Wow! Addictive, compelling and so mesmerizing that I couldn't take my eyes away. It's mysterious plot is hypnotic.

I’ve sat on this review for the past few days, just to let the story sink in.
Lotti has left her previous life behind, now she is enjoying her time as a primary school teacher and recently she has become involved with Augie who is one of her students father. Out of the blue he asks her to look after his son Otto, because a mate has sent a special SOS message and requires his help. But Lotti is a bit perplexed at this and follows his footsteps with Otto.
I found the first part of the story is really spent on setting up the characters, at first I found this a little hard going. Especially as I wasn’t really sure what to think of either Augie or Lottie.
With all of Kylie Kaden’s books I find there are layers that are revealed piece by piece and this was no exception. So suddenly I found I was really invested in the story and surprising the characters.
By the half way mark I was fully immersed and once again it’s the emotional ride the story gives, especially Augie’s story, that makes this a five star read for me.
Loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Kylie Kaden has really hit her stride with After the Smoke Clears. Told from alternating perspectives of Lotti and Augie over 2 different timelines, 1988 and 2009 we hear the story of a small town, a troubled couple of teens, an awful boarding house (based on an outback Queensland reform school) and found family love.

Gripping throughout, these pages tell of a lot of trauma but August's story is compelling. Couldn't put it down.

August (Augie) Silverfall is a complex man. He has tried to leave behind the traumatic events of his difficult childhood in the small town of Eldham in central Queensland. Twenty years later after he escaped to Brisbane he is a hardworking mechanic living in a converted bus with his deaf son 6 year old Otto. He’s a little rough around the edges but has a good heart and would do anything for Otto.

Charlotte (Lotti) Hill, Otto’s teacher, is also looking for a new start after fleeing her father’s and fiancé’s world of politics and privilege in Canberra to become a teacher. After Augie is called out to fix her car they start dating and she quickly falls for the good man she sees below his rugged exterior. Lotti soon works out that Augie is the strong, silent type who doesn’t like to talk about his family or his past. However, an SOS call from his childhood best friend Brookes sends Angie racing back to his home town and some unfinished business, leaving Lotti to look after Otto. When Augie doesn’t return after a few days, Lotti follows him to Eldham and is shocked to find out there is a lot she didn’t know about the man she loves.

This is a well told tale of family and small town secrets. The author has captured both the Australian vernacular and the feel of a small Aussie outback town, in particular the airlessness that closes in when everyone knows you and there is no escape from bullies or enemies. The title is also very apt as fires play a central theme in this novel. After his mother died in a house fire, and Augie started experimenting with fire, his Aunt Maggie sent him to a local reform type boarding school called Brightside, where the staff were not only strict but cruel and abusive. It was there that the events, Augie and his friend Brookes have tried so hard to hide and forget, start to unravel some twenty years later.

I found this an addictive read, always flipping between wondering if Augie was actually a bad guy who had committed a crime or a good man who got caught up in events that made him look guilty. Augie and Lotti are both complex, interesting characters and Otto is a delight, particularly how he handles his deafness. Recommended to all those who enjoy an Aussie mystery with plenty of drama.