A review by mollyreadsandcrafts
Evil All Along by Gregory Ashe

4.25

•some spoilers•

Another murder in Hemlock Harbor, another opportunity for Dash to procrastinate writing by playing amateur sleuth. Things get prickly when Keme becomes a person of interest in this latest case  but if there's one thing The Last Picks are good at, it's looking after their own. 

Besides the book when Dash and Bobby get together, I think this is my favorite. Keme is struggling with abandonment issues while dealing with being a suspect in this case, and Dash has to use all his character building from the last year to be the person that Keme can depend on no matter what. After all Keme is still just a kid, and Dash and The Last Picks are there to remind him he has people in his corner. Keme has always been a little standoffish when it comes to his feelings and expresses his love through (I assume) damaged teenage boy's ways. With everything happening, he's forced to open up, giving Dash a chance to become more vulnerable as he becomes a shoulder for Keme to lean on. They had some really endearing moments, and I loved seeing this other side of their playful brother/foster dad/feral wolf/mentor relationship. I also can't stop laughing whenever anyone mentions Keme is the older brother, because it's so true. 

There are some adorable Bobby and Dash moments too. Even though the focus was on Keme, I feel like this explored more of their relationship and showed how deeply they care for one another. They just get each other, trying their hardest to be brave and vulnerable even when it's difficult. They both put a lot of effort into making sure the other is seen and heard, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of shenanigans. Dash and Bobby just have such a lovely relationship and I'm glad we got to see more of it! 

The case was pretty interesting because of how much it involved Keme and the whole gang. When that part was resolved though it did fade a bit into the background. I randomly was able to guess who the suspect was pretty early on, but I didn't really know how exactly everything went down. Now, we just need Dash to write his own mystery! 

This was so good because we get to see a lot more of the Last Picks! I've kind of missed them in the last few stories and here we finally see how deep their love for one another goes. Vulnerability was the name of the game in this book, and there were so many great heartwarming moments. Once again, I love this crazy murder town. It really is the perfect setting. Looking forward to more shenanigans from Dash, Bobby, and all of The Last Picks. 

Read if you like: 

• cozy mystery           

• found family          

• friends to lovers           

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