Bad Blood: A Lucy Black Thriller (DS Lucy Black #4) by Brian McGilloway
ISBN: 9780062684578 (paperback – July 25, 2017)
ISBN: 9780062684554 (ebook)
ASIN: B01N3KOBQF (Kindle edition)
Publication date: June 13, 2017
Publisher: Witness Impulse
“Brian McGilloway blends timeless values with ripped-from-the-headlines issues to produce some of the very best crime fiction being written today.” —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A young man is found in a riverside park, his head bashed in with a rock. One clue is left behind to uncover his identity—an admission stamp for the local gay club.
DS Lucy Black is called in to investigate. As Lucy delves into the community, tensions begin to rise as the man’s death draws the attention of the local Gay Rights group to a hate-speech Pastor who, days earlier, had advocated the stoning of gay people and who refuses to retract his statement.
Things become further complicated with the emergence of a far-right group targeting immigrants in a local working-class estate. As their attacks escalate, Lucy and her boss, Tom Fleming, must also deal with the building power struggle between an old paramilitary commander and his deputy that threatens to further enflame an already volatile situation.
Hatred and complicity abound in McGilloway’s new Lucy Black thriller. Compelling and current, Bad Blood is an expertly crafted and acutely observed page-turner, delivering the punch that readers of Little Lost Girl have grown to expect.
It’s pre-Brexit days in Northern Ireland and tensions are flying high. Anti-immigration, anti-homosexuality, and “us” first thinking are the norm. DS Lucy Black is called to investigate one apparent hate crime after another in the fourth installment in the Lucy Black series by Brian McGilloway, Bad Blood.
A young man’s body is found in a park and a bloody stone is found nearby. A local pastor was heard just hours before to say that stoning of homosexuals was acceptable behavior for their sins. A local Romanian family is targeted by anti-immigrant thinkers. The same pastor has been heard saying the communities should be for “us” versus “them.” Things are never quite as simple or black-and-white and DS Lucy Black and her boss DI Tom Fleming know that although this pastor has been spewing what can only be deemed “hate” speech, he’s not the only one with these sentiments. Is it possible they can find the killer before another person is targeted?
As previously mentioned, Bad Blood is the fourth in the Lucy Black series and the second book that I’ve read. As with the previous books in this series, I found this one to be a fast-paced and engaging read. It was quite interesting to read about a pre-Brexit environment in a post-Brexit world. It’s been awhile since I’ve read Little Lost Girl, but the dynamics between Lucy and her coworkers have developed quite nicely as has her relationship with her mother. Bad Blood features a lot more political action than I expected and although timely and topical it casts the bad guys in a strange light (politics makes for strange bedfellows my friends). Are there bad guys in this story? Oh yes. There are bad guys, guys that seemed to be sucked into bad things, and then just really, really bad and very manipulative bad guys. There’s a lot of action going on in Bad Blood including the upcoming Brexit vote, hate crimes, hate speech, murder, multiple assaults, and even attempted rape (no, not going to tell you who, read the book!), and it all takes place in less than one week. The title is perfect because it refers to “bad blood” from past inflictions and the present, “bad blood” between family members, and more. If you enjoy reading crime fiction or mystery thrillers then you’ll definitely want to add Bad Blood to your TBR list. Did I enjoy reading Bad Blood? Yes! I had forgotten why I enjoyed reading Mr. McGilloway’s writing, but reading Bad Blood brought it back to me so much so that I’ll be rereading Little Girl Lost and the remaining books in the Lucy Black series just to catch up.
Author Bio:
Brian McGilloway was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. After studying English at Queen’s University, Belfast, he took up a teaching position at St Columb’s College in Derry, where he was Head of English. He is the author of the New York Times best-selling Lucy Black series, all to be published by WitnessImpulse. Brian lives near the Irish borderlands with his wife and their four children.
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Author: thebookdivasreads
I'm a reader, an avid reader, or perhaps a rabid reader (at least according to my family). I enjoy reading from a variety of different genres but particularly enjoy fiction, mystery, suspense, thrillers, ChickLit, romance and classics. I also enjoy reading about numerous non-fiction subjects including aromatherapy, comparative religions, herbalism, naturopathic medicine, and tea.
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The Book Diva's Reads 
You convinced me…I need to read not only this book but the series! Fantastic review!
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