Book two in the series another book I couldn’t put down.Inpicked it up to read a few pages and read late into the night.Full of twists and turns so well written.#netgalley#st.martinspress

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book! I was excited to read “The Wicked Hour” because I enjoyed reading the first book in the series “Trace of Evil“. The story turned out to be entertaining, but not as good as the first.

Similar to “Trace of Evil”, they author introduces many characters who interacted with Morgan (the victim), and considered suspects. Each chapter introduces Natalie to a new suspect or motive, making the story fast and gripping. I liked some of the twists and turns, where everyone has secrets, and nobody is how they appear to be. Moreover, I loved the underlying theme of how people succumb to pressure of over-achieving. I know people in real life who broke down from the stress, where they couldn’t live to their family expectations. It was refreshing to see that aspect included in the mystery. Also, Natalie is wonderful as the main character. I liked her even more in this book because of how she struggles to cope with her guilt and shock from whatever transpired.

However, while this was a very good read, but I felt it was not as compelling as book one. In the first book, even though there were multiple mystery plots, the author resolved them all in the end. But in this story, one sub-plot stays unresolved, which I didn’t expect. I expected all the story-lines to get closure in this story as well. Also, I missed the witch craft element that was hardly present in the story. While the first book had some spooky rituals taking place that made it atmospheric, this story felt more like a procedural.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this novel! I feel people reading this as a standalone would enjoy reading it even more.

Review of eBook

The annual October celebration in Burning Lake, New York culminates in a town packed with tourists celebrating Halloween. The Monster Mash music competition is over, the Witches’ Ball is coming to a close, and soon all that will be left is the massive clean-up.

Burning Lake Police Department detective Natalie Lockhart is one of the many volunteers working on the clean-up that will likely take most of the week to complete. But the gruesome discovery of a young woman’s body lying in a dumpster interrupts her volunteer efforts. No one knows the identity of the young woman with the enigmatic tattoo on her arm and the callus beneath her chin.

As Natalie investigates, she uncovers other disappearances that, while seemingly unrelated, may actually link to her case in some way. And she begins to wonder if this murder case has any connection to the disappearance, some twelve years earlier, of her best friend, Bella Striver. Can Natalie find the answers before someone else falls victim to the killer?

Burning Lake, a sleepy little rural town, retains its atmospheric pensiveness in this, the second Natalie Lockwood narrative [following “Trace of Evil”]. As with the previous story, the setting firmly anchors the narrative while an underlying creepiness pulls the reader into a captivating story filled with mystery and populated with well-defined, realistic characters.

References to events that took place in “Trace of Evil” give clarification and provide backstory for readers new to the series. However, allusions to some events remain hazy and only half-explained, leaving those new readers to wonder exactly what took place. And, while readers are certain to grieve with Natalie over the loss of her sister, Grace, the detective’s incessant mournfulness throughout most of the narrative tends to overwhelm readers and keeps them from being fully involved in the telling of the tale.

The unfolding story surprises readers with unexpected revelations, but with some significant events left up in the air, they are likely to feel frustrated. Despite being a strong presence in this narrative, Bella’s story remains static and problematic, giving readers no closure. And a completely out-of-the-blue ending is certain to leave readers feeling both stunned and flummoxed.

Nevertheless, the story itself is complex and intriguing.
Unfortunately, an unnecessary, offensive expletive mars the telling of the tale and lowers the rating for this book.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheWickedHour #NetGalley

I was so so excited to receive advanced access to this book! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.
I loved book one (a must-read!), and I could not wait for another mystery with Natalie Lockhart.

I really enjoyed book 2, even though I did not rate it as highly as the first one. The things that I loved from the beginning of the series continued to draw me in here - the main character, Natalie, and her family background and hometown roots; the setting of Burning Lake in upstate New York and all its history as the site of witch trials - all of which lended itself to an evocative picture of atmospheric gloom in a rustic, small town. I thought the use of flashbacks and accounts of memories from Natalie's past were an effective way to tie the ongoing events investigating the murder of a young woman visiting Burning Lake to the town and Natalie's state of mind.

I thought the mystery was well-done. But we did not get any resolution regarding Natalie's childhood friend Bella. Could this be where a subsequent book goes?!

I will say that I am pretty invested in the subplot, Natalie's personal life. I do wish that there could have been more development leading up to that reveal at the very end. I felt that it was random, although that may have been the author's intent. If so, I thought that it still could have been built up in subtle ways, especially since throughout the book we were led to believe there was another relationship brewing.

Overall, a great mystery read! It lacked some of the drama in the first book (I mean, sort of understandable given the events that occurred...) But I can't wait for more in this series.

Halloween is a big deal in Burning Lake and the day after the over the top festivities, Detective Natalie Lockhart find a woman’s body in a dumpster. The woman has no identification and no one recognizes her, her only identifying features are a tatoo and a callus under her chin. As Natalie follows the few clues she has, she begins to believe this woman is only the latest in a string of murders that may very well have included Natalie’s best friend.

After finishing the first book I was left stunned. I couldnt wait for book two. Trust me, this book did not disappoint! The twists and turns kept me on edge the entire time.