Smoke and Suspicion
(2025)(The second book in the Backdrafts & Biscuits Mystery series)
A novel by Hailey Hartley
When firefighter and EMT Riley North responds to an emergency at Station 7's retirement party for beloved Captain Tom Houston, she expects to celebrate a hero's sendoff, not investigate a tragedy. The joyful evening ends in horror when Tom falls from the station's historic brass pole, his neck broken. The official ruling? A tragic accident caused by one last nostalgic slide gone wrong. But Riley's loyal Dalmatian, Ember, refuses to leave the pole area, circling and alerting in a way that sends Riley's instincts into overdrive. As Pinewood Springs' fire department struggles to process the loss, Riley can't shake the feeling that something about this "accident" doesn't add up.
Against the fire chief's direct orders to let it rest, Riley follows Ember's nose and her own growing suspicions. What started as a retirement celebration has left behind more than grief—there are financial irregularities, altered maintenance logs, and secrets that run deeper than anyone in the tight-knit Station 7 family wants to admit. Between her shifts and dodging warnings from her superiors, Riley discovers that the bonds of brotherhood can hide dangerous betrayals. With help from her dispatcher best friend Maya and mechanic Lou, she uncovers a web of corruption that Captain Houston died trying to expose. But someone is willing to kill to keep those secrets buried, and they're not afraid to come after the firefighter asking too many questions.
The closer Riley gets to the truth, the more she realizes her own life is in danger. In a firehouse built on loyalty and trust, Riley must risk her career, her safety, and her standing with her crew to prove that Tom Houston's death was no accident. Because justice, like a well-maintained fire engine, requires constant attention and unwavering integrity—even when the flames of deception threaten to consume everything she holds dear.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Against the fire chief's direct orders to let it rest, Riley follows Ember's nose and her own growing suspicions. What started as a retirement celebration has left behind more than grief—there are financial irregularities, altered maintenance logs, and secrets that run deeper than anyone in the tight-knit Station 7 family wants to admit. Between her shifts and dodging warnings from her superiors, Riley discovers that the bonds of brotherhood can hide dangerous betrayals. With help from her dispatcher best friend Maya and mechanic Lou, she uncovers a web of corruption that Captain Houston died trying to expose. But someone is willing to kill to keep those secrets buried, and they're not afraid to come after the firefighter asking too many questions.
The closer Riley gets to the truth, the more she realizes her own life is in danger. In a firehouse built on loyalty and trust, Riley must risk her career, her safety, and her standing with her crew to prove that Tom Houston's death was no accident. Because justice, like a well-maintained fire engine, requires constant attention and unwavering integrity—even when the flames of deception threaten to consume everything she holds dear.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Hailey Hartley's Smoke and Suspicion