Synopsis
A dark, suspenseful thriller with pitch-black humour, in which a series of grisly murders in the week of 31 October take place in the ‘Halloween town’ of Little Horton – a community famed throughout the Midwest for celebrating the festival with gusto. Perfect for fans of Ronald Malfi and Rachel Harrison.
In one Halloween obsessed Midwestern town, everyone’s on red alert after a local politician goes missing. Little do they know it’s only the beginning.
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.
Review
If ever a book screamed “I DEMAND TO BE READ ON OCTOBER 31ST”, whether it be the plot, setting, or that creepy pumpkin cover, it’s No Rest For The Wicked, by Rachel Louise Adams. Firstly, the town in which it is set is famed for its obsession around Halloween, and the massive Halloween parties it puts on for families, local or tourist. Secondly, all the dark secrets that permeate throughout the novel are all consequences of events that took place on one fateful Halloween night. But I need to say, this is very much a family drama thriller grounded in reality, and despite the abundance of jack-o-lanterns, plastic skeletons, and enough Halloween imagery to make Tim Burton blush, there are no supernatural elements to be found here, and the story makes that clear from the start.
We follow forensic pathologist Dolores Hawthorne, daughter of a now retired US Senator and local celebrity, who receives a call from the FBI saying that her father has gone missing, foul play is suspected, and she must come back to her hometown to assist with the investigation. However, Dolores hasn’t been back to her Midwest hometown for over 18 years, and the idea of returning brings back a flood of memories long left dormant. It’s a story where every character is carrying some dark secret, and what with this being a small town setting, these are usually secrets that have a detrimental effect to other people in the town.
And so this is where No Rest For The Wicked shines brightest. It’s a twisty, turny thriller with so many little red herrings, and moments of revelation that shocked not just me but also shook the core cast of characters. Its short chapters means that, despite it being a slow build, it’s a build that paces itself very well, as you feel this melting pot of tension become more and more pressurised as time goes by. So many times, when a secret was uncovered or a revelation hit me, I was left feeling so satisfied and smiling ear to ear the way only a good twist can do. But these twists only hit so well because the characters feel real. Dolores is a woman freshly out of a cheating marriage, and a woman with a lot of unresolved traumas. But she faces this overwhelmingly horrific past, and the baggage that comes along with it, head on and with vigour. The motivations behind the other characters, and the reasons for why they are the way they are, are believable, creating a stacked cast that makes this story feel rife for a screen adaption. In a sense, it reminds me of the Netflix Harlan Coben adaptions, such as The Stranger, that slowly reveal more and more about the people we follow, and each reveal ups the ante and stakes that little bit more.
No Rest For The Wicked explores the corruption of big, rich families in small towns, and how “keeping up appearances” is sometimes all it takes the protect the ones we love. But these are never without consequences, and the fallout and traumas these inflict on us have life-long altering effects. It perfectly mirrors our own reality, where sometimes simply maintaining a narrative for a family or member of said family can be all it takes to keep them afloat, or end them entirely. Its how the powerful come together to hide murder, drug abuse, sexual assault, kidnapping, bribery and more – all of which is depicted here. The townsfolk are so quick to gossip, and once something happens, word has gotten around to the other side of town before even the FBI characters know about it! Bread and circus, after all, is all that’s needed.
There’s also an over abundance of cats in this town. So that’s a plus!
Rachel Louise Adams pens a brilliant familial drama, all about broken people dealing with their broken pasts, the times missed because of their traumas, and the secrets that are now going to be forced out by some very gruesome killings. It’s an engaging thriller from start to finish, with a lot to say about family, control, corruption, and untreated past problems. I’m very excited to see what Adams brings to us next!
With thanks to Titan Books for an ARC of No Rest For The Wicked in exchange for an honest review.
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