Will End in Fire: A Novel

by Nicole Bokat

Overview

For fans of Kate White suspense novels, Will End in Fire is a heart-racing domestic thriller about an alienated young woman who must find an arsonist before her own life goes up in smoke.

Twenty-seven-year-old climate journalist Ellie Stone has spent her life locked in an unending sibling rivalry with her brother, Josh—star athlete and golden boy–turned–drug addict. One night, after their parents have left her to “babysit” Josh, she and he have a blow-up and she abandons him. Soon after, the house is engulfed in fire—and Josh is burnt beyond recognition. Social media takes this on as a local cause célèbre, blaming Ellie since, years ago, she was involved in a blaze that scarred a teenage girl. Is history repeating itself?

In shock, Ellie can’t recall if she left a lit cigarette in her family home. But could this suspected arson have something to do with the unknown vehicle that was spotted nearby? The only people sympathetic to Ellie are her brother’s best pal—who quickly becomes her new romantic partner—and Josh’s girlfriend, who lets on that their relationship might not have been what it seemed. As she grows closer to her brother’s inner circle, Ellie discovers secrets that make her question whom to trust, how to stay out of danger, and how to save her future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647428051
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Nicole Bokat is the author of the novels Redeeming Eve and What Matters Most. Redeeming Eve was nominated for both the Hemingway Foundation/PEN award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction. She’s also published The Novels of Margaret Drabble: This Freudian Family Nexus. She received her PhD from New York University and has taught at NYU, Hunter College, and The New School. Her essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, Parents magazine, The Forward, and at More.com. She lives with her husband in New Jersey and has two grown sons.

Editorial Reviews

Bokat reveals the solution to the mystery bit by bit, like a jigsaw puzzle, leaving the full picture obscured until the final piece is finally in place. . . . A tumultuous narrative that will confound readers’ expectations and keep them guessing.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Hang on to your breath because you’ll be holding it the whole time you read Nicole Bokat’s fascinating thriller about love, loyalty, family, and the secrets that could save—or even kill us. Set against a backdrop of a mysterious fire, Bokat introduces characters so real and vivid, you’ll swear they’re beside you. Just extraordinary.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times best-selling author of Pictures of You and With or Without You

“Nicole Bokat has once again weaved together scintillating storytelling with gorgeous prose. Will End in Fire is a haunting poetic thriller.” —Judy Batalion, New York Times best-selling author of The Light of Days

“I blazed through Bokat’s fiery, fast-paced new thriller in a single sitting. Navigating the perilous terrain of sibling rivalry, arson, addiction, rape culture, climate change, and a pandemic, the novel’s riveting twists are driven by the questions: Who can Ellie Stone trust? What will it take for her to trust herself? What is the price if she doesn’t? You’ll turn these stunning pages with your heart pounding and your hands on fire.” —Tess Callahan, author of April & Oliver and Dawnland

“Nicole Bokat’s Will End in Fire is a page-turning mystery, a suspenseful domestic drama, a deep psychological character study of warring siblings, and a heartbreaking addiction saga all rolled into one poignant, powerful novel. Unputdownable.” —Susan Shapiro, New York Times best-selling author of Unhooked, Lighting Up and The Forgiveness Tour

“This novel will grab you from the first sentence and won’t let you go until the last. A riveting story of love, loss, and fear that raises questions about how childhood events and family dynamics shape us and influence what we remember, who we believe, and whether we can change the patterns of our lives.” —Anastasia Zadeik, author of The Other Side of Nothing

From the Publisher

Nicole Bokat has once again weaved together scintillating storytelling with gorgeous prose. Will End in Fire is a haunting poetic thriller.

Judy Batalion

I blazed through Bokat’s fiery, fast-paced new thriller in a single sitting. Navigating the perilous terrain of sibling rivalry, arson, addiction, rape culture, climate change, and a pandemic, the novel’s riveting twists are driven by the questions: Who can Ellie Stone trust? What will it take for her to trust herself? What is the price if she doesn’t? You’ll turn these stunning pages with your heart pounding and your hands on fire.

Tess Callahan

Hang on to your breath because you’ll be holding it the whole time you read Nicole Bokat’s fascinating thriller about love, loyalty, family, and the secrets that could save—or even kill us. Set against a backdrop of a mysterious fire, Bokat introduces characters so real and vivid, you’ll swear they’re beside you. Just extraordinary.

Caroline Leavitt

2024-05-17
In Bokat’s novel of upheaval, uncertainty, and revelation, there’s more to one young woman’s traumatic story than meets the eye.

In 2019, twenty-something Eleanor “Ellie” Stone is staying in her childhood home in suburban New Jersey for the weekend with her younger brother, Josh. She’s there to keep him safe, since he’s a drug addict. They have an argument, and she leaves the house for about an hour; while she’s away, the family home suddenly catches fire, claiming Josh’s life and leaving Ellie grieving. Soon, she reconnects with her past: The trauma of going largely unnoticed by her mother, the hurt of being bullied by her peers, and her infamous nickname, “Firestarter” (which she received after an accident involving a school friend), all come back to haunt her as she struggles emotionally. “There it was: caught in my throat. My chest. In the back of my eyes. All of these places in my body congested with grief, guilt.” A new relationship blossoms with Josh’s best friend, Drew Colins, who might turn out to be too good to be true. But Josh’s girlfriend, Audrey Findley, uncovers more details about the night of the fire each day. Readers soon learn that almost nothing about the incident is as it seems. By allowing certain details of the narrative to fade into the background over time, Bokat gives readers the opportunity to think about these aspects on their own while connecting the dots and assigning importance to other elements of the story. This plot structure develops the story as the main character develops an elusive, ever-shifting sense of justice. Bokat reveals the solution to the mystery bit by bit, like a jigsaw puzzle, leaving the full picture obscured until the final piece is finally in place.

A tumultuous narrative that will confound readers’ expectations and keep them guessing.

Kirkus Reviews