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Blood Brother

Author: J. A. Kerley
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

60 reviews
Sales Rank: 673

Media: Paperback
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.2

ISBN: 0007269072
EAN: 9780007269075
ASIN: 0007269072

Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new - mint condition. Normally dispatched same day.

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Customer Reviews: Read 55 more reviews...

2 out of 5 stars

Hasn't Grabbed me Yet July 25, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

I got as far as reading the first two chapters and then I've drifted into reading other material. So classic problem of not grabbing readers attention at start doesn't bode well for rest of novel.

3 out of 5 stars

Twisting plot, entertaining thriller July 22, 2008
Carson Ryder, a cop from the Southern USA, has been summoned to New York to help investigate the particularly nasty murder of a leading female psychiatrist. Most of the NY cops despise him as a Southern "hick", and take no trouble to hide it. So it's just as well that they don't know his dark secret - how close he really is to the insane killer who is now on the loose. Quickly, there are more bodies and things start to get rather complicated for Carson. Kerley does a good job of leading you up the garden path, so that each twist in the plot really does come as a big surprise. My one criticism is that the author is a bit heavy handed with the "Southern speak" of his hero, and that did grate on me for a while. But either he lightened up, or I got used to it, because I soon stopped noticing. I really liked this book, despite the nasty bits - I'm squeamish. So if this genre is your thing, I can't see any reason why you wouldn't enjoy it too.

3 out of 5 stars

failure to launch July 17, 2008
blood brother has a really great premise; family caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse when at times the lead character doesn't really know which side he is on. It's sad then that a plan with such promise fails to deliver because of minor things that could have been fixed with a lengthier editing period.

It's clear that the author can write, the problem in my mind is that I don't quite think they know how to tell a story. The structuring and vocabulary at some points reek of amateur, and not up to professional standards. These points are certainly not a personal dig, and I'm not saying I could do any better, but I think with a lengthier post-review of the story this book could have excellent. A worthy 3/5 for plot and imagination, but a few points are lost due to execution.

4 out of 5 stars

Gripping, Taut and Tense- Kerley goes from strength to strength July 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Jack Kerley's Carson Ryder series are a smart, taut and compelling set of novels with great characterisation and range of technique beyond the usual budget crime gore. Carson is an Alabama cop who specialises in analysing the twisted psyches of criminals in order to catch them, aided by his equally sharp if nattily dressed partner Harry Nautilus. The characters in these novels are warm, relatable and feel very realistic; in particular I love the relationship between Harry and Carson, so I was a little disappointed that by necessity the two men are kept apart for this unique case, as Carson is summoned to hunt another psychopath for the NYPD whilst Harry runs down the leads in Mobile, Alabama.

Blood Brother is by no means a stand alone book, and to read it as such will leave the reader infinitely poorer, so it's best to start in the beginning with The Hundredth Man (if this is your introduction to Carson) if nothing else revisiting the first novel will show just how much Kerley's prose has sharpened. The relationship between Carson and Jeremy grows more complex in this installment as Jeremy, Carson's psychopath brother has managed to engineer his own escape and is running loose on the streets of NY. Carson has a moral duty to apprehend Jeremy but we also learn more about his guilt that Jeremy's twisted beginnings had root in saving Carson.

If I had one complaint about Blood Brother it would be that Jeremy and Carson's relationship is explored perhaps a little too much, and in the process Jeremy becomes more understandable but also loses some of the edginess that made him so unique. I also wish that Kerley would crack and find Carson a nice girl to settle down with as the revolving door of girlfriends met on the job, is just a tad too James Bond for me!

4 out of 5 stars

"Who's Ready For a Feast?" June 30, 2008

Carson Ryder is back and he is in pursuit of his most dangerous adversary yet - his own brother.

Alabama homicide detective, Carson Ryder has been summoned to New York. An old friend has been viciously murdered and only Ryder has the skill and insight to solve the crime. As Ryder investigates, his worst fears are realised as he discovers that his brother has escaped from the mental institution that has kept him secreted away for almost decade. As the investigation gathers momentum, the threat of danger escalates and Ryder has to battle the clock to solve the crime, save the girl, and catch an escaped lunatic. This book is a feast for fans of the thriller.

Blood Brother, the fifth of the Carson Ryder novels, is a thriller by the numbers--you have a damsel in distress, a main character with a dark past, and a few intriguing, if somewhat predictable, twists. J.A. Kerley, the author, combines elements of Silence of the Lambs with the fear factor of the Kay Scarpetta novels written by Patricia Cornwell. If Kerley's book has one flaw, it is that New York never really comes alive in the pages of this book. The setting could be anywhere and if you are going to set a novel in somewhere like New York City you should at the very least allude to the atmosphere or grandeur inherent in such a celebrated city.

Blood Brother is an easy read and offers its readers thrills and chills in equal measure. It is a must read for anyone who likes the Hannibal books, although the characterisation is not up to Thomas Harris' standard. But for those of you who just want a quick holiday read that won't tax the old brain cells too much, this is the book for you.

So sit back and relax as Carson Ryder steps into action once more. Expect grisly murders and killer twists - enjoy!