Blood Loss (DI Paton Investigates #1) by Kerena Swan

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sarah
With one eye on the rearview mirror and the other on the road ahead, Sarah is desperate to get as far away from the remote Scottish cabin as she can without attracting attention. But being inconspicuous isn’t easy with a black eye and clothes soaked in blood…

… and now the fuel tank is empty.

DI Paton
When a body is discovered in a remote cabin in Scotland, DI Paton feels a pang of guilt as he wonders if this is the career break he has been waiting for. But the victim is unidentifiable and the killer has left few clues.

Jenna
With her father’s death and her mother’s failing health, Jenna accepts her future plans must change but nothing can prepare her for the trauma yet to come. Fleeing south to rebuild her life Sarah uncovers long-hidden family secrets. Determined to get back what she believes is rightfully hers, Sarah thinks her future looks brighter. But Paton is still pursuing her…

… and he’s getting closer.

MY REVIEW

This story is a very complex hunt for a murderer told from three people’s points of view. One is trying to find their place in life. One is trying to balance a job and home life. And one is a murderer.

At first, I was a bit confused when I started this book with the jumping timeline, but as I started getting to know the characters and finally figuring out how they were connected, I couldn’t put it down. 

DI Paton desperately wants to make a name for himself at his job, but his home life makes it a challenge with a wife with mental health issues and a teenage son with Down’s Syndrome, not to mention his queasiness at crime scenes.  However, when a murder case comes to his town, he becomes the lead investigator through happenstance and meticulously tracks down a cold-blooded killer.  

It’s hard not to give away the story so I will just say that the author does a great job developing the characters and delving into their psyches. One feels sorry for the antagonist’s background as well as astonished at how that person selfishly and bizarrely deals with things that don’t go their way. As for the other protagonist, they are naive at first but suddenly grow up very quickly due to tragic and dangerous circumstances.

I recommend this provocative mystery with intriguing characters and a great start to a series.

Thank you to Ms. Swan for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

BUY THE BOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

We are thrilled to be introducing DI Dave Paton and his son Tommy, the stars of the first novel in Kerena Swan’s new series, to the world. Before coming to Hobeck, Kerena had published three novels, Dying To See You, Scared to Breathe, and Who’s There? and has built a solid fan base around her writing career thus far. She is a juggler extraordinaire: driving forward a successful care business she runs with her husband yet finding time to write. She loves to write, here and there and everywhere when she’s not working. We don’t know how she does it but we are glad that she does! Kerena talks about her writing, her influences, and how she came to Hobeck in this video.

Follow Kerena on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.

FOLLOW THE BLOG TOUR

BLOG TOUR ORGANIZED BY: