Watch it Burn

About the book

“NXIVM meets Southern suspense…. Gripping, timely, and ominous.”

-Allison Buccola, author of Catch Her When She Falls

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.

Praise for this book:

"Southern scandal and a small town punctured by violence, Watch It Burn is fast-paced crime fiction at its absolute finest." - Chandler Baker

"NXIVM meets Southern suspense in Watch It Burn, a propulsive dive into a self-help group with disturbing secrets and a growing hold over a small Texas town. Gripping, timely, and ominous, this one is not to be missed." - Allison Buccola

"Atmospheric suspense at its best, this utterly enthralling page-turner explores the long-smoldering secrets and shady self-help company at the core of a small Texas town, and the three complicated women who could burn it all to the ground. As thought-provoking as it is compulsively readable." - Heather Chavez

"I devoured Kristen Bird's latest, riveting suspense in one sitting! With intricate plotting, lush, visceral prose, and richly-layered characters, Watch It Burn is a skewering, incendiary examination of a small-town's darkest, most explosive secrets." - May Cobb

"A master at weaving tales of strong Southern women and sticky atmosphere, Kristen Bird is back with her darkest book yet. Watch It Burn is an enthralling look at how toxic ideologies can impact families and communities in a way that will haunt you for days after reading." - Livia Day

"Something's not right in Edenberg. Beneath the rosy surface of progress and prosperity in this tiny Texas town are secrets, coverups, and manipulation. Three women, each enduring their own loss, take on the town's benefactor in this fast-paced thriller where the dangers of unquestioned power are exposed through water and fire." - Jennifer Fawcett

"Both thrilling and incendiary, Watch It Burn is exactly the kind of smart, fast-paced thriller that keeps me up late at night. Plenty of twists to keep you guessing and three bright women at its center - determined to protect their town and each other - the latest by Kristen Bird is a masterful story that will stay with you long after the last page is turned." - Danielle Girard

"Kristen Bird expertly weaves together a sinister mix of family trauma, community politics, and a sketchy cult-like self-development movement in this addictive thriller that revolves around a mysterious death in a small Texas town and an explosion of devastating secrets that will leave you gasping. Every chapter of Watch It Burn masterfully challenges what you think you know as it propels you to its chilling end." - Darby Kane

"A joy to read! Kristen Bird's eloquence with language and her deep understanding of power, control, and small-town greed fuel this sinister, smoldering, and gorgeously structured mystery. Watch It Burn is the essence of terrific crime fiction: with authentic motivation, a cinematic setting, characters we can root for, and a gasp-worthy heartbreaking conclusion. Kristen Bird is an amazing talent, and Watch It Burn is not to be missed!" - Hank Phillippi Ryan

"Kristen Bird's Watch it Burn is a scorching tale of revenge and an unflinching look at what women will do when pushed to their limits. Bird has a pitch-perfect ear for the rhythms of Southern life, but be warned, these women are no steel magnolias. They're raw, real, and mad as hell, and I would follow them anywhere." - Polly Stewart