Out of the Ashes: A Novel

Description

A woman's investigation into her family's murders uncovers lies, secrets, and dangerous truths in a heart-wrenching novel of suspense. When she was thirteen years old, Samantha Newsom's family was murdered and their Catskills farmhouse set ablaze in an unsolved crime that left nothing behind but ashes. Twenty-two years later, Sam is pulled back to her hometown of Carney, New York, under the shadows of the grim tragedy she's never forgotten or forgiven. Authorities mishandled the evidence, false rumors were seeded about her family, suspects yielded nothing, and the case went cold. Not anymore. Investigator Travis Meacham has been assigned to the case, and he has news for Sam: a prison inmate has come forward with a shocking admission. Sam's baby sister, presumed dead in the fire, made it out of the house that night. It's not the only reveal that upends everything Sam thinks she knows about the crime and her family. But Carney protects its secrets. And this time, Sam might not be able to escape the town alive.

Kara Thomas is a part-time librarian and an unsolved-mystery enthusiast who dreams of one day solving a cold case. She lives on Long Island with her husband, son, and rescue cat. She is the author of That Weekend, The Cheerleaders, Little Monsters, and The Darkest Corners. For more information, visit www.kara-thomas.com.

Praise for Kara Thomas Out of the Ashes "This story simply engulfed me. I didn't trust a single seedy character that Samantha Newsom came in contact with while on her quest to unearth, after twenty-two years, who was responsible for murdering her entire family and setting their Catskills farmhouse aflame. Out of the Ashes is gritty, raw, and chock-full of tension as suffocating as the tiny town of Carney itself." -Stacy Willingham, New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark "A masterful, smart, slow-burning suspense. Out of the Ashes drew me in with its sinister secrets and wouldn't let me go until the very last page." -Elle Cosimano, USA Today bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It "Bold, unpredictable, and savagely beautiful, Out of the Ashes is that rare read that combines breakneck twists and turns with deeply woven themes of family, memory, and justice. You'll read this with your heart in your throat, desperate to know what happened that night-but afraid at how ugly the truth might be. A searing, shocking powerhouse of a debut." -Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, bestselling author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here That Weekend "Kara Thomas is ruthless. When you descend into That Weekend, prepare for darkness ahead, breakneck turns, and shivery secrets. I am still reeling." -Kit Frick, author of I Killed Zoe Spanos "Deliciously twisted. Clear your schedule, because That Weekend is going to keep you up all night." -Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying "A deliciously unsettling and grimly beautiful examination of the dark and twisted potential lurking within us all. That Weekend is a bold and expertly plotted page-turner from beginning to end, and it firmly cements Kara Thomas as a master of the craft-no one writes a thriller like her." -Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of Sadie "Kara Thomas deftly weaves a web of secrets, tangling you in a mystery so shocking you'll never guess the ending. My jaw actually dropped." -Erin Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows "A riveting, unputdownable thriller that made my palms sweat and my heart pound. I devoured this book in a single sleepless night; That Weekend is a brutal examination of what it means to survive." -Victoria Lee, author of A Lesson in Vengeance and The Fever King "A mesmerizing, creepy, excellent thrill ride of a book." -Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces The Cheerleaders "Sharp, brilliantly plotted, and totally engrossing." -Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying "A crafty, dark, and disturbing story." -Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces "A little bit Riverdale and a little bit Veronica Mars." -Riley Sager, bestselling author of Final Girls Little Monsters "A disturbing portrait of how bad news and gossip can curdle when mixed together." -Oprah.com "An eerie and masterly psychological thriller...[that] culminates in a shocking and disturbing ending. Thomas expertly captures the pointed nuances and the fickle, manipulative bonds of adolescent girls' friendships." -School Library Journal "Taut and suspenseful...this gritty page-turner will easily hook a broad range of readers." -Booklist "An intense psychological thriller that all but ensures the lights will be left on between dusk and dawn." -Publishers Weekly The Darkest Corners "Gripping from start to finish, The Darkest Corners took me into an underbelly I didn't know existed, with twists that left me shocked and racing forward to get to the end." -Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen "A tight, twisted thriller, full of deft reversals and disturbing revelations-deeply, compulsively satisfying!" -Brenna Yovanoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Replacement "As dark as Gillian Flynn and as compulsive as Serial...Kara Thomas's mystery debut is intricate, chilling, and deeply compelling. Unforgettable!" -Laura Salters, author of Run Away "You'll be up all night tearing through the pages, gasping through the twists and turns." -Bustle.com "[It] will have you questioning the lies young girls tell, and the ripple effects they can have." -EW.com "Thomas carefully crafts the suspense, leaving present-tense narrator Tessa-and readers-to doubt even those she loves the most...An unsettling story of loss, lies, and violence lurking in the shadows of a small town." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review "On the heels of Making a Murderer and The Jinx comes a psychological thriller strongly rooted in the true-crime tradition...Expertly plotted with plenty of twists and turns-never mind a truly shocking conclusion-this gritty thriller is sure to find a wide audience among teens and adults alike. Equally concerned with a quest for the truth and the powerful motivation of guilt, this compelling novel won't linger on the shelf." -Booklist, starred review "Thomas keeps it real with a jaded heroine from the have-nots societal segment who holds on to her humanity, and a frank illustration of failure in the justice system. Hand this one to older teens who love dark mysteries or fans of Netflix's Making a Murderer." -Shelf Awareness, starred review