Holding Smoke

John Conlan—nicknamed “Smoke” by others in the prison where he resides—is currently on the hook for two murders, only one of which he actually committed. Smoke, however, has an ability that the other inmates do not: a near-death experience left him with the ability to temporarily separate his spirit from his physical body, an ability which he uses to gain information to trade for favors within prison. When Smoke meets a girl who can actually see his psychic form, however, everything changes; she’s determined to help him prove the truth and to help him get free, but that truth turns out to be a small part of a convoluted web of lies and corruption.

With Holding Smoke, author Elle Cosimano has taken an interesting concept and crafted it into a unique story, drawing extensively on her personal knowledge of both psychology and the inner workings of prisons. Smoke is an interesting character with a unique sense of right and wrong, and a changeable personality that enables him to both survive a childhood with an abusive father as well as a stint in juvenile hall. As readers delve deeper into his past and further into the incident that sent him to prison, they will have a hard time putting this book down!