A Slow Burn by Mary E DeMuth

Emory doesn't know how she's going to live without her Daisy. Daisy was the one who took care of her during the drug highs and after the parties. Daisy called the ambulance when she tried to commit suicide. Emory took her daughter for granted because Daisy always took care of herself.

But now there's no more Daisy.

Upon the death of Muriel, Hixon hears a call from God to go and make Emory his wife. Hixon obeys reluctantly and soon finds his work cut out for him. Emory plain doesn't like him. She just wants to stay to herself and not be bothered by anyone. She wants no contact with the world. All she cares about is going to meet Daisy on her drug trips.

More and more deception and intrigue enter Defiance as Daisy's father returns, Daisy's killer lurks, and Emory's life spins more and more out of control.

A Slow Burn

deals with the broken people of Defiance. Emory is broken by her choices, Hixon is broken by his past, and even Jed is broken by his family life. None of the characters are perfect; all of them are guilty of something. Daisy's death has brought a lot of heartache on the town of Defiance, Texas.

A Slow Burn

shows Defiance through a new set of eyes and lets the reader know several previously unknown things about Emory's messy life.

The characters remain to be as imperfect as ever, some of them even getting worse. The characters are not the typical characters you would think would fill a small town novel. Defiance is not a town full of hicks, as so many authors portray small towns, but a town full of real people with real problems.

The only thing keeping this from being five stars is an unnecessary, sensational scene toward the end of the book in which characters that were already dead begins speaking to Emory through a fire. This only appeals to the public and keeps them interested.

However, DeMuth writes her share of key character deaths into this novel, which is her speciality. I am interested to see how the Defiance, Texas Trilogy will end and where the characters will end up.

Mary E DeMuth has found a way to write original books, and I applaud her for that.

4 stars