Smoke by Catherine McKenzie

Smoke is the 5th full length title from Catherine McKenzie, and my favorite one to date. I've been reading her novels for several years now, and it's been great to see her develop as an author. Whereas her first novels were relatively straightforward and told from one point of view, her last book, Hidden, and this one have intricate plots told from multiple perspectives with "soft" mysteries that leave you guessing until the end. (I say "soft" because this is not a "mystery" book, but there is something unknown that is slowly revealed throughout.)

The story is set in a fictional small tourist town in the Rocky Mountains. A fire is set, accidentally or on-purpose, we do not know, and Elizabeth Martin is called in to investigate. She's a retired wildland firefighter who still does arson investigations on the side. She gave up the forest firefighting life to be closer to her husband, Ben, and hopefully start a family, but neither seems to be working out and her and Ben are on the edge of divorce.

The other voice in this story in Mindy, a stay-at-home (and anxious!) mother of two teenagers who, it turns out, used to be Elizabeth's best friend. They had a falling out and didn't speak for some time until Angus, Mindy's son, comes under suspicion for having started this fire. In addition to Mindy's voice, we receive email updates and read newspaper articles about the spreading fire and the unfolding drama. Will the town go up in flames? Will Elizabeth be able to save her marriage and her friendship?

Smoke explores all of those issues and more, including the toxicity of small-town rumor mills, and the tensions between the "haves" and "have-nots" in ritzy tourist towns. It's a page turner that still leaves you laughing out loud. If you were a fan of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies then you'll love this book.