A girl investigates crime fiction from around the world, by the book.
One girl's ongoing investigation of the crime fiction genre.
BLOODLINE by Jess Lourey
Thomas & Mercer; 1/1/21
CBTB Rating: 5/5
The Verdict: sinister small-town suspense
If “small-town suspense-meets-horror” were a genre, Jess Lourey would be its queen. The author of 2020 standout UNSPEAKABLE THINGS returns on January 1 with her next work of dread-inducing rural horror, BLOODLINE. Set in 1960’s Minnesota, BLOODLINE draws readers into the heart of a picture-perfect town harboring unthinkable secrets. For pregnant journalist Joan Harken, her fiancé’s hometown of Lilydale represents a bright future: a place where their unborn child can grow up with all the safety and security that a tight-knit community has to offer—the kind of safety and security that was missing from her own upbringing. But as Joan settles into her new home, she can’t shake the feeling that something is just a bit off. Her neighbors have taken a keen interest in every aspect of her life, her fiancé is growing distant, and she swears someone is following her in the town. Joan is right to be suspicious—but even her wildest imaginings could never have prepared her, or the reader, for what is in store. Evil is lurking in the town of Lilydale, and Joan is going to have to rely on all her wits and inner strength to make it out with her life. BLOODLINE is a spine-tingling, up-all-night-reading psychological suspense novel-meets-horror story worthy of the comparisons to Rosemary’s Baby that it is receiving. If small-town scares are your cup of tea, BLOODLINE belongs on your 2021 reading list.
Plot Details:
Perfect town. Perfect homes. Perfect families. It’s enough to drive some women mad…
In a tale inspired by real events, pregnant journalist Joan Harken is cautiously excited to follow her fiancé back to his Minnesota hometown. After spending a childhood on the move and chasing the screams and swirls of news-rich city life, she’s eager to settle down. Lilydale’s motto, “Come Home Forever,” couldn’t be more inviting.
And yet, something is off in the picture-perfect village.
The friendliness borders on intrusive. Joan can’t shake the feeling that every move she makes is being tracked. An archaic organization still seems to hold the town in thrall. So does the sinister secret of a little boy who vanished decades ago. And unless Joan is imagining things, a frighteningly familiar figure from her past is on watch in the shadows.
Her fiancé tells her she’s being paranoid. He might be right. Then again, she might have moved to the deadliest small town on earth.
There’s something extra creepy about a crime novel inspired by real-world events, and Jess Lourey is quickly cementing herself as one of my favorite authors writing crime fiction in this space. In an author’s note at the beginning of her newest release, Lourey shares with readers that BLOODLINE is inspired by a real-world, unsolved mystery: the disappearance of a young boy in her own hometown in the 1940’s. From this true-crime foundation, Lourey unspools a gripping and genuinely terrifying tale of a picture-perfect community that is rotten at its core. BLOODLINE is only the second novel of Lourey’s that I’ve read, but in both this book and her 2020 release UNSPEAKABLE THINGS, I’ve been instantly impressed with her ability to craft a sense of place so convincing, readers will feel they are living in the town alongside her characters. In BLOODLINE, readers travel to the town of Lilydale, Minnesota—Lourey’s own hometown—alongside the novel’s protagonist, and they uncover the horrors at its core alongside its protagonist, too. Close your eyes and picture an idyllic Midwestern town, a place with rows of picture-perfect homes, a quaint town center, neighbors who welcome newcomers with casseroles and housewarming parties… you just pictured Lilydale, the idyllic setting in which Jess Lourey unspools her terrifying new story. Lilydale and its residents will call to mind the unsettling perfection of Stepford Wives, and the secrets the town and its residents are hiding prove even darker. There’s just something irresistible about a small town with a terrible secret, and Jess Lourey’s approach to writing small-town horror is my favorite I’ve found yet.
Central to BLOODLINE is, of course, the story’s protagonist—and what a great protagonist she is. Joan Harken is exactly the kind of sympathetic figure a story like BLOODLINE demands: not every decision she makes is exactly what I would have done in her shoes, but every decision she makes cements her as a character we can root for. When our story opens, Joan is a journalist living in Minneapolis with her boyfriend. The young couple has just learned that they are expecting a baby when, in a terrible twist of fate, Joan is assaulted and robbed while walking home one day. Suddenly, Joan’s sense of security is shattered. Reeling from this attack, Joan finds herself wondering if the city really is the best place to raise a child after all. When her boyfriend raises the idea of the couple moving back to his hometown, the sleepy town of Lilydale, Joan readily agrees. After all, where could be safer for a young child to grow up than picture-perfect Lilydale? Joan only has one condition: she is determined to maintain her career as a journalist no matter where they live, and she wishes to pursue a job at the local Lilydale newspaper as they settle into their new home. At first, everything seems as idyllic in Lilydale as Joan had hoped it would be. Joan is welcomed heartily by her neighbors, who take an instant interest in Joan’s pregnancy and the wellbeing of her and her unborn child. But as the days pass, the seemingly benevolent attention of the residents of Lilydale becomes increasingly suspicious, and Joan finds herself coming up against not only the prying eyes of her neighbors, but also the archaic rules and expectations that the Lilydale residents have in place. Joan is a woman with career aspirations and a mind of her own—qualities that are undesirable in a Lilydale woman, as she quickly comes to learn, but qualities which may just save her life. As Joan navigates the increasingly restrictive expectations of her new community and quietly begins using her journalistic skills to investigate her new neighbors and a local unsolved mystery, she begins to wonder just what kind of plans her new community has for her… and for her new baby. BLOODLINE leads readers ever deeper into the dark heart of a town where conformity is king, and leading a happy Lilydale life means paying a steep price.
BLOODLINE is part psychological suspense, part flat-out horror story, and all wildly entertaining. What begins as a seemingly innocent story of a young couple moving to a small town to raise their family twists and morphs into a jaw-dropping story of all-out horror, one very much worthy of the comparisons to Rosemary’s Baby that it is receiving. Lourey lays an intricate trap for her protagonist—and for readers—in her newest novel; BLOODLINE is the kind of story that starts off innocently enough, and slowly but surely snares readers in its deadly web. Drawing from the best of the mystery, suspense, and horror genres, BLOODLINE delivers a truly unmissable reading experience. For readers who love mysteries, Lourey delivers a gripping cold case that catches Joan’s attention: the unsolved disappearance of a local boy years prior, a mystery which Joan takes it upon herself to solve, and which turns out to have even more far-reaching implications than she could have imagined. For readers who love psychological suspense, BLOODLINE’s palpable tension, wildly suspicious cast of characters, and increasingly paranoia-inducing plot will keep even the most seasoned suspense aficionado on their toes. For readers who crave touches of horror in their crime fiction, this book’s genuinely jaw-dropping finale, including the ultimate revelation of the town’s dark secrets, will more than satisfy. As Lilydale’s net closes in around Joan, readers will find it impossible to put this book down.
Jess Lourey’s small-town suspense novels have quickly become some of my favorites in this category. Lourey’s newest release, BLOODLINE, is my favorite book I’ve read of hers yet, and a truly outstanding way to kick off a new year in crime fiction. I simply loved this book, and suspect I’ll be including BLOODLINE on my list of 2021 favorites when the new year comes to an end! Readers looking for inventive, chilling small-town suspense: add BLOODLINE to your 2021 TBR as soon as possible.
I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All opinions my own.
Book Details
Publisher : Thomas & Mercer (January 1, 2021)
Language: : English
Paperback : 347 pages
ISBN-10 : 1542016312
ISBN-13 : 978-1542016315
Crime by the Book is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the book(s) included in this post.
Featured
Book Review: THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE by Carissa Orlando
Home ownership feel like a distant dream? Zillow listings have you convinced you’ll be renting for the rest of your life? The woman at the heart of Carissa Orlando’s debut The September House feels your pain—and she’s prepared to put up with a lot if it means she and her husband can finally have a place to call their own. In this case, that might just mean living in a house that’s haunted. Playful and irreverent, spine-tingling and spooky, The September House puts a fresh spin on the classic haunted house story, delivering an immersive tale about the secrets lurking within one building’s walls, and within the lives of its inhabitants.
Announcing Crime by the Box!
I am so thrilled to announce a new partnership between Crime by the Book and the amazing Murder by the Book, a crime fiction-focused independent bookstore here in Houston, TX. Starting this October, I am going to be teaming up with the bookstore to curate a book subscription service! Crime by the Box will deliver a hand-selected, newly-released hardcover mystery, thriller, or suspense novel right to your door on a monthly basis. Read on for all the details!
Cover Reveal + Sneak Peek: BLOOD SISTERS by Vanessa Lillie
I’m so honored to be able to reveal the cover for Vanessa Lillie’s buzz-worthy new mystery here on CBTB today! BLOOD SISTERS is a gripping mystery about a Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is summoned to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women…one of them her sister. The book has already been praised as “riveting” (Megan Miranda) and “bingeworthy” (Caroline Kepnes), and it’s sure to be one of fall’s must-read crime novels. BLOOD SISTERS will be published in September, but thanks to Vanessa and her publisher, we’re able to get an exclusive early glimpse into the book right here in today’s blog post! Read on to check out the book’s gorgeous cover, read a behind-the-scenes mini Q&A with Vanessa, and dip into the book’s first few pages! And make sure to preorder your copy of BLOOD SISTERS at your favorite bookstore while you’re at it. Huge thanks to Vanessa and her publisher for giving us this early sneak peek—I can’t wait to read BLOOD SISTERS this fall!
Book Review: ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS by Stacy Willingham
Stacy Willingham returns today with her sophom*ore thriller ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS, a lyrical, immersive mystery that delves into one mother’s waking nightmare—and the dangerous secrets she will uncover as she seeks the truth about the two tragedies that have defined her life. I devoured ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS over my holiday break this year, and found this to be one of those rare books that genuinely is impossible to put down. Moving between past and present, ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS delves into the darkest corners of the life of one mother as she investigates the disappearance of her son one year prior—and, in the process, confronts long-buried secrets from her own childhood. Stacy Willingham’s masterful use of dual timelines adds intrigue and atmosphere to this compelling mystery, while her immersive writing draws readers into our protagonist’s increasingly unstable state of mind. Slow-burning yet simmering with tension and suspense, ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS is hypnotic, immersive, and emotionally-impactful—the kind of mystery you’ll sink into, not coming up for air until you’ve turned the final page. Highly recommended for fans of Lisa Jewell’s THEN SHE WAS GONE and Jennifer Hillier’s LITTLE SECRETS, this is a 2023 mystery not to be missed.
CBTB's Top 10 Crime Books of 2022
I can hardly believe we’ve come to the end of 2022—and what a year it’s been! I’m pretty sure I say this every year, but 2022 has truly been another outstanding year for crime fiction readers. As I reflected on my year in books while writing this blog post, it felt nearly impossible to narrow down my picks. I genuinely think we might be in the golden age of crime writing; the books crime writers had in store for us this year were nothing short of superb. From the return of fan-favorite authors to thrilling new voices being published for the first time, the crime fiction genre was in top form in 2022—making it all the more challenging to pick just 10 books from the year to highlight here! But tough choices had to be made, and made they were. Without further ado, I’m so excited to share with you my personal picks for the Top 10 Crime Books of 2022 in today’s blog post! More than any other criteria, the key thing these books have in common is simple: they are all books I’ve continued to think about since I finished reading them. These are stories that entertained me, challenged me, thrilled me, and kept me on the edge of my seat; in this list you’ll find Gothic horror, Nordic Noir, psychological suspense, and much more; a wide array of crime fiction subgenres, but all excellent books that stood out from the pack for me in 2022.
5 Recommended Christmas Mysteries
Christmas is around the corner, and if you’re a reader who likes to theme your reads to the season, today’s blog post is for you! I honestly never used to read crime novels specifically themed to particular holidays, but last year (for I think the first time in my reading life?!) I intentionally read a couple of Christmas mysteries during the Christmas season… and I absolutely loved it. Today I wanted to round up 5 mysteries I personally love that all involve Christmas—but this blog post has a little twist! Today’s recommendations are organized by how much Christmas actually factors into the book’s plot. Ranked from Christmas level 1 - 5 (with Level 1 being Christmas in the background of the story, and Level 5 being a full-on, 100% Christmas-y plot!), this list will help you find your perfect Christmas season mystery read!
Iceland Noir 2022 Festival Journal
I can’t believe that this year’s Iceland Noir has already come and gone. If you’ve been around Crime by the Book for a little bit, you already know how much I absolutely love Iceland Noir: a crime fiction festival that takes place in Reykjavik, Iceland in November. Iceland Noir brings together crime fiction readers and writers from Scandinavia and around the world for a long weekend of crime fiction programming, including everything from author panels to spotlight interviews to special events and more. It is an incredible festival, and truly the perfect environment for us crime fiction readers: basically imagine a bunch of likeminded bookworms gathering to celebrate crime fiction in one of the most special cities in the world. Sound amazing? It really is. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to visit Iceland, or if you’re curious about attending a crime fiction festival in the future, I highly recommend adding Iceland Noir to your bucket list. I can’t say enough good things about it! In today’s blog post, I’m recapping my experience at Iceland Noir 2022, including a day-by-day recap of the festival, lots of photos, a rundown of the books I took home from the festival, and more!
Book Review: THE FAMILY GAME by Catherine Steadman
Sometimes you just need to read a really fun psychological thriller—and that’s the boat I found myself in last week. After devoting my entire October to-read list to supernatural thrillers for spooky season, I was ready to get back to my psychological suspense roots this month—and ideally, I wanted something that was a little bit more lighthearted and “popcorn-y” for a change of pace. Luckily for me, I had the perfect book for the job waiting on my to-read pile: Catherine Steadman’s brand-new release, THE FAMILY GAME. THE FAMILY GAME is a page-turning suspense story about a writer, her fiancé, and her fiancé's dark family secrets. It was my first time reading a Catherine Steadman novel, and (spoiler alert!) it won’ t be my last. If you loved the movie Ready or Not or Jessica Knoll’s psychological thriller Luckiest Girl Alive, you’ll love Catherine Steadman’s THE FAMILY GAME. Page-turning, fresh, and just the right amount of weird, THE FAMILY GAME is a perfect choice for your winter to-read list. (Bonus: if you celebrate Christmas, this book takes place in the lead-up to the holiday! Plan accordingly.)
CBTB's Most-Anticipated November 2022 Crime Fiction
I honestly can’t believe it’s already November—but I’m not complaining! I (obviously) believe that thrillers and mystery novels can (and should!) be read year-round, but there’s something undeniably perfect about cozying up with a great crime novel as the weather gets colder. This month has an amazing lineup of new crime novels in store for us, and today I’m rounding up my picks for most-anticipated new crime, mystery, and suspense novels publishing in November 2022! This month sees the return of a couple of my longtime favorite authors, plus new installments in Nordic crime series I’m loving, a chilling isolated location thriller, and more. Whether you’re hoping to keep the spooky season Halloween vibes going a little bit longer or are ready to dive into a wintry, chilling crime story, this month’s selection of new releases has you covered. A few of the books on this list I’ve already been lucky enough to read, and the rest of them are all on my personal to-read pile for the weeks ahead—but I’m excited about all of them. Read on for my picks for November most-anticipated crime fiction!
Book Review: CURSE OF THE REAPER by Brian McAuley
There’s no better time to watch a slasher movie—or read a slasher book—than October, and if your idea of perfect Halloween entertainment involves villains like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger, the book I’m recommending today is the Halloween read for you. Brian McAuley’s CURSE OF THE REAPER is a thriller tailor-made for, as his dedication so aptly puts it, the “Halloween people.” Bloody, meta, occasionally self-deprecating, and always wickedly entertaining, CURSE OF THE REAPER draws inspiration from the world of slasher films to tell a delightfully devious tale of an actor, the silver screen villain to which he devoted his entire career, and the grip that villain might just have on him in the real world. This book is all kinds of bloody fun, a perfect Halloween reading choice for anyone who has ever contemplated which Ghostface killer(s) they would be most likely to survive, attended a genre convention, or, yes, set a timer to buy tickets for Halloween Ends the moment they went on sale (guilty on all counts).
