Blood Family by Graeme Hampton
DI Denning and DS Fisher #2

Family, murder, secrets and more...generations gone in one night but why? Who would kill so ruthlessly then burn everything to hide their trail? How will the police finally unearth the murderer and find justice for those murdered?

This book was a well crafted police procedural that dealt with arson and murder. It also revealed links to a cold case that kept cropping up as the search continued for the killer. A side trail lead to organized crime and human trafficking and the biggest thing of all was...not the actual investigation...at least not for me.

No, the biggest thing about this book was that it dealt with real people. The author drew me in with not only the police bits but with the police themselves. In seeing the issues those who protect us and search for criminals deal with not only while working but while at home...well...that was the biggest thing...the thing that made this story so very real to me.

I had not read the first book in this series but did not need to for this book to pack a powerful punch. I was drawn into the complexities of the story and search for the “bad guy” but also felt for both Denning and Fisher as they dealt with issues in their own lives.

Family is many things...sometimes it is what we share with blood relatives and sometimes it is more or less than the tie blood provides. Families can be “good” or “bad” or “dysfunctional” but in the end...the family we find ourselves within will help mold and shape us and give us much that will help us become who we ultimately are – that person will think and make decisions and move forward dependent on their past...and I say that because I do believe that in this book Denning and Fisher are impacted by their familial relations and both grow in new ways before the end of the book.

What made this special? It made me care and think about families and what my family means to me
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Blood Family is the second book in the DI Matt Denning and DS Molly Fisher series set in good ol' East London, and it isn't necessary to have read the first instalment prior to this one as they work perfectly well as standalones so new readers can jump right on in and immediately get immersed and engrossed just as I did. After a suspected arson attack, fire investigators are called in to do a routine check on a property. The house has burned to the ground and all involved believe it was a tragic accident and nothing more sinister. However, when a staggering five members of the same family are discovered brutally slaughtered amongst the rubble it is clear that something is going on. Killing five members of the Gallagher family is sending a very strong message and it's clear that the perpetrator set the fire to try to get rid of the evidence discreetly. Who would have wanted five members of the Gallagher family dead and what exactly had they done to deserve such a fate? And so ensues a murder investigation where secrets, lies and manipulation play a significant role.

This is a gripping and intriguing police procedural that I read in a single sitting as I simply couldn't put it down. There are twists and turns galore and a few red herrings thrown in for good measure to throw you off the scent. Some of the twists were rather predictable but it is so well written that this surprisingly didn't affect my enjoyment as much as it usually would. The story is primarily told from Matt and Molly's perspectives and whereas some stories suffer when switching points of view it was done seamlessly here and everything flowed easily from page to page. We learn a little more about the two detectives dysfunctional families and their personal lives and I found this fascinating. Now in order to solve this case, they must put personal issues aside and identify which of the Gallagher's managed to get almost their entire family brutally murdered. This is a well-crafted and compelling read. Many thanks to Hera Books for an ARC.

A difficult book to review. It not only had a police investigation, but also dealt with family issues of the victims and the cops.

DI Denning and DS Molly were called when bodies were found by the firefighters only to be told by the coroner that they had been dead prior to the fire. They start their investigation.

My second book by author Graeme Hampton, though the first was my favorite, this too was quite good. I liked how the cops were thorough, though Molly took a great many risks. I loved how their personal lives were shown which made the whole investigation real. That gave an added depth to the officers who risked their lives to get to the truth.

The team worked with great camaraderie. There were days of back breaking work of getting every clue checked out. The writing was gritty yet so endearing in some ways. I liked knowing how cops too made mistakes in their family life, with missed chances of connecting with family members.

Overall the book had great investigation which kept me engrossed the entire evening

If you like your books fast paced, involved stories and surprises round every corner, then this is the book for you.
Starts out very simply. D.I. Denning is called out to investigate, what on the face of it is an tragic fire. A whole family die in the fire. But when the bodies are examined they are found to be dead before the fire started. Who is the psychopath? Why kill a whole family including a nine year old boy?
As the investigation deepens a lot of things are thrown up; at first unconnected to the initial crime. If you want to find out what they are you will need to grab a copy and read on!
The author juggles multiple stands in the telling of his tale and all are essential to the plot. His prose is crisp and of a quality that makes the reader turning the pages. The reader will find themselves enjoying the tale but at no time feel them overwhelmed by the amount of information they’re taking on board.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you like your thrillers with bite then you will to. Give it a try, I think you will like it!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

There is a house fire and the family are all dead is it murder or an accident ?.

This is the second book in the series and the main characters are all well developed with their own complex personalities and flaws. The story has surprising twists and turns right up to the final page. My only complaint is that the story tries to fit in the previous book’s plot and how the characters fit together and its almost trying to read 2 books at once which is a bit tiresome and confusing .

I did enjoy the story and recommend you read this book.

Domestic thriller.

This is one of those books I find difficult to review. Some parts I really liked but it kind of lost me to the end. Some things seemed to be repeated and some actions by the characters seemed very unbelievable. It left me feeling a bit frustrated and wishing that the book will end. Even in saying that it was a fast read and especially the beginning I found very enjoyable.

DI Matthew Denning is called out to a suspicious fire in Gibney street, London. They find 5 bodies in the burned out house . Under what circumstances did they die? Soon it is clear that this was not an accident and that they are investigating multiple murders. What was the motive behind these killings and who's the culprit?

Thank you to #netgalley and #herabooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

There’s a lot of books that rely of twists and surprise endings to really shock readers, and while this book has a nice twist ending, it’s built up so well that it feels like the exact right conclusion to this multi-layered story.

The characters are great, I loved both Denning and Molly Fisher, and I really look forward to following their character development in the future. They were two very different people, which gives readers insight into two completely viewpoints on the investigation.

The central mystery itself was also really good in that there were so many different things going on, but it wasn’t confusing at all. It really kept me on my toes because as I followed along and tried to solve the mystery, there were so many aspects to things.  But it all made sense and fit in. I didn’t ever feel overwhelmed with the details.

If you like classic mysteries with a little edge, you’ll love this book. It’s a great thriller with some fun twists that will keep readers on their toes and wanting more from this MIT team!

A gripping and fast paced story that kept me hooked till the end.
I liked the solid mystery that kept me guessing, the well written and interesting cast of characters, and the entertaining plot.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I didn't realise when I started reading this book that it is actually the second in the series. I am normally so good at checking things like this but clearly hadn't bothered this time. However I don't believe it took anything out of the book for me as I had no trouble following the story.
An iteresting and well written story, I think it's safe to say that I will certainly be looking out for more Frome this author.
The MIT team in East London has two officers who I've just been learning about, DI Matt Denning and DS Molly Fisher
This book starts off with a great story line, and crime that you really need to follow, you want to know what has happened, it keeps you intrigued.
What is thought to be a house fire turns out to be something quite a lot more and bodies have been found in the house.
As usual I love reading about the characters and their lives and I think over the next few books it will be interesting to find out more and more about all the characters.
I can safely recommend this book and I think most crime fiction fans will really enjoy it.

Have not read the previous book but that did not detract from this one. Great characters. Well written. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Page turner. Would definitely read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

4 Stars from me

I love meeting new police characters and I enjoyed following DI Matt Denning and DS Molly Fisher of the East London MIT in this second book of the series.

The books starts with a brutal and gruesome crime as a family home is set on fire and it doesn't take long for fire investigators to discover the five bodies, three generations of the Galloway family, inside. I couldn't hep but feel relieved that they had been shot first.

Denning and Fisher are a bit of an odd pairing and I plan to go back and read the first book in the series so that I can get to know them better. However, you learn a lot about them and their own dysfunctional families in Blood Family, with Matt Denning jugging his dedication to his career along with caring for his autistic son and Molly Fisher struggling with brother.

There seemed to be a different dynamic here than in other police procedurals that I have read recently and it made the book all the more engaging as Molly is actively encouraged to take risks and more cautious Denning plods doggedly onwards to solve the crime and catch the murderer.

The aspect of dysfunction and no such thing as a normal family is a strong message and not a bad one to promote.

Blood Family is a enjoyable read and I will look out for more in the series. My thanks to Graeme Hampton and BOTBSPublicity for letting me take part in this blog tour.

Hadn’t read the 1st in the series but happy to say you can pick this one up and get right in there. It was full of suspense and mystery. It was very well written and flowed well. Once you pick this up you can’t put it down

When you're called out to a house fire you hope no-one was home. Unfortunately for Detective Inspector Denning that isn't the case and when he finds out none of what happened was accidental he knows he is about to embark on a long and traumatic case.

With Detective Sergeant Fisher, Matt begins looking into a family history which begins as he imagined, ordinary, non-threatening and quiet but then he delves a little deeper...

Although I enjoyed this book and the way it was written it also felt a little formulaic. I worked out who was responsible quite early on as, to me, it seemed very clearly signposted. That said there were some lesser points and a secondary case which I didn't solved which kept my interest until the end.

Although I didn't feel overly connected to the two main characters, one following the rules, one not, I would give them another chance in a third novel. There are few spoilers for the first in the series contained here so it is probably best to read that first.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys London based fiction, especially if they have read the previous book and wants to find out what happens next.

The second book in the series to feature DI Denning and his DS, Molly Fisher of the MIT in London. I am enjoying the development of this series as the team investigate a case of arson and murder. The pace is steady throughout the book and the plot is based around families and their tensions. This is a really enjoyable and solid read for crime fans and I would recommend it. It can be read as a stand alone. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

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.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hera Books for an advance copy of Blood Family, the second novel to feature DI Matt Denning and DS Molly Fisher of the East London MIT.

Fire investigators initially suspect an accident when a house burns down but the discovery of five bodies, three generations of the Galloway family, they call in MIT and rightly so as all five had been shot.

I thoroughly enjoyed Blood Family which is an interesting police procedural with several twists and a constant stream of developments. It held my attention throughout and I read it in one sitting. It is mostly told from Matt and Molly’s points of view, alternating their completely different actions and reactions to the investigation and giving insight into their personal lives. It all gels together well and makes for a good read. The plot is lively with plenty of reveals and snippets of information to keep the reader hungry for more as, obviously in crime fiction, there is more to the Galloways than the happy law abiding family they are initially assumed to be. I must admit that I guessed most of the big twists in advance as they seem telegraphed loud and clear to me, but that may be just due to my years of reading crime fiction and, to be fair, a guess is not certain knowledge so it didn’t spoil my reading enjoyment in any way so, if anything, it spurred me on to see if I was right.

There is a theme of dysfunctional families running through the novel. The four adult Galloways all have problems so the detectives have to work out which one brought a killer to their door. I thought this was well done and fascinating as more and more of their dysfunction is revealed. At the same time Molly is trying to help her dropout brother and Matt is trying to build a relationship with his autistic son. The message of no such thing as a normal family is laid on with a trowel but it seems to work.

Blood Family is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I don't believe I've read any of this author's previous books. Whilst it is engaging it feels somewhat predictable. A decent if not brilliant offering

A Gripping story of a family found in their fire ravaged home but it wasn't the fire that killed them,so DI Denning ad DS Fisher are given the case to solve.Denning and Fisher are a great team and are determined to find out why the family died.I look forward to the next book well done Graeme Hampton 5*

Blood Family is the 2nd book in the DI Denning and DS Fisher series i haven't read the first one and i think this one can be read as a standalone crime thriller because there are only small references to past cases in the book.The book it's self is based round the murders of the Galloway family who are found in their burnt out home after been shot.Denning and Fisher are thrown onto an investigation where it seems the respectable Galloway family had secrets and someone was willing to murder them to keep them from telling all,i felt some of the chapters dragged on a little, often repeating the same things but all in all i would read more in this series but it is not the best crime thriller i have read this year but it is not the worst either,a decent 3 star read which i would recommend to readers of this genre.

A gripping read full of tension and intrigue. There were lots of twists and turns and it was difficult to know who to trust. It's a well written, fast paced read that keeps you gripped.