When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason

Alexia Allen has returned to her hometown after 10 years.  She can never forget the day her mother told her to leave. Now her mother is in the hospital and it is time for Alexia to return home to confront her past. From the moment Alexia gets into town her life is in danger. Surprising a masked murderer in her childhood home begins Alexia’s welcome to town. 

Hunter and his partner Katie are one of the first investigators on the scene. Hunter remembers Alexia from high school and knows that she would never be involved in murdering someone, but when evidence begins to pile up against her, Hunter’s partner Katie can’t help but believe that Alexia has something to do with the brutal murder. 

Coming from an abusive home Alexia struggles with the idea that God could care for her. It seems that everywhere she turns though God is there to meet her. Her mother, her friend Serena and even Hunter all express their faith in a God who loves her. Slowly Alexia begins to see that love for herself.

Desperate to keep anyone else from being murdered because of her Alexia helps investigate who could be behind the killings. Could it be her abusive father who still blames her for his injuries sustained in a fire? Or does it have something to do with her old friend Jillian Carter who disappeared the night of their graduation? 

Having read the last book When A Secret Kills first I was anxious to go back and read the first book in the series. It definitely did not disappoint! Lynette Eason manages to write a fast-paced suspense that keeps the reader turning the pages to the very end. I have to admit that I did figure out “who-done-it” before the end of the book, but there were still a couple of times I questioned whether I had the right suspect or not. Now I need to go buy the next book in the series When A Heart Stops.