school friend and questionable involvement of the local corporation that trades townspeople community centers and bonuses for silence and loyalty. This is an enjoyable fast read and I will investigate other Ritter titles...but not an award-worthy novel.

Although the premise of the novel was engaging, the writing was simplistic and there were discrepancies in the descriptions. For a small town in Indiana, the lawyer had an office 45 minutes outside of town. Barrens is supposedly close to Indianapolis, but the main character headed West to get to Chicago, instead of north. There was a football game played in May, etc I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Don’t we all remember the girl at school who ruled? The tyrant who could make or break your popularity with the group? Who had an uncanny knack for knowing how to rule – by hurt or flattery, by offering the privilege of their attention or the cruelty of ostracism.

Of course their dominance is short lived. You move on from the age when everyone wants to be the same, to one where suddenly everyone wants to be different, and then their power is gone.

But Abby, from a small town in Indiana, never moved on from Kaycee, because Kaycee disappeared. This came after another dramatic period in their school career, when Kaycee and several of her acolytes appeared to suffer a bizarre illness. They were going to sue Optimal Plastics, the industry that dominates Barrens, but then admitted that they’d made the whole thing up.

Now Abby is a successful lawyer in Chicago. She’s the one who got away. But she’s still haunted by Kaycee’s illness and disappearance so when new complaints come in about Optimal, she wants to take the case.

This is a promising setup. I love a legal thriller and the prologue, a flashback to the first appearance of Kaycee’s illness in high school, is beautifully written, capturing the conflict (as Abby perceives it) in Kaycee’s eyes – fear and pain, but also vindication in being the centre of attention. Abby’s return home is movingly captured – particularly in her tense relationship with her father.

However, for me Bonfire falls down in a number of areas and is ultimately disappointing. It doesn’t have the reversals and clever argument and big egos and cut-and-thrust of a legal thriller. In fact there’s not that much law in it. It’s much more about Abby coming home to confront her demons. Her depiction of small-town life is atmospheric, but the characters all feel like recognisable types – the bitch, the bad boy, the first crush. There are no surprises or ambiguities. This limited (in both senses) cast of characters means it’s not hard to guess where the story is going.

It feels like the author didn’t quite know how to structure the story. The plot didn’t give the characters enough to do, which in turn meant they did not develop or reveal themselves through action. Instead we get too much of Abby going back over the same reminiscences (I felt my heart sink each time her childhood pet dog came up again!).

However, I loved the prose and the power of that prologue. I’d be interested to see what the author does next.
*
I received a copy of Bonfire from the publisher via Netgalley.

I want to thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate this opportunity.

I also want to give a shout out to Trang from Bookidote! Trang and I buddy read this book starting at the halfway mark. ? She offered great insight! Trang is an awesome blogger and new friend! She is so sweet and funny! Check her blog out and show her some love!?❤?

Synopsis: Abby Williams is a lawyer who works with chemicals and the environment based in Chicago. Different days of the week she has different men in her bed but she feels all alone. She tries to drink away her pain often and numb her feelings out. The only person she feels she can lean on is her colleague Joe.

Abby battles her demons and has faced obsessive thoughts from her past. Ten years ago as a graduating senior Abby was bullied furiously by the “it” crowd whose main star was Abby’s childhood friend, Kaycee Mitchell. When Kaycee mysteriously goes missing after claiming she was sick by the local plastic plant this has a lasting effect on Abby. Even though she hated Kaycee and her crowd in high school she felt there was something she could not shake.

Abby constantly keeps bringing herself back to the past and trying to put the pieces together. Abby finally stumbles across a complaint made by someone about the plant and Abby and her team head to her home town the Barrens. She heads to the Barrens to seek justice and ends up facing more than she could think possible.

Abby has to face; corruption, her abusive father, old high school bullies and new horrors in her home town. She runs into everyone from her childhood in this small town. Will Abby bring justice and be able to fight her personal demons?

Review: Omg! I loved this book! Not only is written by the awesome and sexy Krysten Ritter, it was fantastic. I give this crime thriller 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. I felt like I could feel all of Abby’s emotions and a lot of the traumas that happened in this book I could relate to. At moments it was hard for me to turn the page because of the intensity, but it kept me pulling me back in. I really enjoyed this book and was satisfied I requested it through NetGalley. My only issue, which really wasn’t an issue was the very end I didn’t know if they were leaving it open or that’s how she wanted to finish things. This book showed the reality of how bullying effects people and the horror. This was a terrific crime thriller. I highly recommend this book!

Once again, I requested and was granted a book without knowing that the author, Krysten Ritter, had already made quite a name for herself, this time as an actress and producer.
Ritter's debut novel has protagonist Abby Williams returning to her home in rural Indiana after an absence of ten years. She's a single, upscale successful environmental lawyer out of Chicago with a decent paycheck and comfortably austere digs. Abby intends on investigating Optimal Plastics and their possible involvement in transient sicknesses and other health concerns connected with the major corporation, which has been the source of economic livelihood for the little community.
Barrens, however, has not been the source of happy memories for Abby and returning home begins to lay open old scars from childhood.
The legal team that includes Joe, a close office friend and colleague, is ensconced in a farmer's large barn and initiates investigation as Abby begins to devolve back to younger, impotent Abby. The abrupt disappearance of Kaycee the end of high school has brought back painful memories and confronting those demands her further attention, diverting complete concentration from the Optimal investigation.
She discovers a disturbing secret that, being an independent lone wolf, she had missed called "The Game." As strong a character as her lawyer profile was presumed to be, I was disappointed in that she seems to revert to a stuttering, incompetent female.
Dialogue actually flows rather evenly, although Abby could be a pain, over obsessing. Characters were fleshed out well enough not to like many of them, particularly Annie, the snot. It's obvious that Abby is still trying to control old sorrows with booze and sex, drinking too much and crawling into another strange bed. Conversations seem to whittle down to four letter words. No one here I could really identify with and didn't have a real connection. My problem is the focus diverted from the original environmental investigation, the personal back story (bit by bit more nasty), and the damage to the protagonist. The ending seemed a bit harsh and abrupt, though not wholly unsatisfying.
Not really a unique plot, no thrilling twists, though definitely a solid effort for a debut novel with a promising author, aside from her acting or producing accomplishments. Would be interested to see if her efforts don't mature. Recommended for mystery, suspense fans. I received this download from Crown Publishing and NetGalley and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review for you! 3.5 stars rounded up.

This was an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) that I have done in exchance of an honest review that I did also on Goodreads and I want to thank all parties for making me review this!

For Krysten Ritter's debut novel, Bonfire, I was thrilled when I had first read this as her book grabbed me from the beginning even before I had started reading. When I was reading it the first time, to me in my mind that this was one of my favorite books of 2017 with the right amount of twists and turns in this book that it has an environmental message wrapped in this mystery thriller! After reading this, I wanted more stories from Krysten and I wish that she could adapt this to either a film for the big screen or a TV movie, a TV series or a Limited Series because I fell in love reading this and I love a good mystery story especially with a female as a main character! I highly recommend this to mystery fans, to book fans and to Krysten Ritter fans or all of the above including myself!

It's Erin Brockovich meets Veronica Mars all wrapped into one story that Krysten Ritter fans are very pleased and thrilled with! Speaking of which, now I have to get Jessica Jones and Don't Trust the B at Apartment 13 on DVD to go along with this book!

*may contain slight spoilers, but nothing major*

Boy, oh, boy do I have a lot of issues with this book.

While I will give Ritter a slight break since this is her first dabble in writing a novel, let alone a mystery/thriller (as Gillian Flynn’s first work was not the best in my opinion), I still have a lot of issues with this one.

The first one I have to point out is the stigmas that Ritter surrounds with what a “small town” is. Coming from a town with a population of about 10,000 myself, I found that her descriptions and stereotypes that go along with some of the characteristics were a little blasé (for example, having only 2 stop lights). While I can attest to some of them being true, I just felt very underwhelmed with the way she was describing some of the situations and people. On the flip side, a lot of her descriptions were pretty accurate, but overall could have used more sensitivity and work.

A compliment I do have towards this book is that it was very easy to read. When I read this book, I didn’t feel bogged down with information – it was very smooth reading in terms of she knows that the audience knows what a barn looks like, so Ritter doesn’t go into a page and half of description of one, which is nice and used well.

My main issue with this book, and probably the most important one to a mystery, is the actual mystery! I don’t know who the hell actually blurbed this as “dark [and] disturbing” and a “stone-cold stunner”. When I read a mystery, especially one of a crime that has been going on for 10+ years, such as this one, I want to actually believe they could have pulled it off. But, with Bonfire, I just do not think that the antagonists could have gotten away with this for nearly twenty years and not been found out. I just don’t think it’s possible. Then this girl who has been away for so long comes along and cracks it, just like that. Like…really? Also, the climax is completely predictable, and the main character, who has been pretty smart up to this point, makes such a stupid mistake in the end that it just made me wish I could hand her a V8 (non-sponsored). If you’re reading this book, you’ll come to a point where you make a pretty major prediction about what’s going to happen next and who the “bad guy(s)” is/are, and I would bet that you’re right.

Overall, the mystery was kind of lame. The entire novel is completely underwhelming. I was never on the edge of my seat, which is how I should expect to feel with a thriller such as this. The only reason I’m going to keep this one around is because the cover is so damn good.

That being said, I think this author does have potential, as (mentioned above), Flynn’s first novel had me feeling much the same way, yet her next two books were knock-outs. I have not given up on Ritter, and I look forward to see what she comes up with next.

Abby Williams couldn’t wait to get out of small town Barrens, Indiana, where she was born and raised. Hers was not a particularly happy childhood; bullied by classmates, mother dying of cancer, and an alcoholic father all combining for a lonely start to life. Two days after high school graduation she moved to Chicago and became an environmental lawyer. Now she returns to Barrens as part of a legal team trying to gather proof against a giant corporate polluter named Optimal Plastics only to discover connections to a scandal involving her own past circle of “friends”. While she hopes to bury her past, it starts to look more and more likely that the past may well bury her.

I suppose many people will be drawn to this book simply due to the author herself, a well-regarded actress known for her starring role as Jessica Jones or for her work on Breaking Bad or several fine movie performances. I confess that was the case for me as well. In fact, when I began reading this first person POV novel, I found myself picturing Jessica Jones telling the story of Abby Williams. Despite knowing this was a debut novel, I had pretty high expectations due to Ms. Ritter’s many impressive on-screen performances. And that certainly proved to be the case, for this novel was absorbing all the way through.

This is largely a dual mystery story as Abby tries to gather evidence against Optimal while at the same time works to understand her own childhood experiences, especially why her friend Kaycee disappeared back then. We are treated to lots of Abby’s flashback thoughts as information is slowly revealed and the style morphs into more of a psychological suspense/thriller story. However you want to classify it, it works very well. The characters, especially Abby’s reunited “friends” from high school, are well-drawn and intriguing. Abby herself, is a complex web of personality and I relished the slowly-divulged details of her past as they unfolded. The author is able to convey the uncomfortableness of Abby’s youthful remembrances and mesh them with the present-day reality in a way that really kept me enthralled throughout the book. And her ability to describe the small-town setting of Barrens through the eyes of others rather than long descriptive paragraphs speaks to the talent of an experienced writer. My initial tendency to think of this book as a debut effort by an on-screen celebrity soon fell by the wayside as I simply settled down to enjoy a really good book.

Of note, in the “About the Author” page at the very end of the book, it mentions that Krysten Ritter has founded a production company that aims to highlight complex female protagonists. If this novel is an indication of that aim, then the future looks bright for the author as well as the production company.

Highly recommended.

Abby Williams returns home, although she was never comfortable in Barrens (great name) Indiana, and has forged a new life for herself as an environmental attorney in Chicago. Having thought she left Barrens in her rear view mirror, Abby finds old buttons being pushed, and memories and an almost too-wicked-to-be-believed big corporation threaten to unspool her completely. Flawed and not entirely reliable, Abby finds her focus shifting more and more from her stated goal of investigating the town's water supply. The plot spins along at a nice pace, even if the reader can see the resolution coming from a mile away, which keeps this from being a solid 4 star. Ritter's experience as an actor has given her a gift for dialogue, and there is some truly poetic writing ("Only the present is solid. The past is smoke.")

Krysten Ritter's bio reports that she is the founder of a production company that "aims to highlight complex female protagonists," and with this, her debut novel, she has created a woman right in that mold. She'd do a lot worse than launching with this as the basis for a film with her playing the part of Abby. This debut proves that she is not a one-trick pony. I, for one, hope that this is the beginning of a series and that we'll see Abby Williams in future installments.

This book sucked. I read in the Times she writes for TV so I bought it...she better stick to TV. Plus I now realize why I don't watch TV. It was so trite and overdramatic. Dialog sooooo dumb. Erin Brockovich meets Hallmark mystery movie.

This is a quick read featuring a strong independent female main character. Relatively short in length with snappy chapters, readers will be able to fly though this novel in just a few sittings.

Part mystery and part contemporary, this book walked the line between genres. This narrative was enigmatic, yet quite emotional in places. Ritter addresses so many serious themes from bullying to family abuse. The story showed the complication of relationships, which are so rarely black or white.

Unlike other readers, I primarily picked up this book for the story, rather than the famous author. Admittedly, I am not much a pop culture enthusiast so I knew little about Krysten Ritter as a celebrity. I have seen her in a few movies, but I have not watched Jessica Jones nor Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. As I understand, Ritter plays strong female characters in both of those shows, who may be similar to the main character in this book.

The writing in this book was not particularly strong, yet it was decent for what I would expect from an actress writing her first novel. The style was simple with short phrases spliced together with some interesting descriptions.

The plot this novel is one I have read many, many times before. I have found that the synopsis of the young woman returning home to her small town to investigate to be a very common narrative. This book reminded me of several other books I have recently read including Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll, Follow Me Down by Sherri Smith, and The Fever by Megan Abbott. Compared to those books, this one was equally strong. If you enjoy any those books, you may very well enjoy this one as well.

I would recommend this one fans of Krysten Ritter or simply anyone looking to breeze through an easy intriguing story.

I requested this book from Penguin Random House Canada

Bonfire it is one of those books that you want a reason to love it but the story simply fails on you. Abby Williams is back to her old town Barrens to investigate, as a lawyer, a pollution case. Once back, she is facing her past and that of troubled teens nowadays trying to make their way into adulthood. The pollution case is well-known to everyone living in Barrens, for a long time, but no one is daring to face the company who is the main local breadwinner.
On the way to achieve her investigation, Abby is getting more and more lost into her memories and old trauma, meeting all the time shadows of those terrible years.
One thing that I definitely loved about this book is the writing and the character development, especially for the troubled young girls. However, somewhere at the beginning, the narrative is lost and the more you advance into the book the more you cannot see too much the links between the 'investigation' and presence of characters into the story. It seems in the end that everything is in fact only about Abby and her fight to recover herself from past episodes. Although such an idea could easily make it into a book topic, the problem is that there are so many similar approaches that make it this book just one of the many about it and obviously not one of the best.
Most probably I would love to read more from this author - before reading the book I was not familiar with Krysten Ritter film bibliography, but I am not a movie person anyway - but the Bonfire just didn't succeed to catch my attention - and admiration too.

Rating: 2.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I spotted this book in the new releases section at the library and had to do a double take at the author name... Krysten Ritter? My favorite vamp girl and the amazing portrayer of Jessica Jones? I was overcome with excitement that this woman is also a writer. I was also shocked I hadn't heard about this one online or on NPR - how did it sneak by me? I've always thought Ritter was a witty, intelligent woman with a lot to say - I've enjoyed her in interviews, etc. I skimmed the description and saw that this was a mystery thriller type, so I didn't hesitate to jump right in.

The story follows Abby as she returns to her small home town in rural Indiana. Her childhood there wasn't entirely awful - we get images of a little girl who played in the woods, ran free, swam in the reservoir in the summer, had a best friend, had a beloved dog, and generally had a country upbringing. It seems like it wasn't all bad for a time. But we know right away that she's dreading this return, and the plot of this book largely centers around peeling the complex layers of her dark adolescence apart. Ten years ago she left home for the big city and left her hometown behind. She went on to go to college, become a lawyer, and to own a modern condo. Her life is leagues away from where she started. But it's clear that something from her last years at home has clung to her subconscious, unsettled. It leads her to look into a potential water quality issue that may be related to the area's largest employer, Optimal Plastics. She returns home to investigate, along with her team of colleagues.

This read was a strong three to four-star book. I can say that, overall, this was a well-written book, and was well edited. The flow is good, the pages turned, and the story is a complete vision top to bottom. I hovered between a three to four star only because the last third got a little muddled from an unreliable narrator perspective, and it didn't seem to fit the flow of the book. I felt like it would have been a stronger finish had the narrator maintained the same voice throughout. I also noted that a character, Joe, was introduced at the beginning that didn't really have a strong role, and that didn't really help the story at all. I wish the character had either been a stronger part of the story or just not included at all. But really these are very minor issues in a stand-out novel that was otherwise well done.

There was a strong mystery, plenty of detective work, and lots of small town weirdness to uncover. This is recommended for mystery lovers.

The plot of Bonfire sounded good to me so I selected it as my Book of the Month for November. The plot has been summarized nicely in other reviews so I won't go into too much detail there. The main character, Abby, is a lawyer returning to her hometown and the unpleasant memories of her past as she works with her team to investigate the big corporate giant that is rumored to be polluting the town's water supply. The plot isn't half bad, but the telling of the story is uneven at best. Abby isn't an altogether likeable narrator and by turns I wanted to either shake her, slap her, or check her into a detox facility. It seems like she spends half of the book looking for a drink, meeting someone at a bar, or waking up confused about the events of the night before. The first half of the book drags a little as you meet the cast of characters in Abby's hometown and get (in pieces) Abby's backstory of what happened a decade ago in high school with her now-vanished ex best friend Kaycee. The second half of the book picks up the pace, but the drama over the water supply pollution quickly fizzles out as the plot focuses heavily on both the town's past and present corruption scandal. There's also a story line thrown in about Abby's dad that is depressing and I'm not sure what it adds to the story other than to explain why Abby is the way she is. I'll also say that if you don't like to read about innocent animals being harmed, there's a part of this story you're really not going to like that deals with her childhood dog.

I did not care for the Kaycee storyline one bit. For most of the book I was thinking she was this awful, despicable person and then at the end I felt like I was supposed to believe she would not have come right out and told Abby the sordid truth. Instead, Abby was supposed to...what? Guess what happened, and then...do what, exactly? I didn't understand this and it was a major focus of the whole book. As for the 'bad guys,' I picked them out early in the book and was not one bit surprised that they turned out to be rotten...just surprised that it took Abby as long as it did to put all the puzzle pieces together.

I finished the book feeling a little disappointed. There was closure to most of the characters' stories, I will say that, but there wasn't much else to redeem this story. I like smart, fast-paced mysteries that have a clever ending...this one, unfortunately, didn't live up to the hype for me!

"I came back to bury my past, but instead the past is burying me."

We all have deep rooted memories of home. Some, we want to forget, some we wish to never let go and others that make us run far away as soon as we get the chance.

That about sums it up with BONFIRE. A debut novel written by Krysten Ritter, aka actress from such well known shows like Netflix original series, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, AMC’s Breaking Bad. Krysten’s work on film includes Big Eyes, Listen Up Philip, Life Happens, Confessions of a Shopaholic and She’s Out of My League.

So, basically, she can do it all. But, this was more than a great thriller for me. There was a hauntingly familiar tone to her writing. The nuance, style and the subtle way the plot emerges which made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. She reminded me deeply of my favorite author. One that I have been missing. Gillian Flynn. The plot, successful lawyer Abby Williams, returns home to dreadful place where she was once bullied daily, to investigate Optimal Plastics, the town's wealthiest company that has ties to the town's water.

Memories stir and Abby can't help but feel there's a connection to her old friend Kaycee, who Abby vividly witness get sick 10 years ago. But, when all of her other friends get sick, they confessed to faking it. But, why did Kaycee go missing and not take anything of value? What really happened to her? How close is Optimal Plastics to the people in town? And is Abby ready to go back to "The Game"?

Too many secrets. People in power with money verses a small town in need is bound to uncover things Abby doesn't really want to see. Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC. Maybe Krysten will star in her own novel?

I know Ritter from Jessica Jones where she blew me away with her hardass/badass characterization. I was both surprised and not to find that she also writes, and writes well.  Bonfire is a solid, serviceable thriller which, if a little predictable, still delivers the goods.  I didn't love it, but I did tear through it in a couple of hours because her writing is smooth as silk, and she knows how to keep a scene moving, and how to create characters who are interesting if not complex.

It's one of those books about a woman who goes back home again and confronts her miserable past, and the people who were complicit in that misery.  Abby is a damaged creature, reminding me of Rachel from Paula Hawkins The Girl on the Train.  She's not quite the mess Rachel is, but the longer she stays in Barrens, the more we see the cracks opening up in her. She was a target for the Mean Girls, thanks to their ringleader, Kaycee, who had once been Abby's friend, or rather had once been what passed for a friend.  Kaycee, who looms over everything in the story, remains almost more of a plot device than a fully-fleshed character.  Late revelations about her home life do help make her feel more real, but in the end, we never entirely understand what made her tick.

I could have done without the romance since it seemed like a false note, but it wasn't intrusive. There are things about this novel that I find inexplicable, and which feel like loose ends to me.  Because of all those objections I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. But since most review sites don't let you give fractions of stars, and since this is my 150th book for the year, I'm going to be generous and say 4 stars because I had to finish it, and I did it in two comfortable sittings.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Excellent read. A woman working for an environmental watchdog company as a lawyer, Abby Williams, goes back to her hometown. A hometown she hasn’t visited in a decade. She left 3 days after her high school graduation. She was “friends” with Kaycee, a girl who could be very mean spirited and who hung out with the popular girls. Kaycee left town shortly before Abby. Abby was not popular and was actually picked on, a lot, by the popular girls. In her venture to find out what Optimal, the corporation her company is investigating, she is drawn back to her high school days. Trying to make sense of it all, she finds a hidden darkness that has been secret for the pas decade. Not only that, it’s a secret that is still going on.

An absolutely mesmerizing thriller that I could not put down, well let’s say I didn’t want to, but sometimes there are distractions you can’t help. Ha!

Gripping, haunting and pulse racing I thoroughly enjoyed the heck out of this book. I ended it with a huge fist pump and a loud “yes” when all the discoveries were brought to light.

I was very intrigued when I saw that Krysten Ritter had written a book. I first noticed her in the TV show about the “B” in Apartment 23 (still unsure why that show was cancelled) and was very excited that I received this galley.

Huge thanks to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-Galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This is a really richly evoked and tightly plotted novel with some very dark corners and hidden secrets. A women returns home, reluctantly, in her official role as investigator. When she looks into the very company credited with saving the town from extinction, people start to turn on her, yet the same company are suspected of poisoning the water supply.

This is a town with secrets and secrets from the past, things which haunt the present and hidden anger too. There is an interesting cast of characters in this town, a black gay lawyer, the head of the local school who was a very different character in the past, and let’s not forget Abby’s role in all of this…

Abby is a very interesting character who developed well over the course of the book. Her return to a town which had spat her out is a gritty premise and one explored in all uncomfortable and tantalising detail. Best of all is the town they call Barren. Barren by name and barren by nature. A remote, claustrophobic place which is aptly suited to the themes of the story.

Past and present blend seamlessly – you can smell the bonfire throughout. The flames consume everything in its path but you can’t take your eyes of the destruction.

Abby Williams grew up in a small town called Barrens, Indiana. She was tormented by a group of girls living there and couldn’t wait to leave. She became a successful environmental lawyer and now returns to Barrens, 10 years later, with a group of lawyers investigating a company called Optimal Plastics. It is thought Optimal may be polluting the water in that town which essentially is employed by them. When Abby was in school, another student, Kaycee, became sick and soon disappeared and was not seen since. As Abby investigates, she sees problems in the town especially with something called “The Game”. Eventually, her determination to get at the truth puts her at odds with the people in the town and places her in mortal danger.
BONFIRE is an entertaining book but flawed. Characters are overall stock figures with the hunky male interest and the individual who completely changes when it is revealed that they are the villain. Yet, the book kept my interest enough to get through the pages. Good for the plane or the pool. Nothing special or truly memorable.

People always say “write what you know.” At least, that’s what I’ve heard is often said to people who want to write. That idea couldn’t be more clear in Krysten Ritter’s debut novel. This book is like Jessica Jones meets Veronica Mars, from the messy female character to the small town with big issues down to the idea of never being able to escape your past. It has two of Ritter’s most beloved (by me) properties she’s acted in pretty much baked into this book’s DNA. And it’s actually really legitimately GOOD. Ritter is a more than capable and evocative writer. The story moves at a quick clip and, while there aren’t a ton of layers to this story (like there are with similar stories like Girl on the Train or White Bodies), its very well-written and well-plotted. While I could guess a lot of the connections mid-way through, I think that comes more from my familiarity with the genre and the notion that everything is always connected/is always a clue. All in all, I’m VERY glad that Krysten Ritter didn’t “stay in her lane” as an actress. This novel proves that she could own the whole road and not just a single lane.

This was a really fun read! I love Krysten Ritter as an actress so when I discovered she was writing a book I was really excited to read it. I had planned on borrowing it from the library but a friend ended up sending it to me because she wasn't a fan. I am happy I ended up enjoying it!

I don't read many mystery/thrillers. The only times I really do is when one has become extremely popular and everyone seems to be raving about it (Gone Girl, Dark Places, Girl on the Train, etc). Bonfire wasn't as, for a lack of a better term, flashy as the ones I just mentioned. It was a simple mystery story that I had fun reading. I was genuinely interested in the answers to the questions that are brought up throughout the story and it kept me reading. It's a fairly short book at about 270 pages and I read the book in about a day.

Like I said earlier, I don't read many books in this genre. But when I do I never feel much connection or attachment to the characters. That was kind of the case for this book besides the main character, Abby. I enjoyed Abby's character because I thought she was a believable character and I was empathetic to her situation all the way through the story. She had moments of vulnerability and during her visit of her hometown she tried her best to keep herself distanced from her high school bullies but she didn't have much of a choice. I don't have much of an opinion about the other characters. I found the love interest to be a bit boring but I enjoyed Abby enough that I didn't care too much. I couldn't help but picture Krysten Ritter playing Abby, which definitely helped me enjoy her character even more.

The plot was a lot of fun. I thought the mystery was enough to get me addicted and not being able to put the book down for long. I think if I was actively trying to figure out the mystery before the book revealed the answer I may have figured it out. However, I kind of allowed myself to just get swept up in the story and enjoy all the revelations and exciting plot. So I honestly was surprised as everything was unfolding and I got really into it when the action started to step up in the last chunk of the story.

The writing was very straight forward. Which I didn't mind as much as I thought I would because I think it worked with the genre. I would have liked a bit more descriptions and setting so I could paint a full picture in my head. Although I couldn't fully picture the entire scene as I read them I don't think it affected the story itself. I still got the general idea with the narration and dialogue. I think Krysten Ritter writes similarly to the way she speaks which worked well for me since I enjoy the way she narrates and speaks. There are some cliché writing phrases, the biggest being "I let out a breathe I didn't know I was holding" cliché. There are a few separate times a variation of this phrase is used, which is a bit annoying because this phrase so overdone and has become almost a joke in the book/reader community. I think although the dialogue had a lot of funny moments and the narration was overall pretty good, the weakest link was the writing. Ritter is a great storyteller but I wasn't as impressed with the writing.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. It got me hooked into the mystery of the story and I didn't want to put it down until I figured out the answers. I was rooting for our main character and I felt for her as she went through pretty intense situations. I recommend this book to anyone who is a Krysten Ritter fan or if you're just in the mood for a fun mystery story.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book! Bonfire is Krysten Ritter's debut novel, and it's a solid one. I'll admit that it was her name that drew me in at first, coupled with my intrigue that she was settling into the mystery/thriller genre, but then I read the synopsis and realized Bonfire was right up my alley.

I'm a sucker for plots where some horrible event in the main character's past comes out of the woodwork and forces them to face their demons in the present. Ritter certainly provides with Abby Williams, our protagonist who has escaped the clutches of small town life and high school bullies to become a successful environmental lawyer. She always swore to herself that she'd never return, but that was before new complaints against a local corporation give her the opportunity to revisit the mysteries buried deep in her past. Optimal Plastics may have revived Barrens, Indiana, all those years ago and kept it afloat since - but at what costs?

Abby is a complex and interesting character. She's a force to be reckoned with, stubborn and willing to fight for what she wants, but there's still a paranoia and a bitter vulnerability that's simmered inside her since her teenage years, no matter how hard she's tried to shed the insecurities that plagued her during high school. Intriguingly, it's that weaker side of her that sometimes calls her reliability as a narrator into question. I didn't always agree with the decisions that she made, but I felt like I at least understood where she was coming from.

Ritter does a great job bringing to life the claustrophobic nature of a single stoplight town. Abby can't walk through Barrens without seeing scenes from her memory played out like a thin film over the present, and it casts a somber, haunting pallor over the whole novel. She struggles reconciling the people she meets now with their high school counterparts she left behind a decade ago, especially when it seems that history might be repeating itself in the cruelest of ways in modern-day Barrens. I love Ritter's writing style - it's atmospheric, evocative, and a joy to read.

Bonfire does have its weaknesses. The storyline felt disjointed in places, trying too hard to keep the on-the-books investigation of Optimal Plastics separate from Abby's insistence on tackling it from her biased angle. I was bummed that her lone wolf approach came at the cost of getting to know the people on her investigative team - they seemed like they would have been a fun cast of characters. I also found parts of the ending to be rather easy to predict, and the parts that weren't felt like they'd become overly convoluted in an attempt to connect the dots.

Overall, though, I was impressed by Ritter's debut work. I loved her atmospheric writing style and the complicated (and at times messy) main character to whom she handed the reins. Fingers crossed she'll be writing more in the future; I'll be looking forward to it.

The plot reminds me of the movie Erin Brokovich because it's about a woman fighting a big company on an environmental issue in a small town, against all odds; but, this book kicks it up a notch with an unreliable narrator, mean girls, a dark vibe and thriller twists. It has a lot of character development, with flashbacks to the past so that the reader understands Abby William's turmoil about coming home. This book is about bullying, secrets, corruption, memories, and forgiveness. It reminds me that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I was surprised at the depth of this book and the thoughtful prose.

The excellent writing made me experience Abby's painful memories of Barrens, her relationship with her estranged father, and reuniting with her former bullies. Krysten Ritter does a great job of portraying the town and people of Barren. Abby gradually becomes an unreliable narrator and you start to wonder what is real and what is not. I enjoyed trying to decipher her character and motivations. This book exceeded my expectations and I am impressed with Krysten Ritter's debut novel. I hope that she writes another book soon.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I bought this book in hardcover because I am a huge fan of Kryten Ritter as an actress and I hope someday to have it signed. I was interested to see if her talents include being an insightful and good writer. I am pleased to have found she absolutely is. This book pulls you in and I read it cover to cover in one shot, because it is excellent. I could not put it down.

The plot is tight, the protagonist is so well-conceived as are the other characters and the first person format pull you into a mind that truly demonstrates Ritter as a person who has great ability to see people and transfer that onto the page. This book shows that we bookworms are gifted with a new writer that can deliver real, solid, skillful novels that are thought-provoking and very pleasant to read.

This novel had the great twists and suspense that I love in a thriller. The pacing is excellent and I was metaphorically on the edge of my seat. I think that Ritter can stand proudly next to any bestselling author of suspense. If I didn't think that she is a genuinely nice person, I think that I would hate her a little bit for being so blessed with talent, looks, and success, haha. But, her writing shows that she is a good person with great empathy and ability to really see into people.

So, in summary, this book delivered for me and I happily recommend this to anyone who loves a good novel. It's a very worthwhile read and I look forward to more books by Ritter. Happy reads to all!

Bonfire is Krysten Ritter’s (you may know her as Jessica Jones from a series of the same name, on Netflix) debut novel. In my opinion actors turning authors is a bit of a hit or miss scenario, either they’re wonderful or they’re a flop. In this case I think Ritter managed to get her book on the side of hit, as I found myself greatly enjoying it (I read it all in one sitting).
Warnings first: There are a few different scenes that talk about animal death in this novel. The main character’s dog is murdered, and that fact (as well as some of the details) comes up quite a bit. There’s also some hunting scenes described. Along with those scenes is something called ‘the Game’ that the school boys did; getting pictures of girls in compromising positions and then sharing those photos. This is pretty alarming to say the least, and at least one suicide is mentioned as a direct result of it.
Bonfire is set in a small town named Barrens. It’s described as a company town, and that certainly is an accurate description; Optimal Plastics seems to own, pay for or employ more than half of everything in the town. And yet despite their size, they never seem to have even the smallest infraction on their records. That’s why Abby is in town, well, that’s why she says she’s in town. It’s her job to make sure Optimal Plastics isn’t contaminating the town’s water source. Getting the townspeople to listen to that is a whole different story though.
Throughout the novel the history of Barrens is slowly revealed. Optimal Plastics has been buying their way into the town for years, slowly leaking corruption as it goes. A group of girls pretend to be sick, the ringleader named Kaycee. Abby has her doubts about how fake the whole thing was, but nobody seems willing to humor her theories. As Abby digs deeper to unravel the mystery of her past, she starts turning up more and more unexpected bits of information.
Abby is an interesting character; she’s clearly traumatized and obsessed with her past, and frankly who can blame her? Most of the people in town were pretty horrible to her when she was younger, even more so than they were to each other (which is saying something). Her father hid from his loss and pain by diving into religion, leaving her alone. Her best childhood friend betrayed her, and in my opinion did some things that were pretty unforgivable (such as killing her dog). Despite all the pain she’s suffered, she’s come back to down, determined to figure out the cause of a strange series of events that happened when she was a teenager. I’m not sure I would have been able to do what she did. Abby also delivers one of my favorite lines during the novel (“Worse. I’m a lawyer.”); which helps to show how she can appreciate the humor in her situation and in her job, a helpful attribute to have to say the least.
Bonfire is very heavily character driven; nothing in this story would have happened (or rather, been revealed), had Abby not stuck to her guns and continued onward. It’s her obsession with Kaycee and the past that resolves the mystery of Barrens (the mystery nobody would look at). I found this story to be a refreshing change of pace.
As debut novels go, Bonfire was pretty decent. I can’t wait to see if Krysten Ritter continues with her writing career, and if so, what she comes out with next.

Abby Williams is an environmental lawyer living in Chicago. She returns to her hometown of Barrens to investigate concerns of unsafe water with potential ties to a large company called Optimal. Deep into her investigation, Abby becomes obsessed with finding the truth behind the complaints. Memories slowly resurface and buried feelings reignite as she makes her way through the town, interacting with old classmates and the other residents of Barrens.

Abby is complex and sympathetic. She has unresolved issues with her past and is slightly elusive with her memories. When she moved to Chicago she transformed into a new persona by reinventing herself and washing away any remnants of her small town life. While growing up in Barrens, she was viciously bullied by a group of girls – led by the popular Kaycee Mitchell, bringing Abby to the verge of suicide. Kaycee had once been her best friend. In their senior year of high school, her tormenters showed signs of strange ailments. Accusations were made against Optimal, but a civil suit was quickly dropped when the girls admitted it was a hoax. Abby, however, never stopped believing it was true. She had seen the look of terror on Kaycee’s face during one of her spells and was convinced she couldn’t be feigning her sickness.

Leading a research team investigating the rash of current complaints, Abby finds reports of old grievances and issues linked to the town’s water supply and Optimal. She is desperate to find a connection between the latest sickness claims and what had happened to Kaycee in high school, refusing to believe her allegations were false.

Ritter's storytelling is rich in detail. Its dark and brooding suspense had me eagerly turning the pages to unravel layers of the mystery. The threat of danger, whether real or imagined, was exciting and I was anxious to find out what would happen. Above all, this is a character-driven novel. The development of Abby and her relationships, with past events affecting the present, is what made this such a compelling read for me. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers with flawed, intense female protagonists, I would definitely recommend Bonfire.

When people talk about high school as the best time of their lives, you have to wonder if they mean it. Everyone has difficult memories from that awkward period of one’s life --- and yet sometimes life doesn’t get much better than that strange and mysterious passage. Krysten Ritter has built a fantastic, thrilling and literate novel around the people you leave behind when you go forth into the world, daring to believe there is something greater out there than you have already experienced. BONFIRE is the story of an incendiary court case matched with a decades-old mystery about a young lawyer’s former frenemy from high school --- and Ritter has all the chops to make it a great ride.

Abby Williams is an environmental lawyer who returns to her hometown to take on a plastics conglomerate that may be poisoning the community. As soon as she returns to Barrens, Indiana, a hick town where most people stay after high school, working at said conglomerate, Abby begins to run into people who used to make her anxious and give her high school years a nasty tinge. However, her frenemy Kaycee Mitchell is nowhere to be found. In fact, no one seems to know where she is. Or do they? Everybody else is still here --- some married with kids, some continuing to troll for good times without a concern for any discernable future.

Abby becomes involved with some of the jocks who had shunned her in the past, using her association with them to get information about what’s going on. Her investigative powers get the best of her, and every relationship becomes an opportunity for her to delve into the past in a way that not many people seem too happy to relive. When she learns about “The Game,” a bizarre ritual that leads back again to shady dealings at her senior year in high school, Abby enters into a world of darkness and intrigue that clearly she never had imagined existed.

BONFIRE is a very well-done thriller --- a mystery that we don’t figure out on page three, a series of characters who aren’t always what they first seem to be, a sense of tension and dread that keeps us turning pages faster and faster as we race to find out what will happen to Abby and her cohorts. Ritter is a good actress, but she is an excellent writer. Finding the means to collide past and present with masterful touches of character and dramatic action, she makes BONFIRE a slow-burning investigation that gives us a multi-dimensional heroine who must grapple with what it means to go home --- dealing with a dying parent, admitting her failings and understanding how the place she comes from will never leave her, no matter how hard she has tried to put it behind her.

This is a compelling and readable book that doesn’t shy away from the messy specifics of all relationships. BONFIRE is most certainly the first of what will be a series of novels. I’d love to see Abby come back. You will, too.

Reviewed by Jana Siciliano

Abby Williams returns home for the first time since she left a decade ago to investigate a large company. Traumatic events haunt her there from the cruel teasing of a high school clique to her father’s anger. Returning makes these suppressed feelings and memories rise to the surface. As her investigation deepens, it seems to be inextricably tied to her past. Her actions get more desperate and erratic, calling into question if she’s simply traumatized by the past and having a mental break or if the company is really the cause of the trouble of her teenage years.

Bonfire drew me in with the concept of a small town with secrets and kept me glued to the book with the characters, the writing, and how deep those secrets go. Abby Williams went from high school outcast to environmental lawyer. As a teen, she was tormented by a clique of popular girls who went so far as to make fun of her mothers' death and her own suicide attempt. They made public polls about her and offered to help her with her next suicide attempt. As an adult, the town hasn’t physically changed much and the same people live there. She's the one who has changed, gaining fame for actually leaving and building a new life for herself. While people tend to speak highly of her, the company she's investigating pretty much owns the town, leading the townspeople to mistrust her and make their allegiances clear.

The mystery had some predictable elements and other surprising turns. History is repeating itself. A tactic to humiliate teenage girls in the past was to get them drunk, take compromising pictures of them, and circulate them around school. The present holds the same, but is there a more insidious reason? Why would this practice be exactly the same after so many years? Abby finds out much more about her main tormentor, Kaycee. In the past, Kaycee and her friends came down with a mysterious sickness that proved to be fake in all but Kaycee, who is conspicuously absent in the present. Abby delves into the past and discovers that there was more to Kaycee than she ever expected. As she gets closer and closer to the truth, Abby starts to break down, drinking too much, sleeping to little, exhibitng erratic behavior, and bending or breaking laws to get information, calling into question her capability of completing her investigation.

When I picked up Bonfire, I expected a fairly generic book. Krysten Ritter weaves a compelling story with a flawed protagonist who can't truly move on with her life due to her unresolved pat. Although I didn't agree with everything Abby did, I understood and related to her overall reasoning. I hope Krysten Ritter writes more books after this. I would recommend this to fans of Gillian Flynn and other twisty mysteries.

I have a real problem with famous people deciding they need to write fiction. Not that I doubt they can write, but I think their fame gives them a leg up on the people who don’t have their fame.

And sometimes I’m not even sure if they write their own books. This mostly goes for some of the talking heads and pundits who come out with fiction: I think often they have a ghostwriter write their books, and publishers know it will sell more with a ‘name’ on the cover. Not all of them, but I think a few of them fail to let us know they didn’t actually write the book.

So I don’t often read the writings of the famous. Sometimes memoirs, but usually no.

But guess what? I broke my unwritten rule and read Krysten Ritter’s Bonfire. And it was really good. All interviews and media I’ve read lead me to believe that she wrote the book.

(In case you don’t know Ritter, she’s humorous and funny, the star of the Netflix series Marvel’s Jessica Jones, all about a troubled private eye who uses her gifts to find her tormentor. She also starred in the short lived but very funny Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, where she played a spoiled party girl with a new-to-New-York small town roommate, and has many other actor entries on her resume.)

Bonfire is dark, with a very flawed hero in protagonist Abby Williams. Given the chance to return home and to investigate Optimal Plastics, Abby also get a chance to settle some scores with the people who tormented her through high school. Although she’s escaped and built a successful life in Chicago, the past is always with her, and she is much more vulnerable to it all when she returns home. Her dad, her tormentors, the whole town.

Of course she cracks a bit. And she’s flawed and confused. Ritter does a wonderful job with the dark: A NYT profile article (http://Krysten Ritter Spins Her Own Mystery in Her Debut Novel, ‘Bonfire’ )describes her process, talking about how her life and acting contributed to the Bonfire.

Reading her acknowledgements, her first thank you is to novelist Lauren Oliver. Even before finishing the book and reading this, I was comparing it to Oliver’s book Panic, mostly because of ‘The Game’ in small town America. But Panic is a definite YA book, while Bonfire is all adult. Dealing with an evil corporations and a corrupt town, with aging parents and sexual misconduct, there is little that could be classified as young adult. And the only people who get to flashback to their horrible teenage memories are adults.

As suspense, this book works on many levels. Abby is definitely an unreliable narrator, although she realizes it (everyone sees their youth from their own point of view; when you can question yourself you can grow as an adult). As our protagonist, she’s nearly an anti-hero, but not quite (she has ideals, but going after the big and powerful in her home town does serve her self-interests in some ways), but she is definitely very flawed in dark, disturbing, perfect ways.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something dark and suspenseful. Hints of Ruth Ware (dark), it’s perfect for a cold, wintry weekend full of downtime. Or, if you’re like me, a cold, wintry weekend between activities and work.

I was drawn in right from the beginning, telling myself I would just start it with a chapter or two before bed. 25% of the book later I finally couldn’t stay up and had to put it down for the night. By the time I got to 50% you could not pry this book from my hands without fear of injury because I was so engrossed in the story. I finished the last half in one sitting. The suspense was so well done and there were plenty of twists and surprises. The whole story took a very different direction than where I thought it was going. That direction turned out to be very dark and disturbing and I was a bit shocked by how gritty and raw it was I guess because the author is Krysten Ritter I expected it to be witty, smart, darkly funny but I wasn’t anticipating just how dark it would become.

The main character Abby is absolutely the standout of this book. She’s such a compelling character that I loved and hated, admired and pitied all at once. Abby is seriously messed up but I couldn’t help but like her anyway. As Abby returns to her hometown of Barrens and the story of her past begins to unravel we see why she is such a hot mess and it’s entirely understandable. She’s obviously intelligent but drinks too much and it enables her bad behaviour. She has a difficult relationship with her father and was bullied by her former best friend Kaycee and her minions/mean girls through high school.

Despite her issues Abby is admirable for her work in protecting the environment and people from toxic chemicals. The first part of the book is mostly about Optimal, a big plastics company allegedly polluting the local water supply. I totally sounded like a lawyer in that previous sentence! Since the economy of pretty well the entire town depends on the company no one is very inclined to help her find evidence or to speak against the company. There are the a few complaints of skin rashes and crop failure but as Abby digs deeper she finds much more serious health issues. The company begins to look increasingly sinister.

Two men capture Abby’s attention, her high school crush who now works for Optimal, and Condor, high school burn out and her neighbour in Barrens. It was obvious to me which one was the right choice but Abby does not generally make good decisions. At about 90% in she makes a terrible choice to trust someone that I knew she shouldn’t. It was like in a horror movie when you are screaming for the character not to go down to the basement, but they do and it ends badly. As I said previously, Abby has pretty poor judgement so it wasn’t a surprise and I was cringing for her blindness to his obvious smarminess.

The ending was satisfying, although not a completely happily ever after. I suspect we’ll be seeing more of Abby in the future because this book seems like the start of a great series. I have to admit that I pictured Abby as Krysten right from the start and this book would be a good fit for a TV show or movie.

Thank you to Crown Publishing for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

Krysten Ritter wrote a novel and the whole world just stopped in awe.

I may be a bit biased because I think she’s amazing; she is the epitome of a Renaissance Woman. Admittedly when I first found out she wrote a book I was a bit nervous to read it because it’s so easy for established celebrities to get stuff published since the industry knows people in general will buy it based on the name and not whether it’s actually any good. Of course there are those who actually turn out to be good writers but then there are those who should have stuck to acting.

I’m completely in love with Jessica Jones, what if this sucked? Could I ever watch her the same way again?

I owe her a debt of gratitude though for not sucking as a writer so I can happily watch her in The Defenders this August. Ritter has shown she’s capable of creating her own dialogue instead of just voicing someone else’s. Her novel starts off strong and at first it reminded me a lot of the Erin Brockovich movie where you have this strong female lead hell bent on discovering what a powerful corporation is hiding and if there’s a connection between their alleged misdeeds and the community issues. Honestly as good as her writing was I was feeling a little disappointed that we were just getting recycled material under a different company name, different job for the female lead and different community issues but I quickly regathered my faith in her as I realized Ritter is definitely above using old material and threw some major curves into her story and characters.

When you realize what’s happening it is so far worse and deeply entrenched than what others have done before her. She is a very descriptive writer as you’re able to not only picture the settings but you can see how these people would react, what they’d feel and how it would look as they see their misdeeds get dragged into the light. I liked how she wrote Abby because at times, like when you can feel how uncomfortable she is returning home to a place she never felt like she belonged, you can almost see Ritter’s character of Jones come through with her tough girl / I don’t want to be here persona.

I actually wondered more than once if Ritter pulled on her past characters from Jones, Apartment, Veronica Mars, etc to create the people for her story because at times it felt like whether it was Abby or the bitches from high school they all had aspects of the people she’s played.

Her debut isn’t flawless as sometimes it seems like Abby’s drinking gets in the way of the story, the villain is given the cliché rambling speech and I felt like there were still a few loose ends that didn’t quite tie together but overall the positives outweighed the negatives so I would definitely put this in the win column.

If she writes again I’ll check that book out without reservation, not because she’s Krysten Ritter, but because she’s proved she deserves it.

After completing this book, I think it’s safe to say that my reading slump has finally come to an end. I devoured Krysten Ritter’s debut novel, Bonfire, with a hunger I haven’t felt in months. If you take into account that I’m from a small town of a whopping fifteen hundred people, it’s easier to realize how much I am able to relate to the main character of this book, Abigail Williams. That, and Ritter hits on some nostalgia too, because in a way, Bonfire reads like Erin Brokovich meets Sweet Home Alabama, with distinctly darker notes.

Character development plays a vital role in how a book turns out. If your cast is too flat, it makes the book a total bore. On the other hand, if you’ve got characters that are dynamic and, in the case of several individuals in Bonfire, two-faced, the book is far more likely to entertain. In this area, Ritter has excelled at creating that small-town feel with many of the types of people those living in small towns meet. Let’s face it, even with Abigail moving to Chicago, there’s always those people who get out. Sometimes they come back, sometimes they’re gone for good. (In my case, I chose to come back.)

Plotwise, Ritter keeps the ball rolling. I didn’t feel like the story was dragging at any point. In fact, it’s the way that the story continues to unfold that kept me up until three this morning finishing it. Bonfire plays host to a story within a story, taking the corrupt corporations one step beyond contamination and into a far deeper, far worse crime. Just when things appear over, an entirely new turn keeps the story going. I won’t lie: I nearly bawled last night while I finished reading it.

There is only one aspect of this book that truly miffed me, and it sorta deals with the romance aspect. As many of my readers know, I abhor romance plots. Especially those that seem forced, rather than natural. That said, I really don’t want to divulge any spoilers, but I will say this: for being such a strong, independent character, there are some actions that Abigail Williams takes in this book that simply aren’t natural. They feel incredibly forced and out of character, and I can’t help but think it’s there more as a cop-out for the final twist in the story than going about it in some other clever manner.

That said, after finishing Bonfire, I feel it is safe to say that this debut novel is worth reading. Initially, I nearly forgot I had it until I saw it was one of the options for this month’s Book of the Month Club (which is totally worth joining, by the way so feel free to click this link – you’ll get your first month for $9.99 plus an awesome tote bag). Considering I’m very particular, I almost chose it before realizing I already had it technically. So if you’re wanting to pick it up cheap, there you go. (I’m actually still debating grabbing it through Book of the Month Club myself, because hey! I loved it.)

I would like to thank Penguin’s First to Read program for providing me with a copy of this book for the purpose of unbiased review.

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter is a superb debut mystery about an investigation into whether or not a rural town’s beloved savior, Optimal Plastics, is poisoning the towns’ residents.

Ten years ago, Abby Williams could not leave Barrens, Indiana fast enough. Ten years later, she is returning to help investigate claims that the town’s largest employer and benefactor is responsible for polluting the water supply. She must also face many of her demons: memories of the horrible bullying she endured throughout high school, her former best friend turned nemesis Kaycee Mitchell’s disappearance and her relationship with her estranged father. While not much has changed in her absence, there are a few surprises awaiting Abby as she discovers her father is almost unrecognizable due to his frail health and the biggest mean girl from her past, Misha Dale Jennings, is the assistant principal of their alma mater. She is also still drawn her high school crush Brent O’Connell, but she cannot deny her attraction to former bad boy, Dave Condor. With her best friend and co-worker, Joe Carter at her side, Abby and the rest of the team meet plenty of opposition as they begin their investigation of Optimal Plastics.

Abby must face the ghosts of her past right from the minute she arrives in town. She runs into Misha right away and while distrustful, she immediately experiences doubts that her memories of their shared past are accurate. She does not let her confusion get in the way of her job and despite the community’s lack of co-operation, she is undeterred as she tries to get to the truth about Optimal. Help from an unexpected ally proves to be instrumental in her investigation and Abbby slowly but surely begins to unearth very troubling details about the company. She also interviews a crucial witness whose information is eerily reminiscent of an unsavory game that destroyed many of her classmates’ reputations during high school. While Joe wants Abby to concentrate on events occurring in the present, Abby cannot shake her conviction that much of what is happening now is inexplicably connected to the things that happened in the past. Certain that locating Kaycee Mitchell will provide her with the answers she is searching for, Abby is undeterred as she tries to locate the missing woman.

Abby is initially professional and focused on the task at hand, but the darkness from her past quickly engulfs her. Unable to shake off her disturbing memories, her drinking soon spirals out of control and she begins making some very questionable decisions that could jeopardize their investigation. Abby must also deal with an unexpected situation with her father while her efforts to efforts to unearth the truth about Optimal lead to a jaw-dropping discovery.

Bonfire is a riveting mystery with a well-developed, topical storyline. Abby is a flawed but sympathetic protagonist who quickly discovers the only way to rid herself of her demons is to face them head on. Krysten Ritter brings this remarkable debut to an action-packed conclusion that is ultimately quite healing for Abby. Fans of the genre will enjoy this engaging, fast-paced mystery.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

I don't think I'm going to be able to get over that ending. It goes against all of Abby's character development throughout the whole book and kind of ruins it for me too. I will say I read this book very fast and it kept me interested. I don't normally read thriller/mystery type things and sometimes the characters/story feels cliche and cardboard cutout, and that was the case here but that might be my issues with the genre. Sometimes I felt like I could tell the author was trying too hard to write something overly pretty. Other times she wrote passages that really impressed me. I was firmly in the middle about this book until the ending and now I'm just mad.

Fun fact: I love, love, love Krysten Ritter. I mean, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23?! Seriously, one of the funniest shows ever! I've watched each episode a million times but I still find them hilarious.

Anyhow, when I hear that Krysten was releasing her debut book, I was BEYOND excited; however, I will admit that I was a bit weary. I love Krysten as an actress but could I love her as a writer? That's the question I had hanging around in my head prior to starting Bonfire.

The result? Bonfire managed to 100% WOW me! Not only was the storyline suspenseful and intricate but also the writing was rich and enveloping. Basically, I was hooked from the first word until the very last.

One of my favorite parts of Bonfire was the characters. They were complex and an interesting mix, or medium, between likable and unlikable - complicated I guess is the best way to describe them.

Abby Williams, the narrator, is the prime example of this. When we're first introduced to Abby, she's not looking forward to returning to her hometown; however, a small part of her wants to go back, to show everyone that she isn't the meek, shy girl she used to be. I feel that the feelings Abby felt were representative of anyone returning to their hometown under a guise of mixed feelings. It was interesting to see how Abby fit back into her old small town, mixing with the town's golden boy, the former mean girls, and the class burnout. It caused for her to experience a wide amount of character growth, and while some of her decisions, especially in regards to the town's biggest mystery, caused frustration, I was still always dying to know what she would do next, and more importantly, what it would mean for Abby's future.

When I first saw the cover for Bonfire I was expecting an intense read, and that's exactly what I received. What I loved the most about the plot was how intricate it was. There was corruption, mysteries involving the town's beloved factory and former it-girl, and even a rebirth of sorts in the case of Abby. I don't want to say too much about the plot as it's something you just need to experience for yourself. But I will say I loved it. It kept me on my toes. It shocked me time and time again. Some parts of it were hard to handle, but given the stunning, well written way in which Krysten presented the tale it was well worth it.

In all, Bonfire is a spectacular read! Krysten has become not only a favorite actress of mine but now a favorite author as well. I simply can't wait to see what she writes next!

Grade: A+

Abby Williams is heading home. After ten years away, college, law school, and having set herself up as an environmental lawyer in Chicago with her own life, she is heading back to where it all started for her: the small town of Barrens, Indiana. Her hometown does not hold happy memories for her. Her mother died when she was young, and her father raised her with a strictness that bordered on cruelty. She was bullied at school by a group of mean girls led by her former best friend, and the isolation was unbearable. She'd had to leave. 

Now she has to come back. The chemical conglomeration that first came to town when she was in high school, Optimal, has grown since Abby's days in Barrens. Now it's not just a major employer in the small town, it offers the town community buildings and scholarships. But Abby knows that there is something sinister going on. When her former high school friend had gotten sick, Abby knew that Optimal had something to do with it. Now she has the education to figure out what happened and the legal expertise to make Optimal open their books. But will she be able to figure out the true source of the evil and stop it before it can stop her in her tracks? 

Krysten Ritter, better known as the actress from Jessica Jones, Breaking Bad, and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, has written a debut novel that is smart, compelling, and engaging. Although the girl going home to her small town to right old wrongs story has been played out before, Ritter manages to make it interesting, and the story keeps you moving forward, keeps you wondering just what is happening in Barrens, and keeps you cheering on Abby, who may be smart but just can't see. 

Bonfire is a fun read, a thriller that can stand up to most of what's out there. It moves well throughout, and I highly recommend this one for anyone who is a fan of griplit, especially of Gillian Flynn. I felt a kinship there in the storytelling style. Krysten Ritter has written a fiery book of deception and secrets, and I can't wait to read her follow-up to Bonfire. 

Galleys for Bonfire were provided by Crown Publishing through NetGalley.com, with many thanks. 

Solid 3.5 stars

Bonfire is an addictive mystery about corporate greed and small town scandals.

After 10 years of living in anonymity in Chicago, environmental lawyer Abby Williams returns to her tiny hometown Barrens, Indiana to investigate Optimal Plastics, a corporation that not only fuels the town’s economy, but also saturates Barrens with its philanthropic efforts. Residents of Barrens are getting sick, and Abby believes their illnesses are a result of water contamination caused by Optimal. Abby, who was tormented and bullied throughout high school is desperate to uncover the dirt on Optimal, as she believes the corporation is not only harming the residents of Barrens, but also led to the illness of childhood best friend and high school frenemy, Kaycee Mitchell.

Flashback 10 years ago: Kaycee Mitchell was the “It” girl at Barrens High School. She and her group of minions created “The Game,” which worked to torment and bully their peers. Kaycee and her minions made Abby’s life a living hell. When Kaycee begins getting sick, her illness "spreads" to her group of friends. Once Kaycee's friends admit their illness was a hoax, she goes missing never to be seen agian.

Upon her return to Barrens, Abby must confront her teenage enemies, her high school crush, and her abusive father. Fueled by her obsession with Optimal and Kaycee, her behavior spirals out of control putting her in imminent danger.

Bonfire is a compulsive read that hooked me from the start. I loved the dark, snarky tone and felt like Ritter did a stellar job of fleshing out the town of Barrens. Abby is a strong, yet unreliable narrator. In the back of my head, I kept picturing her as Jessica Jones without superpowers! The mystery surrounding Kaycee drew me in. My only complaint is that the last ¾ unravels and becomes a bit convoluted. Overall, this is an impressive debut by Krysten Ritter!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I found Bonfire by Krysten Ritter not only to be a good debut novel, but a good read by any standards! If this is her first effort, I am definitely looking forward to reading any upcoming works.

Bonfire is a "girl leaves small town and returns ten years later to fight new and old demons" story. But not only does Ritter turn out a very good version of an old plot line, but she seamlessly blends the past with the present, making both equally compelling.

Abby Williams grew up in the small town of Barrens, Indiana. When she became a teen, her former best friend, Kaycee Mitchell, and Kaycee's crowd of followers, turned on her, and Abby became the victim of intense bullying. She was not the only one. Several teens were singled out and harassed beyond understanding as a result of something called "the game". But whose game was it? Who made the rules? Kaycee disappeared one night during a bonfire to celebrate graduation. No one admits knowing what happened to her, and most believe she left town. Once graduated, Abby left for Chicago, vowing never to return to the small town which brought her such misery and heartache.

Now a successful environmental lawyer, a new case takes her back to Barrens to investigate Optimal Plastics, suspected of contaminating the drinking water. Optimal has not only been the economic life-blood of Barrens since Abby was a child, but also the money behind all good things to ever come to the small town.

Abby has a lot of questions she wants answered, both personal and professional, and the more she investigates, the more secrets she finds.

This is an intriguing read with a strong main character, and enough twists to keep me interested from the first page to the last. Kudos Krysten Ritter!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book.

Krysten Ritter has been involved with three of my favorite crime shows of all time: “Veronica Mars,” “Breaking Bad,” and Netflix’s adaptation of Marvel Comics “Jessica Jones.” As an actress she was part of the storytelling of those shows. She helped create a character, and she got to witness how the stories on those shows were brought to life. Now I wonder if she was taking notes because I just finished Ritter’s debut novel, “Bonfire,” and it’s a pretty great first crime novel.

In “Bonfire” Ritter takes readers to the fictional town of Barrens, Indiana. It’s a small company town full of unpleasant ghosts and personal demons for her protagonist, an environmental lawyer named Abby Williams. It’s a town Abby escaped from, but the experiences she endured as a teenager at the hands of her family and peers still haunt her. We immediately get the sense of that, but one of Ritter’s strengths as a writer is her ability to convey a sense of place.

She makes Barrens just as horrific for us readers as it is for Abby. She believably brings to life a town swimming in literal and metaphorical sickness. The former is from possible pollution and why Abby has been forced to return home, and the latter comes from the horrific corruption and secrets that took root when Abby was a teenager and have been festering for about a decade.

Abby is a very believable and damaged protagonist. She clearly has PTSD from some of the horrible things she endured as a teenager and often drinks and makesKrysten Ritter bad decisions. You understand why because Ritter allows you to experience Abby’s memories, but memory is fleeting and subjective. Ritter has fun with that as well.

We meet a number of interesting characters as Abby investigates the mysteries in Barrens like the fellow members of her legal team and some of grown up people who tormented her as a teen, but for me the most fascinating character in the book is someone Abby has returned home to find, her childhood friend turned biggest tormenter as a teen, Kaycee Mitchell. Kaycee is a mercurial and vile person, but too Ritter’s credit she’s not a cartoon. You’re given some scenes that give you insight into Kaycee’s action and even allow you to genuinely empathize with her.

Tone is another area Ritter excelled at. Abby’s investigation uncovers some truly sinister secrets about the town and some of it’s residents. So there’s also a very thrilling and palpable sense of paranoia and psychological horror.

“Bonfire” is a great debut novel about both the damage teenagers can do to each other and the horrific secrets that can hide in small towns. The book is a kickoff to what I hope will be a second successful career for Ritter because I’m eager for both the second season of “Jessica Jones” and to see what she does next as a novelist.

Krysten Ritter is an actress…I’ve only seen her once as Jesse’s rather unfortunate heroin-addict girlfriend in Breaking Bad. A memorable role. So…is she going to be a memorable author with this, her inaugural novel?

This is a story of environmental lawyer Abby Williams who returns to her home town, Barrens, after ten years to investigate a large company, suspected of poisoning the town’s water reservoir with their toxic waste. Not an easy task for her, as she’s returning to some bad memories. However, they not only resurface, she discovers a very unsettling secret making the investigation very complex indeed.

I’m not a great fan of the present tense, especially for dramatic novels…but it’s never a deal breaker in my choice of book. In this instance, however, it did confirm why I don’t like it. It just didn’t work, especially as this was also first-person POV. The run-up to the ending was tense and dramatic, but unfortunately, loose threads were hastily tied up in a clunky manner in the epilogue in a sort of ‘I later found out that this is what happened to me' way. It all fell rather flat.

However…this is a debut novel, and I would be lying if I didn’t say it was well written, well observed and for the most part, pacey and dramatic. Despite my misgivings, this author can only get better and has a promising future.

I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for her next novel.

This was a very interesting book to read. If you like "Erin Brockovich", you will enjoy reading this. Abby struggled to get out of her small home town and on to bigger and better things. Being on the wrong end of the popular kids and a best friend that has turned against you makes her home life tough. When one of the town bullies gets "sick" and several of her friends go right along with her everyone was wondering what was up. When the friends fess up to lying about it the town bully leaves down after graduation. When a new company comes to town and starts turning the town in to a company town several residents get sick. Abby's boss sends her down with her co-works to find out the problems. This is a page turner that I found very hard to put down with huge shocks at the end.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone, and NetGalley*

Ten years ago Abby Williams left her small hometown for Chicago.
Now an environmental lawyer, Abby finds herself reluctantly returning home to work on a case.
As Abby digs for information she realises that the case might be related to the events in her teens that led to her former friend Kaycee Mitchell disappearing.
What happened to Kaycee?
Can Abby fix her relationship with her father?
What secrets will Abby unearth in her search for the truth?

When I heard that Krysten Ritter had written a book I was really excited to read it. The intriguing blurb and gorgeous cover grabbed my attention as well.
I liked Abby and felt sorry for her - she hadn't had an easy childhood. I found her relatable and wanted her to be able to move on from her past.
The plot was interesting and I didn't guess what had happened to Kaycee.
I enjoyed the writing style which was easy to follow, but it didn't grip me.
This was a solid debut novel.

Overall this was an enjoyable read.

I was given a free copy of this book to review and I accepted it because it sounded like a good mystery, not because of who the author is. I had no idea she was an actress. I have never seen any of the things she has been in. If I had known I might have looked at it with a different eye. I enjoyed the book very much. It is a satisfying mystery with all the right elements by a new author.
Because of her job Abby Williams returns home after ten years to Barrens, the town where she was a nobody picked on by the popular kids. An environmental lawyer, Abby has been sent there to investigate a complaint against Optimal Plastics, the company the town owes everything to, the company with a squeaky clean reputation and no environmental problems. As she investigates she is convinced that something is not right and somehow Optimal is connected to the disappearance to her old friend and high school bad girl Kaycee. The case takes many twists and turns that leave Abby and the reader wondering if she is going crazy and fearing to trust anyone. Some of the twists I expected but others were not foreseen. Ms Ritter wraps the story up in a very satisfying fashion.

Sorry, I could not resist using tha title in this review. That's how the main character of this book read to me: a Jessica-Jones-type lawyer. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this novel. I assumed Ritter got to write books because she is a celebrity, but that's definitely not how I felt after reading it. It's refreshing she has the energy and creativity to put out a novel. Moving on, I found myself thinking about how credible the plot was. Ritter is trying to explore different themes (like the contradictions born when a powerful company settles in a small town, brings wealth with it but also pollution, corruption, etc.) I heard her say in an interview that this book was originally supposed to be the script for a film or TV series, and she was going after what the entertainment market was releasing at the time: movies/tv series about strong, complex women. Now, about that: how is a woman drowning her sorrows in whiskey and having affairs left and right an inspiration for strong women?

Krysten Ritter, who plays Jessica Jones on the Netflix series, wrote a novel. It's not bad, either. Bonfire is compulsively readable or listenable, considering I did listen. The mystery is atmospheric and layered. The characters are clearly flawed.

On the surface, it reads like another small town girl who was tormented in high school returns home to face her enemies and bring down the company that is her hometown's savior…Erin Brockovich style. Then somewhere along the way it turned into something much more lascivious and diabolical than poisoned water.

While not without its flaws, and despite my confusion with the MC's constant state of drunkenness and her dreamlike memories that come to surface whenever she is in this state (it seemed to me that she never remembered how she came to be drunk in the first place), I found this to be an engaging read. After my last two Audiobooks, I needed something that I would like, and this stepped up to the plate.

The overall plot was engaging enough to finish. The protagonist had next to no evidence to back her claims all the way until the end of the book. This became frustrating. I was confused how near the end she could suddenly "see" and everything came together, that's not logical. The analogies and metaphors didn't seem to fit her intentions which I felt took from the story. It seemed that Ritter just couldn't find her words so went with things that half-fit what she was trying to say. I wish we were shown the deeper thoughts of the protagonist rather than the messy surface thoughts. I wouldn't recommend this book, it really just left me confused more than anything.

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

This book was compelling enough that I kept reading, but there were moments while reading the book that I wasn’t really sure what we were supposed to be reading. There were a lot of plot points tied together, some plot holes that left me questioning things too much and an ending that seemed a bit forced and tied up too quickly. I enjoyed Abby. I have to say she was the best thing about the book. I really enjoy dark, flawed heroines. I would have liked to delve into her a bit more (there are some things that happen in the book that I would have liked more information on, but I won’t say what as they would be considered spoilers).

The book was pretty predictable, although that didn’t really detract from the book as much as I thought it would. It was the all over the place feeling of the book that left me feeling like something was missing. Overall, the book was pretty good and kept my attention. I will definitely check out more by Krysten Ritter in the future.

3 1/2 Stars
A solid detective story, but never completely reeled me in. There was a bit of predictable mystery, but very little suspense. At times the storyline seemed all over the place as it bounced back and forth in time, sometimes paragraph by paragraph. The protagonist's drunken binges became wearing as the story unfolded. While a good read, not a must read. Thank you to Crown Archetype and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This debut from actress Krysten Ritter is a solid read. The first half of the book grabs you by the throat as the heroine, Abby returns to her hometown that never treated her well. She is estranged from her father, who became unbearable after her mother died. Also she has to confront a group of mean girls from high school who still live in the town. Abby was an outsider as a teenage, but her best friend, Kaycee helped her survive, but at a price. Kaycee had her own issues, and took them out on Abby. But then Kaycee got violently ill, which may have been all an act. Kaycee's group of followers played the game, as well, but they came out of it without any consequences, unlike Kaycee who ran away after high school.

Abby is an environmental lawyer who has returned to Barrens to investigate if Optimal Plastics has been poisoning the water there for years. As she confronts the past, she finds things she wanted to forget, such as Kaycee illness, and if she was really sick, and the death of her beloved dog that may have been planned. Also two men she knew as a teen may be interested in getting to known Abby better, and not just as friends. As Abby investigates, she finds out that things that have been hidden for years are rising to the surface. It all comes down to Kaycee and if she did run away, or is she dead? Also something strange is going on at the high school, and young girls are the target, mainly because of a sadistic game that involves abuse and blackmail.

Bonfire should appeal to murder mystery readers, although there are many characters to keep track of, plus these characters are far from redeemable. This is an example of less than perfect people, especially with Abby, who is given so many problems, most emotional to make her too fragile for some odd reason. It was a hard time to sympathize with her because she did some things that didn't make sense. Also when the past meets the present, it's thrown out in a way that is not given enough depth. Bonfire would have worked much better with more flashbacks that shows more than tells. Also the subplots are so many that it's hard to keep track of them all. There are three major stories occurring here that may lead to some confusion. Also when everything is revealed, it doesn't shock and awe as it should, but I will say I was going back and forth as to who the ultimate villain was. That was well written, including the final scene where Abby is fighting for her life.

The resolution when all is said and done works, but I was wishing for something more with depth. There is a lot of surface material here with not much meat. But as a debut, I give Krysten kudos for an enjoyable read. It does have a strong beginning, but when things start to roll- ala a rollercoaster ride, it does go slightly off the track, even though it eventually rights itself.

I would definitely be interested in reading more from Krysten Ritter in the hopes she writes a much tighter book next time. Fans of Paula Hawkins will want to give this one a read.

Katiebabs

I think Bonfire is a great mystery thriller. It is fast-paced and the characters are multifaceted and interesting. I really liked the plotlines as they intertwined and had several twists.
As an environmental lawyer based in Chicago, Abby Williams is doing what she never thought she'd do, she is going back home.
Not only is Abbey dealing with uncovering the operations of Optimal Plastics Abbey is also dealing with her unresolved past.
There is a lot going on in Bonfire and all of it pulling you into reading faster to see how this all untangles.
I am definitely interested in reading more by Krysten Ritter.

Who would have thunk, Krysten Ritter. I only know her to be an actress. Never would I have pegged her for serious writer. Pleasantly surprised.

Bonfire is a story about Abby Williams. What was once a small town girl turned serious Environmental Lawyer in Chicago. Living a Bachelorette life in a modern world, a far cry from what she had growing up. But then she gets a case that takes her back home. Small town corruption and the people content on keeping it under wraps, Abby struggles to discover and unlock mysteries and secrets, trying to figure out what happened to an old friend. It's a good political thriller. Not too heavy. Reads well. Characters are interesting. The story, a page turner. I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

I am impressed with Krysten Ritter's writing style and would be interested to see what else she puts on in the future.

Thanks to the peeps at goodreads for my opportunity to receive my free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review to which I gladly and voluntarily gave.

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter – 3.75 stars
Sometimes revisiting the past is necessary. Other times, you wish you’d never looked back.

“Memories are like fire, and need only a little oxygen to grow”

When Abby Williams left Barrens, Indiana after high school graduation she swore she’d never return. Abby now lives in Chicago, working as an environmental lawyer. Her plans change as the past comes back to haunt her when she is assigned to a new water quality case that lands her right back in her hometown and right back in the middle of the pain she desperately wanted to leave behind.
Immediately upon returning to Barrens, Abby is reminded of Kaycee Mitchell, a childhood friend turned bully. In high school, Kaycee and her mean girl group began getting sick, one after the other. Then, Kaycee disappeared the night of high school graduation. Everybody said she took off for a different life, but Abby has never believed that to be the truth. After Kaycee’s disappearance, they all said she admitted to lying and had made up the illness she was plagued with in high school. As Abby investigates her case, she begins to unravel the town’s deeply hidden secrets that seem to connect to Kaycee.

“I don’t like how easy it was for Kaycee to slip away, and how willingly everyone in Barrens let her go—even if she was lying. Especially if she was lying.”
“She was Senior Queen. She painted her whole body for graduation. She didn’t seem like she was on the verge of running away.”

It soon becomes obvious that many people don’t like Abby’s presence in town and she begins to wonder if she should’ve ever returned. But Abby is set on finding the answers to questions that nobody seems to know anything about and she won’t stop until she does, no matter the cost.

“This was never about the water. It’s not even about Kaycee, not really. It’s about me.”

When I started reading this book, I had no idea who Krysten Ritter was. After googling her name, I learned she is actress, but still can’t tell you what she played in. The Bonfire storyline reminded me somewhat of Erin Brockovich meets Mean Girls.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel and definitely recommend it to those who love a gripping thriller/mystery. I’m a sucker for a fast starting plot with flawed, not-so-likeable characters.

I was excited to have the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book on NetGalley.

Outstanding debut. Krysten Ritter’s writing style contains the same edgy darkness displayed in her acting.

Abby escaped the town of Barrens by becoming a lawyer for the Center of Environmental Advocacy Work in Chicago. For ten years she avoided returning home and facing her memories and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a former friend turned enemy. An opportunity to compile a case against Optimal, a company she suspects of poisoning the town, brings her back to Barrens. Past and present collide as she reconnects with her father and former classmates.

The story is a combination of thriller and mystery with a touch of romance, but the core is about loss and the attempt to find one’s self by rooting around in the ashes of the past.

I enjoyed this compelling tale and look forward to Ms. Ritter’s next book.

This was a solid debut -- strong in some areas, heavy--handed and obvious in others -- with enough of a mystery and twists to keep the reader engaged. Without giving away too much of the plot, I hope, Ritter does a good job of digging at and exposing the evils of big corporations and how much influence they can have over small communities who rely upon them for economic stability and survival. There are a few too many little details that are thrown in to try to develop characters that tend to be rather clunky and don't really work to define or develop personalities but I imagine if Ms. Ritter continues to write these superfluous details will start to be left behind. This was a quick, entertaining read and would be enjoyable for any who likes a bit of suspense but not particularly violent, as well as fans who just want to check out her new work.

Abby Williams returns to her home town to investigate a company who is suspected of polluting the water making quite a few residents sick. The company Opitimal seems to have bought off everyone in town since they are the only real means of employment. Abby's friend Kaycee who is suspected of getting suck due to the water is missing. Circumstances around her disappearance seems suspicious. Abby also has to make amends with her father whom she has had an estranged relationship with all of her life.

This book was better than I thought it would be. There were many twists and turns. A bit too wordy but still held my attention. Quite a few characters which made it a bit confusing but by the end I was able to put it all together. The end was nail bitting but predictable. Overall I enjoyed the book and as she writes more I'm sure her skills will improve and some of the flaws will tighten up.

ARC gratefully received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this debut novel from Krysten Ritter. Abby Williams is a lawyer and a new case sees her moving back to the small town she grew up in. I really enjoyed learning the truth and unravelling the mysteries along with her. My thoughts pretty much alined with Abby's the whole time. I was suspicious of the same people and felt her frustration and disappointment when she was doubted and kept hitting barriers.

Abby's determination to get answers kept me engaged and interested. The truth when it was finally revealed shocked me as much as Abby.

This was an immersive page turner from start to finish. I enjoyed the fact that as focused as Abby was about the case and getting answers there was a lot of human emotion throughout the book. She isn't just a lawyer. There's emphasis on the fact she's a daughter and friend too.

Bonfire will grab you into the story from the beginning. It became a quick read with a great psychological mystery. Some twists and turns surprised me and it was hard to put the book down. I read late into the night with this one!

We meet and get to know the main character, Abby, through her past and current events. She returns to her small home town as an environmental lawyer on a case. It had been years since she had been back there. Seeing and remembering things from her past sometimes overwhelm her. The author created a person with flaws like all of us are.

Until I went to Goodreads to add the book, I never knew the author was the actress from Jessica Jones. This was a great debut novel and hope she has more books in her future plans!

* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.

Abby Williams was a girl who was bullied in high school, happy to leave her hometown of Barrens, Indiana, behind her and has moved on with her life. However, she returns to Barrens as an environmental lawyer when she is sent to investigate the largest company in town and a possible water contamination case. There is more to this case than meets the eye, and Abby is confronted by her past as some of the girls who bullied her are still in Barrens, and the father she hasn't seen in a decade is facing serious health issues.

This novel reminded me of Erin Brockovich at first, but there is a dark, suspenseful part of this novel that goes far beyond environmental issues. Ritter's novel is well written and fast paced. I loved Abby's voice, even though I didn't always agree with her decisions. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing and turning pages quickly.

I'm always a bit leery when reading a book written by a celebrity and usually they do turn out to be duds, but Bonfire was surprisingly good!

I have to give Krysten Ritter credit for jumping into the writing game and actually knocking it pretty much out of the park. For her debut it's pretty good. I fell into the mystery part of the story with ease and at times I honestly didn't want to put the book down. I love when characters come back after years to their old hometown to find answers to a mystery. I have fun reading about all the characters that were left behind and Ritter does a great job introducing many characters so you never know which way to look for the villain. The story was laid out really well and it was pretty creepy as well which I loved.

My only complaint was Abby. She wasn't very likable in my opinion and I had a hard time reading through her eyes. I think had she been a little less cold it would have helped but as it I couldn't connect with her as much as I wanted to.

All in all though this was a solid debut and I will definitely be on the watch for more from this author

Abby Williams left her father and her hometown of Barrens, Indiana after graduation with no plans of returning. Now she an environmental attorney, and after ten years is returning to the place she dreads. She wasn’t popular in school and the cool kids tormented her and now as adults she must confront them to learn more about Optimal Plastics and the possibility of them contaminating the water supply. But Optimal has kept this town alive all these years.

Not only does Abby and her coworkers find resistance, she also deals with having to face her past. Why did her childhood friend/high school bully Kaycee Mitchell leave and never return or communicate with anyone? As the story develops, we learn not only Abby’s secrets but everyone else’s in what is a small town. It is certainly a riveting novel that I recommend.

Author and actress Krysten Ritter, star of the Netflix series "Jessica Jones" and "The Defenders", has put together a complex and compelling novel.

Environmental Lawyer, Abby Williams, has put her small-town roots away as she makes a name for herself in big city Chicago. When circumstances drive her home to Barrens, Indiana, she finds herself investigating the company that is the majority employer in her small town and a place where many of her old friends are employed. If the allegations against Optimal Plastics are true, Abby could be the person who exposes them and eventually forces them to close their doors. However, things will get personal for Abby quickly, making her mission a bit more difficult than she originally expected and changing her life irreversibly.

This book is truly an amazing read. I love Krysten Ritter the actor from Jessica Jones and Breaking Bad, but now I also love Krysten Ritter the author. I hope she writes another book soon because I really enjoyed this one. Her protagonist, Abby reminds me of Jessica Jones in that she is a hard drinker and kind of a mess. Abby escaped from her small town life and made a name for herself as an environmental lawyer in Chicago. Her team have come to investigate rumored water pollution in the reservoir. Abby has to uncover her demons and finally put them to bed while investigating the company Optimal for possible corruption. This a good plot driven exciting suspense thriller. I was drawn into the story from the first page and was compelled to keep reading to uncover the truth with Abby. 5 stars.

Krysten Ritter is a well-known face on TV, but now she’s exploring her writing skills. Her debut novel, BONFIRE, takes the case of Abby Williams, a Chicago environmental lawyer who left her tiny town, Barrens, Illinois. Abby has all she could ever want in Chicago and never wanted to return to her small town, but this case beckons – loudly.
A business with a seemingly shady environmental past has all but taken over Barrens. It’s obvious that money has crossed the right palms to cover things up, but people in the tiny town are still falling ill. So is this business the cause, or are things as they seem to have begun ten years before, with Queen Bee teenage girls seeking attention? What’s the story with these lewd photos of teenage girls and their attempts to cover them up? Why did Abby’s high school classmate Kaycee suddenly disappear, or is she dead? What else is going on in Abby’s home town? What is this about the girls’ dean at the high school – once a classmate of Abby’s – working with troubled teenage girls to get them college scholarships? What, exactly, do parts from Abby's past tell us about what she's running from by returning to Barrens?
Abby must do what lawyers do – dig for weak spots and find the truth. Readers do find some interesting twists and red-herrings that keep suspense at the just-right point.
Because of language, some excessive drinking, drug use, and other incidents, this novel is for sophisticated older high schoolers or adults, but mystery/thriller fans of these age groups will enjoy this novel. I would look for Ritter’s writing if she writes another novel.

This book is very Gillian Flynn-meets-Erin Brockovich. It plays on unreliable narration, small town scrutiny, and conspiracy. What begins as an environmental lawyer's quest to bring clean water to her hometown quickly spirals into the uncovering of a massive conspiracy that may finally bring answers to a ten year old case of a missing teen. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout this book, and each one is more important than the next. Everything you learn throughout the story comes back in some way or another at the end. The narrator, and the reader in turn, spend a lot of time lost in a fog of confusion over who to trust and what to believe. This kind of absorbent writing hooks you from the get-go and doesn't let go until you reach the last page. This is a gripping, interesting, fascinating thriller that I truly could not put down until I finally hit the back cover. I love Krysten Ritter's acting, and now I can confidently say that I adore her writing as well. She knows her characters inside and out, and uses them to drive every moment of her story.

'The past is a trick of the mind. It's a story we misunderstand over and over'

I definitely came to this one because of Krysten Ritter as I don’t often find myself in the thriller genre. I really like Krysten as an actress, for the roles she plays and for how she comes across in interviews and on social media. She’s great at both writing, and playing, the broken but deeply resilient (even though they don’t always know it) character. You can see it in her writing as well, that she’s invested in the internal workings of a character, however messy they may be. There’s a lot of that in Abby Williams, the protagonist of Bonfire, who returns to her hometown as an environmental lawyer on a case. Her main memories of the town are of being an outcast and of the strange ‘fake’ illnesses, and a disappearance, that befell some of her school tormentors all those years ago.

There’s a murky, slow-burning atmosphere throughout the book which is quietly tantalising, I did feel that the fogginess surrounding Abby’s memories after a night of drinking had a tendency to become a bit too much of a suspense-engineering-device. The revelations at the end of the book also unfold too blearily and quickly – bursting into action and ending all within a few pages after the slow build of the past few hundred pages. It’s intriguing and controlled for the first half of the book but starts to slip as it goes on and the balance is off, meaning it becomes a little confusing and less powerful.

'There are the people of the world who squeeze and the ones who suffocate'

Ritter does write very powerfully about teenage girls in particular - the things they will do to each other and also the things that are done to them and the way they are seen by the world. She’s extraordinarily perceptive and those are the moments that have stuck with me since finishing the book. I recall reading somewhere that Ritter originally intended this as a TV series and I do think it would work well on screen, particularly the way the ending plays out and the setting of the atmosphere and flashes of memory. The legal/environmental angle was something a bit different for a thriller and I found the look at the way a faceless corporation can benefit and/or harm a community was engaging and very relevant to our society.

I would be curious to see what else Ritter writes as she’s clearly highly intelligent and creative and with a real illuminating interest in complex ethical and social issues. Bonfire was engaging and atmospheric for the most part, but I think there’s more to come from this writer.

*Thank you to Cornerstone and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this one

I received a free advance e-copy of this book and have chosen to write an honest and unbiased review. I have no personal affiliation with the author. This is a dark and disturbing suspense filled psychological thriller. Couldn’t put it down. The action never quits. Wow! What a story. Scandal with so many secrets and so much corruption in the small town of Barrens, Indiana. Why do beautiful girls win most of the scholarships? No one is who he or she appears to be. What happened to Kaycee Mitchell? What does Optimal Plastics have to do with everything? This is a well-written psychological thriller with an amazing plot and a great ending that is well worth the read. I look forward to reading more about Abby in the future.

So, I was able to read this book in one day. The writing in this book is absolutely amazing and captivating. This was a different type of suspense book from what I have been reading lately and it was a welcome change of pace. This book focuses on Abby and her trip home to investigate Optimal, the large company that has changed her small hometowns way of life. As she is investigating her past comes back to haunt her and mysteries from high school will reappear. Will Abby be able to figure out what the company has done and does it involve her high school friends? You'll have to read to find out! It was such a delightful and well written book. Highly recommended for a cold day curled up on the couch!

It's definitely a readable novel. Ritter's story is interesting enough to keep you reading, and the main character, Abby, feels like the kind of character who could fuel a series of novels. (In fact, honestly, the character keeps the novel alive in some of its weaker moments). The prose style is generally clean, too -- one might even call it spartan or sparse, leading to a novel that at points feels maybe a little underdeveloped in spots. There's a fine line in writing between "leaving things out that should be there" and "leaving it up to the reader to fill in the blanks", and Ritter **mostly** falls on the right side of that balance.

I really enjoyed this story. I think Krysten does great at telling stories. I love the prose and the writing style. It held my interest. I thought the storyline was believable and the characters were not always likeable, but definitely real.

My only trouble is that I found the story a bit predictable. I felt like I could see the ending before it happened and it was wrapped up fairly quickly.

All in all though, I thought it was a solid debut and I would definitely read more from Krysten. She is definitely multi-talented. I have loved her acting work and now I will really enjoy her writing.

'A phenomenal, haunting debut' Gillian Flynn, bestselling author of Gone Girl -- REALLY, Gillian Flynn??? Wow. How much do authors pay each other to review their books and heap on these kinds of accolades? (Pssst -- you kinda lose your credibility when you do that sort of thing...)

Stunned by the four and five stars many *regular* reviewers, like me, are giving this book. I tried hanging in there, hoping that, as time went on, I'd get to the "gripping" and "darkly twisted" parts of this book. But then, gave up and stopped reading. Something I rarely do!

This reads like a book trying to be a book. If that makes any sense. Sentences sound like they could have come from anywhere, from someone else's work. Zero heart or soul, but trying desperately to seem deep. And, the constant teasing about the "big mystery" in "the past" just got soooo old. I mean, if you're going to hype it so much, you better deliver.

Unfortunately, "Bonfire: A Novel" delivers on pretty much nothing.

I AM a girl who grew up in Indiana and then moved to Lincoln Park -- just like "Abby." So I was hoping to actually feel an atmosphere in this book. And, nothing. Urgh. Or read something that felt as if the writer actually knew these places or made "insider-y" references. Nada.

Two stars is actually generous.

I am a big fan of Marvel's Jessica Jones, so when I saw that the awesome Krysten Ritter wrote a book I was very interested in reading it.

Great build of the suspense throughout this book. The tone was dark and moody but that is what worked for this story. Good but somewhat familiar thriller/suspense storyline. The main character Abby was literally unraveling before our eyes throughout this book and I found that fascinating. I don't even know how she managed to function at times.

Nice debut effort by Ms. Ritter. I hope she continues writing.

I received an advance copy of Bonfire from Netgalley in exchange for this review.
Krysten Ritter's debut novel is an exciting though predictable thriller that deals with teenage bullying, environmental destruction, damaged parents, and a heroine struggling to do the right thing. Narrator Abby Williams returns to the small Indiana town the she'd eagerly escaped a decade earlier to investigate the harm done to the environment and residents' health by the town's largest employer, a plastics manufacturer. She must confront those who bullied her when she was a child in order to protect the next generation, even if it means risking the wrath of the town's most powerful. Ritter's hard-drinking investigator heroine resembles her Jessica Jones television persona, minus the superpowers. While the plot's twists and turns are easily seen coming, it's an entertaining read.

I have no idea really what I was expecting, but this book blows it straight out of the water. It was well written - both insightful and brilliantly worded. The characters, especially Abby, were complex and flawed. The plot reminded me of Girl in the Train meets Erin Brockovich. It was twisty and suspenseful and illustrates that the past comes back with a vengeance. I am so impressed with this debut novel and am awaiting any further ones :)

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley

I’m not always a fan of a cross-over. An actress who now sings, a singer who now acts, an actor who now writes.... so I didn’t want to read this book, even though I absolutely ADORE this actress, but it kept popping up so I finally decided to read it and boy am I glad I did. It was absolutely fantastic and had me jumping from guess to guess and I still got it wrong in the end, which rarely happens. So when it does, I know I’ve just read an excellent book. Can’t wait for the next one.

Teenagers can be ruthless, brutal people as they assert themselves and find their place in the world. The quest for power and money in Krysten Ritter’s Bonfire demonstrates how far some are willing to go to satisfy their desires.

Having happily left her hometown of Barrens, Indiana for Chicago, Abby Williams has spent the last ten years removing traces of her former self and life to build a successful career as an environmental lawyer. But when a case brings her back to Barrens to investigate the town’s central economic benefactor, Optimal Plastics, Abby’s former life comes rushing back with a vengeance; Abby finds connections between current events and those from her high school years when her former best friend Kaycee presented symptoms of poisoning and was subsequently thought to have run away rather than admitting that she and her friends were faking being sick for attention and a potential payout. Piecing together her case against Optimal by prodding at their weak spots helps Abby to assemble her scattered memories to finally realize and come to terms with Kaycee’s fate.

Navigating between current events and recollections of life in Barrens ten years previously the narrative establishes tenuous threads between the past and the present to drive Abby’s investigation to develop a strong case against Optimal. Though there was much in the story that was rather well-written, there were aspects of the narrative that felt rather choppy, and as a result were confusing; although it could be argued that as it was written in the first person the choppy nature to Abby’s recollection of events reflects her obsession with the symptoms she’s intent on proving were real in her childhood friend Kaycee. The obsessive tendencies and bad choices that Abby makes throughout the story make her difficult to connect with and I found her a pathetic and frustrating character.

Abby Williams is a lawyer who enjoys a successful life after leaving the small town where she grew up. But now a case has brought her back, and she finds herself enmeshed in old relationships and the disappearance, a decade ago, of her friend. Now Abby looks at these things with a new eye .. but she still can't remember important events from her past.

The book is well written and interesting, though the plot is not that original and none of the characters, even the main protagonist, is very sympathetic.

This was pretty good for a debut novel. It does have some rough spots, Ritter likes to use a lot of similes and metaphors. The main character is damaged from her high school years and returns home to her small town to take up an environmental legal case. She drinks a lot and slips easily back into the intimidated and bullied kid she used to be. It is a fast read and the plot kept my attention though it was a little predictable in places. Overall, I think most people will find it enjoyable.

Abby Williams is an environmental lawyer based in Chicago when a case of potential water contamination takes her back to her hometown. She was happy to leave as she was always an outsider who was bullied by the "popular" kids, most of whom have stayed in town. The town has become a company town with most of its progress paid for by the company Abby is investigating, so her presence there is not wanted. I liked the character of Abby even if she was flawed. I could easily see Ms. Ritter playing her if this was made into a movie.

There is a subplot of girls getting sick when Abby was still in high school, including one who was her former best friend, Kaycee, until she became a popular kid. The girls copped to faking it in an attempt to get money, although Kaycee leaves town never to be heard from again. Abby is convinced Kaycee wasn't lying.

My biggest problem with this book is that the characters were not old enough to be put in the roles they were in. Abby is supposed to be a high powered lawyer, but at twenty-eight (ten years out of high school) she would have only been out of law school for three years and would be doing the grunt work she is shown giving others to do. Another character, Misha, who was the head of the popular kids, was the assistant-principal of the high school. Even in a small town, I could not buy this position being held by someone so young. Perhaps if it took place twenty years after graduation.

A very good debut novel and I would definitely read another by this author.

When I read the first few pages of "Bonfire," I thought I'd enjoy it but the deeper I got into the novel, the more I couldn't see myself finishing it. I read 100 pages, skipped the middle, and read the end, which validated my suspicions. Sometimes when I skip ahead to the end, it's so good that I just go back and read the middle. That didn't happen here.

Now an environmental lawyer in Chicago, Abby Williams heads back to her hometown, Barrens, Il., to try a case involving Optimal, a company that runs the town. While there, she "re-connects" with old high school classmates, trying to solve a decades old disappearance, and then matches to hook up with two guys who didn't give her the time of day in high school. The novel had a lot of the same material I've seen elsewhere: small-town girl makes it big, comes back to solve a mystery, everyone is like, "Zoinks! You returned to us!" and mean classmates suddenly become friendly again. It didn't work for me here, and a lot of the writing was repetitive, going in circles and re-hashing the same information. That ended up taking me out of the plot. That, plus Abby wasn't appealing as a character made it hard for me to become engaged.

I loved Bonfire, a suspense novel about an environmental lawyer who returns to her hometown for an investigation that dredges up her past. Well-paced, dark, and very intriguing. I also found the details about environmental law really interesting and unique with respect to the other mysteries I've read. I haven't seen Krysten Ritter's acting work yet but I hope she turns this into a movie!

Knowing Miss Ritter from her role as Jessica Jones, I was interested in the book and what it would be. Told from the first person perspective of Abby Williams , we learn as the Adult Abby does. about herself, family, andschoolmates.
As The Past Blends With The Present. . Facts Come in trickles and finally a rush as she chases down the fate of her childhood friend, Kaycee Mitchell and other Secrets Buried In The Barrens.

I checked this out from my library (sorry the store). I loved it. I thought it was well written, fast paced, intriguing, and compelling. It's not the twistiest of mysteries, but it's so rare to read a mystery where you really don't see the ending coming. I think Ritter does a great job of developing her protagonist, Abby Williams, a girl haunted by her past. The scars from bullying really don't ever fade. I'd read more from the author.

I am half and half with the reviews, it wasn't exactly thriller. It's not really complex read it's more of a.
"What purpose is this trying to come across?? The death of your friend? Because of this corporation interest in underage girls? " it had all the potential of a great story, it just needed some work. I hope she continues to write though.

Thank you to Goodreads for giving me a free copy of this book.

I thought this book was alright, albeit average. The characters weren't bad, the plot was okay, and the ending was somewhat interesting. It reads like a typical thriller though. This book isn't great, it isn't awfuly, it is just okay.

If you have never read a thriller before then definitely go for it, otherwise it will not seem fresh or original.

An excellent first novel. Scratch that, an excellent novel. Abby is a compelling character. If I sorted the 'villain', put it down to my cynical nature.
Now the tough decision - hope that KR puts another season of Jessica Jones in the can first, OR hope that she takes time off to write a new novel.
Whichever, Bonfire is highly recommended.

Kristen wrote a great story, I liked the complexities of the small town she had come back to and the people that remained. I found some issues feeling connected to a few of the characters but I believe that to be intentional in the perspective being from Abby’s point of view and her lack of connection to those characters. I look forward to reading more from Kristen in the future.

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter is a solid debut. While not the most original plot in the world, it's engaging enough to keep you guessing. I love a good mystery, so I hope Krysten continues to write many more books! She'll definitely get better with more writing experience under her belt. I'd like to see a story more original the next time around. ***3.5 stars*** Title read through NetGalley.

I read this book in two days and enjoyed the twists and turns of the story. There are plenty of other people that have written a summary of the tale, not going to do that. Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this book and how impressed I am with Ritter as an author.

ow I stayed up way to late to finish this book...but I could not put it down!!! Krysten Ritter does not disappoint in her new novel Bonfire! It is very well written and she paints such a riveting story that you become so engrossed and have to find out what happened! ?? Make sure this mystery thriller is on your list! ?

I have been wanting to read this book ever since I saw that it was being released as I enjoyed Krysten Ritter as an actress with her first starring as Gia in Veronica Mars and then later as Jessica Jones. Bonfire is a New Adult/ Adult crossover mystery with an environmental law feeling to it. When Abby Williams was in high school, the popular girls fell ill, and some said it was a hoax but Abby thought otherwise. Then after graduation, Kaycee - one of the girls, the Queen Bee disappeared, and no-one heard from her ever again. Abby also left town and vowed never to come back. Except here she is ten years later and making her way back to Barren as she is now an Environmental Lawyer and a complaint has been put in about Optimal and how they are poisoning the town's water and making people sick. It is Abby's job to prove that it is making people sick but of course with small towns comes secrets and scandals . Abby will soon discover that things have not changed but gotten worst especially when it comes to the deadly game aka The Games played in High School with Blackmail . During her time here , she will also discover the truth about what happened to Kaycee and uncover a conspiracy that the folks of Barren have been hiding and playing for the last ten years. Some parts of this book were slow and others captured your attention. Overall though it definitely felt an almost sick novel as I couldn't believe how many people were involved and trying to cover up corruption . You couldn't know who to trust in Bonfire as everyone seemed out to get everyone. Truly felt like a psychotic community, I'm so glad Abby managed to escape as who knows where she might have ended up.

I bought this book at the local University Bookstore for my husband as a mystery surprise. I literally had no idea what I was buying. The book was wrapped in Brown paper with clues about it's storyline on the outside--a book blind date! My husband read & enjoyed the book, then I did the same. A great gimmick, fun shared story for us, and a new author to keep tabs on .

This book was full of twists and turns. The characters are very well developed. It does not lead where you think it will lead. I seldom write reviews but I can not get this book out of my mind or get into any other books since finishing it because nothing compares. This was excellent!

This is an interesting and quite well written mystery. It has to do with small town corruption and with environmental issues. It isn't exactly edge of your chair suspense, but it does keep you reading. It will appeal especially to environmentalists and to small town mystery fans. It's definitely a good read.

Publication Date: November 7, 2017

Thank you to First to Read and the author for sharing this fantastic novel prior to publishing!

Abby Williams is an environmental lawyer who flees her hometown of Barrens, Indiana for Chicago, only to be pulled back in by Optimal Plastics and their insidious poison not only of the town's present, but of Abby's own dark past and those of her friends. The devastation is psychologically twisted in ways disturbing to imagine as Ritter draws the connection between a painful mystery in her youth to a darkness that has remained over the town's residents, wreaking havoc and destroying lives.

Ritter is the kind of writer whose work you wish you could bottle, to binge on frequently and until you are lost to it, much as her character, Abby, does on alcohol. If you are a lover of the legal thriller/mystery/suspense genre you will not be disappointed in any measure. Ritter's writing is taunt and crisp, making it easy to imagine both the scene of the action and the relentless pasts of her characters. Here's to a new writer to be addicted to!

I liked Bonfire, especially the first half. The ending was a little confusing and felt rushed. I hope she can write a sequel...the main character is troubled and it would be nice to see her resolve issues further than she did in the book. Having been in Southern Indiana, I felt the writer was especially good at evoking a place. Writing about rural America is pertinent to our collective identity. I hope she can write more books that are not within the confines of city life. Having the character leave Chicago made the book less cliche. I will be on the lookout for another book from Krysten Ritter a truly multitalented person!

So I randomly picked up this book after seeing so many others read and review it.

The writing flowed smoothly, which it made it a very quick read. The characters were delightfully dodgy and the main character was the kind of head strong that didn't come across as annoying.

I'm from Indiana and found her description of midwest mornings quite worthy of sending me back in time to my life there. BUT the one giveaway that Ms. Ritter is not from there is that she called Indiana University, University of Indiana .

Ritter brings you in to the workings of small town/Indiana. Her characters have immediate depth and color as her protagonist Abby works out a mystery involving ghosts from her past and a dirty corporation. Looking forward to more outings from Ritter!

Interesting story, but the main character was rather unlikeable, there was very little character development, and the reasons for her motives were not clearly explained. Additionally, the central mystery kept me wanting to finish the book, but somewhat begrudgingly. There were a few too many sideplots, which could have been invested in exploring motives for several characters more clearly.

I really enjoy a good mystery/thriller and this one did not disappoint. We always wonder what will happen when you come back home and run into all those old faces from your past. Will everyone accept the new grown-up version of yourself or will you turn back into the unpopular, bullied kid from your past? Krysten Ritter navigated those questions effortlessly in Bonfire. I can't wait to see what she does next.

This book was as boring as a town called Barrens, Indiana sounds like it would be. I honestly don’t know how or why I finished this book, except so many good reviews made me think something must happen! But NOTHING happened until 90% into the book. This book is supposed to be a mystery or a thriller? Nothing was thrilling until the 90% mark. THEN action happened. And then the book was over.

I’m trying to figure out why so many have given this high star reviews and all I can conclude is they liked it because they like the actress/author. Well, I went into this having no idea who Krysten Ritter was, just the hype around this book. I’ve never heard of her. I’ve never watched Jessica Jones, so I feel I was unbiased.

This is a story about a girl who comes back to her hometown 10 years after she gradated high school. She returns home and sees what happened to the popular girls, the quarterback football star, and the boy next door. Sees how they all stayed where they were and never got out. It’s honestly depressing to think about. I certainly wouldn’t want to attend this 10-year reunion.

Abby Williams is an unreliable narrator. I felt like she was similar to the main character in an E. Lockhart book was such as We Were Liars. Abby remembers things when it’s convenient for the plot or after she is passed out drunk and wakes up. Which happens every few chapters. She drinks away her problems.

A lot of information is brought up that never ends up playing a part in the story and feels like a waste of time. Too much information and too many lose ends left hanging. At the ending, one thing is solved, but I feel like there are a million other questions left unsolved!

The only reason I finished this is because I listened to the audiobook and it was a short listen and I kept hoping it would get better! But it didn’t. If you were thinking of reading this one, I would highly advise against it. This felt like a waste of time.

This is a side note to myself and to you – if you aren’t liking a book, if you aren’t feeling it, do yourself a favor and DNF it. Don't finish it. There are so many other books in the world to be reading, don’t bother finishing a book you don’t think you’ll like. Simply move on.

This is a very forgettable story.

This book is horrible and ridiculous. Once again we are given the drunk unreliable narrator (girl on the train, women in cabin 10). Why are so many single women portrayed in fiction as fragile alcoholics. ?

Is it a story about a lawyer exposing a large corporation who is positioning the water in a small town? Is it a story about a damaged woman who returns to her home town to deal with demons from her past? Is it a story about high school politics and bullying? Let’s just throw all these plots together and see what we get.

The absolute worst part is we are supposed to believe that this giant corporation who is aware they are poisoning the water of an entire community, is actually more interested in some dirty pictures of some local high school girls. This is the big secret game?!?! Please, these dirty old men could see better pictures in the internet and not have to end up financing the girl’s future. Utterly ridiculous. Worst book I’ve read in years. Don’t waste your time.

If you've never read a novel about environmentalists fighting the big bad corporations or a protagonist returning to her hometown, filled with fear and recalling the high school kids who were mean to her, this could be the book for you.

Abby Williams, now an environmental attorney, living a a sophisticated life in Chicago returns to Barrens, a sorry Indiana town to investigate Optimal Plastics. When Abby returns, she is haunted by memories of her mother and her best friend, Kaycee (none of us should have Kaycee for a best friend). She hasn't seen her father, the bitter widower, who disciplined Abby by putting her in dark places and was hell-bent on her praying (excuse the dichotomy).

The head mean girl, Misha Jennings, is now the vice principal of the high school. I expected Riitter to allow Abby to stand up to Misha, but Abby remains servile and somewhat fawning, which made little sense. Abby is now from the big city and more educated and accomplished. Abby arrived with her legal team and the investigation is tedious and actually filled with discrepancies. Ritter needed a better editor.

Abby recalls the high school hysteria of possible environmental poisoning or a stupid hoax perpetuated by Kaycee and other pretty girls. There is, of course a link, to the environmental investigation. Fraught with her own demons, I couldn't figure out if Abby was an alcoholic as she sloshed from scene to scene The town is loyal to Optimal and the identification of the real villain is no surprise. The story is tawdry but predictable. It isn't a horrible debut but it's nothing original. 2.5 stars

In the synopsis of the book it says, "she has her pick of one night stands". That pretty much tells you all you need to know about this book. I didn't like it at all; too trite and too shallow. Just give me the mystery next time, please, without all the unnecessary nonsense.

Have not bought this book yet because something in the book summary put me off, and that was this phrase: “...she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands.” Mystery/thrillers about men don’t use this phrase; they would say “...he has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and his pick of the most beautiful women.” Really a different feel, which makes me think this book will be about scolding her for having a career, living alone, and “dating.” Makes her seem pathetic and weak. Oh well.