What Still Burns

By: Elle Grawl

Narrated by: Merritt Hicks

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of One of Those Faces comes the haunting story of a young woman’s return home to face her tragic past, the fire that killed her family, and what remains in the ashes.

Alexis “Lex” Blake swore she would never return to the town where she’d lost her home and her family in a devastating fire that only she survived and can barely remember. But when her aunt dies, leaving behind a mountain of debt, Lex has no choice but to head back to Northern California to settle her family’s estate.

The small town is much the same way Lex left it: tight knit, staunchly religious, and wary of the Blakes, as evidenced by her run-ins with the sheriff, the preacher, and the nosy locals. The one saving grace is her old flame, but even Kael McPheron isn’t enough to distract Lex from the bitterness of her past.

Preparing her family’s property for sale forces Lex to contend with strange occurrences and mysterious phone calls that begin to unlock buried childhood memories. And when a body turns up—and then another one—Lex realizes that the mystery of that night is deeper than she ever imagined, and the threat that already destroyed her life once still burns.

©2023 Elle Grawl (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Dark, absorbing, and altogether addictive. Alternating between Lex Blake’s chilling past and her present-day return to the twisted small town she was desperate to flee, What Still Burns is a firestorm of suspense.”—Tessa Wegert, author of The Kind to Kill

“Elle Grawl's What Still Burns is a beautifully written, mesmerizing, frightening story of one woman's struggle to understand the tragic losses in her past so she can move forward with her future. A compelling mystery with emotional depth, flawed but quietly strong characters, and a journey to the truth that becomes darker on every page, this novel ratchets up the suspense until you're terrified and can't stop reading.”—Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of Woman on the Edge and Watch Out for Her

“What Still Burns is a creepy thrill ride that will ensnare you from page one. Prepare to spend all night racing through the pages, unsure who to trust, as Grawl takes you deep into the mind of her unreliable narrator and the outwardly-kind neighbors who may have played a secret, sinister role in her past. This is the ultimate small-town horror story.”—Ashley Winstead, author of The Last Housewife

Smoldering Hate

Ending was surprising. Story was good just a little slow in places but overall a nice book. I would recommend it!

Gripping tale!

Lexie tragically lost her family to a house fire when she was a 10yro and went to live w her aunt. Now, a decade later, her aunt has died and she learns that the family farm has been held in trust foe her. Returning to the town brings back bad memories and triggers a murderer. The one good thing is the rekindling of a relationship w her teen sweetheart, Kael…if only they can survive a mad man.
Gripping story and excellent narration!

Catchy title

Enjoyed this story a lot it’s the eve of Christmas Eve and I’m binging thrillers/mysteries and this book his the spot