Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC of this novel.

When I started this book, I thought I was getting a spooky season mystery. Instead, I got a fast-paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, complete with a few moments of spooky season goodness. It’s been so long since I’ve been truly shocked by the reveal in a thriller novel, and this one literally knocked my socks off. This book is full of surprises, twists and turns, and shocks that will make you want to stay up all night reading until you find out the truth. Small town Wisconsin will never look the same again.

A small town obsessed with Halloween gives all the spooky season vibes! Not only do they go all out for the haunting holiday, there is a history of heinous unsolved murders.

Chilling revelations, family secrets, lies, unresolved trauma, haunted house horrors.

This is a twisty psychological thriller perfect for anyone who loves an engaging story that will keep you turning the pages!

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC & ALC.

Dolores Hawthorne left her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin many years ago. She receives a call from the FBI telling her that her father, former Mayor of the town, and now a US Senator is missing presumed dead. Dolores aka Dolls, Dol, is a pathologist in California. She arrives back at her family home which seems to have the same issues as when she left. Except her half-siblings are 15 years older. Little Horton is also known as Little Halloween. And the Halloween season is arriving.

There’s a lot of backstory which is slowly revealed in pieces. Memories that are incomplete and only partially true. I found this book interesting but sometimes challenging to try to follow the storyline. #NetGalley

No Rest for the Wicked was such a twisted, gripping read. I loved how Rachel Louise Adams built a town that oozed Halloween atmosphere and was layered in secrets that made me question everyone. Dolores was a fascinating heroine. Strong, intelligent, and yet clearly haunted by her past. I liked how her forensic background added to the tension while her family’s chilly welcome gave the story an unsettling edge.

What really hooked me, though, was how unpredictable it all was. Every time I thought I knew where the story was headed, it swerved in a different direction. It kept me guessing right up until the very end, and I never saw the truth coming. Dark, twisted, and addictive. This debut delivered everything I love in a thriller.

Dolores Hawthorne left her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin twenty years ago. She receives a call from the FBI telling her that her father, former Mayor of the town, and now a US Senator is missing. His last words to her were to trust no one. Little Horton is a Halloween obsessed town, not only that but there have been violent deaths related to the holiday. Dolores, now a forensic pathologist, is determined to find her father. She is met with a chilling welcome from her family. This is a town where everyone knows everyone, has some connection, and knows the secrets. It isn't long before bodies turn up. The FBI is involved along with the local police.

I have to say that based on the cover, (cats are in the book), I was prepared for a magical cozy mystery. Rachel Louise Adams' debut is more mystery/suspense. The author's description of the town fit in with the eerie Halloween ambience. We find out what caused Dolores to leave and become estranged from her father. There are plenty of twists to keep us in suspense. This is a well written debut and I look forward to more from this author. The ending had me wondering if this might possibly be the start of a series ( I hope!).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, for an ARC. The opinions in this review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

There is no shortage of twists in No Rest for the Wicked. Everywhere you turn there's another. What do all of these murders have in common? What does our FMC uncover? How does she deal with her family? This was a book I couldn't put down and cannot wait to recommend.

Let’s start with something important: this cover is SO misleading! Yes, there are cats, but calling them a subplot is generous, at best. Don’t let this awkward cover lull you into thinking this some cozy, quirky mystery; this is a gripping thriller that I truly couldn’t put down.

Adams delivers an incredible debut novel, packed with twists, an addicting plot, and just enough darkness to keep you on edge. The small town that is obsessed with Halloween adds a perfect backdrop that makes this perfect for your spooky TBR for those that read seasonally.

Beyond the thrills, the book dives into deeper themes about how our memories betray us, escaping family dynamics, and the lasting impact of severed relationships. It was a thoughtful surprise as I was reading.

I highly recommend for your spooky-season TBR, and remember, please don’t let this cover fool you!

Dolores has not seen or spoken to her family in 18 years. What could possibly have her traveling across the country back to her Halloween themed home town? Her father has disappeared and it looks to be foul play.

Old hats around town appear to being picked off one by one. Old secrets are starting to become a bit less hazy. What do all these murders have in common? Is it revenge? If so, for what? This tale was so well woven, it has hard to put it down until all the pieces were in place. Just....go read it.

Thank you Rachel Louise Adams, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

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I loved the haunted hometown vibes of Little Horton. The Halloween-obsessed setting is eerie and immersive, and Dolores is such a compelling, flawed lead. This isn’t just a mystery it’s about family trauma, secrets, and the cost of running from your past.
The twists kept me hooked, though I predicted a couple, and the pacing dips in the middle. Still, a gripping, well-written debut. Will 100% read whatever Rachel Louise Adams writes next.

Plus the cover is absolutely adorable.

Delores left Little Horton after trauma and never looked back. Except now her father is missing and there's a villain out there who is killing elderly men. This moves back and forth in time to tell what happened to Delores and what's going on in the present. And it moves perspective which helps to round out the story. There are a few plot holes but this is nicely twisty. Cat lovers should be prepared.. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good debut.

I was drawn to this book based on the cover alone. The creepy cats harkened of spooky Halloween nights and witchy shenanigans. The cover, however, doesn't really represent what the book is actually about. No Rest for the Wicked is a decent small-town mystery where a LA doctor is called back to her Halloween-obsessed hometown when her elderly father goes missing and foul play is suspected. The first time she is home since leaving for college at 18, and she is finally forced to deal with her teenage trauma. Maybe because I was in the mood for what the cover suggested and not the actual story, but I never really connected with the FMC. There were some technical inconsistencies with medical licensing and autopsies that I also just couldn't quite get past. Overall, it was a decent mystery with a bit of a surprise whodunnit, and someone looking for a slow-burn reflective mystery would likely enjoy this story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Okay so I saw cats on the cover of this one and immediately requested it on NetGalley! 😻 Looks like a cozy read but don’t let the cute kitties fool you! 😅

This was actually a great debut thriller! I definitely did not see the big twist coming!! Do be forewarned that there is a non-graphic cat death in here, so if that triggers you, you might want to skim that part. But honestly an enjoyable read right in time for spooky season! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Rachel Louise Adams for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

No Rest For the Wicked is a perfect read for spooky season. This story was an absolutely wild ride.

Our main character, Dolores, returns to her small town of Little Horton. Little Horton is known for its love of Halloween. Dolores left town and never looked back more than 18 years ago, but now she is back right before Halloween, a night she dreads. Dolores has gone back because her father is missing. Dolores now has to confront the past in order to figure out what happened to her father.

This story was full of twists. Most of them, especially the biggest, I didn't see coming. But there were a couple that I did figure out pretty quickly.

This story was mostly told in the present, but at times went into the past as we learned why Dolores left and never came back. The chapters alternated perspectives between our main character, Dolores, the main FBI agent looking into Dolores' missing dad, and a local law enforcement official. The author wrote the chapters in such a way that compelled you to keep reading. Just as you got to a good part, the chapter would end, and the perspective would switch, and you had to hold on for that big reveal. Thankfully, the chapters were short.

In the authors' notes, Adams acknowledges that this is a work of fiction, and some scenes were not necessarily fact checked. I basically read stories like this to turn my brain off and simply enjoy the ride, so unless there are glaring plot holes, the way an autopsy is actually performed doesn't bother me at all. However, that being said, the one thing that did bother me was the ending. I just couldn't help feeling that this story wouldn't have ended the way it did.

Otherwise, this was an absolutely creepy, twisty thriller. Do check for content warnings though, this book has some pretty heavy topics and some pretty graphic details.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy of this book.

Adams' debut reads like a complete amalgamation of every one of my favorite Halloween movies and shows. It starts off with Charmed vibes and slowly transforms into something more resembling Halloweentown with a detective edge, focusing on the sights and smells of a small Midwestern autumn loving town. There were a few twists that genuinely stunned me, while some were expected and pleasant once revealed. The characters will make you swoon- even if you can't relate to a personality trait, it's so evident that each resident of this town has a fully fleshed "quirk" that makes them integral to the story, in my opinion. This was such a delightful September read that really got me so excited for more similar atmospheric Samhain reads. Thanks so much to the author and St, Martin's Press for the chance to read and review this eARC.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of No Rest for the Wicked in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because Halloween was the focus and the black kitties on the cover. At first glance you'd think this would be a cozy mystery but nope, it is not. There are some triggering things in this book that I wish they were more upfront with, and hopefully the final copy will have a page dedicated to that.

No Rest for the Wicked was very readable, as long as you can keep track of all the players, as there were a lot of characters to keep track of. I found some of the inner thoughts and dialogue extremely funny at times, and actually LOL'ed a couple of times. The fact that a Halloween town exists in this universe is awesome, and I commend the author for coming up with such a unique idea for our small town setting.

Now onto some of the things I didn't enjoy about this book. First and foremost is the memory trope that many thrillers have - where memories just ... come back to them at the most convenient of times. Our MC Dolores doesn't remember details for 19 years and suddenly it starts coming back due to being back in the place where it happened? Hmm. It also happened to the other main character Kate as well. I guess in this universe if you think hard enough you can remember forgotten events if it moves the story along. To the authors credit, she mentions in her Acknowledgments that she is aware that some of the events in her book are not realistic. I appreciate that recognition, but I struggle with books that are that removed from the truth.

The other thing I have an issue with was some of the writing. I'm not going to quote it in here because it's not final print yet but there are some...interesting choices made with some of the comparisons and metaphors throughout. Sometimes I found them funny, but a lot of the time I just looked at the page and just said to myself "I'm sorry...what now?"

The last thing I will harp on is the disconnect I felt from the characters. I really disliked Kate and didn't understand her point of view of why she was so upset all the time. Dolores was alright, but her family members were irritating, especially Charlotte. I don't know, I wish I had more to hang onto in their family dynamic.

Despite my issues with it, it was an enjoyable time and I didn't get bored, which is something. I'm pretty sure this is a debut from this author and I think it was a decent first showing.

Ohhh… this was a good read. The story follows Dolores, who left her small town in Wisconsin 20 years ago without any intention of returning. She gets a call that her Dad is missing and she returns home to try to find him before it's too late. It was hard to put this one down with all the twists and turns. Every time I thought I had something figured out… I quickly learned how wrong I was. My jaw literally dropped at the big reveal and I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good thriller or Halloween! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC

Dolores hasn't been home to Little Horton since she left it eighteen years ago, but when she learns of her father's violent disappearance, she has no choice but to go back to the place that left her with more than one scar. Dolores will not only have to deal with her father's disappearance in the present, but the past that she's tried so hard to forget.

The thing that drew me into this book was the cover. All those cats! It certainly sets the tone of the spooky season in which the book takes place, but I was so surprised at the complexity with which the story deals with family and trauma and a past that haunts. The quintessential "going home" narrative, but make it a mystery/thriller.

I don't want to get too much into specifics about the book itself because I think this book really benefitted me going in completely blind to the plot, but there are some real traumas in Dolores' past that might be a trigger for some.

In terms of pacing and plot, everything was on point. We get multiple characters' points of view which I think gave a well-rounded narrative. There was really no slogging through. Even the slower moments had me glued to the page eagerly taking in all the information we're given. This one hit the ground running from page one.

I also thought the mystery of it all was rolled out really well. I think this maybe speaks a lot to going in not entirely knowing what the book is about because it left a lot open to be surprised about. Though the way my brain works and how I think through a lot of the books I read trying to determine how they'll play out, I wasn't completely caught off guard by certain revelations, I can say I figured most of them out along with other characters which is good because it means i wasn't sitting through an entire book just waiting for the reveal.

Overall, I'm really impressed that this is Rachel Louise Adams' debut. I think if you're looking for something to get into the Halloween season this book will fit the bill. Honestly, this has been one of the most surprising and unexpected reads of the year for me, in the best way possible. I'm very excited to see what comes next.

No Rest for the Wicked is a gritty thriller set during the week of Halloween; it's a quick read that's perfect for the spooky season! Dolores Hawthorne is a forensic pathologist in LA who hasn't been back to her Wisconsin hometown in over 20 years, since the life-changing Halloween of 2003. When the FBI calls Dolores to let her know that her father is missing under mysterious circumstances, she decides to return home to face her demons and investigate his disappearance. Together with the FBI and local law enforcement, Dolores tries to track down a killer who is targeting elderly men in her hometown of Little Horton, while she is also trying to remember and process the terrible events of 2003. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Minotaur Books, and author Rachel Louise Adams for the librarian preview copy!

Dark and mysterious all set in a town known for it’s Halloween celebrations. Dolores was a depressed, but determined main character. The plot was interesting with plenty of twist and turns to keep the reader engaged. The writing style easily portrayed the darkness of the book even though the author did slow down the narrative a few times throughout the book.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

What a fantastic debut! This book was atmospheric, suspenseful, and emotional. It was also brimming with chilling, mysterious vibes. I ate it up!

“Men came in a hundred different shapes but, they only had two kinds of smiles. Dog smiles, and fox smiles.”

Dolores is a forensic pathologist who left her Halloween-obsessed hometown of Little Horton eighteen years ago and has never looked back. Now, her estranged father has gone missing, forcing Dolores to return. Little Horton has a dark history of violent deaths that are connected to Halloween, and now she must confront not only the mystery of her father's disappearance but also her own haunting past. Dolores is such a strong, compelling character. I really liked her right from the start, and my heart broke for her too. I'd love another book about her.

This story put me in a spooky season mood. The premise and cover initially drew me in, but it was the mystery, emotional depth, and multiple POVs that kept me hooked. The setting is exceptionally well done, evoking an eerie atmosphere filled with small-town and Halloween vibes.

Well-plotted and fast-paced, this story kept me guessing. This mixes mystery and thriller elements with horror and family drama. It leans towards darker themes, includes a few macabre scenes, and explores difficult topics (some readers may want to check trigger warnings). The writing is vivid and at times raw and evocative. I am looking forward to the author's next book!

Jeremy Carlisle Parker does a fantastic job narrating the audiobook! The story has an uneasy feeling that Parker captures perfectly, adding to the suspense. She also nails the emotions Dolores and other characters experience. The different voices and accents are so well done, giving everyone a unique sound.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the gifted book.