by Bret Anthony Johnston  

Loosely based on the Branch Davidian cult, We Burn Daylight is an engrossing story set in Waco, Texas in 1993. Roy is the fourteen year-old younger son of the town’s sheriff. There is a new group of people setting up a compound and following a charismatic leader who calls himself The Lamb. This religious cult is supposedly hoarding weapons and grenades and rumors that they are abusing young girls are rampant. When Roy meets Jaye, he has no idea at first that she came with her mother to the compound. Jaye’s mother left her husband to follow The Lamb and Jaye didn’t want her mother to go alone. Jaye’s mother is completely devoted to The Lamb but Jaye is suspicious of him, with good reason. The town is on edge about this cult and Roy’s dad is under fire with his job in jeopardy.

The story alternates between Roy and Jaye’s voices with podcast excerpts from people who were in the cult or were part of law enforcement. As the cult gains national attention, tensions run high and there is a strong sense of foreboding leading up to the final showdown between law enforcement and the cult members.

This well reviewed book was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. If you like fast paced engrossing novels, you will like We Burn Daylight.

Thanks to Random House and netGalley for the advanced reading copy.