***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer!***

In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that I did not read the entire book. I read to 150 pages and I just couldn’t stomach it anymore. Reading it was painful and I just couldn’t do it. And since I am about 98% sure I know how it’s going to end, there really wasn’t much to keep me reading any further.

This book is just not good. It’s not a good character story nor is it a good police procedural. I am not an expert in the law or police procedure, by any means, however I have read enough books and watched enough Law & Order that I know how these types of books should work. I have a basic understanding of the law and how it works and this was not even close to being accurate. This case would get thrown into the nearest paper shredder and the detectives would be berated in open court to handle a case this way.

Also, consider this your ***SPOILER WARNING***

Three prime examples that the author has zero idea how the police actually function:

- The detectives go to the office of a suspect and state that they need to speak with said suspect, the fill-in receptionist advises that the suspect is not there but her office is that way so feel free to wait. Apparently this is a good enough cause for the detectives to search the suspect’s office. They do not have a warrant. They have not obtained permission unless you count the receptionist and yet they snoop through everything and decide to obtain a warrant for the suspect’s home once they find something. That is called an unlawful search and any evidence obtained in said search is automatically inadmissible in court, except in this book.

• - They go search the suspect’s home and find her boyfriend there, they do not escort the boyfriend outside or to a specific place while they conduct the search. He just follows them around from room to room, offering an opinion on what they find and being asked leading questions about their investigation. Apparently in this book a search warrant also means that you get to search anything in the home and seize anything you feel like. That isn’t how search warrants work. Typically search warrants indicate exactly what sort of evidence you believe that you will find or that you believe is relevant to the investigation. For example, a murder weapon, belongings of the victim, etc. You don’t just get to snoop and seize things on a whim because they might pertain to your investigation. Also, one of the uniform police officers is asked to crack open a safe. Which he does, in just a few minutes. Is safe cracking a typical skill for a beat cop?
• - When they find the suspect they are unconscious from blood loss. The suspect is taken to the hospital for treatment after being placed under arrest. The detectives then literally have a conversation of “Do you think we have to Mirandize her again? I don’t think it counts if they’re unconscious.” No, it doesn’t count. But apparently this is also a book that a suspect is taken into custody after suffering a gunshot wound that has left them unconscious from blood loss and they are expected in court the next day to be arraigned.

Also, on to another rant. This felt like a social justice rant. Every other page you have the African American detective making some observation about how awful things are for minorities in New York City and how wonderful white people have things. For example, “That’s assuming that the DA will arraign a wealthy white woman for possession of an illegal firearm, which isn’t likely.” Spare me. In case Ms. Davidson hadn’t noticed, she is white. And lecturing the reader about racial injustice. Personally, I am so white that I practically glow in the dark so I understand that I have very little perception of what minorities in this country experience on a day to day basis. I found it condescending for a white woman to be lecturing about the plight of another race. A plight that she does not understand.

Finally, this story is predictable. I knew how this was going to go by page fifty. All it took was one line (not a direct quote, I can’t be bothered to find it again), “If I had to pinpoint my blackmailer I would have said Lori in a second, but Lori had been dead for eighteen months.” Well there you have it folks. Two possibilities. Either Lori is not really dead and exacting revenge for some past slight. Or Lori is actually dead and someone close to her is exacting revenge for some past slight. I really don’t need to slog through 300 more painfully bad pages to find out that the ending is exactly what I think it is.

"I only know what the newspapers said. But I also know that blood always tells. Your mother was a murderer. You're capable of killing a man just like she did."

I am a big fan of Hilary Davidson's Lily Moore mystery series so when I heard that she had a stand-alone novel out I knew that I had to read it. Blood Always Tells had everything that I love about the Lily Moore mystery series, interesting characters, rich plots that hook you in, and great twists and turns that leave you guessing throughout. I kept thinking that I had things all figured out but really I had no idea.

This book is split up in three parts, one that follows Dominique (a model turned stylist who just wants to get revenge on her married ex-boyfriend), one that follows Desmond (Dominique's brother), and the other one I won't say who it follows as I don't want to give any spoilers.

I really loved reading about Dominique and Desmond. They both have dealt with some hardships in their past and I was really interested in reading about what had happened with their mother and father. In the beginning you always sense there is more to the story about their parents that you are first told. Quite frankly you get that feeling all the time while reading this book, there is always more to the story.

With Hilary Davidson's novels there always so many twists and turns that I am left on the edge of my seat constantly trying to guess at what really happened. That is one thing that I really love about this book and her other novels, it isn't easy to guess what happened everything is really messy.

I have one tiny bone to pick with this novel. Desmond mentions that he lives in Hammond, Indiana but he calls it "the Chicago suburb of Hammond, Indiana." I live in the suburbs of Chicago and I do not consider Hammond, Indiana to be a Chicago suburb. It is northwest Indiana to me and not the Chicago suburbs. I guess it probably differs depending on who you ask but it really irks me when people lump northwest Indiana into the suburbs of Chicago. Clearly this is an issue that I get irrationally annoyed at.

As with all of Hilary Davidson's novels I would recommend this if you are looking for a mystery with some great twists and turns.

I've just finished Part One of this book, which in from Dominique's point-of-view, and I really enjoyed it. I didn't think that it was too hard to figure out who was behind the events that were taking place but the mystery was why. I still have my doubts that the person who says that they are behind what is happening is really in control. I am looking forward to reading more of this book.

Today in the middle of my errands I went to the library and pick up the latest book from Hilary Davidson, Blood Always Tells. I really love her Lily Moore Mystery series so I am really excited to read her first stand-alone book. Hilary Davidson always manages to create such intriguing characters and fills her books with great suspense. I just can't wait to dive into this book.