Smoke by Catherine McKenzie

Edge of your seat! Can't put down book! I really loved it. The evolution of Mindy and Elizabeth was well written. Best friends who both had lies, secrets, problems that they both had to work through. The catalyst being a fire that threatens their homes, town, and their lives. Both work through difficult issues and come out the other side better and stronger. Suspense that keeps you guessing until the end! Highly recommend! Given this book by NetGalley for review!

Description

Don't miss Catherine McKenzie's LIVE BookTrib.com Author Chat on October 21st at 4pm EDT!

At the heart of international bestseller Catherine McKenzie’s mesmerizing new novel, SMOKE (Lake Union Publishing; October 20, 2015), a wildfire threatens to destroy a small town in the American Rockies. Told over the course of six days, this exquisitely composed portrait of how people react in a crisis navigates the metaphorical and literal flames caused by the fire and takes a probing look at how the inhabitants cope with the chaos that ensues. Firefighting and arson investigations have consumed Elizabeth’s life for the past decade. At least, they did, until the demands of her job pushed her crumbling marriage to the brink, and she took time off to try and salvage it. But this time, the flames are too close for comfort. A forest fire is quickly spreading near her small town at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and it turns out that the fire is no accident. Determined to help save her town, while at the same time struggling to save her marriage, Elizabeth starts digging in to the evidence. While fighting against the fire’s spread as it nears her home, she’ll face her fears and her greatest hopes. Getting closer to the truth will also shine a light on her former best friend, Mindy, and Mindy’s teenage son, who knows more about the fire than he will admit. As the winds pick up, the entire town’s future hangs at the balance. Elizabeth and Mindy must discover what will be lost in the fire, and what will be saved.

Catherine McKenzie was inspired to write SMOKE after learning about several friends’ first-hand experience with an out of control wildfire in the American Rockies. “I watched it all from afar,” says McKenzie. “And the whole time I had this line running through my head: the things we lost in the fire. I also wanted to explore the ways in which financial disparities affect people’s relationships and how it can create different environments even in the same town,” she explains.

Catherine McKenzie has earned legions of fans and praise all over the world for her absorbing characters, engrossing storytelling, and unflinching treatment of universal themes of the human condition, such as love, loss, forgiveness and redemption. With SMOKE, McKenzie forces readers to grapple with the messiness of life and ponder unspeakable “what ifs.” Riveting, complex and nuanced, the novel will captivate readers of domestic drama, mystery and suspense, as well as anyone in search of an all-consuming page-turner.

A big thanks from the whole team here at Lake Union for your interest in Catherine McKenzie's Smoke. If you would like to stay up-to-date on new titles from Lake Union, please go to our publisher page and click “Add to Favorites.”