ARC received from publisher.
I'm delighted to be joining the blog tour for Blood Rites by David Stuart Davies, thank you to Abby for the invite. Today I will be sharing my review but first of all let's take a look at the description for the book...
Blood Rites is a Northern thriller set in
Huddersfield, Yorkshire in the 1980s featuring Detective Inspector Paul Snow.
DI Paul Snow has a personal secret. He is a homosexual but is desperate to keep it secret, knowing it would finish
his career in the intolerant police force of the time. As this personal drama unfolds, he is involved in investigating a
series of violent murders. All the victims appear to be chosen at random and to
have no connection with each other. After the fourth murder, Snow is removed
from the case for not finding the killer but continues investigating the matter
privately. Gradually, Paul manages to determine a link between the murder
victims, but this places his own life in great danger. Can Paul unmask the
killer as he wrestles with his own demons?
Release date 9Th November 2017
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The premise for this story is a really interesting one and I couldn't wait to meet the main character Paul Snow. After reading the description I was definitely intrigued by Paul's character. Even though this is the third book in the series I didn't feel that I was missing out and Blood Rites could easily be classed as a standalone. However as with all series it's always nice to start at the beginning just so you get the full picture. Paul is a complex character who has to in a way hide his true self or at least his feelings. You can feel his turmoil in doing so and this is well written and shows his struggles.
There is a steady pace throughout so if you are expecting a story that moves at break neck speed you may be slightly disappointed. However the story develops steadily showing the investigation along with getting to know the characters better. I guess there is more of an emphasis on Paul's character especially how he struggles with his sexuality and having to conceal so much. I have to say that I did appreciate the times when they story is shown from the killers perspective. It is at times both chilling and dark which adds an extra depth to the story along with a creepy insight into the murderer.
There are a few surprises in this story which was great and really made for an exciting and shocking ending.
An intriguing case that will easily draw you in.
Four stars from me!
With thanks to Abby for the invite to join the tour and Urbane Publications for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
David Stuart Davies is an author, playwright and editor. His fiction includes six novels featuring his wartime detective Johnny Hawke, Victorian puzzle solver artist Luther Darke, and seven Sherlock Holmes novels – the latest being Sherlock Holmes and the Ripper Legacy (2016). His non-fiction work includes Starring Sherlock Holmes, detailing the film career of the Baker Street sleuth. David has also penned a Northern Noir trilogy of gritty crime novels set in Yorkshire in the 1980s: Brothers in Blood, Innocent Blood and Blood Rites.
David is regarded as an authority on Sherlock Holmes and is the author of two Holmes plays, Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act and Sherlock Holmes: The Death and Life, which are available on audio CD. He has written the Afterwords for all the Collector’s Library Holmes volumes, as well as those for many of their other titles.
He is a committee member of the Crime Writers’ Association and edits their monthly publication Red Herrings. His collection of ghost and horror stories appeared in 2015, championed by Mark Gatiss who said they were ‘pleasingly nasty.’
David is General Editor of Wordsworth’s Mystery & Supernatural series and a past Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund. He has appeared at many literary festivals and the Edinburgh Fringe performing his one man presentation The Game’s Afoot – an evening with Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle. He was recently made a member of The Detection Club.
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