"Where the Crawfish Swim" by Andrea Smith takes readers deep into the world of undercover operations through the eyes of DEA agent Dalton Edwards. Sent to a small town to investigate suspicious activities, Dalton easily infiltrates the community, gaining the trust of both rival families involved in local crime. Things take a dark turn when a mass execution-style murder claims the lives of eight of the Hatfield family. Dalton’s mission shifts as he races to uncover the truth behind these brutal killings.

Smith's story, based on real events, is gripping from start to finish.
This is the perfect quick read for fans of true crime, undercover operations, and murder mysteries. I brought it with me to a salon appointment and couldn’t put it down. Smith's writing pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a fast-paced, compelling read based on real-life events.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the e-copy of the book!

A great read inspired by the 2016 Murders of Eight Family Members in Pike County, Ohio, this is a very interesting story and was quite intense and very real. The author has written a story that kept me reading and captured my attention from the first page.

I had not heard of this case so it was all new to me so I went in reading it strictly as a fiction murder/mystery. I just couldn't put it down and found it quite thrilling with great characters and a great fictional yet based on true events type feel and story. I read it in no time at all and loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Alexander Cendese is fantastic. He creates a town of amazing characters, each voiced with a distinct characteristic. I love his accents, his ability to age his voice, his playfulness, and his venomous tone. He found something for each personality and brought them alive.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a great read! True crime and fiction pulled together made an intriguing story. The characters were well done and relatable. I am looking forward to more from this author. Highly recommend for true crime fans as well as fictional mystery readers.

Where the Crawfish Swim is a good story that takes inspiration from real life events. I did not know the original story but this book made me go look it up! This book was exciting and intriguing and kept me turning the pages. A definite recommendations for crime and true crime readers.

Where the Crawfish Swim is another fictional twist on the old Hatfield and McCoys rivalry, but yet partially based on a true story. I jumped in this book, and the next thing I knew, I was flying through the chapters. Easy to read, gripping tale that kept me locked in, and whoa to the unfolding of craziness that plays out. Haven't read any of Andrea Smith's stuff before, but this one is a winner!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

I'll be honest - I chose this book because I was intrigued by its title. I thought it would be similar to Where the Crawdads Sing. That couldn't be further from the truth. Even though the other "Crawdads" book was high on my list a few years ago, I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. Its topics are ones that are high on my interest list.

This book is classified as a fictional true crime piece. It is based on an event in Ohio that rocked the national news in 2016 where 8 members of a family were massacred. Andrea Smith takes this actual event and sets it in a fictional county in Ohio (Briar). This fictional county, which
is somewhat poverty stricken (except for a few select families), is in the foothills of the Appalachians.

If you have ever watched shows such as Justified or Ozark, or if you have read books such as David Joy's, Where all Light Tends to Go (or watched the movie based on it - Devil's Peak), or if you have read last year's co-Pulitzer Prize winner, David Copperhead, then grab this book.

This book has everything - the Appalachian culture, a hidden poppy farm, Cessnas flying in and out in the middle of the night, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and the BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigations), and mention of the Mexican cartel, of course.

Our protagonist, twenty eight year old DEA agent, Dalton Edwards, is sent to middle of nowhere Briar County as a demotion for jilting his boss's daughter. To investigate the supposed illicit activity, he infiltrates himself into both of the families' farms (that are being used as fronts) as a part-time employee. Along the way, he befriends the bartender of a dive bar in town, who he later finds out is working on the same case for the BCI. Smith cleverly names the two families in this fictional account the Hatfields and the McCoys.

4.5 Stars from me. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this true crime novel.

I like reading true crime with novelization storytelling style. It is make the story easier to follow and compelling. Based on 2016 Murders of Eight Family Members in Pike County, Ohio the author doing very good on research and serve gripping details of the misery event.

Actually the characters got interesting depth and I can feel the emotions from some of the.. The pace is right as it progresses and important for build the mystery and tension. I still have alot question about this family tragedy and would make continuing research about it. But this book give me solid ground to start learn basic info about the cases.

Thank you to Netgalley and Book Go Social for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Publication : 24 March 2023

I thought the book was well written
I think the combination of true crime and fiction was intriguing
I really liked Dalton the main character
Hope we read more about him at some point in the future

Easy to read and a twist and turn plot what else can you ask for

Thank toy to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I enjoyed this a lot. It is a fictionalized telling of a real life true crime. I liked the combination of fact and fiction into this novel.
It was a really great read and I love true crime.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Books Go Social for gifting me a digital ARC of this true-crime inspired fiction story by Andrea Smith - 4 stars!

Inspired by the real life 2016 Pike County, OH, massacres, this is a fictionalized story of the killings of one family by another. In this story, DEA Agent Dalton Edwards is tasked with fitting in with the locals in order to uncover possible drug operations. Dalton discovers the community is tight-knit and strangers aren't trusted. But he works hard and soon becomes privy to more than a few secrets.

The author uses the notorious names of the Hatfields and McCoys to show how these two neighboring clans fought for what they thought was rightfully theirs. And what they would do to make sure they got it. It's a sad reflection on what money and power can do to an evil heart. Well written, this book will keep your interest and you'll be hoping the bad guys get theirs in the end.

*This novel is fictional, but inspired by the 2016 Murders of Eight Family Members in Pike County, Ohio.

Briar County is in Southern Ohio - the gateway to Appalachia. People there move at their own pace. They hunt, they fish, they farm - but their secrets run deeper than the fishing holes that dot the countryside. And Dalton Edwards, DEA agent, is about to uncover a few of them after his boss sends him to Briar County on a low-priority assignment as punishment.

There's something going on in this rural, sleepy county of only 28,000 people, and his higher-ups want Dalton to uncover it. Easier said than done! Dalton immediately discovers the community is tight-knit, and not easily infiltrated. His boss says it's a pot-growing operation, but Dalton thinks it's much bigger than that. Before his assignment is over, eight family members will be murdered under circumstances that Dalton knows have nothing to do with a hydroponic weed operation.

As the mass murder makes international news, Dalton is determined to find the murder (or murderers) and expose the guilty to seek justice for the slain. It won't be easy, and in the end, one more local will perish. Dalton will not rest until those responsible are held accountable.

This is a True Crime Fiction, but inspired by what people refer to as "The Pike County Massacre," which took place in Pike County, Ohio in April 2016. All characters contained in this novel are purely fictional, and conclusions drawn are purely a product of the author's imagination.

Living in Ohio, I am well aware of the "The Pike County Massacre", I think the author did a wonderful job with this story. It really made you wonder about the real case. I think the attention to detail was superb.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early E-copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a very enjoyable read. a fun sort of murder mystery!
The storyline was tragic, the characters were interesting, I was captivated.

I liked the premise of this book, but fictionalizing something of this magnitude teeters on a fine line. This book lacks the empathy that is necessary to accomplish basing a fiction book on a true crime massacre. There was no clear plot of this story nor was there much suspense.

I would have loved more depth to the characters. The character development was surface level, and I couldn’t connect with any of them. There was also misogynistic tones in the writing that wasn’t appeasing. I’m giving this one two stars since I did force my way through it. This was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

this was … weird. part of me wanted to love it & part of me couldn’t get past how it was written. not my favorite!

It was an okay read . I found the plot very slow and felt it didn’t hold my interest like other books of this type. I also felt it was a rip off of the other Crawdads book .

I'm fairly conversant with most true crime cases, and the one that this was based on, according to the blurb at least, and the Pike County murders were especially hard to watch happening.
I don't want to comment on how close the book was to those events, but had it not been declared, I'd have picked that up anyway - it's an intense, well written book, with obvious influences in the true crime that it references.
I really enjoyed it, and felt that it was interesting and compelling enough that most true crime buffs would enjoy it, and anyone that enjoys thrillers or crime books in general would too.

This was an interesting read overall. Anything Hatfield and McCoy is always an interesting story. But as an undercover officer, trying to figure out what is going on, it can be an interesting relationship within the community. When eight family members are murdered, the case becomes one of much more than just drugs.

Great for true crime fans!

Living in Ohio, and hearing the news of this tragedy made me excited to read this book. I loved learning about how this small town area makes its living and the things that go on. There were many surprises in the plot, which I was unaware of.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this book about working undercover but really struggled with the ‘real life’ naming - ie Hatfields and McCoys, Billy Jensen.