WHERE THERE'S SMOKE......SOMETHING SMELLS IN THIS SLAUGHTERHOUSE BESIDES THE PIGS.......(*****).

 Where There's Smoke by Rachel Louise Adams (2026)

     I fairly gushed over 'No Rest for the Wicked', author Rachel Louise Adams first mystery featuring beautiful, troubled Wisconsin pathologist Delores Diaz and I enjoyed this second book just as much. (See my review of 9/16/25).   While this one lacks the extra helping of Halloween flavoring that made the first book such a spooky season pleasure, rest assured there's plenty more gristly goings-on here to keep Delores busy........and in danger of ending up on her own morgue slab. .

     This can be read as a stand alone but I'm pretty sure that after finishing 'Where There's Smoke" readers will want to check out "No Rest..." for the full harrowing backstory of Delores and her estranged family..........whose aftermath still lingers on, and still referred to in this new entry..

     Delores, still traumatized by the events of the return to her Halloween-ish Wisconsin hometown, has taken on the job of Medical Examiner in a closely neighboring town.......close enough to reconnect with her brother Asher, her impetuous young sister Josie and her imperious, controlling, emotionally distant stepmother Charlotte. And the first murder victim landing on her autopsy table is none other than Benedict Marcy, the town's most beloved big business employer, owner of the Marcy's Meats slaughterhouse. Of course, where else would the murderer leave the nausea-inducing remains of Marcy but right on the slaughterhouse killing floor.

     While Delores delves into the gruesome medical mysteries surrounding the corpse, FBI agent Paul Turner takes on the case with his new rookie partner Kate Butcher, who used to be Delores's hot tempered bullying adolescent nemesis. As the case deepens, growing ever darker and more horrific, Paul tirelessly flirts with Delores and Delores re-establishes the torn, damaged ties to her family......even making friendly overtures to Kate, who's plagued by worries she's in over her head at the FBI.

     As the case unfolds, the full sickening extent of the crimes and conspiracies surrounding the Marcy slaughterhouse and the neighboring county prison become clearer.......not only in previous deaths but a fresh new murder proving that somebody's determined to keep the dreadful truth from coming out. And that puts Delores, Paul and Kate in their their crosshairs.

     Once again, author Adams truly excels at making heartbreaking human emotion and empathy for the characters a major part of the twists and turns. And her double whammy showdown in the reveal of the evil at play will hold you spellbound as you speed through the pages.

     So far (for me) this series is batting 5 stars per book, so I can't think of any better way to wrap up this review.

         5 stars (*****).

KILL YOUR DARLINGS......POPPED OUT OF HER PAGES, A HORROR WRITER RAGES.....(***).

 Kill Your Darlings by Yuvashri Harish (2026)

     Like a 'Goosebumps' book on steroids, 'Kill Your Darlings' dials up its YA Halloween night of horrors to way-off-the-dial proportions. It pits its plucky band of teens and their two babysitting charges against a risen-from-the-pages, long dead, yet still infinitely loathsome horror author.. And this prolific harpy comes fully armed with all her creations come to life. We're talkin' zombies, vampires, demonic children and all manner of slithering monstrosities who proceed to lay bloody waste to the small town that was home to the woman who spawned them from inside her books.

     In structure, this all plays out along the lines of those 'kids-vs-monsters' movies from the 1980's ("Goonies", "Gremlins", Monster Squad", "Fright Night", etc, etc.) . But be forewarned that the gory collateral damage splattered across the pages here goes a little above PG-13. Author Yuvashri Harish is serious as a heart attack in detailing the agonies of slaughtered innocents and the priceless value of the lives they've lost so horribly.

     The terror begins when good-girl-to-the-max Thulasi inadvertently unleashes 19th century horror scribe Addison Greer from within the pages of a first edition Greer book. Addison and her monstrous menagerie of fictional abominations are on a vengeance fueled quest to punish the living relatives of those responsible for the death of Addison's beloved daughter. Now it's up to Thulasi, her quarterback crush Sam, her best friend Celeste and 7 year olds Arjun and Miri to find a way to put a stop to Addison's reign of carnage before she wipes out the entire town......including Thulasi and Sam''s families.

     I was on board with the crazy funhouse ride this book takes you on until its overbearing overwriting began to bog down the pace and just plain wear me out. It's ironic the author chose 'Kill Your Darlings' as a title, because she certainly didn't take that phrase to heart in its use as standard advise to writers when revising their drafts. The dragged out, laborious showdown finale almost sinks under its endless repetition, with the same points and observations hammered away at over and over.

     But I did greatly appreciate and admire how the diversity and family backgrounds of Thulasi and Sam are well integrated into the storyline, along with the issues of racism, misogyny, and even the 19th century patriarchal oppression of women. No one could accuse 'Kill Your Darlings' of not having a lot on its mind other than its many scares.

     For those who demand nothing less than full immersion into a packed-the-the-rafters rampage of horror tropes........ with some misgivings, I'd still recommend this one. I doubt there's a single nightmarish creature or moment it forgot to throw into the mix.

      3 stars (***).