Review of When the Smoke Clears

When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason is the fictional story of a smokejumper who's past is as smoky as what she faces when battling fires. When Alexia Allen's job becomes in jeopardy due to equipment failure, she is forced to  move into her mother's house and attend a high school reunion. Doesn't sound bad, right? But it seems trouble can't stay away from Alexia. Upon her arrival, terrible things begin to happen that put her life and the lives of those she loves at risk. In steps Detective Graham, her childhood crush, to solve the crimes. But when evidence and circumstance begin to point at Alexia, who can she trust?

Even worse, the crimes are forcing Alexia to dig deeper into her past. Will she be able to let her secrets come to life to catch the person responsible for the heinous acts?

This book was so engaging. I am a huge fan of Lynette Eason, so I jumped at the chance to review this book. I was definitely not disappointed. The pacing was brilliant: not too fast to overwhelm, but not to slow to be able to put down either. I really like the character of Alexia. Her past isn't crystal clear: she isn't perfect. That vulnerability makes her very endearing, yet she has the spunk to do things like fight fires and find the criminal responsible for all of the crimes. Speaking of which, I was so guessing who it was until the very end. I was not able to guess who that was, and I was shocked!

A must read. Highly recommended, five out of five stars.

Specifics (from amazon.com)
~Paperback: 352 pages
~Publisher: Revell (February 1, 2012)

Note: Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes!

Blessings,