Burn It All

This propulsive debut psychological thriller set in small-town Georgia explores rage, redemption, and the many layers of toxic friendship, perfect for fans of Andrea Bartz and Rachel Hawkins.

Marley Henderson is having the worst year of her life. First, a drunken mistake costs her everything, including her engagement and her closest friend, Thea. Then, a series of cruel rumors make her an outcast in the small Georgia community she calls home. Finally, a string of vicious arsons rip through town, leaving unchecked destruction--and Thea’s body--in their wake.

To the police, the case is cut-and-dry. Thea Wright was an unstable woman with a troubled history, and with no evidence to suggest otherwise, it seems clear that she was responsible--not only for her own death but for dozens of arsons in the months preceding it. To Marley, though, the truth is less obvious.

Reeling from the loss, Marley teams up with her ex-fiancé to uncover the truth, but the deeper she digs into the night of Thea’s death, the murkier the truth becomes, not just about the fires that have been raging through town all summer, but about the woman she thought she knew. To get to the truth, Marley will have to face Thea’s lies, as well as the darkness she thought she put behind her long ago.

Told in alternating POVs and dual timelines, Burn It All will have suspense fans flying through each twist and turn to reach the stunning conclusion.

Maggie Auffarth is a lifelong book obsessive and crime fiction enthusiast. She holds a degree in creative writing from Wheaton College and her writing has been featured on Sparknotes.com, HerCampus.com, and in Time and Leisure magazine. She was also a finalist for the Helen Sheehan Book Prize in 2018. When she isn’t plotting fictional crimes, she enjoys baking, running, and binge-watching the latest season You. She works as a marketing director and copywriter in Atlanta. The Rot is her debut novel.