Dora Rodriguez is a fact-checker at a popular online magazine. On the surface she’s just a single 38-year-old who wants to mind her own business and do her job. However, her past contains fascinating yet dark secrets that she’s been running from for the past 20 years. Up until now, she has successfully covered her tracks and moved on with her life. When a colleague pitches a story that hits too close to home, she volunteers to assist so that she can throw him off the scent. The Night We Burned follows Dora as she compromises her integrity as a fact-checker to stay off the radar and survive.  

Dora’s colleague, Miles, discovers a murder that could be linked to a mysterious cult fire that happened 20 years ago. From the start of The Night We Burned, we know that Dora was involved somehow, but it will take a bit more of the story for readers to learn exactly how. Dora is desperate to make sure no facts or clues lead back to her. But Miles is good at his job, and notices her behavior is a bit out of the ordinary.

S.F. Kosa tells the story by bouncing back and forth between present day and what readers assume was Dora’s life 20 years ago. As the story progresses, we learn about the Oracles of Innocence – the strange cult based in Bend, Oregon whose persuasive leader is a former financier. It’s members are almost all women, a few of them pregnant, with their children living and cared for in a separate section of the main dwelling (they are viewed as being everyone’s children). At this point in The Night We Burned, this seems kind of creepy (or more interesting, depending on your jam) – but we’ve just barely touched the surface. 

Kosa feeds us the backstory spanning the year leading up to the fire, while present-day Dora works to find out just what other clues are out there. I enjoyed following Dora’s attempts and discoveries as Miles continues to inch closer and closer to uncovering the truth. Other characters, college-aged aspiring journalist Noah and his friend Arman, somewhat throw a wrench into the mix by revealing their own interest in the mysterious murders and are eager to help – adding to the bases Dora already needs to cover. 

I found myself somewhat conflicted while reading The Night We Burned – I wanted to find out what happened so that I could determine whether or not to have sympathy for Dora. Did Dora start the fire? Did she murder everyone to escape the cult? What happened to the children? Kosa strategically gives us the answers, both in the past and present, forcing readers to connect the dots all the way to the end. 

In The Night We Burned, Kosa explores why people join cults and how they become so immersed and loyal to a fault. Some cult members in the story were so desperate for the leader’s approval and would do nearly anything for it, while sexual jealousy grows between two close friends who might have had a stronger bond in different circumstances. When we learn their backstory, we begin to maybe understand why they cling to the idea of belonging somewhere, and being part of a community (even if that community is questionable, at best). 

The switching back and forth between past and present day slowed down the plot, but I understand this choice was integral to the storytelling. The tragedy doesn’t happen all of a sudden, but rather, things steadily become weirder and more uncomfortable. Also, seeing the gradual arc of the aforementioned friendship almost makes it more heartbreaking when it all collapses. Due to this, I found myself bouncing between impatience and enthrallment. Well done, Kosa.

Dora also discovers she has some health problems – one of which I wasn’t sure why it was relevant to the story as a whole, as it didn’t really add anything to the storyline or her as a character. Even so, Kosa rewards patient readers towards the end of The Night We Burned; she reveals a plot twist so crazy, so out of left field, that I fully gasped, dropped my jaw, and had to think back and reflect on everything I had read up to that point. It threw me for a loop, and I liked it. 

Overall, The Night We Burned was enjoyable – but mostly because I find the subject matter of cults so interesting, and the plot twist at the end saved it for me. Readers who are interested in cults and slow-burning crime reveals will definitely get into it. Trigger warnings include pregnancy loss/stillbirth, PTSD, abuse, and eating disorders. If you’ve got something else at the top of your reading list, don’t feel compelled to bump this up (unless you’re really into the subject matter). I would save this one for a day at the beach (hopefully far away from wooded areas). 

S.F. Kosa joins our growing list of guests on The Nerd Cantina Show podcast and met up with me for a Cantina Conversation. We discussed her background as a clinical psychologist, her research into the crazy world of cults, and plans for the future. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode and pre-order The Night We Burned, available August 10.