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Thin Blood (2009)

by Vicki Tyley(Favorite Author)

3.55 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Smashwords, Inc.

review 1: Though this reader is admittedly new to the suspense genre, I am occasionally tempted to give myself a good dose of tension. What drew me, then, to Thin Blood over all the Stieg Larsson and Patricia Cornwell novels flooding the mystery market was not just the 'Best of Amazon 2010' badge or author Vicki Tyley's indie-cred, but the rare opportunity to read crime fiction NOT set in America. Thin Blood takes place across the world in a little country called Australia - maybe some of you have heard of it. I confess that I myself have never been Down Under; my own knowledge of Australia is limited to the clichés forced down our throats by Hollywood and the American mass media. And this is exactly why I felt compelled to stray from my literary comfort zone. That said, I was expe... morecting more of an Outback setting with aborigines and didgeridoos and big cans of beer; Thin Blood lacked even a single kangaroo except for some bones and when the author writes "Jacinta felt like a kangaroo caught in the glare of headlights." Perhaps Ms. Tyley will consider giving the American literati the middle finger (do Australians use the gesture?) and going totally native in her next book. I'd like to know how Commonwealth police investigations and legal proceedings differ from CSI Miami and Law and Order; I want to know if spilt blood really runs down the drain in the opposite direction than American hemoglobin. And, yes, I can even stand to read MORE Aussie vernacular, please. Aside from my cultural nitpicking, Thin Blood was indeed the suspenseful read it is billed as. Jacinta Deller is a newspaper reporter who, upon realizing that she is just six-degrees of separation from the prime suspect of an unsolved missing persons case, brazenly drudges up the past, and in doing so gets herself even further tangled in the mystery ("She had inadvertently uncaged a monster over which she had no control."). She is hardnosed, ambitious and not an entirely likeable person even amongst her friends and co-workers ("No one dares get in the way of the world-wise Jacinta Deller lest they get trampled."). The further she sleuths, the more enemies she makes ("You're nothing but a nosey reporter, happy to screw up other people's lives for the sake of a story."). The suspect, Craig Edmonds, was arrested but never convicted of killing his wife, even though the evidence and motivation - DNA, a hefty life-insurance policy, an affair with dead wife's sister - all point against him. Adding to the cloud of suspicion, Craig conveniently claims amnesia on the night his wife was murdered ("Was he capable of murder? Could he have mutilated his wife like they said he had? No, not under normal circumstances."). Now it's up to Jacinta to re-examine the case, utilizing what has to be the most unconventional techniques in the history of crime fiction - throwing a dinner party for all of the prime suspects. ("They certainly didn't look evil. But what did evil look like?"). Complex side stories and rich character backgrounds round out the story. If there are any faults, it is in the book's sheer lack of dialogue; having the characters tell us as opposed to the author's explanations would have made the book a much quicker read (and maybe even optioned into a motion picture). The clever surprise ending also seemed rushed, though I have found this to be a common genre trait in the few suspense novels I've read. I almost always prefer unknown authors over best-sellers, so I am looking forward to reading more mystery from Ms. Tyley. I hope she will take my suggestions for writing a hard-core Australian thriller that will give us even more cultural background on life, love and crime down under.
review 2: Thin blood was average. More tension could have been built up with the dead woman's husband. Jacinta and her boyfriend had a weird relationship. The characters were not as developed as I felt they should have been. The good points are even though it was not plausible for the sister to trust Jacinta since she worked as a reporter, the writer made this work. I was also happy to see who the real killer was. The writer did a good job with giving you a few clues that the reader might toss out as bait. less

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