(I received an ARC of this book from the good folks at NetGalley for an honest review.)
Holding Smoke is a grim but redeemable place where Shawshank Redemption meets The Green Mile meets The Fugitive. My goodness, I've seen a lot of prison movies. Ahhh, the good ol' days of TNT and an empty Saturday afternoon. That hasn't happened in a while.
From Goodreads:
"John "Smoke" Conlan is serving time for two murders but he wasn't the one who murdered his English teacher, and he never intended to kill the only other witness to the crime. A dangerous juvenile rehabilitation center in Denver, Colorado, known as the Y, is Smoke's new home and the only one he believes he deserves.
But, unlike his fellow inmates, Smoke is not in constant imprisonment. After a near death experience leaves him with the ability to shed his physical body at will, Smoke is able to travel freely outside the concrete walls of the Y, gathering information for himself and his fellow inmates while they're asleep in their beds. Convinced his future is only as bright as the fluorescent lights in his cell, Smoke doesn't care that the "threads" that bind his soul to his body are wearing thin--that one day he may not make it back in time. That is, until he meets Pink, a tough, resourceful girl who is sees him for who he truly is and wants to help him clear his name.
Now Smoke is on a journey to redemption he never thought possible. With Pink's help, Smoke may be able to reveal the true killer, but the closer they get to the truth, the more deadly their search becomes. The web of lies, deceit, and corruption that put Smoke behind bars is more tangled than they could have ever imagined. With both of their lives on the line, Smoke will have to decide how much he's willing to risk, and if he can envision a future worth fighting for."
This story is amazing. The characters are so well-drawn--being in John's head and his sharp observational skills brought to life the gritty detention center, the poor side of town where people do their best to exist, and the series of flashbacks that revealed John's story and the awfulness that led to his current predicament. I ended up caring about almost all of the characters--except the ones I wasn't supposed to like--and the redemptive tone of the story kept the darkness at bay. The plot was tight, well-woven and suspenseful without beating me over the head with the Giant Foreshadowing Stick of Doom. Also, I didn't see the ending coming. I *love* it when that happens!!
Gentle Reader Alert: This *is* a prison novel. The language of the prisoners sets them apart from the other characters, and the f-bomb shows up from time to time. There are some violent incidents as well.
But, unlike his fellow inmates, Smoke is not in constant imprisonment. After a near death experience leaves him with the ability to shed his physical body at will, Smoke is able to travel freely outside the concrete walls of the Y, gathering information for himself and his fellow inmates while they're asleep in their beds. Convinced his future is only as bright as the fluorescent lights in his cell, Smoke doesn't care that the "threads" that bind his soul to his body are wearing thin--that one day he may not make it back in time. That is, until he meets Pink, a tough, resourceful girl who is sees him for who he truly is and wants to help him clear his name.
Now Smoke is on a journey to redemption he never thought possible. With Pink's help, Smoke may be able to reveal the true killer, but the closer they get to the truth, the more deadly their search becomes. The web of lies, deceit, and corruption that put Smoke behind bars is more tangled than they could have ever imagined. With both of their lives on the line, Smoke will have to decide how much he's willing to risk, and if he can envision a future worth fighting for."
This story is amazing. The characters are so well-drawn--being in John's head and his sharp observational skills brought to life the gritty detention center, the poor side of town where people do their best to exist, and the series of flashbacks that revealed John's story and the awfulness that led to his current predicament. I ended up caring about almost all of the characters--except the ones I wasn't supposed to like--and the redemptive tone of the story kept the darkness at bay. The plot was tight, well-woven and suspenseful without beating me over the head with the Giant Foreshadowing Stick of Doom. Also, I didn't see the ending coming. I *love* it when that happens!!
Gentle Reader Alert: This *is* a prison novel. The language of the prisoners sets them apart from the other characters, and the f-bomb shows up from time to time. There are some violent incidents as well.
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