Dolores suddenly leaves California; a place she has called home for 20 years. She received a call from an FBI agent. Her father, Alexander is missing. Dolores swore she would never return to Little Horton, Wisconsin. Yet she is on the first plane… Why? Why hasn’t she been home in 20 years? Why is she willing to go now? All will be revealed…
There really were several mysteries in this book. What happened to Dolores to make her leave the father she loved and the town where everyone knew her name. Was her father kidnapped or killed and are those two things related?
This story has everything. More than one mystery and who doesn’t love a town that is known for Halloween. There was one aspect that I hoped with lead to a different resolution. I can’t say I was surprised, though when it didn’t what happened that made Dolores leave was tragic, and the decisions her father made, broke my heart.

You had me at Halloween and cats, but this was so much more than that! This book had some dark secrets, a missing person, and a daughter returning home after being gone for 20 years. This was fast paced, fun, and I maybe had one glistening tear at the end. I think I just read the perfect Halloween book! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. A town in Wisconsin has a reputation: its love of Halloween, and the violent deaths linked to that day. Dolores left there years ago due to many bad things, but as a forensic pathologist, is called to the town by the FBI to investigate the disappearance of a senator, who is also her father. But she doesn't get a warm welcome from her family, and her dad's advice, to trust no one, has her worrying. With Halloween approaching, she enters into a race against time to solve the mystery surrounding her father.

While this is not a genre or type of book I would normally seek out on my own, I actually really enjoyed this book. This was a very intriguing plotline, with enough twists that the ending certainly could not have been predicted. The writing was also very well-done, and this book read as though a seasoned author wrote it. Also, the atmosphere in this book was just phenomenal.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minatour Books for the ARC.

Good read, twists and turns. Fast paced, figured it out midway through but still interesting enough to be ok with it.

No rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams is a thrilling mystery about a dark secret about to be exposed. Dolores finds out that her estranged father has gone missing, forcing her to return to her home town to face her family and the secrets she has tried to forget. Little does she know that the secrets are about to be pushed into the limelight when bodies turn up.
This is a fast paced twisty thriller that will leave you guessing. It is a quick read because you don't want to put it down because you have to know who is behind the murders and why.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy.

This book was intriguing to me. It kept my attention, the characters were well developed, the story was great, emotions were raw, it was really good. I felt myself wanting more as I felt like I became an outsider looking in. I was really impressed. Definitely a good choice for someone who wants a good book with a good story and great characters. Not to mention, cats lol!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Excellent murder mystery. Did not see the ending coming out the way it did. Would highly recommend this book to my friends.

What a phenomenal debut novel for Rachel Louise Adams! No Rest for the Wicked sucked me in from the first chapter. The setting in a sleepy town of Little H, known for its Halloween celebrations and the folklore of a curse that’s been around for centuries was the perfect place for this mystery to take place. I was thoroughly surprised to find out who was behind the murders in this story and ate up every bit of info along the way. With this novel debuting September 15th I highly suggest anyone that enjoys a good spooky mystery to add this to their Fall/October reading lists!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

New author for me and a fun first book to be introduced by. I loved the unraveling of the secrets between the Hawthornes and Winslow. I was actually even a little surprised. I would definitely read another book by this author.

I really enjoyed the way this book way written. While I don't normally like flashbacks (and felt like some of these were a little lengthy), they did ultimately seem to provide additional clarity once the story got going. I do wish I knew a little more of what happened after the end of the story but it was still nicely wrapped up.

Forensic pathologist Dolores must return home to her Halloween obsessed town after almost 20 years. Her past that she was determined to forget starts to come back to her as she teams up with the FBI to reveal more and more family secrets.
I was immediately drawn to the cover and synopsis and I loved it! It has everything I love in a thriller and the drama kept me hooked the whole time. The ending left a little to be desired, but I hope that means a sequel could be on the way.

Thank you to Minotaur books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This looks interesting and when I read the book, I’d use,it.
I’m not probably the target of these activities, but I will
pass along the information to people whom I feel would
use this book club kit.

I can usually guess what’s going to happen in a book but No Rest For The Wicked kept me guessing! This book had me on the edge of my seat almost the whole time. The twists and turns were captivating! The ending had me sitting with my mouth open in shock! Rachel Louise Adams writing is magical.

Poor Delores left her past behind her and moved to California to forget. She is forced to come back to her hometown when her father goes missing. She has not had any contact with her father in 18 years, her best friend and comfort. She refuses to remember what happened to her. In this story Delores is forced to remember. Forced to face that the people closest to her are not who she thought they were. Forced to find her father.

Although this book is amazing, please check your ‼️‼️‼️TW ‼️‼️‼️

I did not add this into my review on Goodreads but this book does use stigmatizing language/phrases that is harmful for people with substance use disorder and people in recovery. This type of language can continue to add to the harmful treatment of people with SUD.

🐈‍⬛️

I should reread it in ten-fifteen years, I might like it more then. The story wasn't bad, it had a lot of twists closer to the end, but I couldn't connect with the book or the characters. The plot was tragic and depressing. I expected dark and cozy atmosphere, and there wasn't actually anything to feel. All those town legends stayed told descriptive formalities and didn't have any influence on the vibes.

- - -
Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is going to be EVERYWHERE this fall.
I am a huge Halloween/thriller mystery fan and being able to read a book like this in the middle of march was just everything I needed! This book will have you guessing until the VERY END. The characters are great. the writing is great. And like any good mystery thriller there were plenty of twist and turns! Im in shock this is a debut novel! Cannot wait to see what else this author can create! And will definitely be rereading this fall!
And can I just say this cover is everything! Love when a good book gets and equally good cover!

I honestly think a little piece of my soul died at the ending of this book 😓😓 I am stunned that this is a debut, the writing is phenomenal, the plot so well thought out with such character depth / development and completely unexpected twists.

I need a book two just so I can see how Delores is doing after everything that happens, I need to make sure my girl is okay and happy 🥺🥺

The vibes were immaculate, small town that is absurdly obsessed with Halloween, two legacy family’s feuding in the midst of a murder mystery / serial killer spree .. what more can you actually ask for?!

This book is the thriller of your dreams and you seriously need to read it. If anybody is as emotionally invested as me with these characters and needs to form a support group please reach out to me 😂

Thank you for the gifted copy!! And seriously add this to your tbr shelf for the release date which is: September 16th 2025 💛

A great debut from Rachel Louise Adams, No Rest For The Wicked will be a perfect suspenseful Halloween read when it’s released in the fall.

By turns mysterious, scary, and disturbing- (the MC Delores’ trauma is almost another character in the book) this surprising thriller kept me guessing. I thought I’d figured it out, but the ending was a shock.

Really well done, I’ll be recommending this title to mystery and thriller readers at my shop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy!

I really enjoyed the plot of this book but the execution of it felt messy. I enjoyed the plot, the mystery, even the conversations between characters, however when switching between all of the point of views you lose a little bit of connection. Overall it is a great quick read for spooky season!

Perfect for spooky season! I absolutely loved it! Can’t believe it’s Rachel’s debut novel! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for early arc!

I really enjoyed this mystery! I finished this book in two days because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
Small town politics, murder, family secrets, past trauma, gory details, and a badass FMC.
I loved trying to solve the mysteries on my own, and the ending was very satisfying! Not to mention the story takes place around (and on!) Halloween, which makes this the perfect holiday thriller.
Overall, I recommend this for anyone who wants a satisfying mystery with a fun setting, actual strong FMC, unsolved murders, autopsies, and dark family secrets.

TW: some parts may be triggering for survivors of SA.