Rob Sinclair's "The Bonds of Blood" is a tightly-wound thriller that delves into the dark underbelly of the human psyche. The story follows Detective Inspector Ben Devlin, a hardened cop wrestling with his own demons, as he investigates a series of brutal murders that shake the foundations of a seemingly idyllic town. Sinclair masterfully builds suspense, gradually unveiling a twisted web of secrets and betrayals that leave the reader breathless. While the story features a gritty and realistic portrayal of crime, it is ultimately the emotional core of the narrative that resonates most deeply. Devlin's own struggle with trauma and guilt adds a layer of complexity and humanity to the story, making him a character that the reader both identifies with and roots for. The author's writing is sharp and engaging, keeping the reader hooked from the first page until the satisfyingly explosive climax. "The Bonds of Blood" is a testament to Sinclair's talent for crafting suspenseful narratives that delve into the human condition with unflinching honesty.

Rob Sinclair (https://www.robsinclairauthor.com/) is the author of more than 20 novels. The Bonds of Blood was published in 2021 and is the fourth novel in his DI Dani Stephens series. It is the 27th book I completed reading in 2024.

Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

A reckless driver strikes and kills a young boy on his bicycle. A man and his wife are brutally murdered in their bed. Detective Inspector Dani Stephens and her team are charged with investigating both.

At first, the traffic incident appears to just be a tragic accident. A boy and his father are biking along the road when a reckless driver strikes and kills the boy. The father reacts and kills the driver of the car. On the surface, it would appear to be momentary anger and grief, but the team thinks there may be more behind the incident.

Annie and Terry Eccles Are living a comfortable life. Eccles leaves behind a business partner and four adult children. The death of Eccles and his wife is more than some random break-in and killing. Someone had to have benefitted from their death.

Complicating the investigation are threats made against DI Stephens. The Eccles had secrets, and someone does not want them revealed. Her team encounters arson, blackmail, and murder as they investigate these two cases.

I enjoyed the 9.5 hours I spent reading this 357-page mystery. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

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Bonds of blood is the 4th instalment of DI Daniel Stephens. Dani is now recovered from her brothers attempt on her life and is in the middle of a difficult case of a father accused of murdering the man who ran over and killed his son. Then another double murder is called in, the gruesome killing of Terry and Annie Eccles.
As the case unfolds it becomes obvious that this affluent family with four grown up children is not quite all it seems. Once again Dani is in danger, but from which of her two cases?
This is an excellent thriller that had you hooked from the start. A winning read from this excellent author.

I received this as an ARC, and yet again requested a book 4th in the series 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️
So as always I started from the beginning, I love the different side of this character DI Dani Stephens, one messed up policewoman, who at times you actually really dislike. The plots are superb and gribbing, supporting characters development over the 4 books are equally impressive, and every book really kept me guessing, 4th installment didn't disappoint. Superb story, writing plot amd ending, left me hanging come on Rob its been a year,where is number 5

This is the fourth book in the series, and I'm just loving it! This book was so well written, I finished it in one sitting, and can't wait for the next one! Recommended.
TB

This is the fourth book in the DI Dani Stephens book and the first one I’ve read. I found it quite slow going in parts and nothing much happened until the last quarter of the book. The main character wasn’t very likeable which made it difficult to connect with her.

This was a thrilling mystery that held my interest from start to finish. Im looking forward to reading more from the author.

The Bonds of Blood by Rob Sinclair is the forth book in the DI Dani Stephens series. I enjoyed reading all these books within this series and his latest book is another great page turner and full of twists and turns throughout. especially as there is so much going on within this book, When DI Dani Stephens and her team are called to a horrendous murder scene – They find Terry and his wife Annie Eccles bludgeoned to death in their beds. They also find the bedroom and stairs are also covered in blood,

Why is there so much blood everywhere when the victims are found in their bed?

Is it their Blood or is it someones else's blood?

Dani’s team and her team have to work fast before someone else is murdered!!!

Yet, another excellent read and I highly recommend this series of book.

Thank you to Net Galley, Canelo and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Bonds of Blood is book four in the DI Dani Stephens series. As is fairly usual for me, I have not read the first three; however, I had no issue piecing together what came before, and the book works fine as a standalone.

We open with a rather gruesome murder - the blood and gore is kept to a minimum, but we get the idea without it. A man and woman, killed in their bed in the dead of night.

DI Stephens is working another case when this one comes up: a man who beat another man to death after the second man ran over and killed the first man's son while they were out biking. This issue - determining what level of intent was involved on the part of both men runs through the book as a subplot.

Stephens is then called out to the scene of the murder that opens the book. It's a bit close to home for her, as she and her fiancee suffered a similar attack, but lived.. Still, she tackles the case with her team, and discovers that the murdered couple owned a development business, buying properties and creating new housing. As Stephens and her team delve more deeply into the business, they find that the company is burning through money. During the investigation, they also find a will, notarized and signed by a lawyer, and another will, unsigned and undated. The difference between them revolves around how much a portion of the business each of their four children receive.

Their kids are really somewhat of a mess. The daughter is married and they run a competing company in real estate development. One son is of course the one who is rather flighty and undependable. One son has a gambling problem, and owes a lot of money to an illegal gambling front that extended him credit. The last son works in the company business with the father, and is displeased with the way the company is being run and the money it's losing on each project. All are good candidates for motive, and Stephens and her team sort through the entanglements of the family to get to the truth.

The book moves back and forth in time, and is told both from the viewpoint of Stephens and from the viewpoint of the father, Terry, as he goes through trying to keep his business afloat. This back and forth does not make the book hard to follow, but it does give the reader some vital information that will allow them to crack the case if they are observant.

I'll give this a solid four out of five.

Thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for the reading copy.

My first book by Sinclair and I will definitely be going back to read the other books. I was hooked from the first page and the plot was very well executed.

The story starts with a brutal death of a husband and wife. DI Stephens and her team begin to investigate and while investigating Stephens gets attacked outside her house.
Will she continue with her investigation to find out the killer?

This is a fast paced dark psychological thriller with family lies, secrets and deception. I enjoyed the background story of Dani, Jason and Ben. This is a well written and engaging book. Definitely recommend.

The dark secrets of the Eccles family become unraveled following the murder of Terry and Annie Eccles in their bed. Entwined family relationships and of course money are the main motives for DI Dani Stephens to investigate.
I enjoyed the dynamic of the Eccles family and layers of dirty secrets that’s keeps the interest going throughout the plot.
Dani and her team work well together to investigate the suspects.
Some scenes became a little unrealistic towards the end but don’t let that put you off another epic read by Rob Sinlcair.
Looking forward to the next instalment.

Rob Sinclair writes a good book and "The Bonds of Blood" sits happily in with his other titles and series.

Police procedural books, when written well, are interesting and the plot lines and development of the clues allow the reader to try to solve the crime alongside the book's characters.

This starts with a grisly murder and drags the reader along, leaving breadcrumbs alongside red herrings such that the reader is not really certain of which the killer is until Mr Sinclair wants you to know it.

You don't need to have read the previous novels in the series, but if I like a book, I always go back and read the earlier novels, and that was very much the case with this one.

Whether you are the type of reader to go in order or just want to jump in on this, don't miss it as it is a cracking good read.

This is my first Rob Sinclair book and it certainly won’t be my last, it had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Detective Inspector Dani Stephens and her team have two serious crimes to investigate, first the murder of Dylan Roberts and then the brutal double murder of Terry and Annie Eccles who were beaten to death in their bed. There are a number of suspects with motive, can Dani and her team whittle them down. Excellent book which can be read as a stand alone or as part of a series.

The next in the Dani Stephens series. A patriarch and matriarch are killed and that is the mystery. Leading us down a path of family dysfunction. Dani struggles with her own intimacy and family issues while trying to solve the case. I wish the author would do some more character development as that is its weaker point. The mystery was its stronger point.

I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo and Rob Sinclair for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Once again Rob Sinclair has written another fantastic thriller. Rob appears to have a great talent for reeling you in on the first page. I read this book in one sitting and physically couldn’t put it down. It’s worth while checking out the previous books in this series but it doesn’t overly matter as you are reminded of past events throughout. I can’t wait for the next instalment. This is a dark psychological/crime thriller which keeps you guessing throughout. I throughly recommend!

Twisted thriller where nobody tells the truth,lots of secrets and lies. A couple are murdered in their bed and their children,who all have something to hide,are immediately suspect.

Really enjoyed this thriller, I liked following the twists and turns in the book and hope there is more to follow to see DI Dani Stephens character develop.

This is the fourth instalment in the DI Dani Stephens Series however, the first that I have read. For me, I don't feel I have missed out too much not having read the previous three in the series, maybe on a bit of the backstory, but nothing that ended up being detrimental to my enjoyment of The Bonds of Blood and just makes me want to go back and read more.

This is a great story - it starts pretty brutally with the murder of a husband and wife in their bed so be prepared - and one that follows DI Stephens and her team's investigation into the brutal murder which is far from straight forward.

Full of lies, deceit and secrets, this is a tricky one to try and work out who did it which makes it all the more enjoyable. It's full of great characters and is written at a good pace and I would definitely recommend to those who love a police procedural where it's not obvious who the perpetrator is until close to the end.

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

A really, really cracking good read. I am very partial stories that involve characters that are hiding secrets and lies that then affect the lives of many others. I also like the investigation team especially the character of Dani Stephens. There are themes of domestic violence and issues with alcohol but too me this just made the characters more realistic, People can carry all sorts of traits, we are definitely all different but in the world of reading I really enjoy these types of people as it makes for a great story and this one as I said was especially enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for proving me with a copy of this book to read and review.

Dani and team embark on their 4th set of murder cases - the main one especially gory and gruesome. A local couple, successful business man, happy family and all that, are butchered to death. No useful DNA or forensic evidence. There are two wills, one not signed and it's soon made clear that happy is not the adjective of this family after all. Dani is threatened but not sure which of her two cases are relevant. There's rather a lot about her relationship with Jason, her feeling broody or not and whether she should be letting up somewhat in dangerous and challenging job. A generally well-written and intense story. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.