Publishers Weekly
04/01/2019
San Francisco PI Leland Crowe, the narrator of this page-turner from Moore (The Night Market), investigates the alleged suicide of the only daughter of one of California’s wealthiest women. When Claire Gravesend, a student attending Harvard University, is found dead on top of a Rolls Royce and wearing a black cocktail dress in the city’s seedy Tenderloin neighborhood, the coroner quickly deems the death a suicide—but Claire’s mother wants more information and enlists Crowe’s help. After fending off an attacker while searching Claire’s residence in Boston, Crowe connects the pieces—which include horrific scars on Claire’s back from her childhood, the mysterious origins of her birth, and her interest in stem cell research—to uncover a conspiracy that those involved are willing to murder to keep hidden. Though the disgraced and divorced Crowe is largely a genre cliché, a well-crafted plot, relentless pacing, and the highly satisfying conclusion more than compensate. Equal parts mystery and thriller, this standalone is a winner. Agent: Alice Martell, Martell Agency. (June)
From the Publisher
Finalist for an Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original Finalist for the 2020 Dashiell Hammett Award for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing "Like Moore’s five previous novels, Blood Relations is a deftly plotted, engaging read, stylistically sophisticated, with a taut balance between character and action...Moore writes noir for the 21st century. " —Mystery Scene "Blood Relations is a psychological thriller-cum-horror tale trembling on the brink of reality." —New York Journal of Books "Classic noir reminiscent of Chandler and Hammett. Grabs you by the throat from the first page and never lets go. Taut, smart and electrifying. Get ready for a long night." —Liv Constantine, New York Times-bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish "Blood Relations's hard-nosed private eye, Lee Crowe, seems like he's been plucked from a classic hard-boiled detective novel or noir film, but the book's Bay Area setting is 100% contemporary...The contrast between an old-school detective and a modern world full of high-tech tools and slippery morals gives extra momentum to a mystery that's already a propulsive page-turner." —Apple Books “What starts as a dark and pacey detective story morphs into something far more sinister and riveting. Ross MacDonald meets Michael Crichton. A very impressive thriller.” —Peter Swanson, author of The Kind Worth Killing and All the Beautiful Lies “It won’t take you ten pages before you’re hurtling along with private investigator Lee Crowe in this high-speed chase into the lives of the California ultra-rich. Sinister twists, gutsy escapes, and uneasy ethics abound—a must-read for fans of Philip Marlowe.” —Maria Hummel, author of Still Lives “Blood Relations is dark, compelling, and frighteningly plausible. Every twist grabs you hard and pulls you deeper into the mystery. I absolutely could not put this novel down.” —Meg Gardiner, author of Ransom River and Into the Black Nowhere "...suspenseful and skillfully plotted. Noir fans who don't know Moore have some catching up to do." —Booklist, STARRED review "Enough action and atmosphere to satisfy readers who like their gumshoes old-school while having a lot to say about humankind’s hubris and preoccupation with eternal youth...gritty neo-noir with an all-too-plausible speculative twist." —Kirkus Reviews "Page-turner...well crafted plot, relentless pacing, and the highly satisfying conclusion...equal parts mystery and thriller, this standalone is a winner." —Publishers Weekly “Smart plotting. Nary a false note. Suspense that never stops. If you like Michael Connelly’s novels, you will gobble up Jonathan Moore’s The Dark Room.” —James Patterson, on THE DARK ROOM “An electrifying read, building from shock to shock. I read the last one hundred pages in a single sitting. The final chapter is an absolute stunner. I haven’t read anything so terrifying since Red Dragon.” —Stephen King, on THE POISON ARTIST “Patient, stylish, and incredibly suspenseful.” —Lee Child, on THE POISON ARTIST &ldq —