Dolores hasn’t been home for 18 years. Another 18 might have passed if she hadn’t received a phone call saying her father had gone missing. Since the FBI wants to speak with her, Delores makes her excuses at the LA hospital where she’s a pathologist, and boards a plane for Wisconsin.

As I read further, I was increasingly intrigued by the number of secrets Delores had. Everybody has secrets but Delores and her family seemed to have big secrets. Delores has extremely vivid nightmares involving her secrets.

The FBI agents, Wyatt and Paul, pick up on the fact that Delores isn’t telling them everything. It’s not that they suspect her of a crime; they just don’t think they’re hearing the whole story.

During the search for Delores’s father, other crimes start happening. No clear suspects emerge in the investigation. Then, there’s the twist I never saw coming. I hope you’ll be just as gobsmacked as I was.

Rachel Louise Adams has written a book that’s hard to put down. I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy. This is my honest review.

No Rest for the Wicked sounds like a cozy mystery, but it's not. Dolores Hawthorne gets a call from the FBI informing her that her father, an ex-senator, has been kidnapped. She rushes back to Little Horton after leaving 20 years ago and never looking back. She dredges up secrets from her past while trying to help find her missing father. The book dragged for me at first, but picked up in the last half with twists I didn't see coming. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

I'm going to come right out and admit that I didn't like the book. I started out liking it but each chapter brought on more and more frustration.
Issues I had with the book: plot/story believability, character depth, and story development. Each character felt barely two dimensional.

No Rest for the Wicked
By Rachel Louise Adams

This is a murder mystery, among other things. It is a story about families and relationships, a decades old murder and rape, and a kidnapping – in short, how cover-ups and misunderstandings can change the trajectories of multiple lives until a day of reckoning finally arrives.

The tale, against a backdrop of Halloween, is interesting – but not as spooky or mysterious as it could have been. The whodunit aspect becomes clear fairly early on and the cataclysmic outcome was somewhat of a letdown. Instead the characters simply seem to walk off into the night.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this 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.

Absolutely thrilling! I found myself engrossed in the narrative, eager to uncover the truth behind its mysteries. "No Rest for the Wicked" is undoubtedly an engaging thriller. The protagonist, Dolores Hawthorne, is a forensic pathologist based in Los Angeles. After nearly two decades of silence and absence from her family, she receives an alarming call from the FBI informing her that her father has gone missing. This prompts her to return to her small hometown in Wisconsin, which is renowned for its Halloween tourism, just days before the holiday.

As the investigation into her father's disappearance unfolds, a series of murders begin to plague the town. Concurrently, Dolores grapples with the trauma of her teenage years and the reasons that led her to leave home. As she experiences haunting nightmares from her past, she begins to question whether the current murders are somehow connected to her history. This gripping tale earns a solid 4-star rating!

This was a solid debut novel. Kept you turning the pages to see what exactly was going to happen. I was expecting a more light hearted mystery based on the cover but it was still an enjoyable book

No Rest for the Wicked is a paint-by-numbers thriller that hits all the familiar story beats we’ve come to expect, but ends on a strong, emotional high note! Rachel Louise Adams doesn’t reinvent the wheel with No Rest for the Wicked, in fact I found almost every major plot point to be predictable, but the story was still interesting and Dolores, our main character, was compelling. The characters, to me, are the strongest part of the novel - they are all complex, and very rarely is someone exactly what they seem when they were first introduced.

No Rest for the Wicked was slow to get going, but about 50-60% through the action begins to really pick up and it was hard to put down! As generic as the plot felt at times, the story ends on a really beautiful note that plays to the strength of Adams’ character writing and will definitely stay with me for a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Sphenoid, frontal, lacrimal.
When Delores gets overwhelmed, she lists the bones of the cranium.

18 years ago, after a traumatic event, Delores left her small town home, her family, and never looked back. Now a forensic pathologist in LA, she receives a call from the FBI that her estranged father is missing, and could she come back home to Little Horton.

Now Delores is immersed in a small town mystery that is starting to expand, and suffocate her, while she confronts her past.

Rachel Louise Adams does a fantastic job of reeling you in and keeping you on edge as can only happen in a small town.

Trigger warnings: SA, and animal death.

Halloween, cat, missing people, returning home after many many years. great set up for a great debut novel!

Keep them coming!

This was a great book, I did not see all of the twists and turns coming. This book definitely kept my attention and kept me guessing.
Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley/Publisher/Author for an ARC of this upcoming book!

No Rest For The Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams is a gripping mystery/thriller that pulls you into the shadowy depths of a seemingly quaint town. When Dolores returns to Little Horton following the disappearance of a family member, she’s forced to confront not only her own buried traumas but also the town’s sinister secrets. What unfolds is a layered, atmospheric tale that keeps you hooked until the final page.

Rachel Louise Adams crafts a compelling narrative told through multiple third-person perspectives. I could easily see this being an adaptation on a network (would totally watch).

The writing is moody, evocative, and perfectly suited to the story’s dark and almost gothic tone. While I was able to predict a few things, the way the twists were revealed still surprised me and kept the tension high. It’s a story that feels both eerie and oddly cozy—a rare balance that makes it stand out.

If you're looking for a thriller that’s atmospheric, unsettling, and full of secrets, No Rest For The Wicked is well worth your time

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Forensic pathologist Doctor Dolores [Diaz] Hawthorne has not returned to Little Horton, Wisconsin since she left some twenty years ago. She communicates with her family infrequently, exchanging cards at Christmas and on birthdays. She has no plan to return to a place that holds nothing but bad memories for her.

Until she receives a call from an FBI agent. Her father, Alexander Hawthorne, has vanished . . . and may be dead.

=========

Little Horton is a Halloween-obsessed town with a dark history; the unfolding story is ominous, perfect for Halloween. The narrative, filled with well-defined, believable characters, pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset and keeps them involved as the story evolves. An undercurrent of suspense keeps readers on the edge of their seats; secrets abound, and readers will find the plot brings unexpected, surprising revelations.

The plot takes some unexpected twists, offering readers surprising glimpses into the past of the town and its inhabitants; the telling of this tale is both captivating and spine-chilling. The action is brisk; readers are sure to find themselves turning the pages as fast as possible.

Readers who enjoy thrillers, mysteries, and Halloween will find much to appreciate in this unputdownable thriller and its unexpected denouement.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#NoRestfortheWicked #NetGalley

I really liked this one! It was not what I expected, from the cover or blurb - it was much darker than I anticipated, but in a deliciously twisty way. The characters were a marvelous blend of personalities and secrets. Adams did a great job crafting a town that was almost a character in itself. Little H was a perfect backdrop for a dark story about privilege, disparities, and the decisions people to protect others - and themselves. I did find some of the wrap up to feel a little rushed, but the story as a whole was eerie, dark, and quite enjoyable. I'm hoping to see more from Rachel Louise Adams!

This was a good book and kind of surprising. With the title, the cover and the short description about it I expected it to be more like a cozy mystery with a cat loving female lead. I must have missed the line in the description where it said the book was dark and twisty, and it sure was. Delores is a pathologist in California and has been alienated from her family who live in a quirky Midwestern town famous for everything Halloween. She gets a call that her dad is missing, so she returns to the home she grew up in. We find out why she left and what happened to cause her to leave in flashbacks that end up explaining it all. It was a good book with some big surprises. I enjoyed the writing, the characters, and the story, and would read any sequels to this story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

"It’s been close to twenty years since forensic pathologist Dolores Hawthorne left her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin. The town is famous for its Halloween celebrations, but also its history of violent deaths linked to the holiday. To Dolores, it’s the place she fled, family, bad memories, and all. Until the FBI calls to tell her that her father--the former mayor turned US Senator--is missing under mysterious circumstances.

Some people count to ten to wake up from a nightmare. Dolores always counts the bones of her head instead: sphenoid, frontal, lacrimal. But no matter how many times she counts them, it doesn’t change the fact that her father is missing, that his final words of warning to her were to trust no one, and that now, the rest of her family is giving Dolores a chilling welcome. With Halloween fast approaching, Dolores must face the past she left behind before it’s too late."

What a great novel - best book I've read in months! The dynamics between the characters is fascinating. The twists, entertaining, and keep the reader involved wondering "who done it" and what will happen next. I cannot recommend this debut novel enough.

This book was amazing! I really felt like I got to know the characters and the twists and turns had me spinning. This was my first book by this author but I will 100% be looking for more!

This was a really impressive debut mystery. I think the synopsis missed the mark. I wouldn't call this cozy nor do I think the Halloween town part was integral enough to the story to be so heavily mentioned. I don't think it gave small-town spooky vibes as much as I had thought based on the synopsis. The plot was really tragic and there's definitely trigger warnings to be had regarding rape, killing, drug abuse and everything else related to serial killing and kidnapping. I will say, the plot twists were very twisty but not far fetched and everything came together by the end of the book. I think the cats on the cover emphasized a plot point that wasn't super consequential to the outcome. I do think that the set up was well done and that jumps back and forth between the past and present made sense for the plot. The pacing was a little slow at the beginning and became a bit erratic until the last 30% or so. I'm ready for Adams' next book, I can't wait to see what she does next.

To be honest, the cover drew my attention from the start. Then the description and cats held my attention the whole time. I couldn't get enough and can't wait to own it to read every halloween season!

This was twisty and entertaining, well thought out, and fast paced. I loved the backstory of the town's fascination with Halloween, I just wish that Halloween vibe was a bit stronger through the story. It was definitely more of a police procedural with a touch of Halloween vibe, and less of the creepy, Halloween mystery I was expecting. I love the cover, it was one of the things that drew me to the book, I figured the cats would fit into the Halloween theme, or that there would be a cat(s) in the story somehow, but they were very minor and their portion of the story was actually the only part I didn't enjoy for a couple of reasons- I didn't like what happened to the cats, and I felt like it was just popped into the story just to be popped in.

The writing was great, if I didn't know, I wouldn't think this was a debut. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for the ARC copy! All opinions are my own :)