Angels Burning by Tawni O'Dell

[Birdlady1950]

A brutal murder opens this book with a bang. Veteran Police Chief Dove Carnahan has her hands full trying to solve the murder of Camio Truly and deal with her own emotional family crisis. Dove and her sister Neely have secrets; secrets that have been hidden for many years; a murdered mother, emotional scares from a neglected childhood, deep scares involving their brother, the ex-con convicted murderer returning to town declaring his innocence demanding they tell why she and Neely lied in court, their brother Champ has returned home after years with a son in tow, and the Truly's have dark terrible secrets that are circling around them; will all the secrets come to the light of day or will they remain buried?

Secrets and mysteries are a theme in this story that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to ferret out the underlying secrets and lies. Ms. O’Dell masterfully leads you through the many layers of this story as she weaves the past and present to create a psychological thriller of the first order that intrigues the reader. Ms. O’Dell blended mystery, thriller, murder, family secrets, and lies into a well-developed story. Her character development and pacing was excellent as she showcases small town life and family relations from the richest to the poorest, the secrets they hide and the lives they lead.

You will not want to put this book down. Ms. O’Dell even throws in a little romance to the mix, along with many twists and turns. This was an excellent well-rounded character driven read.

I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.