All In

Kailyn Logan #1

by Jeff Smith

Book One of the explosive and gripping Kailyn Logan trilogy.
Kailyn Logan is an embalmer who spends her days preparing the dead for the last leg of their journey through this world. Even though she loves her job, she’s become disgruntled with it. But she’s about to discover that caring for the departed is simpler than wrestling with the living.

Seeing an opportunity for something different when a long-time friend makes a chilling request for her help, she starts down a path that turns out to be very different from what she was expecting.

Helping her friend exposes Kailyn to a dangerous legion of men who would have no remorse for killing them if their business is compromised. Kailyn’s personal and work life are turned upside down as she tries to figure out who is on her side and who wants to kill her.

There are some scenes in this novel that some readers may find upsetting.

290 pages, ebook

Published August 17, 2022

Reviews

[Aristotle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous: Deserving or inviting derision or mockery; absurd.

Can you use that in a sentence.

"when you realize how ridiculous these scenarios are, you will have to laugh"

The two main characters have been friends since the 2nd grade.
What's his name kills his father then asks what's her name, an embalmer, to help him dispose of the body.

They needed to keep their strength up.
So after chopping up the body they went to an In-N-Out-Burger.

That is a direct quote from the book. That's when I gave up.
Shame on all the five star reviews.

[Janel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has so many twists and turns that I was not expecting, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I can't wait to get my hands on Whale next, I know I'll tear through the book just as fast. Excellent story, strong female lead character, and exciting but not so far-fetched that it isn't believable most of the time. Loved it.

[Ziggy Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was done. They’d done it. It was over.

I really enjoyed Jeff Smith's "All In (Kailyn Logan Series Book 1)" even though in all honesty I'm not sure how to classify it. I will say that the author's promo blurb - an essential part of the promotion process he proclaimed peering at all the other penners present - is what sold me on trying this title because that sounded just plain wacky. And it was. But what was it, you ask? Well, it's not horror even though there's more than a little gore involved. Think of it as the level of offal and viscera that you might see on one of the gnarlier episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" (all together now: "SPONGE!") or any of the other 3 dozen or so medical dramas on TV today. I don't know how many of some of the more… biological (?)… anatomical (?)… gooey (!) descriptions of what we experienced were owing to the author's "real job" (yes, I'll apologize later) as a crime scene analyst and how many came out of the well-known textbook "So You Want To Cut Up a Body - a DIY Guide." But it's all in good taste, I promise. Speaking of taste… bwhahaha!

She was half done, maybe a little more. Arms and the dreaded head were all she had left.

Either way, if you're like ultra-squeamish, maybe give this one a pass. But if you're like me and earlier in the day I re-shelved a splatterpunk book just because I found the amount of choppy-chop bits silly, then this won't bother you. It still doesn't help me categorize this title, since it's not that suspenseful either. I mean, after about 25% in give or take a few fractions, we know whodunnit and the only questions left are whogonnagetit and howbaditgonnabe. That's not to say there aren't a few extremely shocking moments - the biggest of which I'll touch on later (probably right after my aforementioned apology) - and that the entire plot doesn't work out to be extremely entertaining. I mean, it is very entertaining. Wait, what? Moving on…

All the limbs were stacked on top of each other like a stack of logs waiting to be thrown into a fire.

More than anything I might consider this a cozy crime novel, though I'm not willing to place any bets (ooh, a gambling pun!) on that. Certainly the strengths of Smith's book are the characters, almost all of whom surprise us in one or more ways by the time the curtain falls. And that includes obviously the star of this show - I mean her name is even in the extended title - Kailyn Logan. I really enjoyed getting to know her because I can also commiserate with someone who works as an undertaker. Yes, you read that right: I think that a job in the "death business" wouldn't be all that bad. It sure as hell won't be disappearing as my own career did (yes, my degree is now ranked third worst in terms of job security) and, really, the people you work with are quiet and leave you to it, though your companions can be a little stiff. Come on, even the jokes just write themselves…

Frankly, I’m a little scared of you right now, and that’s saying a lot.

Yes, Kailyn is a bit of a loner but is comfortable enough in herself to enjoy her life living alone with her SWEET AND ADORABLE DOGS and then spending her time at work in the basement with the dead. Why she even thinks fondly back to days when she had a really cool and challenging skull reconstruction to carry out or even got to throw herself into reattaching limbs that someone lost in a horrific car accident. Well, they didn't lose them per se, but they were no longer attached to the body. Which for some odd reason need to be reattached so the person can be "properly" buried. So yeah, we get a LOT of insight into the funeral business and, again, if that's the kind of thing that has your lunch from last Thursday rushing for the exits, then best move along. Me? I loved it!

I will pay you a visit, and it will be very uncomfortable.

I also really enjoyed the - ok, this is the best word so don't tease me - dichotomy of some of the characters, from the heroin dealer with a heart of gold to the best buddy from 2nd grade that wound up being a psychotic asshole. But this was a pretty satisfying read as well in that for better or worse everything pretty much turned out okay. Heck, even ol' man Baxter gets to finish off with a gold star and a wad of cash before all things are said and done and buried and whatnot. And though I can neither confirm nor deny this aspect, it seemed like Smith did an excellent job in terms of encapsulating the very essence de la vie of Las Vegas. Again, I should probably add "for better or for worse" somewhere in there having never been. Though like the song says: "They tell me it's nice!"

There was nothing worse than being gassy and farting while dealing cards.

SPOILER ALERT - YOU'VE READ ENOUGH, GO GET A BEER!
In terms of execution, well, I do like the opportunity to quibble. There's a few editing hiccups but nothing that brings anything to a screeching halt. And like I hinted at earlier, well, Smith does the unthinkable. That's right, he broke rule #1, namely: don't kill the dog(s). As one blogger says it: "You can kill the grandmother by inches or boil the baby, but if you kill the dog, readers will fling your book across the room (or their e-reader, which will break, causing them to blame you even more) and never buy or borrow another thing you’ve written. They will also badmouth you on all social media sites." Well, I'm not going to go that far, but by that point, I was ready to cut Todd up and eat him myself, avec ou sans fava beans and a nice Chianti!

You’re just sorry you didn’t get away. You deserve everything you got out of this.

So anyway, overall this was a really fun read and I'll definitely be looking at the other two instalments in the near future. You know, if I can get my TBR list back down in the lower 3 digits. And I'm looking forward as well to seeing how Smith - who has a fine and well-respected career that I'm sure he'll be drawing further on (yes, that was my apology) - and his intriquingly weird heroine (not heroin!) manage the next interactions between all the different players in the great Sin City. Seriously, why we haven't just gone ahead and moved Congress and the White House there, I'll never know. I'm just assuming the cartels and other respected business community members have their standards and have insisted they stay away. I mean, I've heard it's not the cleanest town at all but it's can't be all THAT bad!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this debut novel. The plot unfolded with some twists and turns, making it hard to put the book down. The descriptive yet macabre details of the main character’s (Kailyn) actions in this book really stood out, immersing the reader into a dark and disturbing storyline. I found myself curious about Kailyn’s motivation behind her decisions and hope that future books will delve in deeper to what pushes her toward bending the rules. I’m excited to see what lies ahead for her.

[Tabatha_Reads_Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first book by new author Jeff Smith! The story follows an embalmer named Kailyn who finds herself caught up in a sketchy situation while trying to help her childhood best friend.

The book keeps you consistently interested in the story and never lulls. There are moments of action that keep you on the edge of your seat and the story always keeps you guessing what might happen next. I am so happy that I already purchased the next book “Whale” so I can see what happens next for Kailyn!

[GT]

An intriguing storyline of how easily one decision can lead to other decisions leading to a whole new journey. Definitely kept my interest the whole time. A bit on the morbid side, so I can how someone who isn't used to this side of life might be bothered or squeamish. I enjoyed every bit of the reality, ugly truths, and personalities revealed through the different characters. I also love the cover! Looks super cool.

[pamela marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good

This novel was a very fast read. Once started, I couldn't put it down. While some scenes were a little disturbing, I ultimately really enjoyed the book. Looking forward to reading more in this series. Strongly recommend.

[DeAnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Vegas accuracy. I also loved picking up on details that shows how the author used his professional experience throughout the book. My only complaint was Kailyn’s opinion on In&Out but I won’t hold that against her :)

[Kelsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good debut. I like the characters and am looking forward to seeing what happens next in book 2.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Quite the page turner at the end!

[Danielle Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down!!