Blood of the Rose

I would like to thank Netgalley and Urbane Publications for a review copy of Blood Of The Rose which is an accomplished police procedural set in London in 1986. Police are baffled when Hugh Chapman, a newspaper editor, is shot dead by a crossbow arrow while on the phone to Superintendent Jan Van Deventer, an old friend, about some threatening letters he's received. Much to Van Deventer's dismay he is not put in charge of the investigation but is allowed a watching brief over DCI Alan Winters who takes the lead. To complicate matters Alan is instantly attracted to Hugh's daughter, Jennifer, a journalist determined to find her father's killer herself. With little to go on the police exhaust every avenue and get nowhere. They are demoralised and frustrated when the killer strikes again.
Blood Of The Rose is an extremely well written novel with some great observations on human character and it is hard to believe it is a first novel. The interplay between the characters is excellent - the niggles and suspicion between Alan and Van Deventer, Jennifer's thoughtless and selfish need to catch the killer, the reactions of her colleagues to her relentless pursuit - it doesn't make any of them particularly likeable but it does make them very human. Their story is intercut with chapters of the killer's thoughts which show him to have a troubled mind. Personally I'm not a fan of seeing the killer's mind but it's almost unavoidable in modern crime fiction and in this case I think it is a bit repetitive and doesn't add very much to the sum total of the novel although, again, it is chilling and well done.
I have no hesitation in recommending Blood Of The Rose as a very good read.

A solid, well written read. Will keep you guessing.

Let me begin by saying that I almost didn't finish this book after reading the first few paragraphs. Now normally, I don't post anything that could be considered a "spoiler" - and I really don't think this fits into that category. In fact, I completely understand that the author may have chosen to use this scene for no purpose other than to show the depravity of the killer themselves. However - I feel this scene may actually be a TRIGGER for some people, so I am mentioning it.

***POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING ANIMAL CRUELTY AHEAD**

In one of the very first scenes of this novel, the killer targets a stray cat. And not only uses his crossbow on it without remorse, but then stomps its head for good measure. And the author uses great detail about it. Now maybe I'm weird - and in a minority - but you can brutally murder all the adults that you want, but children and animals are off limits.

**** END POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING****

Even though that scene almost made me decide not to read anymore due to the graphic details provided, I decided to keep reading - after all if the author was going to spend that much time on a scene of that nature, perhaps it was a book worth reading.

And I feel that it was.

This was one of those stories that (to me) feels like a realistic representation of how actual police work goes. Evidence doesn't just fall into their laps - in fact the first part of the book showcases how every clue is being followed up, and still the detectives in charge are getting nowhere. It all comes down to not only solid police work - but to a few lucky breaks. As the story progresses, you also get a look inside the twisted mind of the killer (via his own diary) that allows the reader to better understand what has happened in their life and how the darkness has finally overcome them.

Filled with surprising twists, some personality conflicts, and a tiny bit of romance and betrayal I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a gripping and well put together investigative novel.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

The year is 1986 and, after receiving a series of threatening letters, a newspaper editor is brutally slaughtered. With little to go on, the police are baffled; their only clue being a rose left near the scene of the crime. The first murder is followed up by a series of equally macabre killings, the carefully placed rose, again, being a clue that the slayings are all linked. Alan Winters, a young Scotland Yard detective, is tasked with finding the murdererer but with Jennifer Chapman, the daughter of the first victim intent on launching her own investigation, will he find the killer before he finds them?

Initially, despite its shocking introduction, I found this book hard to get into as I found it difficult to like any of the main characters. After the second killing, however, I felt that the book took a major turn for the better and the characters began to seem more real and likeable. Setting the book in 1986 was a great idea as whereas nowadays there would be a reliance on forensics and the use of computer databases, the Scotland Yard detectives had to use traditional police legwork to make connections.

As is found in many books of this genre, the story is interspersed with chapters written by the killer, this time in the form of a diary. What is different, however, is that Kevin Murray manages to write the killer’s story in a way that makes you feel empathy towards him – a stark contrast to the feelings you have about him whilst he’s on his killing spree!

Without giving too much away, it becomes obvious where the killer is going to be found but the author succeeds in not making it too easy to discover exactly who it is. The ending tears away at breakneck speed as the guilty party prepares for their final showdown. The slight twist at the end was another clever touch.

A newspaper editor is brutally murdered by a crossbow. His death is quickly followed by the gruesome deaths of a lawyer, another business man, and a homeless man. The only thread that ties all these cases together is a single red rose left at each of the crime scenes.

This is an accomplished police procedural featuring Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Alan Winters, who has been charged with investigating and Chief Superintendent Jan Van Deventer, who was on the phone with the editor when he was killed.

As the body count continues, Jennifer Chapman, daughter of Hugh Chapman, newspaper editor, sets out on a personal search for revenge. Alan and Jennifer find themselves in a romantic relationship ... but at odds over Jennifer's self immersion into his case.

The killer is much closer than anyone suspects .....

Every other chapter of so, the reader is shown the thoughts that are running through the killer's mind. Starting from the child he was, his history is told up to present day. I think it takes us back to the nature vs nurture argument when it comes to serial killers.

WARNING: The very first chapter contains the ugly, horrendous killing of a cat. I really get disturbed by animal cruelty and abuse, and and this one was gruesome. So be warned.

I liked the interaction among the key characters. There's the romantic play between Alan and Jennifer .. and the issues of trust between a cop and a journalist is well written. Alan has a contentious relationship with Van Deventer ... neither of them willing to think the other is brighter and more apt to solve the crimes. Jealousy can be a killer in this case.

The book does not read as a first novel. The author has done an excellent job in bringing all his characters to life. And the ending is especially .... explosive.

Many thanks to the author / Urbane Publications / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.