Publication Date: March 12, 2024
Three women work to uncover the scorching lies and scandal behind a self-help movement, igniting a powder keg of secrets that could blow their town apart, in this suspense novel perfect for readers who love Southern mystery.
It’s early morning in the small Texas town of Edenberg when the body of sixty-five-year-old Beverly Hoffman is discovered in the Guadalupe River—drowned in only two inches of water.
After elementary school teacher Nichole Miller discovers the woman’s body, she makes two phone calls: first to the police, who call Beverly’s death a slip and fall, and second to her best friend, journalist Jenny Martin. Jenny is attempting to revive her flailing marriage and her all-but-DOA career, and she knows foul play when she sees it. The two women enlist the help of Beverly’s daughter-in-law, Robin, who’s eager to expose the truth.
Beverly had been beloved in the tight-knit community, having cofounded the wildly popular personal-development company Genetive, Inc., alongside her influential husband. But something sinister has been smoldering beneath the surface of their picturesque hometown. And Genetive is at the center of it all.
A captivating psychological tale centers around the death of a prominent woman and the three people seeking answers.
From the first few pages, author Kristen Bird draws the readers into a story brimming with secrets and scandal, all connected to Dr. George Hoffman and his self-help movement. Watch It Burn uses a multi-perspective approach as the story unfolds. Readers also get context through the dead woman’s eyes.
The three women searching for truth share a childhood bond but also have complicated emotional challenges that unfold throughout the story. Whether it is grief, attempts to rebuild a floundering marriage, or resisting the cult-like draw of Genetive, there’s plenty of fodder for the twists and turns of a storyline that will take readers to unexpected places.
With the small town of Edenberg controlled by Hoffman and Genetive, it will take something substantial to cause change.
Watch It Burn provides a gripping tale centering around a woman who shares secrets from the grave to topple her husband’s empire.
Kristen Bird lives outside of Houston, Texas with her husband and three daughters. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music and mass media before completing a master’s in literature. She teaches high school English and writes with a cup of coffee in hand. In her free time, she likes to visit parks with her three daughters, watch quirky films with her husband and attempt to keep pace with her rescue lab-mixes. THE NIGHT SHE WENT MISSING is her debut novel.
