A thrilling read right up until the very last page!
Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in Burning Lake, NY, known for its wicked, dark past. As the rookie detective, she is given the unsolved case of nine missing transients who have disappeared over the past few decades. Suddenly, Daisy Buckner, the wife of one of the detectives on the force, is found dead in her kitchen one evening. A suspect immediately comes to mind, but it isn’t that simple. To make matters more complicated, Daisy it turns out, had a strong friendship with Natalie’s older sister, and Natalie must learn to navigate these blurred lines of friendship and professionalism. Pulling from her past experiences as a member of a coven in her high school days, Natalie is tasked with solving a mystery of a lifetime that may involve some wicked rituals.
Upon reading the synopsis of TRACE OF EVIL, I had no clue that this book would involve anything witch-y related. While I was pleasantly surprised by the wickedness and superstition present in the novel, a lot of the coven-related concepts went over my head. The book itself is pretty long, but the storyline moves along quite well. I will admit that the first 320 pages or so are a really slow burn, but the last 40 are truly spectacular. I loved the fast-paced narrative that was written in the last 40 pages, and I secretly wished that the whole book moved at an incredibly nail-biting and super speedy pace! I’m really picky about thrillers mostly because I have a tendency to predict the ending, but this one definitely threw me off my game. I am really excited to see where this goes as a series, as the ending isn’t as satisfying as you would guess. I’m anxious for more adventures of Natalie Lockhart and I am looking forward to book #2!
Upon reading the synopsis of TRACE OF EVIL, I had no clue that this book would involve anything witch-y related. While I was pleasantly surprised by the wickedness and superstition present in the novel, a lot of the coven-related concepts went over my head. The book itself is pretty long, but the storyline moves along quite well. I will admit that the first 320 pages or so are a really slow burn, but the last 40 are truly spectacular. I loved the fast-paced narrative that was written in the last 40 pages, and I secretly wished that the whole book moved at an incredibly nail-biting and super speedy pace! I’m really picky about thrillers mostly because I have a tendency to predict the ending, but this one definitely threw me off my game. I am really excited to see where this goes as a series, as the ending isn’t as satisfying as you would guess. I’m anxious for more adventures of Natalie Lockhart and I am looking forward to book #2!