Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Publisher’s Summary: 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.

My take: Even though I’ve been getting mixed opinions about Hemlock, I started reading it with an open mind and discovered that I actually really liked it! I was immediately drawn to the story from the very first page.

One of the things I loved about Hemlock is that it’s not only an Urban Fantasy but also a murder mystery! I loved how I was swept into all the crazy left and right story twists while Mackenzie was investigating who killed her best friend! Twits like… Who is a werewolf? What really happened the night Amy died? Who, if anyone, should Mackenzie trust? There is one surprise after another all the way through Hemlock and the end even has a pretty awesome twist!!!

The characters in Hemlock are all pretty likable. Considering everything that Mackenzie had to go through from her past and now present…she is one tough chick! So, even though I’d like to tell you more about the other characters I liked, I think doing that would spoil the story for you. Because, while reading Hemlock, I found that I wanted to like each of the characters, but at the same time I wasn’t really sure if I could or should trust ANY of them. And as far as the romance goes, I of course fell for the “other” guy!

If you like a book with werewolves and/or a murder mystery then you should totally read this one! It’s really good.