A Killing Rain is the second novel in Faye Snowden’s series featuring Raven Burns. The first book, A Killing Fire, left quite a few dangling plot threads, so readers who prefer to follow a series from the beginning will want to start there, but for those that can easily follow along and catch up based on context clues, A Killing Rain works perfectly fine as a starting point for what is proving to be a one-of-a-kind crime fiction series.
Raven Burns is a former homicide detective from Byrd’s Landing, Louisiana. In A Killing Fire, she left the force – and town – on a journey that ended with her crossing a moral line. That decision still haunts Raven and it may have put the authorities on her trail as she returns to Byrd’s Landing to begin the next phase of her life. Raven takes a job as a waitress, working for her old homicide partner, who now owns a restaurant as he recovers from his brush with death.
In Byrd’s Landing, the bodies of young white boys are being discovered, stripped naked, washed clean, and gently wrapped in blankets. With no sign of any abuse other than their throats being slashed, the authorities are perplexed. The police believe they have a serial killer on their hands and reach out to bring Raven back onto the force – something she has no interest in. That is, until her foster brother becomes the prime suspect. At that point, Raven must confront her worst fears and face her personal demons to prove that Cameron is innocent.
It is important to know that Raven Burns’s father was a serial killer and his gruesome legacy haunts Raven to this day. She spends every waking moment trying to overcome the sins of her father while trying to avoid becoming anything like him. Ever since his death, Raven cannot seem to shake the voice she hears in her head – his voice – reminding her that deep-down, she is not so different from him. And yet, Raven continually struggles to make the right choices and break the cycle.
Can Raven prove her foster brother innocent before the past catches up with her?
A Killing Rain is a meticulously-crafted police procedural that becomes truly awe-inspiring as the myriad of intricate threads that populate the narrative begin to knot and unravel in the most unexpected of ways. Faye Snowden juggles multiple storylines with ease, subtly revealing their inter-connectedness to the reader at precisely the right moments for maximum impact. Snowden’s writing style lures the reader in – consuming them – until the real world fades and all that matters is what is happening in Byrd’s Landing. In doing so, Faye Snowden populates her story with diversity that shatters stereotypes at every opportunity.
The titles in the Raven Burns series seem to evoke the elements – fitting for a series where origins and legacies are so vital. With Fire and Rain, Faye Snowden has hooked readers and there is little doubt that she will bring it all home with the final two symbolic elements.
BUY LINKS: A Killing Rain by Faye Snowden
Disclaimer: A print galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
