Alice Blanchard | TRACE OF EVIL

Plot (via Goodreads):

Natalie Lockhart always knew she was going to be a cop. A rookie detective on the Burning Lake police force, she was raised on the wisdom of her chief-of-police father. These cases will haunt you if you let them. Grief doesn’t come with instructions.

But the one thing her father couldn’t teach her was how to handle loss. Natalie’s beloved sister was viciously murdered as a teenager, and she carries the scars deep in her heart. Although the killer was locked up, the trace evidence never added up, and Natalie can’t help wondering―is the past really behind her?

As the newest member on the force, Natalie is tasked with finding nine missing persons who’ve vanished off the face of the earth, dubbed “the Missing Nine.” One night, while following up on a new lead, she comes across a savage crime that will change everything.

Daisy Buckner―a popular schoolteacher, wife to a cop, and newly pregnant―lies dead on her kitchen floor. As Natalie hunts for Daisy’s killer in the wake of the town’s shock, her search leads to a string of strange clues―about the Missing Nine, about Daisy’s secret life, and reviving fresh doubts about her sister’s murder.

As the investigation deepens, Natalie’s every move risks far-reaching consequences―for the victims, for the town of Burning Lake, and for herself.

Review:

Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard is the reason I love discovering new authors. This novel drew me in like no other until I was in a hypnotized state halfway through and forcing myself to go to sleep at 2AM - don't worry, I didn't fall asleep until 3AM because I couldn't stop thinking about this one and it creeped me out so badly. Right from page one, I was hooked. The characters and the setting were immediately strong contenders in keeping me up past my bedtime and hooked on this story. I thought about it trying to fall asleep at night, when I was running to get my coffee, when I was in the shower, etc. I just became a man obsessed.

Alice Blanchard's writing is out of this world. Her prose is lustrous, full of detail, jam-packed with emotion, and captivating. I really enjoyed the unique way that Blanchard introduced her characters in the Lockhart family and let the secondary characters sort of trickle in. There weren't too many characters full of information thrown at you all at once, the plot was steady and well-paced (especially for a 400 page book), and the revelations and information that was in the last quarter of the book sent me to the moon and back.

Natalie Lockhart is one of my favorite characters. Her backstory is full of emotion and well-plotted, her personality dazzles on the pages, and she is someone you want to have a bottle of wine and a long dinner with. I immediately fell in love with her and I found her so enjoyable to read. Every single other character shined tremendously, but when I found out this was going to be a series and I would get more Natalie?! I was astonished and felt like I hit the literary lottery. She's a force to be reckoned with and when you combine her character with Blanchard's brooding story and her prose that is to-die-for, I am considering myself an immediate fan. This novel does not hold back on the dark elements, the twists and turns, and yet is still harrowing and captivating. My advice? Go into this one blind and enjoy every single word because this town is full of secrets you're going to be dying to unveil, people you'll carry with you for months after the final chapter, and an author you will be begging to write for the rest of her life.

Special thanks to Minotaur Books and the amazing Joe Brosnan for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5