This is a story that makes you think you have a handle on the plot and what is surely going to be a predictable ending. The two main characters are polar opposites in every aspect. Privilege versus poverty, silver platter versus hard graft. Rough edges aplenty versus poise and sophistication, orphaned versus over-protected, but what they have in common is chemistry in abundance. Lotti and August are at the start of a relationship but as yet do not know much about each other. There are deep feelings and a sense of trust, but both their pasts are a mystery to the other. August has a small boy, Otto, and Lotti is Otto’s school teacher. Otto is hearing-impaired and Lotti is learning sign language to help him at school.

On receiving a cryptic text message, August leaves in the dead of night and asks Lotti to take care of Otto while he is gone. When Lotti’s calls and messages to August go unanswered she takes six-year-old Otto on a road trip to find him. What unravels once they reach the dusty small town is shockingly tragic, but should Lotti run in fear from August or stay and trust him?

I really enjoyed After the Smoke Clears. It is cleverly laid out to lure in the reader. The twists and turns that emerge leave you on the edge of your seat and extremely satisfied when you read the last page. It is a true thriller and I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Alison Logie

Visit Kylie Kaden’s website

Book junkie Kylie Kaden knew writing was in her blood from a young age, sneaking onto her brother’s Commodore 64 to invent stories as a child. Raised in Queensland, she spent holidays camping with her parents and two brothers on the Sunshine Coast, inspiring the costal settings in her novels.