Smoke

Catherine McKenzie

2015 • 342 pages

Ratings3

Average rating3.3

An evocative tale of two women navigating the secrets and lies at the heart of a wildfire threatening their town. After a decade long career combating wildfires, Elizabeth has traded in her former life for a quieter one with her husband. Now she works as the local arson investigator in a beautiful, quaint town in the Rockies. But that tranquil life vanishes when she and her husband agree to divorce and a fire in nearby Cooper Basin begins to spread rapidly. For Elizabeth, containing a raging wildfire is easier than accepting that her marriage has failed. For Elizabeth's ex-friend Mindy, who feels disconnected from her husband and teenage children, the fire represents a chance to find a new purpose: helping a man who has lost his home to the blaze. But her faith is shattered by a shocking accusation. As the encroaching inferno threatens the town's residents, Elizabeth and Mindy must discover what will be lost in the fire, and what will be saved.

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Susan Scribner

Smoke is quite a page turner as several burning (sorry) questions are apparent from the first chapter: Why are Elizabeth and Ben talking about getting a divorce? What is the reason for Elizabeth's estrangement from her former BFF Mindy? And of course, who set the fire that resulted in a devastating wildfire that is threatening the entire community? McKenzie supplies lots of red herrings along the way, and provides a fascinating glimpse into modern firefighting and arson investigation techniques. I found it very realistic that Elizabeth and Ben's problems were not the result of one big blowup or one-sided action, but rather the product of lots of misunderstandings, mistrust and poor communication on both sides. Made the resolution less clean but more believable.

I did feel a little bit shortchanged in the Elizabeth/Mindy subplot; McKenzie portrays the bitter argument that destroyed their friendship but gives short shrift to showing how and why the relationship flourished in the first place.

I was not a big fan of McKenzie's previous book, Hidden but I thoroughly enjoyed her earlier efforts. She is firmly back on track with Smoke.