A bloodied body buried in a snowbank on a remote island off Cape Cod. A cold case in Kansas.What’s the connection between two unrelated murders over a thousand miles away and decades apart? In Death In Smoke, the thrilling sequel to Death In Vermilion, artist Leila Goodfriend unravels the truth about two brutal killings. From Cuttyhunk Island to a Native American casino in Kansas, Leila tracks a … about two brutal killings.
From Cuttyhunk Island to a Native American casino in Kansas, Leila tracks a trail of blood and revenge, littered with smoke screens and stone relics of a faded past.
Once again, Leila has to trust her instincts, which puts her at odds with Detective John Grace—a relationship of attraction that, in the end, reveals a tragic secret from her own past.
Despite the detective’s warnings, Leila puts her life at risk, obsessed with proving her friend’s innocence, at least of murder.
Death In Smoke, the new psychological thriller from acclaimed author Barbara Elle, takes readers on an inner and physical journey across clashing cultures and time, challenging assumptions about what is truth—what remains a mystery.
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I received an ARC free from BookSirens and this is my voluntary honest review.
This was a gritty, intense psychology thriller with multifaceted characters.
A steady paced page turner which contained a few unnecessary cuss words.
A captivating, well written, pulse pounding plot which gave the reader a delightful, twisty murder mystery.
It is well worth losing some sleep over.
Take some time to read it! You won’t be sorry.
Enjoy!
Lelia Goodfriend goes for a walk to clear her head while attending a creative retreat with her eccentric group of Red Barn artist friends, on a remote island off Cape Cod. She stumbles across a body buried in the snow, and she knows this person! It is the ex-girlfriend of Steve a member of the retreat. Lelia calls Detective Grace to the scene. Lelia and Grace have a strange ‘friendship’ going on. Lelia can’t let the police investigate. She too does her own detective work, and it could end up badly. I enjoyed the author’s first book more than I did this one. It seemed to drag on too much for me. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
It was hard for me to get into this book because the author’s writing style is different then what I’m use to. But after I got jest of it it became a interesting mystery. The ending was a complete surprise
Gritty and intense! Complex and compelling! An edgy mystery full pulse-pounding suspense! The fast pace of the of the wildly-captivating plot kept me swiping the pages feverishly long past my bedtime.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
Death In Smoke by Barbara Elle is the second book in the Cape Mysteries Series and features Leila Goodfriend. She allowed herself to be talked into attending a Red Barn artist retreat at a B&B on a remote island off Cape Cod. She decides to go for a walk one morning before breakfast and sees red stains on a snowbank. Leila begins to dig through the snow with her hands and she recognizes the bloodied body of Susie. Leila is digging, fighting her fears, and her head is filled with questions because Susie is the girlfriend of her ex-boyfriend.
Leila’s character is so slow in answering the police who is sent out to secure the crime scene, I wanted to answer for her. Leila has recently gone through the breakup of a relationship, and she is trying to work through disappointments in her life. The story has some interesting twists as Leila searches for answers to why Susie was killed. Sometimes Leila’s actions seemed out of character. This mystery will lead her to an unexpected answer as she solves this case. The story is good, but it does start very slow. I found myself putting it down a couple of times before finishing the book.
Oh, a personal rant…I was surprised the cook preparing breakfast at the retreat was smoking around the food! LOL, rant over!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
Leila whom is a artist and a amateur sleuth comes across a body with her also knowing whom it is. Oh boy needless to say when Detective Grace comes whom is also a connection with her says no on the investigation part. Since though she knew Susie she goes on anyways and follows a trail. Turn the pages to see if this is the right trail or should she have listened.