A gripping new novel from New York Times bestselling suspense author Terri Blackstock.
One father was murdered. Another was convicted of his death. All because their children fell in love.
Nate Beckett has spent his life fighting wildfires instead of the lies and rumors that drove him from his Colorado hometown. His mother begs him to come back now that his father has been released from prison, but it isn’t until he’s sidelined by an injury that he’s forced to return and face his past. But that means facing Brenna too.
Fourteen years ago, Nate was in love with the preacher’s daughter. When Pastor Strickland discovered Brenna defied him to sneak out with Nate, the fight between Strickland and Nate’s drunken dad was loud—and very public. Strickland was found murdered later that night, and everyone accused Roy Beckett. When the church burned down not long after, people assumed Nate set the fire to get even for his father’s conviction. He let the rumors fly and left town without looking back.
Brenna is stunned to learn that the man convicted of murdering her father has been pardoned. The events of that night set her life on a bad course, and now she’s fighting a brutal custody battle with her ex and his new wife where he’s using lies and his family’s money to sway the judge. Brenna is barely hanging on, and she’s turned to alcohol to cope. Shame and fear consume her.
As Nate and Brenna deal with the present—including new information about that fateful night and a wildfire that’s threatening their town—the past keeps igniting. Nate is the steady force Brenna has so desperately needed. But she’ll have to learn to trust him again first.
Praise for Smoke Screen:
“Full of secrets, lies, and with a visceral impact that grabs from the first sentence, Smoke Screen is Terri Blackstock at her finest.” —Colleen Coble, USA TODAY bestselling author
“Terri never fails to deliver a plot that moves, well-developed characters who are real, flawed, and relatable . . . Just a word of warning if you decide to pick up this book—don’t plan to do anything else until you finish it.” —Lynette Eason, bestselling, award-winning author
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 0/5
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Language - 0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 2/5
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Summary
From: Rebecca Maney
Book Title: Smoke Screen
Book Author: Terri Blackstock
What do you like about this book:
"Nothing bad had ever happened to me at that point. I had the perfect life. It was easy to be spiritual."
Now it seems, that nothing is going right in her life. After losing her father, and then her husband, Brenna Strickland Hertzog is currently struggling to maintain custody of her children, but the depths of despair that she feels when her children are with their father, has tricked her into thinking that alcohol is the answer. Imagine her surprise when her first love shows up at her door; Nate Beckett.
Taken off duty as a fire jumper while recovering from second degree burns, Nate Beckett comes back to his Colorado hometown and learns that his brother lives right across the street from Brenna Hertzog. Becoming reacquainted is the easy part, guiding Brenna back to her former self, especially with their family history, is not at all what Nate expected; but definitely worth it. Carlisle has many unanswered questions lingering in their town history, can the accused be found innocent and the presumed innocent be proven guilty? Time will tell.
At first glance, this may appear to be a bare bones story, lots of secondary story threads demanding attention, while none seem to rise to the top . . . . except that in the end, they do.
"In tough times, you rely on what you know, not what you feel."
Your ratings of the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use on a scale of 1-5.
Sex:1
Violence:0
Language:0
Drug/Alcohol use:2