Smoke

My new title coming October 20th Hope you like it.

I inhaled SMOKE , by Catherine McKenzie She seems quite popular There are 2,699 reviews for her book called Hidden , on with almost a 4 star average rating So, I was curious to find out what all the smoke was about with Catherine McKenzie s books There is a strong positive about her writing also a minor negative The minor negative funny coming from me , a person who claims time and time againto be a reader not a writer I, myself, pretty much write like shit but all honesty, I don t see anything [...]

ARC requested through Netgalley, and kindly provided by Lake Union Publishing in exchange for a honest review.I am a huge fan of Catherine McKenzie and was so excited when the publisher gifted me this book on Netgalley Smoke Everything about it had always meant being away to her, so now that she was safe at home, it was a smell that didn t track This was the opening sentence to Catherine McKenzie s latest book, Smoke, and it completely hooked me I wholeheartedly loved this story and the way it u [...]

2 A Best Book of October, 2015One of the Top 100 books of 2015 Hmm, really I wasn t expecting much, just some enjoyable light reading, which for the most part was not the case I suppose this could be due to my age As chick lit goes I would think this would be appreciated by a 20 s 30 s female audience I disliked both the main characters and was not interested in the subject matter drama focusing on petty, superficial people as well as the woes of marriages teens in crisis mode While it did pick [...]

Smoke is a standalone, women s fiction novel written by Catherine McKenzie It follows the individual struggles of two women at a time when a wildfire is threatening their small town For Elizabeth, it s her marriage For Mindy, it s her family and community But the approaching fire is not just thrown in for a bit of suspense It sets the tone, develops the characters, and draws parallels like nobody s business Passion, teamwork, support, respect, hard work, dedication, integrity, sacrifice all qual [...]

Thrilled to say I had an advance look at Smoke before publication It works as both story and brilliant metaphor A wildfire threatening to consume homes both reveals and represents the troubled relationships that threaten her characters families Heat can have the same blistering result whether caused by passion or friction Its associated smoke pervades the entire community and obscures truth Another page turner from Catherine McKenzie that will have you holding your breath and hoping these charac [...]

I was absolutely thrilled to get my hands on an advanced copy of Catherine McKenzie s SMOKE, a truly unique mystery with overlapping storylines whose characters I found myself deeply invested in Catherine s writing is free flowing and easy to read, while the characters and their stories will be hard to forget I m eager to read Catherine s five previous novels A must read from Catherine McKenzie

With an epilogue that changed absolutely everything, Hidden is a book that I still haven t let go of, even a year later It was reminding myself of that unforgettable ending that got me through Smoke I had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that even though the first 100 pages of this book were agonizingly slow that maybe it would all come together in the end and blow me away Unfortunately, that s not what happened I considered setting it aside a few times and now I m wishing I would hav [...]

Elizabeth is an arson investigator who was once a forest firefighter and she is investigating the fire that has started very near her home and her town Elizabeth is also in the very beginning of agreeing with her husband that they will get divorced as they are being required to leave their house and stay with her in laws until the fire gets under control Mindy is married to Peter and she is Elizabeth s ex friend for reasons we do not initially know They have two teenage children Angus Carrie Min [...]

3.5 stars Not as gripping as Fractured, but after a slow start quite enjoyable Good audiobook narration.

Let me begin by saying that I m a huge fan of Catherine McKenzie s work I enjoy not only the stories, but the characters and the journey each character goes through I like that they seem like authentic individuals full of feelings, angst, flaws and the desire to be good So I m a fan.This is the first time that I had a difficult time with the story and the characters I think for the story I got caught up in details that I shouldn t have but that still affected my enjoyment of the book For exampl [...]

Solid storytelling.You can probably gather by the cover and title that this book is about forest fires If not, you know now.Fires, natural fires, are a very real and very scary thing There are even fires raging out west as I read this book I can t imagine how scary it must actually be to be in that situation, but this story puts you there in the thick of it It feels real You can almost smell the smoke as you turn the pages.That s good storytelling, and honestly, I expected nothing less from this [...]

I read this book in one gulp SMOKE inhalation This is the blurb I wrote and I would underline it if I could Catherine McKenzie s Smoke is a marvel, a mystery that portrays relationships with subtlety, small town life with precision, and reveals the world of the fire obsessed for evil and for good Smoke smolders with tension, sizzles with intelligence, and you won t put it down until the air has been cleared and the last page turned.

I always love Catherine s stories because she writes about human relationships She shows us the good as well as the bad Smoke starts off pretty intense, with a fire that could quickly become out of control We also see Elizabeth s relationship with her soon to be ex husband starting to spiral out of control as well We ve had this kind of standoff about a lot of things lately, communicating through the things not done, the words not said, our inaction as loud and grating as un unfixed faucet s slo [...]

I ve been a fan of Catherine McKenzie s writing for a number of years, but Smoke is in my humble opinion her strongest book yet It is both a complex portrait of a marriage in crisis, and a taut, well plotted mystery McKenzie s characters are well intentioned but flawed, blinded as we all are by the stories they ve told themselves about their relationships with partners, friends and children and how, in particular, they ve assigned blame for failures in those relationships Written from the altern [...]

Smoke was an easy, entertaining story to read As you know from the title and blub it s about the time before and during a major wild fire raging in Cooper Basin The characters are well defined The major players are Elizabeth Beth who has worked with fire is going through a difficult time with her husband, Ben There are overlapping story lines while the fire rages on There is Mindy, who is not really happy with her life, after losing her job she spends all of her time worrying about their two chi [...]

Smoke had an interesting premise and felt like a Jodi Picoult novel at times There was a lot of strong character development and dialogue and I felt sympathetic toward both Elizabeth and Mindy If you re interested in the dynamics of a large fire, this is definitely the book for you If you re not, those parts might feel slow to you, like they did for me, but it s still worth reading for the other 90% The ending felt a bit anti climactic after all that had happened, but it was nice to get some ans [...]

I m sad to say I did not enjoy this book quite as much as I thought I would I absolutely loved Forgotten, Arranged, and Spin While not as enthusiastic about Hidden, I still thought it was a good book Don t get me wrong, Smoke was also a good book, but it just didn t resonate with me I think my biggest issue was I just didn t like Elizabeth The parts of the book told through her first person perspective just made her come across as selfish and careless to me So in not liking her, I didn t feel in [...]

thank you Netgalley for the ARC Very well written Interesting storyline Spin is still my fave though

Smoke is set in the town of Nelson which is nestled in the northern part of the Rockies.Ben and Elizabeth have decided to divorce after 16 years together 10 of them married On the night of this decision a fire is started on the edge of town The ignition point is isolated to a fire pit on someone s property Was it the home owner or a group of teenagers who have been harassing him Soon accusations are flying around the town.This was an enjoyable novel with many layers and one I enjoyed with each u [...]

This was a good read I did find myself heavily wrapped up in the characterizations portrayed in this book Not that that is a bad thing There s a lot of backstory involvement here in order to showcase each person and their relevancy to the storyline That, obviously, was the intention of this author There s a lot of back and forth between the two main characters, Elizabeth and Mindy, and how their personal lives eventually intertwined.There are plenty of secrets abrew with the intentional and unin [...]

Great read, here s my review for New York Journal of Books nyjournalofbooks book

A special thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review Catherine McKenziereturns following Hidden with SMOKE a town in the Rockies, raged by fire and destruction and the burning secrets and lies, of its characters personal lives igniting losing control at the same time.A fast spreadingground fire has ignited at the edge of the Cooper Basin in Nelson County Housing structures and lives are threatened Temporary shelters, school suspensions, warnings, [...]

I love adventure stories that keep me guessing, and Smoke succeeds beautifully Vivid details and a solid cast of characters make this an engaging read Highly recommended.

4.5 stars.Smoke by Catherine McKenzie was a riveting read, that contained mystery, family and friendship drama and the terrifying experience of an out of control fire surrounding a town.When we meet Elizabeth she is at odds with her husband Ben They are about to begin pursuing a divorce, although what has caused the rift is not revealed at the beginning It takes time to gather up all the facts and miscommunications and break down in trust One of the heartbreaks that they have had is up until now [...]

SMOKE is my favorite Catherine McKenzie book yet I loved the main characters, especially Beth, who is trying to sort out the disappointments and desires that haunt so many at her age and stage in life It s a compelling read with wonderfully imperfect, deeply human characters, a beautifully drawn setting in a western town that is so real it feels like another character in the novel, and a plot that keeps you turning pages late into the night SMOKE vividly conveys the terror and attraction of play [...]

McKenzie has another hit on her hands In SMOKE you meet two very intriguing characters Elizabeth and Mindy, who were once friends but an incident broke up their friendship McKenzie does a great job of slowly releasing details how how these two woman were once connected, which kept me completely enthralled In addition to that, there is a looming fire which is a mystery to how it was started that could take everything away from them This book is perfectly titled as my fingers were smoking because [...]

Engaging, suspenseful McKenzie s Smoke will have you questioning the truth behind a raging forest fire until the last, mesmerizing page.

SMOKE is an exquisite portrait of nuanced characters forced to navigate both metaphorical and literal fires A new favorite

Poignant Beautiful Heart wrenching A book that makes you think Loved it.