Here it is, the final installment of the Cannon trilogy. A Florida-backcountry-noir tale of greed, power, corruption, and redemption all carried by a cast of misfits and oddballs, and the occasional badass feminist.
It actually isn't fair to the author to bring down the characters of HOLDING SMOKE—and the entire Cannon series—to as simple a definition as that. Post is a master at characterization and shines brighter than the Northern Star in all of the 330 plus pages. She has a way of bringing her cast to life that's so unique, you get the feeling of being part of the story at any point, making you somehow relate to things you've maybe never experienced in your life.

"The wound wasn't here first, and by no means would it be her last, but in the whip of her shoulder, in the crack of her wrist, Ramey had found her place."

The Cannon saga always felt close to the now defunct FX series JUSTIFIED, especially when Sister Tulah, an evil, conniving, self-serving, manipulating pentecostal preacher who will stop at nothing to lay down the fury of ten Gods on Silas—the fictional north Florida town—to get what she wants, appears on the page. It is nearly impossible not to picture Margo Martindale abusing a snake whispering Brother Felton you can't help but feel sorry for. But as much as there are notes and hints of the Kentucky based show, The Cannon trilogy and every single instalments stand on their own. They are their own story. The have a heart and soul.

Speaking of heart and soul. Even though Judah Cannon is the center of the story, the fresh-out-of-prison protagonist who juggles with loyalty throughout the series when it comes to his family and the people who are literally putting themselves in front of knives and bullets and other deadly flying objects for him, Ramey Barrow will always be the glue that holds everything together.
The on-and-off girlfriend of Judah is, to me, the most important piece of the story.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was beautifully written. I enjoyed it so much. The pacing was perfect. I enjoyed the depth of the characters. I loved how deep the mystery was in this book. It was very well thought out!

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for this review title.

Elegant and haunting, while weaving poetically through tragedy and confrontation, Holding Smoke is stunning, surprising and frankly superb. This is Steph Post's masterpiece - so far.

Such a strong ending, to an incredibly well written trilogy. Steph Post has such a great writing style. Everything is so well described. I really loved the characters in this series. Seeing how it all comes full circle for Judah, Ramey, Benji and Sheila was really interesting and enjoyable to read.

Steph Post is the real deal. The words and story just flow.. Judah and the cast of characters are real and each one unique and interesting. This third volume in the series is just as good as the first two. Another author to add to my must read list. Excellent.

You are dumped into the 3rd installment of a series about a set of small time crime families in rural Florida. I found myself disconnected with the characters and little back story to understand who these people are. Very poorly done with no contextual plotting. I could not care for one person even trying too.