Thank you for the opportunity to preview Scar the Sky. I loved Scott’s previous novel so much that I had to read this book.
This is different and I will say complex and interesting.
The novel centers on a young woman who was struck by lightning. She dies but is brought back to life. Her name is Andi and she becomes part of a group of people who have been struck by lightning.
But her life is not normal and neither is she. She is soon on the run in fear of her life and that of a little girl named Ruby, her daughter.
Meanwhile two FBI agents are investigating the murder of a young woman. And their case soon intersects with Ands life.
There are many characters and subplots but they are part of this deep story of redemption and life.
Good book 4 stars

One moment. One spark. One chance encounter—and Andi Ellis's entire world changed. Once a vibrant teacher who lit up every room and loved her work, her life took a drastic turn when she was struck by lightning during a field hockey game. She died… and was brought back. But the woman who returned was no longer the same. Unable to find understanding in her hometown, she sets out in search of others who have experienced what she has—other lightning strike survivors.

Enter Adan Rio and Linnea Wren—former FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit agents turned private detectives with a bond forged through past trauma and years of unshakable trust. Linnea possesses a near-supernatural ability to draw meaningful conclusions from the faintest of clues, while Rio brings emotional intelligence, physical strength, and social finesse to their partnership.

Years later, Andi and her young daughter Ruby are living in quiet seclusion in New Cornelia, Arizona, when Rio and Linnea are pulled into the search for a senator’s missing daughter. What begins as a separate investigation slowly unravels into something much larger and darker. Two paths, thousands of miles apart, collide—connected by a serial killer obsessed with Lichtenberg figures and the power of lightning.

J. Todd Scott is completely in his element here. This story is a masterful blend of suspense, horror, and science fiction, wrapped in themes of trauma, isolation, and survival. I love how he messes with my head just enough to make me wonder—have I met Rio and Linnea before? He subtly builds their backstories and trauma across the pages, grounding their characters in a deeply human way as the tension escalates.

The pacing is tight, the red herrings are devious, and just when I thought I had it all figured out—boom, the suspect slips away. This is not a story you skim. It’s one you live in, every single page pulling you deeper into its electric current. In Scar the Sky, lightning rewires fate and unleashes a killer obsessed with scars, storms and anyone left in its wake.

As with J. Todd Scott’s other works, it would be helpful if Scar the Sky had a warning on the cover: HIGHLY ADDICTIVE NOVEL…IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN. Indeed, I began this book in the mid-afternoon, and ended up setting aside chores, errands, and other commitments until I completed the novel later in the evening. The story begins with a wallop when Andi, a 26-year old teacher, is stuck by lightning. Suffering from the pain and trauma of the experience, her life is never the same; and before she knows it, Andi flees an abusive relationship to find herself living in a remote desert community with other misfits and outcasts. At the same time, Rio and Linnea, two investigators with ties to the FBI, are on the search for a serial killer. Both of them, each with a different set of unusual skills, are two of the most fascinating characters I’ve encountered amidst the endless number of novels that I’ve read in recent years. Not surprisingly, their investigation eventually leads them into the orbit of Andi’s world.

Nearly all of the central characters have an aura of mystery around them, as well as a fascinating backstory explaining how they arrived at their current point in time. In addition, Scott does amazing work with foreshadowing; sometimes using a sentence or two, and other times with just a few words. At several times in the story, I was convinced that I had had identified the mysterious antagonist/serial killer; however, as the clues and evidence continued to shift my focus towards different characters, it wasn’t until the very end of the novel that everything was revealed. If Alfred Hitchcock were still directing films, Scar the Sky would have been tailor-made for his talents.

Of the 60+ books that I have read in 2025, Scar the Sky would definitely be among the top three of them. Along with being superbly well written, the characters and plot were everything that readers of crime/mystery/suspense/thrillers could ask for in a novel. Many thanks to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very interesting take on the serial killer genre, I really enjoyed this story, it flowed well and was informative. Andi Ellis was standing around watching a ball game when she was struck by lightning, she died, but lucky for her, someone knew CPR and was able to resuscitate her and she lived, though she had marks from the lightning, called lightning trees, which usually go away after a little while, she's had hers for years, and at times she glows. Andi decides to move away from where the strike happened and ends up meeting a guy and having a child with him, though he gets very possessive and after someone who she was close to gets hurt, she decides to leave and ends up in a remote area where a number of others live, a rag tag group with plenty of space between them that live off the grid. Andi is constantly looking over her shoulder fearing her ex will come back for her daughter, she's also terrified of lightning and wears a device that alerts her if a lightning strike is possible. In another story line, two private investigators, Linnea and Rio, get together to try and track down the daughter of a senator who had gone missing, they do find it, but way too late, they are able to view the body which has lightning type marks on it, which leads them to a larger number of other bodies with similar marks, which puts them on the trail of a serial killer. A very interesting story told very well, I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Crooked Lane books for the ARC.

J Todd Scott has a gift. This book is the epitome of thriller, suspense
with just a touch of cult classic in the mix. This is truly an original
story. For folks who are terrified of lightening, this book will give even
more reasons for the terror. The story is so well constructed and the
scenery and characters are well explained with the background
perfectly set well beyond your average thriller.
I was happy when the entire adventure wrapped up with the good
guys mostly ahead, and I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
My thanks to Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley, for the download
copy of the book for review purposes.