The Northern Irish author Stuart Neville probably doesn’t get credit he deserves, but crime fiction lovers know him as one of Britain’s leading authors in the genre. A couple of years back we enjoyed his domestic noir novel The House of Ashes, and he’s written standalone novels and series from political thrillers like Ratlines to his Jack Lennon procedurals. Nearly all of his work is set on the Emerald Isle, but an early copy of his latest – Blood Like Mine – has arrived at Crime Fiction Lover and this time the author will take us to the United States.
Just skimming the text you can tell it’s a fast-moving thriller. The story follows Rebecca Carter and her daughter Moonflower as they move across the Western United States, from one place to another, ever staying long, never putting down roots. On their trail is Marc Donner, an FBI agent who believes Rebecca to be a serial killer, murdering men, mutilating them and dumping the bodies in remote locations.
Every few chapters, letters and articles from Rebecca’s FBI file punctuate the story, dating as far back as the mid-90s. However, just flicking through the book and accompanying promo material, it looks like there’s a lot more to it. Moonflower might be just as dangerous. Perhaps Stuart Neville is exploring the idea that criminality can be inherited. Something very dark is going on here that will confound expectations…
Blood Like Mine arrives 6 August 2024 and you can check out images of our early copy and/or pre-order it using the buttons below. The US edition has a very different front cover.
