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

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

[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.

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.