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husito's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
The plot had big potential; a gay detective? yes please. The execution tho, was disappointing. The characters are very one dimensional, the development is not there at all and this book just doesn't intrigue you as you read more and more. I'm being generous with my rating too like...
syren1532's review
2.0
A man is fatally stabbed on his way home from the working men’s club. Detective Inspector Paul Snow and his team are investigating. The killing seems to be totally random. Then another man is killed in the same manner but there is nothing to link the two victims. DI Snow can’t seem to make any headway and he’s also trying to continue his relationship with Matilda Shawcross even though he’s homosexual. Good enough story but can’t say it blew me away - really didn’t like the ending that left things unresolved.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book in return for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book in return for an honest review.
steph1rothwell's review
3.0
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
Blood Rites is the first book that I have read by David Stuart Davies. Set in Yorkshire in 1985 the lead character and investigating officer has a secret. He is homosexual but attitudes were different in the 1980s and if it became public he would be hounded out of the force. He has to solve a series of murders that have a link but he is struggling to prove it to his superior officers. All of the victims have done things that they shouldn’t have. A couple of them you don’t get to know but the ones you do are very unpleasant and their crimes are horrific. I think my heart broke over a couple of the people who suffered because of them. Thankfully there wasn’t too much focus on their actions.
I did have a lot of sympathy for Snow, I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the serving police force who had to keep their sexuality hidden. His pain, guilt and confusion over his private life was one of the stronger parts of the novel.
I couldn’t really tell that it was set in the 1980s. Apart from the attitudes and the mention of fixed telephone lines it could be set any time and any place. When the murderer was revealed it wasn’t a huge shock but the ending definitely was. Just a little different and very clever. I would be very interested to see what happens next.
Blood Rites is the first book that I have read by David Stuart Davies. Set in Yorkshire in 1985 the lead character and investigating officer has a secret. He is homosexual but attitudes were different in the 1980s and if it became public he would be hounded out of the force. He has to solve a series of murders that have a link but he is struggling to prove it to his superior officers. All of the victims have done things that they shouldn’t have. A couple of them you don’t get to know but the ones you do are very unpleasant and their crimes are horrific. I think my heart broke over a couple of the people who suffered because of them. Thankfully there wasn’t too much focus on their actions.
I did have a lot of sympathy for Snow, I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the serving police force who had to keep their sexuality hidden. His pain, guilt and confusion over his private life was one of the stronger parts of the novel.
I couldn’t really tell that it was set in the 1980s. Apart from the attitudes and the mention of fixed telephone lines it could be set any time and any place. When the murderer was revealed it wasn’t a huge shock but the ending definitely was. Just a little different and very clever. I would be very interested to see what happens next.
clair_82's review
3.0
Blood Rites is actually the third book in the DI Paul Snow series but can most definitely be read as a standalone.
Whilst this is a police procedural with Snow investigating the murders of four individuals, I felt that this book was more of an exploration of Snow’s sexuality and the lies that he has to live to order to keep his career on an upwards trajectory. Remembering that this is the 1980’s, Snow is unable to really admit to himself that he is homosexual let alone live an openly gay life. This just wasn’t the done thing in this era, especially for a member of the police force of any rank.
The book opens with a Police function whereby Snow is taking along a plus one in the form of Matilda who he has been dating for 3 months. Snow enjoys Matilda’s company and knows that she wants to take their relationship to the next level however (understandably giving what we know!) he is not so keen on that himself! It is clear from these early scenes that Snow definitely separates his professional and personal life…..and then he has a private life that he keeps shut away completely!
Well, I say this is how the book opens, that is after a prologue set in December 1985 entitled ‘The End’ where a murderer is very calmly cleaning up his weapon of choice and putting it back in its rightful place as though they are just doing the washing up! The relaxed and blasé nature of the murderer is so chilling! The main narrative then focuses on the events of the 3 months leading up to this scene.
The murder victims arrive in relatively quick succession to each other however there doesn’t seem to be any connection other than the fact that they are not the most desirable members of society! This results in a tough case for Snow to crack and he is receiving lots of pressure for an arrest. The reader has the privilege of understanding the murderer’s motives early on so is willing Snow to unearth the truth!
Blood Rites is an easy read both in its pacing and complexity which focuses on gut instinct of DI Snow (given the era) in order to investigate the murders.
Whilst this is a police procedural with Snow investigating the murders of four individuals, I felt that this book was more of an exploration of Snow’s sexuality and the lies that he has to live to order to keep his career on an upwards trajectory. Remembering that this is the 1980’s, Snow is unable to really admit to himself that he is homosexual let alone live an openly gay life. This just wasn’t the done thing in this era, especially for a member of the police force of any rank.
The book opens with a Police function whereby Snow is taking along a plus one in the form of Matilda who he has been dating for 3 months. Snow enjoys Matilda’s company and knows that she wants to take their relationship to the next level however (understandably giving what we know!) he is not so keen on that himself! It is clear from these early scenes that Snow definitely separates his professional and personal life…..and then he has a private life that he keeps shut away completely!
Well, I say this is how the book opens, that is after a prologue set in December 1985 entitled ‘The End’ where a murderer is very calmly cleaning up his weapon of choice and putting it back in its rightful place as though they are just doing the washing up! The relaxed and blasé nature of the murderer is so chilling! The main narrative then focuses on the events of the 3 months leading up to this scene.
The murder victims arrive in relatively quick succession to each other however there doesn’t seem to be any connection other than the fact that they are not the most desirable members of society! This results in a tough case for Snow to crack and he is receiving lots of pressure for an arrest. The reader has the privilege of understanding the murderer’s motives early on so is willing Snow to unearth the truth!
Blood Rites is an easy read both in its pacing and complexity which focuses on gut instinct of DI Snow (given the era) in order to investigate the murders.
karlou's review
4.0
Blood Rites has an unusual opening -it starts with the ending; a man returns home, it's December and he's annoyed to discover he'd forgotten to set the central heating timing. So far, so normal yet his movements very soon become much more sinister, it would appear he's just murdered somebody. It seems that this latest victim wasn't his intended choice but he considered it necessary to kill them in order to continue his terrifying sounding blood rites...
The action then goes back three months and we meet DI Paul Snow, a dedicated police officer who is slightly detached from the other officers and clearly keeps himself to himself. The reason for that soon becomes clear, as although he is dating local head mistress, Matilda, he is not being true to her or to himself. His relationship with Matilda has reached a crossroads, she is expecting them to become more intimate but Paul has not had sex for years. He knows he would have no chance of climbing the career ladder if his homosexuality became common knowledge and so he has been celibate at least a decade. Blood Rites really has two plots that intertwine; one is a police procedural as Paul Stone investigates a spate of murders and attempts to discover who the serial killer is; the concurrent plot is a domestic drama about Paul's inner turmoil - should he try to make a relationship with a woman work despite knowing he isn't sexually attracted to her? He enjoys her company, particularly after living a lonely existence for so long. Would such a relationship be fair to either of them though? And what will happen when he finds himself attracted to a man?
There is an episodic feeling to the crime aspect of the story. We learn that the murderer was a victim of crime himself at first and is then inspired to embark on his murderous spree. As he commits each new murder it is interesting to consider the dilemma between justice and vigilantism. I actually guessed the perpetrator fairly early on but Stone's painstaking investigation is still a gripping read. Blood Rites is set in the 1985, so without the scientific advancements available today, Stone has to mostly rely on his hunches and logic to solve the case. The era is also important when it comes to understanding Paul's torment. Even in the 1980s, attitudes to homosexuality were still often in the dark ages, whether outright bigotry or the more insidious institutionalised homophobia that meant many people like Paul were forced to live a lie in order to protect themselves. It seems shocking now of course but having grown up in that decade I remember the way gay men were portrayed as effeminate jokes in TV shows, the furore over gay kisses in soaps, the cruel tabloid exposés... As the quote in the foreword from John Fraser states,
'Homosexuals then had three choices.
One. To conform to society's expectations. To marry and have children.
Two. To be celibate.
Three. To live a double life, fraught with danger - of violence or blackmail - and to live it alone.'
As Stone's personal life starts to unravel he seeks solace in his work and eventually makes an important discovery. I suspect the shocking ending will be divisive and some people will be left disappointed, it's certainly not what I expected but actually I really appreciated reading such a memorable conclusion. Blood Rites is the third Paul Stone novel but it's my first and I didn't feel I missed out having not read the previous books. The empathetic characterisation and well-crafted plot complement each other beautifully to create a compelling and poignant story that really touched me and I look forward to reading more from David Stuart Davies in the future.
The action then goes back three months and we meet DI Paul Snow, a dedicated police officer who is slightly detached from the other officers and clearly keeps himself to himself. The reason for that soon becomes clear, as although he is dating local head mistress, Matilda, he is not being true to her or to himself. His relationship with Matilda has reached a crossroads, she is expecting them to become more intimate but Paul has not had sex for years. He knows he would have no chance of climbing the career ladder if his homosexuality became common knowledge and so he has been celibate at least a decade. Blood Rites really has two plots that intertwine; one is a police procedural as Paul Stone investigates a spate of murders and attempts to discover who the serial killer is; the concurrent plot is a domestic drama about Paul's inner turmoil - should he try to make a relationship with a woman work despite knowing he isn't sexually attracted to her? He enjoys her company, particularly after living a lonely existence for so long. Would such a relationship be fair to either of them though? And what will happen when he finds himself attracted to a man?
There is an episodic feeling to the crime aspect of the story. We learn that the murderer was a victim of crime himself at first and is then inspired to embark on his murderous spree. As he commits each new murder it is interesting to consider the dilemma between justice and vigilantism. I actually guessed the perpetrator fairly early on but Stone's painstaking investigation is still a gripping read. Blood Rites is set in the 1985, so without the scientific advancements available today, Stone has to mostly rely on his hunches and logic to solve the case. The era is also important when it comes to understanding Paul's torment. Even in the 1980s, attitudes to homosexuality were still often in the dark ages, whether outright bigotry or the more insidious institutionalised homophobia that meant many people like Paul were forced to live a lie in order to protect themselves. It seems shocking now of course but having grown up in that decade I remember the way gay men were portrayed as effeminate jokes in TV shows, the furore over gay kisses in soaps, the cruel tabloid exposés... As the quote in the foreword from John Fraser states,
'Homosexuals then had three choices.
One. To conform to society's expectations. To marry and have children.
Two. To be celibate.
Three. To live a double life, fraught with danger - of violence or blackmail - and to live it alone.'
As Stone's personal life starts to unravel he seeks solace in his work and eventually makes an important discovery. I suspect the shocking ending will be divisive and some people will be left disappointed, it's certainly not what I expected but actually I really appreciated reading such a memorable conclusion. Blood Rites is the third Paul Stone novel but it's my first and I didn't feel I missed out having not read the previous books. The empathetic characterisation and well-crafted plot complement each other beautifully to create a compelling and poignant story that really touched me and I look forward to reading more from David Stuart Davies in the future.
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