Cover Image: Blood Games

Blood Games

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Member Reviews

This book is gritty and hard hitting. The characters are well fleshed out. It is very fast paced. The atmosphere is very claustrophobic. It is a well written crime book

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The book was archived before our group could download it. We are sure that we would have enjoyed the book judging from the reviews it has received.

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This one started a little awkwardly for me, I can’t explain why, but luckily it soon became engrossing. This book is very gritty and raw. Unlike many thrillers where you have to suspend disbelief, I can, unfortunately believe such things can and do happen.

The story is set in Bradford, England. I don’t know if it has a particularly high Asian population but many of the characters were Asian (Indian and Pakistani). DS Nikita Parekh is a mixed race police officer and has been investigating a series of machete attacks on young people. At one scene she immediately thinks the victim is her nephew Habiq and she breaks protocol by weeping and clutching at his body. It is not her nephew but she is forced to take time off and get counselling.

The machete attacks are very worrying. There is a person who refers to themselves as “the Honourable Fixer” who takes murder for hire commissions on the dark web. Nobody knows who this person is as they work though another person called the Headhunter. The Headhunter recruits disgruntled teens to do the dirty work. These teens are referred to as the Eyes (with a nod to The Handmaid’s Tale). They are keeping everyone very scared!

When another family close to Nikki receives a gruesome object through their letterbox Nikki takes it personally and, although still off duty, starts to investigate behind the scenes. It is astounding when you learn who has commissioned some of these killings. It is even more astounding when you realise who the Fixer is, although I did have an inkling by the halfway mark.

The story was written in a very menacing way, top marks to the author for scaring the pants off me! The story highlights many aspects of racial tensions and concepts of honor among immigrant families where young people struggle to straddle two very different cultures. Many thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

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DS Nikki Parekh is dealing with the death of her mother and receiving threats and harassment from her pedophile father whilst investigating when three teenagers are found murdered over as many weeks but when the latest body reminds her of her nephew, she breaks down at the crime scene and gets taken off the case.

When a friend of her nephew goes missing, she is asked unofficially to look into the disappearance. She gets dragged into the world of the violence of honor killings and believes that all the murders are linked even though they all have different MO's.

Although this is the 4th book in the series, you can read it as a stand alone as it gives just enough information about Nikki's past to understand her character.

The story line is basic and can be a bit repetitive at times but overall an okay read

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Another cracking read in the series. As usual, it's dark and gritty and not for the faint-hearted but it's also gripping and has plenty of twists and turns.

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Another great book from Liz Mistry and her Nikki Parekh series, this was well written and touched on very delicate subject matter of racism, honour killings, and the knife crime which we hear so much about with the youths of today. We pick up where Nikki is at her lowest, there are attacks and machete murders going on among the youths of Bradford and while trying to deal with her own personal issues she is also trying to hold it together to help a friend and her close colleague Saj.

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This book really did not catch my interest at all and unfortunately it’s a DNF for me.

I felt like I was making excuses not to pick it up, so I had to give up on it.

Seeing other reviews I’m sure it’s something I’ve missed, but truly it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

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Very disturbing book as it is do near the knuckle and reflects the awful reality of race hatred,interracial unrest and knife crime. Much as I wanted to stop reading, I couldn't. Very powerful writing and extremely well researched

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My first foray into the novels of Liz Mistry and it won't be my last.
Excellent, well thought out police procedural thriller which managed to carry off some gruesome and often brave plot lines beautifully.

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Unfortunately (for me) I just could not for the life of me get onto this at all. This was a new author for me so it might be down to the fact that this is the fourth book in the series.

The blurb and other reviews had me excited to give this ago, who doesn't love getting into a new series? Sadly it just wasnt for me.

The writing style I personally struggled with.. all the IG and text language just put me off in all honesty.. maybe I'm now just getting too old.

I persevered until 54% before having to give it and stop reading.

Thanks to netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

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Blood Games Liz Mistry

5 stars

Why have I just discovered this series?

Blood Games is the 4th book in this series but I had no problems reading it as a stand-alone. Obviously the characters may have been more rounded if I had had read the previous books and I am intending to do that as soon as possible. However I felt like I knew and understood the character of DS Nikita Parekh within a few chapters and that I had an adequate knowledge of her previous history.

We are told that the previous book in the series ended with her mother’s murder and that her paedophile father is harassing her from prison threatening to ‘get’ her. Nikki has had extensive counselling sessions from her flamboyant counsellor, Dr Helen Mallory and feels ready to get back to her work.

Three local teenagers, all of Asian descent, have been murdered with machetes. Nikki attends the murder scene of the third victim and mistakes him for her nephew, Habib. Overcome by grief she throws herself on the body thereby contaminating the crime scene and causing her to be suspended.

In a way this helps Nikki as she is able to investigate by using her friendship with her local community rather than as a police detective. Nikki has a supportive partner, three children and many friends amongst her community as well as a strong rapport with her detective partner DC Sajed Malik.

The story is set in Bradford and the author is a master at explaining the way a multi-cultural society deals with racism, honour killings and the social media that the killings produce. Every so often there are excerpts from social media which although graphic are very reflective of the sort of disgraceful content that can be found nowadays.

The main strength of this book, for me, is the way the author is able to draw us into the problems that can happen living in a multi-cultural city. She never tries to force any opinions upon us but is able to explain in an empathetic way the types of situations faced on a day to day basis.

The story is fast moving and involves so many different and interesting characters. I did guess the identity of the mastermind behind the killings about three quarters of the way through but that only made me more determined to discover how this person could be caught.

I read this book in a few days and absolutely loved it. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.




Karen Deborah

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A good police crime drama. Although part of a series it works well as a stand alone. We follow the main character as she tries to find her way and help a friend after being signed off work. The mental health angle is well covered and I never saw the twist at the end coming.

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Gritty, gripping and completely terrifying, you won’t get much sleep when reading Liz Mistry’s spine-chilling new thriller, Blood Games.

Detective Nikki Parekh and DC Sajid Malik have been called in to investigate the case of a body found at the edge of the Chellow Dene reservoir. Nikki and Sajid are not surprised in the slightest about their latest case; it’s the third murder in the space of a couple of weeks and although each of the murders has had a different MO, the common thread between the three cases is that the victims have all been teenagers. Who is targeting these kids? Is it a random attack? An unfortunate twist of fate? Or is there something far more troubling going on than meets the eye?

This investigation is hitting far too close to home for Nikki. The latest victim was a young boy who reminds her of her nephew and with each passing day, Nikki feels helpless and powerless. Will she be able to find the killer before another life is lost? With everything seeming hopeless, Nikki cannot help but feel discouraged – until a young boy goes missing and his parents receive a threatening package. Is the killer playing games to throw them off the scent? Is this changing pattern a devious ploy by a crazed murderer intent on maximum destruction? Or is this the work of somebody else?

With the pressure piling on, Nikki will be tested like never before. Can she catch the killer before more bodies are found? Or has Nikki finally met her match?

Liz Mistry’s Blood Games scared the living daylights out of me! This fabulous writer of crime fiction knows how to amp up the tension, ratchet up the menace and have readers jumping out of their skin whilst keeping them in the palm of her hand and desperately turning the pages.

A crime thriller you will want to read in a single sitting, Blood Games sees the redoubtable Nikki Parekh being challenged like never before and yet despite all the odds tripping her up, she maintains a cool head in order to solve this case with skill, ingenuity and perceptiveness.

Dark, creepy and gruesome, Liz Mistry’s Blood Games is a top-notch crime thriller I couldn’t read fast enough.

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This is my first book from this author even though this book is part of a series. Even though it does not detract from the enjoyment of the book, I will now order the previous books in the series and read it properly in order as the main character development is really worth it. Indeed, the main character DI Nikki Parekh is a really interesting strong protagonist and I want to know more about her and the circumstances of her breakdown.

I am delighted I got the opportunity to discover that author and will now be avidly following her books.
I am a sucker for British police procedurals and this series does not disappoint!

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I loved this book! I didn't actually realise until I was part way through that it is actually part of a series, however don't worry you don't need to have read the others first (I am however going to go back and read them). A brilliantly written book with an emotive storyline that was portrayed brilliantly with different themes blending throughout the book, It kept you guessing and it's also left me wanting more - I can't wait to read the next instalment.

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This is the 4th book in the series, I haven't read the first 3 but I still really enjoyed this. I think reading them in order would be better, just to get a better understanding of the background of the characters. But it isn't essential.
It is about machete murders that start happening in the Bradford area and there are no leads or connections to the murders that they can see, the story is complex and keeps you guessing about what is actually happening.
It was thoroughly enjoyable and I would definitely read more from the series.

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Would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery that keeps you guessing till the end.

Thank you to Liz Mistry, NetGalley and HQ for the arc of this book.

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This is the first book that I have read by Liz Mistry, and I will be going back to read her other books.

Great story telling and a page turner with the events going on and wanting to know who did it.

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My first book, that I have read by this author, absolutely brilliant! Highly recommended, and I will definitely read others written by this author!

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Nikki is a detective. Unfortunately for her she has a very public breakdown. Unable to assist in the investigation into the recent machete killings she is at least able to help her partner with advice whilst she watched from the sidelines. It all becomes very personal involving her family. Luckily with the support of a therapist she is able to return to work, to try to solve the murders.
A book I found hard to get into but it sped up as it progressed.

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