Where the Crawfish Swim

It’s a modern-day the Hatfields & McCoy’s saga. Literally.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to review.

I DEVOURED this book! In less than 24 hours.

As a true crime buff, I didn’t know a lot about this case…just the basics. This fictionalization is fantastic. I would actually like to see follow up on where Dalton Edwards takes his career next!!

I will be picking up more of Andrea Smith’s books!

Being from Ohio and knowing all about the true crime that this story is based off of made this book so intriguing. This story was a great mix of both fiction and true events.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

The story grabbed me from the beginning. An undercover agent has embedded himself in small town America, looking for cartel connections to a suspected drug ring. I loved that it was loosely based on a true story and could definitely see how this telling could happen. I liked the main character and would for sure pick up another book continuing his story.

Following an undercover agent in a small town in America, Where the Crawfish Swim is an amazing blend of true crime and fictionalisation that is very respectful to the actual events. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys true crime and crime fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Exciting book to read & really held my interest.
Although thus was fictional,it was loosely based on a very similar massacre of a family in Ohio.
The characters in this story were very interesting & easy to accept.
Thank you Net galley for offering me the opportunity to enjoy this book & get to read a book by a talented author "Andrea Smith."

I didn't know much about this case but It's a sad crime.

The book itself was amazing both the fiction and the non fiction. A definite recommend

Thanks BooksGoSocial and Netgalley

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

Dalton Edwards is tasked with blending in with the locals in Briar County, easier said than done. This based on true events fiction reads, was excellent. I couldn't wait to find out who did what and why. Having grown up in a small town where everybody knows everyone's business (or so they think), this was a fascinating read. It's hard to believe that the events that this story is based on took place in 2016.

There were more areas that I would have liked more information and detail about it, but overall I really enjoyed this read!

Where the Crawfish Swim by Andrea Smith
I really enjoyed this book. It was very easy to get into and it moved along quickly.
Dalton is an D.E.A agent who finds himself uncover in a small podunk town in Ohio bordering the Appalachian mountains. Most of the townsfolk are in poverty or at least look like it. The D.E.A is aware something is going on there but not sure who or what. Daltons job is to infiltrate into the community and search it out. It doesn’t take long after landing a job at the McCoy Ranch. While there, he befriends Harlan Hatfield, whose family lives not far away. Though the McCoys and the Hatfields get along, it is also common knowledge that they really don’t. Both families seem to have money and a lot of it that don’t quite fit with the jobs they have. Then the whole Hatfield family is murdered execusion style. The law seems to think the Mexican cartel is to blame but Dalton has other ideas.
All in all, a good story. Well written and fast paced.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I had just watched a documentary on this and some of the questions that came up were the same questions I had asked myself. This was a very good read and did give a different view on some things. I recommend it

This novel is fictional, but based on true events that happened in Pike County, Ohio, in April of 2016.

I love the way the story was told and if you are a fan of murder mystery books, this is for you. The writing is great. The plot is great

Dea dalton is sent on a low priority assignment to try to uncover some secrets and eventually out to find out who murdered 8 people, but its harder than it looks as he tries infiltrate the tight knit town.

So, I dove into "Where the Crawfish Swim" by Andrea Smith, and let me tell you, it's a gripping ride through the heart of Briar County. Inspired by a true event, this novel weaves reality into fiction seamlessly, leaving me both captivated and slightly unnerved.

Meet Dalton Edwards, the DEA agent thrown into the enigmatic world of Briar County. From the get-go, the story unfolds like a puzzle, with Dalton piecing together a community bound by its own pace and burdened by buried secrets. The characters, especially Dalton, felt like acquaintances, their complexities adding layers to the narrative.

As Dalton digs deeper into this tight-knit community, the plot thickens. The Pike County Massacre, the haunting backdrop, adds a chilling touch of reality to the fiction. The author's ability to balance real-life complexity with storytelling finesse is nothing short of impressive.

And let's talk about Dalton – his journey from an outsider to the unraveller of town mysteries kept me hooked. The writing is sharp, painting vivid scenes of a place where everyone's business is communal knowledge. The tragedy that befalls eight family members becomes a canvas for Dalton's pursuit of justice.

The small-town dynamics felt authentic, and Dalton's relentless pursuit was both admirable and a tad unnerving. Andrea Smith did an excellent job translating the complexities of reality into a fictional narrative. The suspense is palpable, lingering even after the final page.

"Where the Crawfish Swim" isn't just a crime thriller; it's a journey into human nature, resilience, and the pursuit of justice. Andrea Smith's storytelling skill breathes life into the tale, leaving me with thoughts that lingered long after the book was shelved.

Where the Crawfish Swim is a very well written true crime story. A fast paced edge of your seat plot that kept me reading until I finished the book.

I thought this took a true event and made a great fictional novel about it was well written and I had never heard of true crime fiction before. Andrea Smith writes a great story and is able to weave the story with the facts of the case, but still be fictional. It had all the elements of a good true crime story and so was respectful for the real event.

This was an interesting read overall. Anything Hatfield and McCoy is always an interesting story. But as an undercover officer, trying to figure out what is going on, it can be an interesting relationship within the community. When eight family members are murdered, the case becomes one of much more than just drugs.

Great for true crime fans!

Living in Ohio, and hearing the news of this tragedy made me excited to read this book. I loved learning about how this small town area makes its living and the things that go on. There were many surprises in the plot, which I was unaware of.

I'm fairly conversant with most true crime cases, and the one that this was based on, according to the blurb at least, and the Pike County murders were especially hard to watch happening.
I don't want to comment on how close the book was to those events, but had it not been declared, I'd have picked that up anyway - it's an intense, well written book, with obvious influences in the true crime that it references.
I really enjoyed it, and felt that it was interesting and compelling enough that most true crime buffs would enjoy it, and anyone that enjoys thrillers or crime books in general would too.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early E-copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a very enjoyable read. a fun sort of murder mystery!
The storyline was tragic, the characters were interesting, I was captivated.

*This novel is fictional, but inspired by the 2016 Murders of Eight Family Members in Pike County, Ohio.

Briar County is in Southern Ohio - the gateway to Appalachia. People there move at their own pace. They hunt, they fish, they farm - but their secrets run deeper than the fishing holes that dot the countryside. And Dalton Edwards, DEA agent, is about to uncover a few of them after his boss sends him to Briar County on a low-priority assignment as punishment.

There's something going on in this rural, sleepy county of only 28,000 people, and his higher-ups want Dalton to uncover it. Easier said than done! Dalton immediately discovers the community is tight-knit, and not easily infiltrated. His boss says it's a pot-growing operation, but Dalton thinks it's much bigger than that. Before his assignment is over, eight family members will be murdered under circumstances that Dalton knows have nothing to do with a hydroponic weed operation.

As the mass murder makes international news, Dalton is determined to find the murder (or murderers) and expose the guilty to seek justice for the slain. It won't be easy, and in the end, one more local will perish. Dalton will not rest until those responsible are held accountable.

This is a True Crime Fiction, but inspired by what people refer to as "The Pike County Massacre," which took place in Pike County, Ohio in April 2016. All characters contained in this novel are purely fictional, and conclusions drawn are purely a product of the author's imagination.

Living in Ohio, I am well aware of the "The Pike County Massacre", I think the author did a wonderful job with this story. It really made you wonder about the real case. I think the attention to detail was superb.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Books Go Social for gifting me a digital ARC of this true-crime inspired fiction story by Andrea Smith - 4 stars!

Inspired by the real life 2016 Pike County, OH, massacres, this is a fictionalized story of the killings of one family by another. In this story, DEA Agent Dalton Edwards is tasked with fitting in with the locals in order to uncover possible drug operations. Dalton discovers the community is tight-knit and strangers aren't trusted. But he works hard and soon becomes privy to more than a few secrets.

The author uses the notorious names of the Hatfields and McCoys to show how these two neighboring clans fought for what they thought was rightfully theirs. And what they would do to make sure they got it. It's a sad reflection on what money and power can do to an evil heart. Well written, this book will keep your interest and you'll be hoping the bad guys get theirs in the end.