“Care. There s a word if ever I heard one. I looked it up in a dictionary once. It had a lot of definitions but not one that applied to me and Sean…

WAITING DAY AFTER DAY

Red has survived the barbarity and abuse of the orphanage. His twin brother Sean has not been so lucky. With a sworn oath to avenge his brother s murder, Red kidnaps a policeman s daughter and leaves her to be brought up in care, to suffer like he and Sean did. But this is just the first part of Red s plan for revenge against all those who took their freedom.

UNTIL FINALLY IT’S TIME

Now, twenty years later, the time has come. The kidnapped girl has grown up and left the orphanage, never knowing who her real parents are or the part she’ll now play in Red’s shocking revenge. And for those who have been living their lives in peace, with faded memories of twin boys who were put into care years ago, life is about to descend into hell.

But with the criminal underworld, the police and an unexpected serial killer on the scene, sometimes even the best laid plans go awry…”

This is one seriously dark book which gets under your skin from the opening chapters.  Not an easy subject matter that some may find upsetting and hard to stomach.  For those who are life long crime fans, and for those with an iron constitution, I can guarantee that you will find this a riveting read.

Red (Robert) Dock and his twin brother, Sean are two of Ireland’s unwanted babies. Raised in an abuse riddled orphanage, Red is strong enough to survive the daily beatings and punishments.  His brother, Sean isn’t as strong and dies an unnecessary death.  Now a grown man and consumed by revenge, Red is hellbent on making others pay for the loss of his twin.  He puts into action his 20 year plan by kidnapping the baby daughter of a high ranking police officer.  He subjects her to the same torture and cruelty he suffered as a child by putting her into the exact same care system he suffered in.  This is only the beginning of an intricate scheme, with many interwoven threads, all aimed at destroying the lives of the people Red feels are responsible for Sean’s death.  Throw in a serial killer who just happens to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time and who knows who will survive.  Will Red be able to avenge Sean’s death and how many will die in the process…?

I found this novel eerily fascinating.  I don’t think you really know the full extent of the story (or the characters) until you reach the very last word of the very last paragraph.  I found myself pondering the story at quiet times during the day, almost like I was making sure it had sunk it and I had all the loose ends tied up in my mind. It certainly stayed with me afterwards.

Red’s scheme is brilliantly clever and his thirst for revenge quite nauseating.  His total lack of feeling towards his fellow man is beyond callous. With all that in mind, why did I find him strangely charming?

For those that aren’t aware (and have been asleep up until this point) this book is set in Ireland, about Irish characters and written by an Northern Irish author. It took me a little while to get my head around the sentence structure and the writer’s style. I think I was having a bad day.  Thankfully, it didn’t take too long to warm to the tone.

The closing chapters are superb. I loved the obscure ways of murdering characters (yes, I’m strange!). Very clever, almost genius in some cases. And I loved that there’s a serial killer in this book, but it not all about him (serial killers get ALL of the attention!).

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would, particularly if you’re after something a little different. Clever, intricate and full of dark wit. I almost hope to meet Red Dock at some point again, in the future. 

Four out of five stars.

Many thanks to #TBConFB, Black & White Publishing and J M Smyth for providing me with a copy of Blood For Blood in exchange for an honest review.

Blood For Blood by J M Smyth was published in the UK by Black & White Publishing on 14th July 2016 and is available in paperback and eBook formats | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Waterstones | Goodreads | Black & White Publishing |

J.M. Smyth was born in Belfast, and moved to London at the age of 15. He has worked as a landscape gardener, antiques restorer, furniture maker, equeastrian gear manufacturer, horse breeder and a tomato inspector… Smyth finally came to writing a long time ambition whilst in hospital following an accident involving an under-sized parachute, and has been at it intermittently ever since. His first novel Quinn was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger. Blood for Blood is his second novel, and has already been published in Japan, France and Germany. Smyth currently lives in County Louth, Ireland.