Out of the Ashes is a grim mystery that follows Samantha Newsom. When she was a teenager, Samantha went to a sleepover and returned to find her entire family had been murdered in a fire. When her uncle passes away and leaves his house to her, Sam must return to her hometown and sort his affairs. While there, she starts to notice facts of the case that never lined up and tries to investigate what truly happened that night. Was her baby sister somehow saved from the flames? Who set the fire to begin with? Sam’s questions attract attention and soon she has the focus of the town…

Out of the Ashes is a dark and twisty murder mystery. I was intrigued by the unsolved crime, in the way that you can’t look away from a car accident. Sam was a morally gray character, which I loved! She made many questionable choices to get information and to protect her remaining family. At the end, I felt like there was a lot going on with the different story threads. The conclusion was one that I never considered. The supporting character of Travis Meacham was one of my favorites- he always tried to keep Sam grounded and get justice for her family. Looking forward to seeing what Kara Thomas writes next!

Thank you so much to Kara Thomas, Thomas & Mercer, and Goodreads for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.