Some Days are Dark by Miranda Smith

"People aren't all bad or all good...Pain comes in all sorts o' shades, honey."

This is a debut that I'd categorize as domestic drama with a mystery at its core. Who killed Dane Miller on that hot July night in Whitaker, Tennessee?

Since she found the body, police initially question his wife, Olivia Miller. She's the prime suspect for awhile but then, a confession by Marcus Rowe, a small-time thief, takes the pressure off until he later recants and is set to be released. Olivia, living in the condo that she and her dead husband had shared, is now back in the spotlight. Though she's not unhappy he's dead, she wants to clear her name but has no idea exactly who her husband was after all. That's because she's a pill popper, a party girl and a big drinker. In fact, she had left her nice home and former husband, Frank Grier, to be with Dane. In addition, she had to give up custody of her son to Frank because of all the attention focused on her as the possible killer. Her life is a big mess and someone needs to answer for the murder. NO SPOILERS.

I really dragged through this one and I'm not sure why it wasn't able to hold my attention and interest. Part of the issue, I'm sure, is that I absolutely couldn't stand Olivia and the rest of the characters in the story really weren't all that likeable either. Dane was a loser, for sure, but Olivia wasn't exactly a real catch herself. All her decisions were made under the influence and they were all mostly bad. The narrative is told in alternating BEFORE and AFTER chapters detailing all events that led up to the crime and then everything that happens when Dane is shot. A journalist with a popular blog and dreams of writing a best-selling true crime novel shows up in town to try to get some answers for his followers and wants Olivia to help him out. But everyone has secrets and tells likes (as always) and it takes awhile to get the whole story. The writing was good, it's just that the plot wasn't anything new and I'm sure most will have the whole thing sussed out before the halfway mark. It lacked any tension or suspense for me and I just wanted confirmation and to be done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I would look at a new title by this author in the future.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - domestic drama, mystery