ARC Review--Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

I received this ARC at the RT Booklover's Convention via the Goody Room!

I didn't really know what to expect from Kathleen Peacock's Hemlock, the cover description did interest me. Mentioning being haunted by her dead best friend who was murdered, werewolves, and a dark mystery to solve were enough to intrigue me, but I was still totally blown away by the book! 

So werewolves exist, and people fear them, they know about them. There's also this group called the Trackers that track werewolves down and put them into these "camps" that are basically their prison for life. Many werewolves are in hiding because of this. They're not all bloodthirsty monsters, but some are. Like the one who killed Amy, Mac's best friend.

It's been five months since Amy died, and the werewolf attacks have halted for the time, but appearances are still being made in the little town called Hemlock. But it's not the same wolf that killed Amy, since hers was white. Mac suddenly gets sucked into the battle and secrets when she starts looking into Amy's death. The nightmares she's been having provoke her to look into it and what she finds is a tangle of secrets and lies.

That's really the best way to describe it without giving away spoilers! Hemlock is the ultimate pageturner, I could barely put it down because the mystery element kept growing thicker and juicier!! Oh it was delightful!

Amy's two friends, Jason--Amy's boyfriend--and Kyle are both adjusting in their own ways as well. Jason a little more dangerously--turning to drinking and looking at the Trackers with awe, while Kyle remains closed off and quiet. No one really wants to get involve with Mac in her solving Amy's death. No one wants to think about it really. But Mac is determined, mostly because her dreams are so haunting.

Secrets soon get revealed along the course of Mac's path, coming from the left, right, forward and behind! The girl is just bombarded, but she does a heck of a job at getting through them.

I really loved the characters, Mac has her own troubled past that I think is remarkable. It's not totally uncommon, but it was just written really well! And Jason and Kyle with their secrets were also total shockers!

The mystery at the end does get solved--somewhat, the who-done-it part at least. But there's still quite a bit left unresolved! It's going to make waiting for the next book in this trilogy a killer! There's really not much I can add without getting too close to spoiler territory! Only know that this was one heart pounding read! I mean literally, I did not want to put it down!!

Hemlock was a tragically beautiful thrilling read! And this is a must read for anyone looking for a good werewolf book!

Overall rating 5/5 stars

Hemlock releases May 8, 2012