This book did not hold my attention for long, as it was not keeping my interest. However iy could be suitable for other readers.

Excellent psychological thriller! It moved at a fast pace with twists and turns throughout! Well-developed characters and plot. Highly recommend!

Closer Than Blood is an enjoyable thriller by Paul Grzegorzek which is best enjoyed if you just relax & put any thoughts of realism to one side.

The action comes thick and fast and never stops throughout the very fast paced book

If you want non stop action then this is the book for you

This is the first book that i have read by Paul Grzegorzek and am beginning to wonder why i haven't come across his books before. A great story, which is based around the area that i live. I shall look forward to reading more by this author. Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have freely given.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for an advance copy of Closer than Blood, the second novel to feature Brighton Intelligence Officer DS Gareth Bell.

Bell is monitoring a drug deal when he realises that one of the participants is his brother Jake whom he hasn’t seen for twenty years. When he finally catches up with him Jake tells him that he is on the run from a gang who won’t hesitate to kill him because he has stolen from them.

I enjoyed Closer than Blood which is a high octane, action packed read with some good twists. It is told in the first person from Gareth Bell’s point of view so the reader gets up close and personal with his decision making and feelings. He has a raw, honest voice which is admirable but, personally, I don’t really take to him so would have preferred a third person take on events.

The plot is violent with a fair amount of bad language which may not suit all readers but seems appropriate to the situation. It is addictive as Bell runs from one encounter to the next, following every avenue he can think of to save Jake and find the mysterious stolen goods. Basically the novel is a series of fight scenes but it hangs together well with its sense of urgency, the mystery of the stolen goods and the twists which add piquancy.

Obviously with the first person narrative and the personal nature of the crime the novel hangs on Gareth Bell. As I said I don’t find him particularly likeable, in fact I think he’s an idiot (or more exactly a word beginning with d) so his poor decision making and belief that he’s the only one able to get a result can be annoying. On the other hand his grief over his dying father is heartfelt and extremely moving.

Closer than Blood is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Impulse & Killer Reads for the eARC.
This is the second in the PC Gareth Bell series. I didn't read the first one, so my review may be based on the lack of a background story.
On Brighton Marina, Bell is about to arrest a drug dealer, when he is horrified and shocked to the core: the man is his brother - who supposedly died years ago of a drug overdose! The brother manages to escape and now Bell has to tell his father, who is near death in hospital. His father pleads with Bell to find his brother and protect him from the seriously vicious drug dealers who are after him.
The book was, in my opinion, a bit heavy on police procedure. Bell is o.k., not my favorite character, but I did enjoy the fact the book is set in Brighton.
All in all I mildly enjoyed it, but am not sure I'd read more of the series.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.