Where There's Smoke by Rachel Louise Adams

 Where There's Smoke

Book Summary

Following the USA Today bestselling series debut, No Rest for the Wicked, Rachel Louise Adams returns with Where There’s Smoke.

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.

My Thoughts

In Coldren County, even the quietest corners conceal danger. Set a few months after No Rest for the Wicked, Rachel Louise Adams’s Where There’s Smoke quickly pulls readers back into the community’s uneasy undercurrents.  The deliberately uncozy small-town setting heightens the suspense as secrets and contradictions emerge. Dolores remains a compelling medical examiner—tough, intelligent, and capable—while FBI agents Kate and Paul bring contrasting perspectives to the investigation. Ash and Josie show promise, and a little more development would make them even more engaging.

Adams balances vivid prose and grim investigative detail with a fast-moving, unpredictable plot. Themes of trauma, justice, family, and human and animal rights add weight without slowing the story. Some readers may wish to be aware of the novel’s detailed forensic and slaughterhouse scenes. Dark, layered, and suspenseful, Where There’s Smoke proves that Coldren County’s most dangerous secrets are still smoldering beneath the surface.

Today’s new releases are ready to turn the page on your TBR pile! Rachel Louise Adams’s Where There’s Smoke is now available from Amazon. No Rest for the Wicked, the author’s debut novel, is also the first installment in the A Coldren County Novel series. Other books arriving today include the chilling suspense Coordinates of Death by Darlene Turner, the festive and offbeat The Claus Conspiracy by Tamara Berry, and the charming cozy mystery Murder on Thin Ice by Laurie Cass. I’ll be back on Wednesday, October 7, with Belle's Christmas Carol by Michelle Griep—so keep your bookmark handy for the next delightful chapter!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.