Blood Family by Graeme Hampton @HeraBooks @Gham001

Book Description:

All families have secrets… some are deadly.

When D.I. Matthew Denning is called in to investigate a house fire in a North London street, he never anticipated the horrors that awaited him. As Denning and D.S. Molly Fisher search the wreckage, the bodies of the Galloway family – Brian and Ellie, son Simon, daughter Amber and 9-year-old grandson Caleb – are discovered in the smouldering house.

All evidence points to a tragic accident… until Matthew and Molly discover that the family was dead before the fire, murdered in their home by a faceless psychopath. What started as a routine investigation swiftly turns into a murder investigation, with Denning and Fisher hunting a killer who has wiped out three generations with a shotgun.

But as the case deepens, Denning and Fisher discover that the Galloways were no ordinary family. Like all families, they harbour secrets – but unlike others, their secrets were so deadly, someone is willing to spill blood to keep them hidden…

An utterly gripping detective novel set in London, Blood Family will thrill fans of Angela Marsons, Mark Billingham and Robert Bryndza.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the D.I Denning and D.S Fisher series, as I haven’t had the pleasure of reading the first one yet, I can confidently say that it reads easily as a standalone.

Denning and Fisher are quite different characters. Denning comes across older and wiser where as Fisher is slightly more reckless letting her heart rule her head. It sure makes for some interesting reading though and have to say that as much as I liked Denning, I loved Fisher.

The story focuses very much on family. Not just the case that Denning and Fisher are working on, but we get to see more of both their personal home lives also. Is it wrong that it was good to see how dysfunctional other family lives can be? Will certainly make your own feel normal.

This is a case where the police seem to be sent around the houses, struggling to uncover the truth of who is behind the killings and why. The author cleverly throws a few red herrings in which had me guessing through out as to who the killer is.

Blood Family is my first introduction to D.I Denning and D.S Fisher and certainly won’t be my last. A gripping start that is steadily paced, picking up to a very satisfying conclusion. A must read for crime fans.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

Blood Family is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an Amazon Affiliate link).

Graeme Hampton was born in Paisley, and grew up in Stirling. After leaving school, he trained as a stage manager and worked in London for a number of years. He returned to Scotland in his late twenties to study for a BA in English Literature at Stirling University. His first novel, Know No Evil, was published in 2019 by Hera Books. His next book, Blood Family,will be published in January 2020.

He lives in Hastings, East Sussex.

Twitter: @GHam001

Instagram: graeme_hampton
Website: www.graemehampton.com