Smiley by Michael Ezell.
To escape the gut-churning violence of LAPD, Garrett Evans moves home to sleepy Artemis, West Virginia to take over his deceased father's position as Chief of Police.
A brilliant read. I loved the cover. Creepy. 5*.

I love these serial killer books! This one is great yet just as spooky too because the killer is a "nice" guy and neighbor. I have read in other things about some of these killers can blend in but this guy is good. A home town boy and big LAPD police guy comes back home after he loses his father, and this guy, Garrett, has a killer case on his hands. The book was great and hard to put down. * This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I finished reading this about a week ago. Today, nothing about the book is really standing out in my mind. A nice "brain-strain" free serial killer book for a rainy Saturday afternoon/evening read. While Garrett Evans is a little bit of a rash hot-head (one would hope their police chief would be a bit more of a deliberate thinker), I expect there's not really a large pool of candidates in the backwaters of West Virginia to chose from, I found Chester LaSalle to be the more intriguing character. Other characters were as developed as they needed to be. Plot was pretty predictable.

Review: SMILEY by Michael Ezell

Amazingly engrossing, this mystery-thriller novel set in West Virginia (with frequent intermissions of backstory from L. A., and remembrances of the protagonist' s early life), is deeply layered. Home-town boy, something of a hot shot in the LAPD (or so his police chief father proclaims) returns to tiny Artemis, West Virginia, nestled in the mountains, after his father's demise. Newly appointed police chief, Garrett soon discovers that although he may be a native of the community, other allegiances run deeper, much deeper. Under the surface of a peaceful small town runs drug abuse and manufacture, and a killer unstopped for decades, and a history of rampant abuse and wanton murder.

Garrett Evans has moved back home to Artemis and has taken the job as Chief of Police. A quiet place until New York P.I. Chester LaSalle arrives looking for a missing girl. They start working together, and discover what might be a serial killer in their midst, who has been and still is murdering runaways.
Mentioning the suspect so soon in the book would have meant a lowering of the rating to a 3 star but I got so involved in what was happening that I added a star.
Well-written, a good paced story with some flawed characters.

[bookcover:Smiley|36147147]

Firstly, thank you to Net Galley, The publishers and the author for a ARC copy for review.

Let me start by saying, halfway through this book, I would have given this book a three star, then reading the second half and the book becomes a four star, pace, suspense and gripping action and shocks, and a clear four star.

To escape the gut-churning violence of LAPD, Garrett Evans moves home to sleepy Artemis, West Virginia to take over his deceased father's position as Chief of Police. The peaceful environment helps him hide his struggle with PTSD-- Until Garrett kills a man and loses his job when his mental condition is questioned.

Things only get worse from there.

New York P.I. Chester LaSalle is searching for a missing girl last seen in Artemis. Working together, Garret and LaSalle dig up small town secrets best left buried behind the barn. It appears a serial killer has murdered transient prostitutes around Artemis for decades.

Telltale signs point to a suspect Garrett doesn't want to consider. No way Smiley Carmichael, the most respected man in Artemis, is a serial killer.

As if Garrett didn't have enough problems, LaSalle is hiding his own secret. He's not just seeking a missing girl. He's been hired to murder the person who made her disappear.

You cannot help but like the two main characters, Garrett and La Salle.

This book had a great second half, what was going to happen next, who would survive to the end...

A great surprise from an author I have not read before.

Great read! This book had me glued to the pages. An intense read with lots of action. My only gripe was with the ending. I would have liked it more if had been a little more fleshed out. Especially concerning Whit and Garrett. Other than that, an enjoyable read

This book was a real scary, serial killer kind of book! There are three main characters, all men who are broken and traumatised, and they are all killers. I couldn't put this book down, once I started reading and I eagerly await the next book from this author. My only complaint...I really wanted to find out how "the chief" got on. A really good thriller/horror book. Many thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads