Starred Review:

Jess Keeler returns this time with a film crew hoping to continue her success in finding a true crime for a streamer to buy. The crew doesn’t see eye to eye on multiple possibilities and again Jess is left on her own to seek the truth.

Pruitt is a master at multiple story lines and connecting all the dots. Into a true suspense novel. Very gifted. Great sophomore novel with Jess back.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Wonderful police procedural, a crime tale that spans decades, with justice elusive and buried beneath layer of racism, the brutality of biker gangs and vigilantism.

This novel has something for everyone, as a amateur true crime investigator (podcasts, etc.) innocently and painstakingly begins to peel back the years of lies, coverups, regret, fear and trauma that have grown over the unalterable truth of a series of murders in the "back back".

A five-star mystery that will appeal to a wide range of fans, ranging from those who enjoy modern novels (such as Elle Marr releases) to those who enjoy a more classic detective mystery where the solid slow burning flame of the truth is finally unveiled.

After reading Something Bad Wrong I knew I had to dive into Blood Red Summer by Eryk Pruitt.
Book two in the Jess Keeler Series was just as great as the first.
A well crafted book with some interesting characters and scenes that really kept my attention and interest.
The writing is wonderfully descriptive and the character descriptions were so realistic.
Suspenseful and finely crafted its well written, thrilling and impossible to put down.
The well-developed characters, fast-paced plot, and the exploration of complex themes make it a book that's insanely entertaining.

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Blood Red Summer by E. Pruitt, published by Thomas & Mercer is the second stand alone in the Jess Keeler Series.
For best reading experience I recommend to read the books in order. The previous book is Something Bad Wrong.
Reading this second book was an absolute delight.
Jess is in for another wild ride. The true crime podcaster of Something Bad Wrong gets accosted and asked to investigate the case of Ricky Lee, being in prison for murdering 5 people many years ago.
She's intrigued and together with an old friend she' stirring up old ghosts and trouble too.
Welcome back to Lake Castor where everything started and where she's about to stirr a hornets nest.
A complex, complicated read with a great storyline and fantastic characters.

This wasn't quite what I'd expected. It had the true crime aspect and the podcast mystery but it felt more like a detective novel. I also had no idea it was part of a series. Not bad by t not totally my cup of tea.

In this second book of the series it packs a lot of suspense, thriller, and true crime fella. Jess uncovers evidence that points to a false confession and a possible connection to other murders within the town.

Blood Red Summer is a book about an unsolved mystery.

Jess is a podcaster who works on unsolved crimes. She finds one about a 1984 Lake Castor sniper. The sniper killed 5 men in the Black part of an old mill town. One of the men is a journalist, whose murder finally gains the interest of the police.

They capture the sniper -- or did they. It is up to Jess to solve the mystery while staying alive without attracting the attention of the real sniper.

Podcaster Jess Keeler is looking for the subject of her next podcast when she’s approached by a man in a bar who wants her to re-examine the 1984 Lake Castor sniper case. Five people were killed, and while a suspect was arrested, convicted, and jailed, there is some speculation that the wrong person is sitting behind bars. Is this a case of police incompetence? Or was there a cover-up? The closer Jess gets to the answer, the more she puts her own life at risk. This is the second book in the series and brings wrongful convictions and false confessions are under a microscope

"Blood Red Summer" is the second installment in the Jess Keeler Thrillers series. In this moody and gripping thriller, podcaster Jess Keeler investigates an unsolved crime in a former mill town, with a documentary crew accompanying her. The focus of her investigation is the Lake Castor sniper, who terrorized the historically Black part of the town in 1984, claiming five lives. The story takes a turn when a handsome stranger approaches Jess with a tale of wrongful conviction, leading her to question whether the police arrested the right person for the crimes.

As Jess delves deeper into the case, she uncovers evidence pointing to a false confession and a potential connection to other murders in the town. The narrative promises suspense, shocking truths, and the risk of Jess becoming a target for the true sniper.

The book seems to explore themes of crime, justice, and the consequences of wrongful convictions. If you've read the book, feel free to share your thoughts or specific aspects you'd like more information about.