3.75/5 ☆

So the cover of this book is so cute but this is no cozy Halloween read. Unfortunately, there were some fictional cats harmed in the writing of this book.

This book follows Dolores, forensic pathologist, who returns to her hometown following the disappearance of her estranged father/former town mayor. and yall already know at the heart of most thrillers are rich ppl doing some shady shit.

Okay so did this book follow the same plot to almost every small town Halloween thriller movie I’ve ever watched? yes. Was I still surprised by the plot twist? also yes. we love good pacing, multiple unreliable narrators, family secrets, and a Halloween festival to keep you confusedddd but also hooked. I do wonder what the intrigue is with visiting small towns during Halloween that have a history of murders….like catch me avoiding that bad energy like the plague.

highly recommend this book if you just binged all the scream movies, drank some hot cider, and wanted a little extra spook. and perhaps keep your cat in a diff room. Thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Louise Adams for this arc in exchange for an honest review. No Rest for the Wicked is out now ✨

Forget candy corn—this Halloween, Dolores is serving up family drama, forensic science, and maybe a murder or two.

First Line: Some people count to ten to wake up from a nightmare, but Dolores always counted the bones in her head instead. Sphenoid, frontal, lacrimal (woman - but calm, not annoying)

Reasons to Read:
Family Secrets 🕸️ — Dolores returns home to find her missing father’s warning—trust no one—echoing through her fractured family.


Halloween Murders 🎃 — In a town infamous for bloody Halloweens, new disappearances prove the horror tradition is alive and deadly.


Bone Counting 💀 — A forensic pathologist who counts skull bones to calm her fears must now piece together the deadliest puzzle of her life.


Would you dare go home if every shadow on Halloween could be hiding a killer?


Rating: 🎃🎃🎃🎃

Thoughts: I was so ready for a spooky book, and one taking place in a Halloween town definitely fit the bill. While you are slowly learning what happened to make Dolores leave town in the first place, the mystery that she unravels about herself was very intense. And when you learn who the villain is, yeah, it’s crazy! I expected more about the cats, because as you can see the cover there are some. And a lot of the reviews made me think there were strange things happening with them. But it wasn’t quite what I expected. Really enjoyed this book.

This is a book of twists and turns and murders.
While I wondered if all of the bones would
end up catalogued, Imwas also trying to keep
track of the activities of the living. This is not
really what,I would normally read but there will
be a large audience for it~ of this I am certain.
My thanks to Minotaur Press via Net Galley
for the download copy of the book for
Review purposes.

This book centers on the story of Dolores Diaz - or, Hawthorne? - after tragedy sparks back in the sleepy town of Little Horton, Wisconsin, where she grew up. It has been close to two decades since she has been back or talked to her family more than the exchange of a few cards over holidays. What brings her back to this strange Midwestern town obsessed with Halloween is her father's disappearance - a former senator and town mayor who may have secrets to hide. Dolores has her own ghosts to deal with coming back to town, and when the FBI ask her to help on the case, they drag her back to the past and the memories she had locked behind a haze.

No Rest for the Wicked was a great read. I was instantly drawn in by the cats on the cover as a cat lover myself, but the idea of a pathologist main character also sparked my interest. I felt for Dolores and all she had been through in her child and adulthood, and this book did a good job of illustrating just how people shut out the darkness so they can survive. This book was well written, immersive and descriptive, and the ending was quite surprising. I would love to read more books by this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

No Rest For The Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams is a family story, deeply rooted in the past. Dr Delores Diaz is a forensic pathologist living in Los Angles. She and her husband have just broken up and she is at loose ends when a call comes from an FBI agent telling her her father (in Wisconsin) whom she hasn’t seen in eighteen years is missing. Could she please join them? She raced to get to the plane and discovered not much had changed in Little Horton, “Halloween USA.” She saw her stepmother, the same as always, and her brother, Asher, whom she’d adored when he was five and who was now a grown man. She also met her sister, Josie, whom she’d never met. The two FBI agents seem competent enough, but the memories are overwhelming. She is drowning in them. She missed her father and had for eighteen years. Now he might be gone. And then there were a couple more murders. It was a pretty gruesome story.

This is what I call “muddy” book. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but it was difficult to concentrate on. Don’t know why. The characters were good, decently written. The plot was convoluted and filled with memories, but good. The conclusion was a twist that I didn’t see coming. The ending was up in the air. It was an intriguing story, I must admit that. Life can be so strange.

I was invited to read No Rest For The Wicked by St. Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #RachelLouiseAdams #NoRestForTheWicked

A slow burn suspense/thriller that was worth the wait. A small, halloween town, where murder has made the town famous, is nothing but cozy. The Hawthornes and The Winslows are two families that have been "running" the town for centuries and it appears their time may be up.
When the town's favorite daughter returns to Little Horton, the reunion is nothing to celebrate, but rather another story to add to the towns 125 plus year history of secrets and murder.
Thank you Netgalley, Minotaur Books and the Author for the ARC. All comments and opinions are my own.

The book cover appears amazing. It’s not my cup of tea. There is extensive dialogue throughout. I was anticipating more horror elements. The pacing is extremely slow.

LA pathologist, Dolores Diaz (born Hawthorne), gets a call from the FBI informing her that her father, a former mayor and US Senator, has been kidnapped. They ask her to return to Little Horton, Wisconsin, to assist in the investigation. Dolores fled Little Horton 18 years earlier and hasn't been back since. Bad memories, trauma, an ex-boyfriend, and a stepmother she doesn't care for number among the reasons she has never returned.
Little Horton is famous for two things: its Halloween celebration and unfortunate deaths around Halloween stretching back a hundred years or more. Dolores is hoping her father will quickly be found, but instead, more deaths follow, as well as ties to mysteries from close to the time she originally fled.

The setting and the central crime in this book show a lot of promise. It never really delivers on that promise. Starting with the premise that the FBI would ask someone to fly from LA to Wisconsin to interview them rather than send agents from the LA office to talk to them, federal and local law enforcement consistently behaved unbelievably. Only two agents are assigned to the kidnapping of a former US Senator, and one of them only has experience in financial crime. The pacing was slow throughout, with no real progress being made until the last few pages. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, including Dolores, whose calming mechanism is counting the bones of the head, of which there are apparently only three. Neither the family dynamics nor the small-town dynamics felt authentic. While the ending packed some excitement and pace that was missing from the rest of the book, the events that followed the Scooby Doo unveiling (which was actually far less surprising than an actual Scooby Doo villain) also lacked credibility.

The narration of the book by Jeremy Carlisle Parker was adequate but lacking in many ways. The writing was paced slowly, but her narration did nothing to help it move more quickly. The female voices all sounded the same, as did all the male voices, except for one or two accents.

Great cover and interesting setting that ultimately fails to deliver any real scares or thrills.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

Such a binge-worthy read. The story was well written and kept me guessing - totally didn’t see the ending coming. Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Don’t fall for the misleading cover. This is mystery novel about Dolores solving the case of her missing father. As she returns to her hometown, she gets more than she bargains for, and has to learn the hard truth about her home and her family.

Dolores Hawthorne left her small town and loving father 18 years ago with no intention of ever going back. Until a call from the FBI letting her know that her dad is missing sees her back in the Halloween-obsessed town that left her with enough trauma that she's blocked every memory of her childhood. She thought she'd processed and blocked all she had to, but being back and getting involved in the investigation will force her to face a past she'd rather forget.

You get the story of what happened in the past, interspersed with what's happening now, so that the story and the characters themselves are built up as the story progresses. The time jumps got a little confusing, but the way that Adams dropped hints and breadcrumbs that seemed so obvious later on more than makes up for that. Who's guilty of what's happening in either timeframe is not that big of a reveal, but the slow unveiling of the situation gives it a little extra oomph.

The way trauma, memory, and gaslighting play such an integral part of how the characters process things is perhaps my favorite part about how the story is told. The flawed way in which everyone processed the same situation is a powerful story element.

It's a twisty way to tell a twisted story, complete with characters that keep you guessing as to their personalities and motivations.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the fascinating read!

I absolutely loved the cover for this book and expected the cat's to be a main theme to the story, but overall felt it was unnecessary the way they were woven into the story. And as a cat lover, it was unsettling to find out how they were included.

I did love the fall/Halloween vibes and recommend reading this during September or October before Halloween.

This was overall okay, but I found myself drained with the repetitive suspense and thoughts of the main character Dolores. I understand she went through trauma, but the constant mention of her abdomen but not getting the complete story until the very end, became frustrating and took away the shock value. I felt underwhelmed and I figured out who it was halfway through. Still surprised, but not shocked.

I did have fun figuring out a big twist with a specific character halfway through, so that made me feel good once it hit me- right before it was actually revealed to be true.

No Rest for the Wicked is an atmospheric, intense thriller that proves kept secrets will always eventually be revealed. Dolores returns to the home town she left eighteen years ago after one of those secrets changed her life. Little Horton is renowned for its Halloween celebrations, so it’s only fitting she returns home due to her father’s kidnapping days before the holiday. But what if the secrets she knew to be true were only assumptions and lies she believed from those she trusted? Full of shocking twists, this book kept me gasping on the edge of my seat for the whole ride. I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Thank you @minotaur_books for the free digital arc!

When Dolores Diaz gets a call that her estranged father is missing, she returns to her hometown famous for its Halloween celebrations. Before his disappearance, her father left her a note: Trust no one. As Halloween approaches and the body count rises, Dolores must remember what happened the night everything changed.

I loved the setting of this quirky Halloween town overrun with cats. But don’t be fooled by the cute cat on the cover, this thriller gets dark with gritty language and macabre scenes. The plot was twisty and gripping, and I was flying through the pages eager to know how everything connected in the end.

Rating 4⭐️

No Rest for the Wicked by author Rachel Louise Adams starts off as a straightforward missing persons case but each chapter adds more depth, more mystery, more detail about each character and more uncertainty. Dolores Hawthorne’s father has disappeared and the FBI on-scene wants her to come home to Little Horton, Wisconsin because they feel an in-person interview might shed light on things and help solve the case. She reluctantly agrees.

Dolores left home nearly twenty years ago, right after graduating from high school, and she hasn’t returned since. Contact with her father, stepmother and step-siblings has been very limited. She had friends and a boy she was close to, but disappointment and betrayal and trauma we don’t know much about drove her away and all she has left is bad memories and nightmares.

The town of Little Horton is full of characters that have make you think they have a very good side and a very bad side, but you aren’t sure which side you are seeing at any given time. Even though Dolores has bad memories, they are vague and sparse and the longer she is in town the less certain she is if they are even real; maybe everything isn’t as she remembered. As things become clearer the mystery becomes deeper and the suspense builds.

Revelation after revelation makes you wonder just what was going on in that little town back then, how long had it been going on, and what secrets are still being kept. And why? Connections become apparent where they weren’t imagined before, simple events become sinister. It’s a complicated chain of events with many tentacles, but clear and logical when the shocking ending is revealed.

No Rest for the Wicked is exciting, suspenseful and tinged with sadness and regret. So many what if’s, so many people made bad or selfish or evil decisions that had such far-reaching and long lasting consequences. It’s an excellent debut novel and I look forward to more from author Rachel Louise Adams. I received an advance copy of No Rest for the Wicked from St. Martin’s Publishing Group Minotaur Books via NetGalley. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Pub date: Sept. 16th
Debut novel from Rachel Louise Adams

Did I pick this book on @netgalley for the cover? Yep. It was calling to my crazy cat lady self. 🤣🤣 But don’t let the cover fool you… it’s not a cozy mystery, it’s dark and twisty.

I really enjoyed this one! Family drama, secrets ALL around, past trauma, and in a small Halloween town… sign me up!

I will say I didn’t see the twists happening, but one I wasn’t completely surprised. But not in a bad way.

I can’t wait to see what comes next from Rachel Louise Adams. Definitely add to your spooky season TBR. She does a great job at setting the eerie Halloween town vibe.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books and author for the opportunity to read this debut novel.

This was a very solid debut, crime, thriller. Love the aspect of a Halloween obsessed town. I would have liked to hear more about the town lore of Halloween crimes.

Loved the twists and turns and seemingly disjointed bits that came together in the end.

Love when chapters have names not just numbers.

Loved the cat aspect, obviously.

Could've had it finish at the reveal, didnt love the last couple of chapters.

Gory and heartbreaking aspects, as always, do your research on trigger warnings.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.

In this debut from author Rachel Louise Adams No Rest for the Wicked introduces us to Dolores Diaz aka Hawthorne, a brilliant forensic pathologist who fled her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin, to L.A. eighteen years prior. When Dolores receives a call from the FBI that her father, Alexander Hawthorne, the former mayor turned US Senator, appears to have been abducted, she has no choice but to return to the last place she ever wanted to be. The town is famous being eccentrically obsessed with Halloween and infamous for its history folklore, deaths and tragedies linked to the holiday. But for Dolores, it marks a time to return to a town to face her trauma filled past, a past she can’t quite remember.

Upon arrival she receives an icy reception from her Stepmother, and her younger half siblings, all of whom believe she abandoned them without so much as a thought. When the FBI show her a letter in evidence, from her father to Delores written before his disappearance, his words begging for forgiveness and remorse open old wounds she has yet to remember. It is the final line though to “trust no one’ which chills her to her bones. When the town’s only pathologist is “indisposed” Dolores is asked to assist with an autopsy, she learns more about her father’s abductor and that his disappearance is more tangled with both the town and her past. As bodies pile up creeping dread claws its way to the surface along with truths, she had long forgotten forcing her to see what is hidden behind appearances.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s well-written, cleverly plotted, and atmospheric. I absolutely love the way the author crafts characters. Dolores is brilliantly developed—intelligent, vulnerable, and deeply traumatized. Her anxiety, shame, repressed memories, and anger are so palpable. However, be advised there is a trigger warning beyond death (it is a mystery, after all). While not graphically depicted, sexual assault does play a role in the story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this creepy little gem. I’m a sucker for mysteries, Halloween, and cats (yes, there are cats!), and this book had it all. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a page-turning mystery with authentic, well-developed characters. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I couldn’t download this book fast enough. Look at that cover! 🙀

Home is where the heart is. For some, maybe, but for Dolores it has been 20 years since she left her small hometown in Wisconsin. If it hadn’t been for a call from the FBI informing her that her father is missing, it could’ve been 20 more before she returned. The small town feel was real, but it wasn’t warm and fuzzy. Maybe the way this town bonded over their enthusiasm for Halloween could stand out as a small town feeling, but it wasn’t warm, it was creepy. Dolores’ reception home was cold, at best.

The character development was fantastic and the suspense kept the pages briskly turning. Why did Dolores leave anyway? Luckily, the narrative peeks into the past. For a debut novel, it’s a good, dark thriller. And the cats! Great Halloween fodder. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an early copy.

Dolores Hawthorne left her home in Little Horton, Wisconsin twenty years ago and never looked back. She left her beloved father, stepmother and brother behind and made a new life for herself. She became a forensic pathologist, got married and never told anyone the secrets she left behind. Life-changing secrets.

Little Horton isn’t just any small town. It takes Halloween very seriously. In fact, many violent deaths occurred in Little Horton on Halloween. Dolores is less than thrilled when she gets a call from the FBI. Her father is missing and she’s needed back home. After all these years, she has no choice but to face her fears.

Her stepmother and siblings aren’t too happy to see her, but Dolores just wants to find her father and go back to her life. All she finds is a message from her father telling her to trust no one.

The book is filled with secrets, emotions, tragedy and betrayal. It’s all wrapped up in this captivating tale of one woman’s fight for her family’s survival.

This is edge-of-your-seat reading at its finest. It would make an excellent movie and a great Halloween read. The characters are well-written and realistic. The storyline could be taken from a news headline. It’s fast-pace and filled with suspense at every turn.

Just when I thought I knew exactly what was going on, I found out that I didn’t know anything. There were many twists and turns along the way. I’m stunned to learn this is the author’s debut novel. She got it right the first time out.

The cover is a bit misleading. It looks supernatural with a bunch of scary cats. The town is overrun with feral cats and it’s a sad aspect of the story, but it’s a side storyline which isn’t mentioned often.

A spellbinding thriller that kept me up late into the night. I’ll definitely be checking out the next book this author writes.










FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.