Title: Where There’s Smoke
Author: Rachel Louise Adams
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
A lot has happened in Dolores Hawthorne’s life since the events of last Halloween. She’s divorced, traded being a forensic pathologist for a job as a medical examiner, and now lives in small-town Wisconsin, close—but not too close—to her family.
Dolores doesn’t have much in the way of work, but that all changes when a body is found at the local slaughterhouse. Benedict Marcy owned Marcy’s Meats, and is affectionately called Mr. Mercy across the region. This high-profile case quickly catches the attention of Dolores’s friends at the FBI.
From the very beginning, this case is full of contradictions and surprises, and the team quickly learns someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to stop them from finding out the truth behind Benedict Marcy’s murder.
The cover for this novel is so creepy to me! Definitely fits the vibe of the book. I haven’t read the first books in this series, but that wasn’t a problem (although having read the first one would probably have added some nuance to this read). The crime scene was very gross and illustrated the layers of confusion that filled the mystery itself. This was a solid thriller read, and I’ll probably go back and read the first one as well.
Rachel Louise Adams was raised in Brittany. Where There’s Smoke is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review.)
