Walk in the Fire

Fresh out of prison, Judah Cannon has returned to rural Silas, Fla., in Post’s violent, emotionally wrenching sequel to 2017’s Lightwood. Judah has his sights set on assuming the lead role in his family’s criminal enterprise, left vacant after his father died in a fiery gun battle involving a ruthless Pentecostal preacher and an outlaw biker club. Meanwhile, a disgraced ATF agent, eager to redeem himself, arrives in town and asks questions about the fire that took down Sister Tulah Atwell’s church but didn’t seem to diminish her strange power over the town. And Judah learns that maintaining business as usual won’t be so easy when Everett Weaver, a psychotic drug runner nursing a decades-old vendetta against the Cannons, sets out to destroy the entire family. Judah and Ramey, his lover and partner-in-crime, must trust in some unexpected allies if they intend to survive. Post combines classical genre tropes with a touch of Harry Crews–style Southern gothic in this terrific crime novel. Agent: Jeff Ourvan, Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency. (Jan.)