A really interesting, unusual, and gripping storyline, together with a very quirky set of characters make this a great read!

I love the Aector McAvoy series and also enjoyed The Mausoleum, so was keen to read another book by David Mark. I have to confess, however, that I struggled with this one. It's a really odd reason that I found it a difficult read and I'm sure it may 'just be me'.

The book centres around the disappearance of the friend of 10-year-old Hilda - Hilda wants someone to help find her friend and her first port of call is her Mum, who runs the Jolly Bonnet, a sort of theme-pub in Whitechapel and is the meeting place for Molly's friends. 

The book has a real gothic feel and a quirky Victorian atmosphere. The problem I had was that all of a sudden the characters would be jumping into a car and racing off somewhere and I had to remind myself it was set in the present day and not in the days of Jack the Ripper. I know - my problem. 

It has a very dark and sinister plot with a real touch of gothic horror contrasting with a modern day setting and a very modern set of strong female characters. 

Despite all of this the quirkiness was a bit too much and too distracting for me.

This book is so different to the Aector MacAvoy detective series that I had to check it was by the same author. From the outset the book is very dark, the pub it's mainly situated in is dark and macabre and that dark feeling runs throughout the book. The main characters are Hilda a 10 year old, her mother Molly, and Lottie a friend who is a pathologist. The plot centres round Hilda and the disappearance of her Lithuanian friend, Meda.
I found this a hard book to get into and it seemed to jump a lot from one character to another, which I felt meant it lost some continuity. I also didn't feel the characters were people I could relate to, so maybe that's why although there were parts that I thought were good, I didn't really enjoy it.

This horror thriller was quirky, macabre, and at times... morbid. The characters were eccentric in both appearance, manner, habits, and at times thought.

Told from several points of view, this is a crime novel steeped in history, yet with a modern subject overlying it. A problem specific to the multicultural segment of a lot of large cities, in particular, London - namely the abduction of young immigrant girls. The disappearance of 'expendable' people.

The setting, Whitechapel, London was very atmospheric and perfect for a novel such as this one. It has a long, dark, and rich history, for it is the location of the infamous Jack the Ripper's crimes. The pub in the novel, "The Jolly Bonnet" is a treasure trove, with morbid memorabilia and medical curiosities displayed throughout. The wardrobe of the pub staff puts the reader in mind of a steampunk type story.

I learned a lot about the history of blood transfusions while reading this book. Maybe even more than I wanted to. LOL I was also introduced to the legacy of Jean Denys.

The writing was accomplished and absorbing, though I must warn potential readers that this is a story that is not for the squeamish or faint of heart.

I've read some of David Mark's crime fiction and absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed it. This novel, as with the last novel of his I read "The Mausoleum" are more in the vein of horror thrillers than crime as such. Although I prefer his crime novels, I did enjoy "A Rush of Blood", but would probably not read any more of his work in this genre. I can heartily recommend his Aector McAvoy crime series.

Anyone who enjoys a crime novel showcasing the very depths of madness, with quirky, unconventional detectives will appreciate this novel. But beware it is both gruesome and tragic.

3.5 stars rounded up

A Rush of Blood is a standalone horror thriller by David Mark. Released 7th Jan 2020 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats. The ebook format includes an interactive table of contents with chapter headings. I've become very fond of interactive ebooks lately.

This is an extremely creepy horror-tinged thriller. I've seen everyone calling it atmospheric, and I think that's apt. Although it's set in modern day Whitechapel, the prose calls up foggy London of more than a century ago. There's a sense of creeping dread throughout and several places in the book where I got literal chills, almost a visceral reaction. The author uses alternating PoVs to great effect and the parallel narratives intertwine to an -exceedingly- creepy denouement which felt inevitable in retrospect. It's less of a 'whodunit' (the reader knows fairly early on) and more investigative crime thriller.

I will say that it took me a few chapters before I caught on to what was actually happening, and the author is very talented at holding back information which would tip the book definitively over into the supernatural horror genre. The writing is spare and beautifully descriptive. I loved Lottie (the youtube pathologist sensation), Hilda (10 year old wunderkind), and her mum Molly (former police officer and current pub manager in the Whitechapel area where Jack the Ripper plied his gruesome trade over 100 years previously).

I'm generally not a horror fan but this one is so expertly written that it was impossible to resist. This is a talented author at the absolute top of his game.

Five stars.

David Mark assembles an eccentric bunch of characters for his latest standalone book outside of his DS Aector McAvoy series (which isn't exactly conventional in its characterisation either). Actually A Rush of Blood is populated almost exclusively with characters who are not just eccentric, but rather all of them have to one degree or another an element that leans towards downright weird or disturbing. East End Londoners evidently, and Mark puts them all to good use in the cause of a suitably dark tale on streets once stalked by Jack the Ripper.

Most of this bunch congregate around the Jolly Bonnet, a gin bar in the East End that is also a kind of museum of historical medical curiosities (and I'm not just speaking to the clientele). There's the proprietor Molly Shackleton, an ex-police officer who fantasises about being a Victorian prostitute stalked by Jack the Ripper. Her 11 year old daughter Hilda is relatively normal, but she's afraid that something terrible has happened to Mesa, her Lithuanian friend from dance class. In the Jolly Bonnet you'll also find Dr Lottie, a friend of the family as well as a client, she's a renowned pathologist who is also something of a YouTube celebrity making death sexy for those morbidly obsessed with the paraphernalia of death. The bar inevitably also attracts all manner of collectors and enthusiasts of the bizarre.

Then there's Mr Farkas, a book collector, a doctor and academic with an interest in collecting historical medical equipment and paraphernalia. He's also a schizophrenic who suffers from hallucinations and has substituted his medication for laudanum. Farkas has come into possession of an interesting tome written in 1665 by Jean Denys revealing the secrets of soul transference through blood transfusion. It's a subject of particular interest to Farkas, who subscribes to the belief that certain types of blood from youths, animals, even those who have died a sudden violent death can have properties to enhance human capacity and extend life. Farkas is clearly of a mind to test those theories for himself.

A Rush of Blood gives David Mark the opportunity to indulge in the macabre in a way that perhaps might not sit so well in his brilliant DS McAvoy series, but there are certainly commonalities. The last time we came up against a bunch of Russian gangsters in a DS McAvoy novel for example (Scorched Earth) things got extremely violent. Given the title, the additional element of horror and the involvement of Lithuanian gangs who have their own ideas about how justice is served, you can count on things turning dark and bloody in A Rush of Blood, but the most essential feature that is common here is the brilliance of Mark's writing which is just as rich and colourful as his characters.

This is consequently as thoroughly dark and entertaining as the best of David Mark's writing with the additional quality that he understands what makes people tick, and in many ways (as with the last DS McAvoy book, the eighth, Cold Bones) what is often most important to them is blood, as in family. Located further south than usual, A Rush of Blood is also about London and Londoners, contrasting the old East London streets once menaced by Jack the Ripper and the Krays with the new London which has a very different kind of society and cultural identity, but which in many ways is just as violent and holds other dark secrets.

It's no safer now for women in the East End than it was when Jack the Ripper was out. This time, though, it seems that small Ukrainian girls are the ones going missing. Hilda, a precocious 10 year old, persuades her mom Molly, a former police officer now running a pub, and Lottie, a pathologist with a huge social media following to help her find Meda, her friend who has disappeared. This is a terrific trio (there's some wonderful interplay) but they have no idea when they start what they're going to find. What's the deal with Mr. Farkas? If you think his chapters are creepy, well, yes, they are. No spoilers! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a well constructed thriller with good characters and wonderful atmospherics.

The author is mainly known for his Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy police procedurals set in Hull, Yorkshire. He has had nine nooks published in this series This book is a stand alone, this is the third along with ( The Zealot's bones and The Mausoleum).
Molly originally from Scunthorpe and an ex Police detective, now runs a Victorian Jack the Ripper theme pub in the East end of London. She has a ten year old daughter Hilda. The pub is home to several eccentrics including Molly's best friend Lottie, who is a Pathologist as well as a vlogger.
Hilda is friendly with a girl of similar age and build, a Lithuanian named Meda. When Meda goes missing and her family seem to be hiding something, Hilda persuades Molly to investigate. They are soon out of their depth, they learn from a family friend called Karol that other young girls have gone missing, some return others don't!
The shadow of the Ripper seems to follow the pair, along with a long dead blood transfusionist Jean Denys.
Soon Molly, Hilda and Lottie will regret trying to find out what happened to Meda.
Very atmospheric, keeps the suspense going and keeps you reading between your fingers! Recommended. Makes a diversion from the author's usual stories. I will post a review on Amazon.

I was intrigued after reading Sandy's review of this book and wasn't disappointed.

Set in the Whitechapel area of London, that seems perpetually dark with heavy rain and shadows, 10-year-old Hilda lives with her Mum, Molly, and spends much of her time in the bar where she works that is crammed full of macabre antique medical equipment. The atmosphere is perfect for the horror that unfolds.

Hilda's friend, Meda goes missing and her families reluctance to involve the police prompts Hilda and Molly to investigate her disappearance themselves along with Molly's friend, the pathologist Lottie, who has a sideline in presenting a Youtube channel about the macabre. This puts all three in danger as they race to find out what has happened to Meda, and realise that she is not the first girl to go missing. David Mark balances a tightrope between the supernatural and reality, and this creates a deliciously creepy story that develops at a tension-building pace. There are violent Eastern European gang members, a strange and solitary academic called Mr Farkas and some genuinely disturbing plot twists. What holds the story together though, is the bond between Molly, Lottie and Hilda, and it would be a delight o hear more from them in future books.

Perfect for damp, dark nights, this book had the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention and I would like to thank Net Galley and the publishers for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

When 10 year old Hilda’s friend Meda doesn’t turn up at their weekly dance class, Hilda gets a really bad feeling about it, so she pesters her mum Molly to contact Meda’s family to see if she’s ill.

Molly is an ex police officer, and she immediately suspects that Meda’s Eastern European family are trying to throw her off the trail - something’s not right, and someone is definitely telling lies. Pathologist and part time vlogger Lottie, a good friend of Molly’s, makes up this trio of very strong female protagonists in A Rush of Blood, but they have no idea what a disturbing and terrifying world they are about to enter!


Being set in the Whitechapel area in the East End of London, (notorious as a haunt of Jack the Ripper), means that the storyline already has a creepy feel to it, and the macabre going’s on only add to that. Molly is a larger than life character, while Lottie comes across as rather strange with her obsession about death and anything relating to it. Hilda is very grown up for a 10 year old, but then I guess somebody has to be, because her mum and Lottie are somewhat lacking in that department!

A really interesting, unusual, and gripping storyline, together with a very quirky set of characters make this a terrific read!

‘In my country, they call me the Angel of Vengeance.’

London’s East End is the setting for this unusual novel. Part psychological thriller, part gothic horror, it defies easy categorisation. Pick it up, meet the characters, wonder how (and when) it will end.

Ten-year-old Hilda is worried when her Lithuanian friend Meda doesn’t turn up to dance call one evening. Granted, Meda isn’t much of a dancer, but she’s always there. Hilda is convinced that something bad must have happened. Hilda asks her mother Molly for help. Molly runs the Jolly Bonnet, a pub with links to the Whitechapel murders of the late 19th century. A pub which, as a consequence, attracts an eccentric clientele. Including Lottie. Lottie works as a pathologist by day, and as a vlogger (the Queen of the Coffin Club) by night.

Hilda is concerned. Despite Meda’s family’s reassurances. Molly and Lottie investigate, and make some very unsettling discoveries. First, Meda is not the only young girl to go missing. While Meda’s family assume that she has been kidnapped for ransom, and will be returned, Molly is unconvinced. But, as Molly will find out, investigation is dangerous, even when there is a potential lover involved.

This is the second David Marks novel I have read, and while it is quite different from ‘The Mausoleum’, it is every bit as engaging. Most of the story is told by Molly and Hilda, but the strange Mr Farkas and Lottie will also provide some of the narrative.

And the ending? I’m not likely to forget it in a hurry.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This was quite a departure from what I expected of this author. He's known for his crime fiction, but A RUSH OF BLOOD is dark and based in horror. He has taken the creep factor to new heights.

The setting is a historic neighborhood with links to the Whitechapel murders of centuries before.

Hilda is a 10-year-old girl who is worried about her new friend, Meda. It seems that Meda has disappeared and no one is talking ... not even her own family. When she goes to her mother for help, her mother discovers that Meda is not the first ... or only .. young girl to disappear without a trace.

The investigation immediately attracts unwelcome attention.

It took me a little while to get into the story, but once caught, I was hooked and couldn't put it down. The characters are unique, the plot is complex but well written, and the ending came as a shocking surprise.

Many thanks to the author / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of this atmospheric drama/horror. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I really enjoyed The Mausoleum when I read it earlier this year so I was quite excited to see what this author had in store this time. And I wasn't disappointed. As with his previous stand alone (he has a series which I haven't read yet) it is all things spooky and eerie and quite clever in its execution.
We start with Hilda and hear about her dance classes with her friend Meda. One day though, Meda fails to turn up and no one knows why. Hilda is worried so persuades her mum Molly to stop by her house on the way home. What they learn from that visit confuses and scares them and so Molly, well versed in intrigue as she runs The Jolly Bonnet, a pub with links to the Whitechapel Ripper murders, decides to try and figure things out. Meanwhile, we hear from another character and, well, what he describes is best left for you to discover as the author intends. Suffice to say, I know an awful lot about blood and experimental transfusion than I ever thought possible. Heavy stuff some of it!
Anyway, Molly enlists her pathologist/vlogger friend Lottie to help but it soon transpires that their investigations are not wanted and could get them into more trouble as it appears that Meda is not the only girl to go missing...
To say that there is an eclectic cast of characters in this book would be a gross understatement. It's chock full of larger than life characters, most of whom patronise the Ripper themed pub run by Molly, herself an ex-cop! But, despite some being a bit larger than life, they never overshadow what is going on in the main narrative. Instead they add colour and their own intrigue into the mix.
The overall spooky theme is enhanced by some macabre goings on, some of which are a bit on the icky side! Indeed, there is quite a bit happening without the main plot but it never distracts from the main theme of the disappearance of Meda as it all intertwines around and about what is happening, so cleverly it is plotted.
A lot of the action happens after dark which only adds to the overall dark and often claustrophobic theme of the book, aided well by the setting itself. In fact, so well was the past injected into the present, I was actually transported back in time to when the Ripper was on the hunt for his victims!
And the ending when it came was perfect! Disturbing but wholly satisfying. The only bad thing was having to leave the characters behind as I turned the final page. I do hope that this does not remain a stand alone and that the author revisits the characters he has created within this book. I feel that they have more to say and definitely more to give. Meanwhile I'm definitely going to check out the author's series.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

David Mark is expanding the range of his fiction writing after making his name with the excellent Detective Aector McAvoy series. After reading this, I can only applaud his efforts to break free of the strictures and stranglehold of the crime fiction genre. Here he gives us a dark, edgy, spooky, and creepy horror with supernatural edges as he takes us into the dark, rain drenched London's East End. Whitechapel to be specific, the neighbourhood regarded as the home of Jack the Ripper, a history never forgotten, still the focus of an army of obsessives, with its lucrative tourist trade. It is hard to distinguish the past from the present as a new horror and terror lurks in the East End, which the recent Eastern European immigrants, the Lithuanian community have made their home, a closed community that distrusts the police, dealing with their issues in their own way. 10 year old Hilda has befriended the clumsy Lithuanian schoolgirl, Meda, after meeting her at a local dance class, so when Meda disappears, a worried Hilda draws in her mother, Molly, to find her. An act Hilda is to rue often as events slip out of their control.

Feisty Molly is a larger than life character, an ex-police officer, who now runs a Ripper themed pub, the Jolly Bonnet, with its collection of the strange, bizarre, and the gruesome, the home of a small circle of offbeat regulars and the likes of the Ripperettes. Molly dresses up as a period madam, with a fiercely close if unconventional relationship with her beloved Hilda, she has a strong sense of justice and hatred of bullying. Molly's best friend is the renowned pathologist, Lottie, with a sideline as a vlogger and blogger, with her website for those interested in death and the macabre. Lottie vamps it up with a sexy glamour for her huge number of followers, affectionately known as the Coffin Club. As far as Hilda is concerned, Lottie is the coolest, and it is Lottie that uncovers the fact that vulnerable immigrant girls have been going missing, and turning up dead. Living close by is elderly academic Mr Farkas, a griefstricken collector, his mind shot to pieces, living in decay, corruption, obsessed with Jean Denys and his historical medical research.

Mark writes a tense and gripping horror that drips with atmosphere where the past and the present are so intertwined that they are difficult to separate. In this story of vulnerable families of Lithuanians, Mark tells the old oft repeated history of migrant communities with girls seen as easy and disposable prey, but here, the Lithuanians are prepared to fight back in the form of the Angel of Vengeance. The heart of the novel is the affection and love that bind Molly, Lottie and Hilda, an odd but vibrant and charismatic trio. This is dark, scary and unsettling fiction, with a disturbing ending, but never less than compulsive reading infused with strands of the darkest of humour. Whilst I hope David Mark continues to experiment, I do hope he returns to Hilda, Molly and Lottie in the future. Brilliant read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to Severn House for an ARC.

I’m rather a fan off David Mark’s writing. The Zealot’s Bones was a stand-out book of 2017, that did not get the recognition it deserved. The Mausoleum, another stand-alone novel, was a beautifully conceived and well executed historical tale full of exceptionally well-drawn characters, with a tense and claustrophobic setting.

What Mark does really well is inject full on atmosphere into whatever he writes and in A Rush of Blood, he returns to more of a gothic horror theme.

This time it is a contemporary story, but with echoes of the days of Jack the Ripper. We are in the East End of London and ex-cop Molly runs a Jack the Ripper themed pub, the Jolly Bonnet, in Whitechapel. Molly’s best friend is Lottie, a pathologist who is also a vlogger, maintaining a somewhat macabre vlog called The Coffin Club on the quirkier aspects of death and the paraphernalia of death, which has a huge following. Lottie dresses with all the flair and flamboyance of a bright blue haired steampunk. Molly has a 10 year old daughter, Hilda who lives with her, but who can also be found hanging out in the pub with Lottie, whom she finds fascinating.

Hilda attends a dancing class and her friend there is a similarly aged Lithuanian girl named Meda. One day, Meda simply fails to show up and after Hilda badgers her mother into going to Meda’s home to find out what’s wrong, the pair realise that they are in the midst of something rather more serious that they could have suspected.

Meda’s family have wrongly assumed that she is the subject of kidnap for ransom, a practice that is seemingly not uncommon to these Eastern Europeans. They think that setting some home-grown heavies on the kidnappers will get Meda back safe and sound and do not need well-meaning people like Molly sticking their noses in.

Unfortunately, what Molly and Hilda have stumbled on is altogether more sinister and far creepier.

Hilda and Molly are our narrators, with additional interventions from Lottie and a strange and deeply creepy character, Mr Farkas, adding their voices.

Mr. Farkas was once a noted academic, now he, like Lottie, is a collector of death artefacts. He lives in a dilapidated three story house in Spitalfields. It does not take long before the reader realises that sanity and Mr Farkas have only a nodding acquaintance…

David Mark has an interesting mind and a very different way of looking at crime which appeals to my love of all things dark and horror filled. Here he plays with gothic themes and gives them a contemporary slant, all the way transporting the reader into a world we never wanted to inhabit. This is not a whodunit, rather it is a portrait of cruelty and madness leavened by loving relationships and some fearsomely good straight talking.

Mark’s characters are glorious; Lottie in particular, and his crimes are tainted with the macabre and the obscene, in the sense that they are outside the realm of human decency. He manages to paint detailed portraits and tinge them with sepia, all the while ensuring that we know who the warm blooded lovers of life and laughter are.

Verdict: A dark, horror imbued read with some sexy and warm, life affirming moments to pierce the darkness. Recommended.

A Rush of Blood is a superb atmospheric thriller by David Mark. Great characters and plot will keep you engrossed.

Man, talk about great timing. If you’re looking for something to get you in the mood for Hallowe’en, look no further.

David Mark is best known for the wonderful Aector McAvoy series but stepped away last year to give us The Mausoleum. He continues his sabbatical here with this spooky stand alone, a moody thriller with one toe firmly planted in horror.

Molly is the manager of the Jolly Bonnet, a pub in the Whitechapel area of London. Sound familiar?Yup, otherwise known as the old stomping grounds of Jack the Ripper. Jack may not be around anymore but his presence is palpable as groups of avid tourists are led around the neighbourhood by tour guides in Victorian costumes. And the Jolly Bonnet does its part. Molly regularly dresses as a steampunk madam & the bar is crammed with Victoriana, grisly antique medical equipment & icky things in jars.

For a single mom, it’s an unconventional but necessary way to raise her daughter. Hilda is a precocious 10 year old who spends her evenings in the pub. She has grown up around the odd group of regulars who frequent the place including Lottie, her mom’s best friend.

Lottie is…um…an original. By day she’s your average mild mannered pathologist (albeit with purple hair). By night, she’s the sexy host of a popular YouTube channel who chats about all things macabre. Old surgical techniques, weird looking body parts (more icky things in jars) & bizarre death rituals….nothing is too freaky for her “Coffin Club” audience.

In alternate chapters we meet the elderly Mr. Farkas. Once an esteemed academic, he now rattles around his big house in Spitalfields, the area many Ripperologists believe Jack called home. From the get-go, it’s obvious Mr. Farkas has a loose grip on reality. But be prepared….pretty soon we have horrifying evidence that he parted company with his sanity a loooong time ago.

It all kicks off when Hilda’s friend Meda goes missing. She’s part of an insular Lithuanian community that avoids contact with outsiders. So when Hilda & Molly turn up looking for Meda, they’re hardly welcomed with open arms. In fact they’re greeted with thinly veiled threats. It’s a situation that soon escalates despite the intervention of a mysterious man named Karol.

Time for me to zip it. You’re on your own from here on in. This is a dark, atmospheric read with a disturbing theme of just how far some will go to hold on to family. The story has faint supernatural undertones & only gets creepier & more violent as we begin to grasp what is actually happening. Even then, I was not prepared for one of the final twists.

Authors take a huge risk when they step away from popular series to deliver something completely different. And it can be hard for fans to go in without preconceptions. I recently had a similar experience with Adrian McKinty’s latest book. But a good writer is a good writer no matter the genre & what hasn’t changed is Mark’s ability to tell a story that keeps your butt planted. I think this is part of a journey he began with The Mausoleum & he’s now fully embracing his dark side. So my advice is grab a seat in a well lit spot. Oh, and avoid quills. (Don’t ask.)

David Mark is best known for his DS McAvoy series of police novels, but he has also branched out over recent books and produced a couple of really good stand-alone novels. The Mausoleum from earlier this year (see my review from 8 April 2019), was an intriguing and unusual novel that gradually hooked you in with some strong characterisations and a well-structured plot. It remains one of my favourites of the year.
Now with A Rush Of Blood he again heads off in another new direction. Set in London’s East End it is an unusual novel with a quirky cast of characters. Ten-year-old Hilda is concerned when her friend from dancing, the quiet uncoordinated Meda, goes missing. She pesters her mother, Molly, to do something about it and when they visit Meda’s home, they set off a chain reaction of violence. Meda’s Eastern European family assume that she has been kidnapped for money and will be returned, but Molly is not convinced and becomes caught up in something very nasty.
The story is told in alternating sections through the eyes of Hilda and Molly, with the occasional input by the creepy Mr Farkas and Molly’s friend Lottie. Molly runs a Jack the Ripper themed pub, which also hosts a collection of old medical instruments, and Lottie is one of the regulars there. By day Lottie is a respected pathologist, but at night she becomes a flamboyantly dressed vlogger who hosts a show about weird death related trivia and old medical practices. Lottie is an amusing and complex character who steals the show whenever she is on the page.
Most of the story is narrated by Hilda who is looking back on events. She is a very engaging 10-year-old, but her voice seems a little too knowing and sophisticated for a young child. Molly is more convincing, and it is easy to sympathise with her as a fragile mother who is trying to do the best for her daughter in difficult circumstances.
The story takes a little while to set up, but once underway it moves at a good pace. Hilda’s easy flowing telling gives momentum to the story and Lottie’s amusing asides help to lighten the darkish tones. The introduction of a mysterious stranger, and potential love interest for Molly, adds some excitement and spice to the story.
The characters and the atmospheric East End settings elevate A Rush Of Blood above the pack, and the story has enough wriggles to it to keep it interesting. The ending, while not unexpected, is quite dark and gripping and will stay in your mind.
In all, A Rush Of Blood is an off-beat and enjoyable crime story that provides some nice relief from the formulaic police tales that dominate much of British crime writing.

David Mark gives us a stand alone novel with his current book. It is a horror story and if you like the genre a good one. The book takes place in England in modern times but with a haunting attachment to the murders by Jack the Ripper in the 1860s. The novel begins with 10 year old Hilda beginning to worry about her friend Meda who hasn't shown up for their dance class. Hilda tells her mother about her worries but with the result that Meda's family doesn't appear to be overly concerned about their daughter's whereabouts.
Hilda's mother, Molly, runs the Jolly Bonnet a pub with links to the Whitechapel murders of a hundred years before. The scene is set populated by characters reminiscent of a bloody past and an overriding interest by leading personnel in blood: it's transfusion, discoveries of it's nature down through the centuries and it's twisted use by the villain of the piece.
The individual committing crimes including the kidnapping of Meda is introduced at the beginning of the novel. This is done undoubtedly to paint a complete picture of the person, what has twisted him and made a homicidal maniac out of him. For those not adverse to reading a novel steeped in horror "A Rush of Blood" will be a rewarding experience with definite plans to read additional books by Mr Mark.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House for an advance copy of A Rush of Blood, a stand alone set in the East End of London.

When 10 year old Hilda’s friend from dancing, Meta, disappears Hilda pesters her mum, Molly to do something. What Molly, Hilda and friend Lottie end up doing puts them all in danger.

A Rush of Blood is an unusual novel and well outside my comfort zone. I enjoyed it but it didn’t hold my attention as a gripping read. The plot is relatively simple in that the reader knows who the perpetrator is almost from the start. It therefore hinges on how the characters interact and how they resolve his actions. Much of the enjoyment in the novel comes from Hilda’s narrative where she looks back on events, just as well as her voice is far too knowing and mature for a 10 year old. She has a warm and inviting tone which encourages the reader to participate and a much needed sense of proportion, given that the novel seems almost cartoonish in its setting and characters. Molly is the manager of a pub themed around Jack the Ripper and filled with old medical instruments. Her friend Lottie is a pathologist with a sideline in vlogging where she discusses outlandish death related trivia and facts (most of it interesting and amusing). The perpetrator, who has similar interests, is a study in madness. It is well done but it is not an original plot line so I had a good idea of what he was up to fairly early on and the only unknowns were in the detail. I’m not particularly interested in this approach as it means I don’t get as invested in the read, trying to guess who has done what.

I am finding this a difficult novel to review, not least because it is a heartwarming story despite the subject matter and the background of violence and death. The warmth lies in the love and friendship between Hilda, Molly and Lottie and their crazy antics. I think the best thing to do is read it for yourself and make up your own mind. Personally I recommend it as a good read.