A Killing Rain

Killing Fire #2

by Faye Snowden

Dark, Southern gothic tale of homicide detective Raven Burns, with a complicated past and a desperate case to solve. Black Girls Lit recommends the first book, A Killing Fire "to crime fiction and mystery lovers and fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn.”“Full-bodied and dynamic characters carry this one along a mystery, tying a brutal past with a bloody present that will keep you guessing right up to the finale.” — Unnerving Magazine on Book 1 in the series.After former homicide Raven Burns returns to Byrd’s Landing, Louisiana to begin a new life, she soon finds herself trapped by the old one when her nephew is kidnapped by a ruthless serial killer, and her foster brother becomes the main suspect. To make matters worse, she is being pursued by two men— one who wants to redeem her soul for the murder Raven felt she had no choice but to commit, and another who wants to lock her away forever. FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

Genres: Mystery

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2022

About the author

Faye Snowden is the author of noir mysteries, poems and several short stories. Her novels include Spiral of Guilt, The Savior, Fatal Justice, and A Killing Fire, a dark, southern gothic tale featuring homicide detective Raven Burns. A Killing Fire is first in a four-part series. The sequel, A Killing Rain, is underway.

Faye’s short story, One Bullet. One Vote was selected as one of the best American mystery and suspense stories of 2021 by editors Steph Cha and Alafair Burke. The story will be anthologized along with many other talented authors in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021.

Faye has a master’s in English Literature. She has been awarded writing fellowships from Djerassi and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime (SinC) where she serves as Board Secretary for SinC National.

She has participated on many writing panels, appeared as a guest lecture in several university writing classes, and taught information technology courses at the university level. Today, Faye works and writes from her home in Northern California.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second of an intended four-part series, A Killing Rain by Faye Snowden features homicide detective Raven Burns. She is on a beach in California when she decides finally to return home to Byrd’s Landing, Louisiana to start her new life of working in a restaurant. Then Raven’s nephew is kidnapped and her foster brother is the chief suspect. So, she accepts the Sherriff’s invitation to return to her old job, although she is conflicted about having taken a life, albeit a serial killer’s. As she investigates trying to find out who the real Sleeping Boy serial killer is, her visions of her dead serial killer father continue to plague her. A southern gothic tale of a flawed hero that is most enjoyable, with building tension and a dramatic finale making for a four star rating. With thanks to Flame Tree Press and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raven Burns is a small-town homicide detective in Louisiana. She’s a diligent, loyal, dedicated but also a hardhead who’s good at her job. Her father was the infamous Floyd “Fire” Burns, the serial killer who left victims on a multi-state years-long spree. The first time Raven witnessed one of his crimes, the victim was her mother. A few decades later, Raven’s reputation as a possible accomplice who might follow in her father’s footsteps still precedes her. As a result, she does everything she can to stop criminals like her father. But when a steadfast Raven-hater turns up dead, public opinion turns back on her again. I haven't read the first book, but I can see from this one that the tone of the books is ones that forces Raven to acknowledge who she is in order to protect herself and her community. Raven definitely has some powerful demons. Her father was executed for his crimes yet still "talks" to her. I’m pretty sure he’s one of her major demons. She is very reluctant to trust people...not even her own partner. One relationship she can maintain is with her foster brother Cameron. When he learns that he has a teenage son from his first relationship, Raven is reluctantly there for him. In the meantime, murder victims are turning up in strange ways and in public places. Raven is the best person to hunt down the killer since she feels this God-awful connection with him. ate deals another card upping the stakes 1000% when her nephew Noe and his friend Clyde go missing. Faye Snowden shows what a talented writer she is by developing this complex character of Raven and giving her a past that shouldn't be wished on anyone.

[Rainelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Killing Rain, by Faye Snowden. Raven was fantastic in this book! I was happy to see that the leading character/ heroine is a African American woman and she’s a retired cop to boot. I loved that her character was written as a hard nose cop that is very intelligent, she knows her job and has a caring heart. This thriller was captivating with the story of chasing a serial killer.
The characters were all very interesting. Each had their own strange quirks. I will say that Billy Ray is probably the most sanest one out them all. The story has a flow to added with the background story in relation to Raven and her father. Now their story really intrigued me.
All the secrets and unanswered questions to why Raven is still being haunted by the killings. I would have like to see more of the story with the serial killer playing a part in the book. Such as him or her stalking their prey. Narrating their dialogue to themselves. The actual killing of their prey.
The story was good. I found it entertaining as well as a page turner. Until next time my my fellow readers… read on!

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

6/13/2022 Solid stuff. Full review tk at CriminalElement.com.

[Manju Soni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faye Snowden has created a fascinating character in Raven Burns. As a child, her serial killer father made her an unwitting accomplice in his killing spree, and now, as she battles with her demons, and the persistent voice of her father in her head, she has to hunt down another serial killer.

A KILLING RAIN finds Raven returning home to Byrd’s Landing in Louisiana, the only place she has a sense of belonging, and where she worked her last case as a cop before resigning from the Byrd Landing Police Force.

All she wants to do is be a barista, and serve coffee to the train of characters in this small, sometimes claustrophobic, archetypical Louisiana small town. Snowden does an excellent job of describing the town, its cloying humidity, the smell of honeysuckle, and the taste of gumbo and catfish, and its people, who are well-fleshed out and real.

There’s her ex-partner Billy Ray, her brother Cameron, an old school friend, Edmee, and a variety of interesting characters doing interesting jobs, like Willie Lee Speck who runs a crime scene clean-up business.

In this world, Raven just wants to stay out of the limelight and settle down, and be a sister to Cameron, and an aunt to his teenage son, Noe, with whom he’s been recently reunited.

But it’s not to be.

A killer is stalking young boys, killing them and staging the crime scenes with care and delicacy. And when Noe and his friend Clyde go missing, Raven is pulled into the case.

Raven struggles to overcome her past, and the antagonism her reputation brings, as time ticks on and hope of finding Noe alive fades.

Raven is a great protagonist, snarky, full of common sense and heart, but also fragile due the constant presence of her father in her life and in her head.

A must read.

Thank you to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this riveting read.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raven is back! Raven has returned to Byrd's Landing Louisiana to start over. She is still dealing with PTSD from her father who was a serial killer. Now Cameron, Raven's foster brother has announced that he has a son named Noe. The son's mother has passed away and the boy is coming to live with Cameron. Raven has to resume her old life as a detective when young boys begin to be found murdered. When Noe goes missing, and his friend Calvin turns up dead, Raven has to find him and to prove Cameron isn't guilty of making him disappear.

The quirky characters keep on coming as Raven looks for answers. She even gets help (though unwanted) from the ghost of her dear old daddy.

A dark, Southern gothic tale of homicide detective Raven Burns, with a complicated past and a desperate case to solve. Black Girls Lit recommends the first book, A Killing Fire "to crime fiction and mystery lovers and fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn.”

After former homicide Raven Burns returns to Byrd’s Landing, Louisiana to begin a new life, she soon finds herself trapped by the old one when her nephew is kidnapped by a ruthless serial killer, and her foster brother becomes the main suspect. To make matters worse, she is being pursued by two men— one who wants to redeem her soul for the murder Raven felt she had no choice but to commit, and another who wants to lock her away forever.

[Kate Shotliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really know what to expect for this one, kind of a rural Americana detective story. I hadn’t read a previous Raven Burns story which I think would have been helpful just to further understand her motivations and links to the people in the town. This didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all and I did get engrossed in the story quicker than anticipated.

I liked the character of Raven, she sassy and underneath her bravado you get little glimpses of how she was hurt and affected by her piece of shit father. This links nicely into her protective nature towards her nephew Noe which forms an integral part of the story. I thought the location suited the story and the writing really paints a picture of this dusty, small town diner town. I really want to go to Billy Ray’s, those bits really made me hungry.

Enjoyable detective story, will definitely try and read the previous one.

[Brooke Vanderheyden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally read this book before reading the 1st in this series, A Killing Fire; I will read it next…oops.

I thoroughly enjoyed Faye Snowden’s writing style and her main character, Raven. Raven is fierce, caring, tough, and a little crazy, but super good at her job as a detective. Her ‘take no crap’ attitude makes her the perfect badass protagonist and is very fitting for a strong female character. The inner dialogue she has with herself and the pop in conversations with her deceased, serial killer father makes this book intriguing and a real page turner.

If you enjoy mysteries, crime, small town secrets, and strong women as main characters, this book is a perfect one for you.

[Beau Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Raven Burns series. Did I know this going in? I did not. But you know what? I wasn’t lost for a moment and enough information was given to me throughout this book that I never felt I should have started with the first one. That there is a testament to Snowden in a lot of ways. Deft as her protagonist if I’m honest. Add in a mystery and some very fine dialogue and it becomes a book I recommend. Go forth, seek out, purchase and enjoy. Tell ‘em a new fan of Raven Burns sent you.

[D.K. Hundt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5.0 Stars

As I dove into A KILLING RAIN (Killing Fire Series Book Two) by Faye Snowden, what I would call a whodunit Serial Killer Thriller, I quickly sensed at first glance—what I thought to be a formidable tome—was an engaging read with the perfect amount of backstory.

Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and Flame Tree Press, for providing me with an eBook of A KILLING RAIN at the request of an honest review.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A noir set in Louisiana, a hard nosed and interesting detective, a gripping and twisty plot.
This is the first book I read in this series and liked it. It's gripping and entertaining.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Nadia Jonesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read A Killing Rain. This was a good novel with a good plot. It was very fast paced and enjoyable to read. I. have not read any other books in. this series but it was good.

[Black Butterfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS WAS FILLED WITH BROKEN CHARACTERS, STORYLINE DRAGGED. I GUESS BECAUSE I HAD TROUBLE CONNECTING TO ANYBODY. THEY WERE DIFFERENT BUT NOT LIKABLE, I KNEW WHO THE KILLER WAS EARLY ON, TOOK RAVEN TILL 93%. HAHAAHA! ;0

[Billie Hanson-Dupree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put A Killing Rain down!

I love mysteries, and this novel kept me guessing and page turning from beginning to end. Loved the swampy Louisiana setting and got hungry for po’boys every time they were mentioned.

[Angela Crook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good. From the beautiful language, the descriptions that made you feel like you were in the scene, the wonderfully complex, dynamic characters, I couldn't stop reading. The story kept me on the edge of my seat. Sometimes brutal, sometimes sad and tragic. This story had it all.

[Josef Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good gothic mystery/thriller

For a full review, please go to https://areviewerdarkly.blogspot.com/... and follow me on Twitter @josenher