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jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
A serial killer is stalking the streets of Liverpool. Nicknamed the Thorn Killer, he takes women off the streets and tortures them for days/weeks, tattooing all over their bodies then dumping them in staged scenes. DCI Greg Carver is obsessed and it has cost him his marriage but when he is shot Sergeant Lake has to take over. Lake holds a lot of secrets herself, can she find the Thorn Killer before it is too late?
The start of this book is excellent, there is a real twist on the normal police procedural from page one which is not fully resolved until fairly deep into the story and that grabs the reader's attention from the off. I liked the setting in Liverpool, having lived there many years ago I know the areas around Sefton Park, Wavertree and the Georgian Quarter which helped picture in the mind's eye. The killer is flagged up fairly early on and pretty obviously but that didn't affect my enjoyment and The pace and twisty plot are enough to satisfy any fan of crime fiction.
The start of this book is excellent, there is a real twist on the normal police procedural from page one which is not fully resolved until fairly deep into the story and that grabs the reader's attention from the off. I liked the setting in Liverpool, having lived there many years ago I know the areas around Sefton Park, Wavertree and the Georgian Quarter which helped picture in the mind's eye. The killer is flagged up fairly early on and pretty obviously but that didn't affect my enjoyment and The pace and twisty plot are enough to satisfy any fan of crime fiction.
shrrawat's review
3.0
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway, and I was really excited for this one. In fact, I was so excited that I read this book in one sitting the day that it arrived, something that I have not had the chance to do in a long while. And reading the setup the synopsis provides, who wouldn't be?
A serial killer, with a unique modus operandi of poisoning his victims with thorns and tattooing them with eyes. A police officer, shot while trying to chase down the killer. His partner, fixing the scene of the encounter rather than rushing straight to his aid.
Every bit of this appeared to spell out a thrilling new detective series, with nail-biting tension and suspicion. Was it as every bit as good as I thought it would be? Yes....and no.
In terms of story, this book was just as good as most other modern mystery novels out there. Meaning, it has one or two original ideas (the serial killer means of death for example), but everything else appears to follow a somewhat formulaic approach and way of providing clues that, if you are an experienced mystery lover, will remove some of the tension the author tries to set up? Does this make this book bad in any way? Not necessarily. I think that as a debut novel, it is just a sign that the series is finding its feet, and is simply playing it safe. For anyone who dabbles less frequently in mysteries, this is still a solid read in my opinion.
In terms of characters, the series is meant to introduce another "Together, they fight crime!" duo, Greg Carver and Ruth Lake in the Carver and Lake series. Although, to be totally honest, for this first book, the title of the series may as well be called, "Lake does all the work, and Carver occasionally helps out." Part of this is the way the story is structured. Carver gets shot in the first chapter (not a spoiler, this is literally the first two chapters), and is sent to recuperate, and as a result, Lake is the main gumshoe we see working the case.
The consequence of this is that Lake comes across as a really strong, likeable female heroine, while Carver is just.....a name somehow connected to Lake's. We don't truly see much of their partnership, and therefore it's hard to connect with both characters on the same level since one steals so much of the spotlight. That being said, this may change with the next book coming out this year, "The Cutting Room."
In all, I did enjoy "A Splinter in the Blood" for what it was, a debut novel by two authors still trying to find their footing with a pair of new characters. I do believe that this series has promise, and I might be persuaded to check out the next book if I happen to see it at my local library or bargain book bin.
A serial killer, with a unique modus operandi of poisoning his victims with thorns and tattooing them with eyes. A police officer, shot while trying to chase down the killer. His partner, fixing the scene of the encounter rather than rushing straight to his aid.
Every bit of this appeared to spell out a thrilling new detective series, with nail-biting tension and suspicion. Was it as every bit as good as I thought it would be? Yes....and no.
In terms of story, this book was just as good as most other modern mystery novels out there. Meaning, it has one or two original ideas (the serial killer means of death for example), but everything else appears to follow a somewhat formulaic approach and way of providing clues that, if you are an experienced mystery lover, will remove some of the tension the author tries to set up? Does this make this book bad in any way? Not necessarily. I think that as a debut novel, it is just a sign that the series is finding its feet, and is simply playing it safe. For anyone who dabbles less frequently in mysteries, this is still a solid read in my opinion.
In terms of characters, the series is meant to introduce another "Together, they fight crime!" duo, Greg Carver and Ruth Lake in the Carver and Lake series. Although, to be totally honest, for this first book, the title of the series may as well be called, "Lake does all the work, and Carver occasionally helps out." Part of this is the way the story is structured. Carver gets shot in the first chapter (not a spoiler, this is literally the first two chapters), and is sent to recuperate, and as a result, Lake is the main gumshoe we see working the case.
The consequence of this is that Lake comes across as a really strong, likeable female heroine, while Carver is just.....a name somehow connected to Lake's. We don't truly see much of their partnership, and therefore it's hard to connect with both characters on the same level since one steals so much of the spotlight. That being said, this may change with the next book coming out this year, "The Cutting Room."
In all, I did enjoy "A Splinter in the Blood" for what it was, a debut novel by two authors still trying to find their footing with a pair of new characters. I do believe that this series has promise, and I might be persuaded to check out the next book if I happen to see it at my local library or bargain book bin.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
5.0
A 2018 staff favorite recommended by Jenn. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Ssplinter%20in%20the%20blood%20dyer__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
scknitter's review against another edition
5.0
Splinter in the Blood is a combination of all I love in the mystery/thriller genre. It is a true whodunit with red herrings galore, a classic police procedural with the normal in fighting and competition for credit, and lots of psychological elements all melded into a terrific read. How could you not want to continue when the book opens with DS Ruth Lake holding a gun and standing in front of her dead partner DSI Greg Carver, in his apartment. She removes the gun and a box of files and puts them in her car and then sees Greg move. She then calls for help. She now has to lie to her superiors, hope her partner doesn’t remember what she did, and at the same time try to find out who the sadistic thorn killer is.
fondarush's review
2.0
Every character is two-dimensional. We don't know what they look like, where they come from that makes them who they are today or how they are driven forward. But, there is one character that is fleshed out a little more than the others, and that is Lyal Gaines. Why?
I didn't figure out who did it, but I didn't get excited about it until the last twenty pages of the book. It droned on.
The death we learn enough about is the last one, because the characters felt that there was where they needed to start. Why? Were the other deaths less than? Or did the authors not know how to explain them.
How was the serial killer able to carry out the displays. Was she strong? Was she big and bulky? Why did we never learn much about her mental and physical capabilities? Of course, she killed herself with her own poison, so we never get to learn about it from her. Cop-out!
What does the killer have to do with Carver? Is there somewhat of a previous relationship, or it is because he was the lead detective? Too many questions.
I won this book through Goodreads.
I didn't figure out who did it, but I didn't get excited about it until the last twenty pages of the book. It droned on.
The death we learn enough about is the last one, because the characters felt that there was where they needed to start. Why? Were the other deaths less than? Or did the authors not know how to explain them.
How was the serial killer able to carry out the displays. Was she strong? Was she big and bulky? Why did we never learn much about her mental and physical capabilities? Of course, she killed herself with her own poison, so we never get to learn about it from her. Cop-out!
What does the killer have to do with Carver? Is there somewhat of a previous relationship, or it is because he was the lead detective? Too many questions.
I won this book through Goodreads.
rubygaudett's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kvthleen's review
3.0
this book is very much a typical murder mystery with heavy police/detective involvement. while the description and the beginning of the book are *supposed* to hook you, it kind of just fell flat for me. with a lot of books i love, i’m always dying to know what happens next, but this didn’t really happen for me while reading this book.
a detective who is investigating a serial killer is shot in his home and for the longest time i thought it was his partner that did it. maybe it was just me but certain parts of the book felt a little choppy and left me confused and then it made perfect sense to me that it was actually written by two people under one pseudonym. when something significant was revealed i was kind of just like “oh, cool i guess?” and i think it was because i wasn’t really following what was going on the whole time and parts of it were dragging on so i got distracted
a detective who is investigating a serial killer is shot in his home and for the longest time i thought it was his partner that did it. maybe it was just me but certain parts of the book felt a little choppy and left me confused and then it made perfect sense to me that it was actually written by two people under one pseudonym. when something significant was revealed i was kind of just like “oh, cool i guess?” and i think it was because i wasn’t really following what was going on the whole time and parts of it were dragging on so i got distracted
samara18's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sapphiresimone73's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sarahclementss's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
This was more disturbing than I thought it was going to be. The whole premise of the murders and the last 100 pages of the book were quite thrilling. I appreciated all of the different forensic elements in the book and how it was written as if you were closely following the police investigation. I found Ruth’s POV fascinating because of her curious and strong-willed nature. I didn’t expect many of the twists that happened which kept me wanting to read the next chapter (I couldn’t put down the last 50 pages).
My only comments would be that Greg’s POV in the beginning was a bit drawn out and boring and the final ending felt a bit rushed. I had a hunch who the killer might have been and was correct, but I wasn’t as disappointed guessing it as there were many red herrings.
My only comments would be that Greg’s POV in the beginning was a bit drawn out and boring and the final ending felt a bit rushed. I had a hunch who the killer might have been and was correct, but I wasn’t as disappointed guessing it as there were many red herrings.