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"Terrific...A born storyteller, Post expertly weaves these disparate plot strands into a wholly satisfying if inevitable ending."
―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Steph Post is a big, bold and welcome fresh voice in this world. Her authentic tales of those living in a whirlwind of chaos and violence is a game-changer."
―Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Shameless

"Post draws the Judah Cannon trilogy to an appropriate conclusion here, with her trademark crisp dialogue and action-packed, dark-edged storytelling again providing the appeal." ―Booklist

“Steph Post’s stories carry a dark pulse that keeps the perfect beat in a world where people put everything they’ve got on the line.”
—Michael Connelly

“You won’t find many writers with more momentum than Steph Post.”
—Book Riot

“Old fashioned storytelling at its finest.” —The Rumpus on Miraculum

The final novel in Steph Post’s acclaimed Judah Cannon trilogy

Judah Cannon. Sister Tulah. It all comes down to this.

Before the final showdown with Tulah Atwell, the Pentecostal preacher responsible for his father’s death and his own return to a life of crime, however, Judah still has a few more fires to walk through. The dust may have settled after the shootout that left a string of bodies including that of ATF agent Clive Grant and drug runner Everett Weaver in its wake, but that doesn’t mean a quiet life is on the horizon for Judah, his girlfriend Ramey, and his two brothers, Benji and Levi.

A power struggle within the Cannon family soon erupts, placing Judah in debt to Sukey Lewis, a crime matriarch from across the creek, just as an irresistible scheme to steal a thoroughbred stud stallion falls into the Cannons’ lap. Trying to solve all their problems with a single heist, Judah agrees to trust Dinah, an enigmatic drifter, even as Ramey’s faith in him begins to waver.

While Sister Tulah returns to her old tricks, running a swampland scheme and intimidating everyone in her path, and Brother Felton returns to Florida a changed man with a mystic mission, Judah finds the foundation of his family crumbling and only hard choices in sight. Will Judah and Ramey survive Sister Tulah and the darkness within their own hearts or are such dreams in Bradford County nothing more than holding smoke? Holding Smoke concludes an unforgettable trilogy from one of the most memorable southern fiction writers to come around in years.