Horror Review: Blood Secrets by Craig Jones

4.5 stars

I was gifted a copy of the unabridged audiobook version of Blood Secrets from Valancourt with no expectation of a review. I’m doing one anyway because that’s what I do. Thanks Valancourt!

When things begin, Irene is currently on trial for murder. The story immediately shifts back to a time when Irene was a college student without a worry in the world. She was beautiful, thrived on attention and had her pick of sporty guys. When a new guy arrives on the scene, one decidedly not her type (he has skinny legs and dresses funny), who treats her with indifference, she decides she must learn more about him and insinuates her way into his life.

The rest of the story is a big delicious simmering stew of super nasty little secrets and I loved it because I might be a little nosy.

Blood Secrets is more of a dark family saga than a straight up horror novel but there is evil here, for certain, and I felt pretty damned uneasy through all of it. It twisted and turned me all around and I could not stop listening. I love nothing more than a book that surprises me, has great characterization and dishes out its secrets in small steady doses. This one does all of that.

My only caveat has to do with the narration. The narrator was a bit stilted and way too sing-songy in her delivery. I kept hoping she’d ease into the reading and work out the kinks but it didn’t really happen. Her reading style also felt very old-fashioned to me. I don’t know if this was done deliberately because the book was originally written sometime in the ‘70’s but it didn’t really work for me. Still, the strength of the book kept me and held me until the very end and I can easily recommend it.

If this is you your cat:

Than is this ever the book for you!


View all my reviews