Aside from a brief stint working through the Agatha Christie shelf in my local library when I was in grade school, I've never been much of a mystery fan (fantasy and science fiction are my usual preference). However, I know Bill Cameron from around the interwebs, and was interested to see what he's published. Lost Dog, to which Chasing Smoke is a sequel of sorts, was a fantastic book; thrilling, edge-of-your-seat, and some of the most interesting and real feeling characters I'd read recently (something which is often lacking in fantasy).

I was thus quite excited to pick up Chasing Smoke and give it a try, but Chasing Smoke was a bit more difficult for me to get into. The first half or so of the book was relatively slow, particularly compared to Lost Dog. Where Lost Dog is largely plot driven, Chasing Smoke is much more character driven as we follow in the footsteps of the aging detective Skin Kadash as he simultaneously fights with cancer and estranged members of the police force. About half way through things picked up significantly, though, and I found myself just as involved and interested as in Lost Dog.

Chasing Smoke's greatest strengths are its gritty, realistic characters and Cameron's excellent writing. Its main weakness, and the reason I wasn't able to get as excited about this book as I was for Lost Dog, is the lack of a visceral mystery to drive the plot forward (Kadash spends most of the early book doggedly pursuing enquiries into crimes which, as far as his fellow detectives and the reader can tell, are related merely by coincidence).

I would recommend Chasing Smoke for those who enjoy police mysteries and who are interested in complex characters trying to balance very real, personal problems with the rest of their lives. That it is not the plot-driven thrill ride of Cameron's first book is mainly a testament to the breadth of his writing abilities; that it didn't work for me personally quite so well shouldn't dissuade you from picking up Chasing Smoke from the local library or book store. ( )