Frankie Barrera has spent her life protecting her little sister, Izzy, no matter the circumstances. That was tested five years ago, when Frankie received a frantic phone call in the middle of the night, needing Frankie to come to the scene of a car accident—and a drunk and disoriented Izzy who couldn’t remember a thing. All Frankie was ever able to determine for sure was that Izzy was at a party with 5 other people, and one girl disappeared and hasn't been seen since. Now, Frankie's truck has been described as the one used in the abduction of a girl in an AMBER alert. The only other person with access to Frankie's keys is Izzy. This time around, Frankie will have to decide what lengths she’s willing to go to in order to protect Izzy—what lies she’s willing to tell, and what secrets she’s willing to keep—because the dangerous game that six friends once played on a warm summer night isn’t over yet . . .
I read this author's first book and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to read this one. However, for me, this one was a bust. It was a very slow burn, first of all.....very slow. Also, it was told in dual timelines, alternating between five years ago and present day. I normally love dual timeline books, but between the mysteries and multple characters in each timeline, it just seemed to be a lot to keep up with. I didn't really like Frankie (or any of the other characters, either for that matter), but Frankie really annoyed me, the way she spent so much time reiterating the fact that she always looked out for Izzy, and all that she had done for Izzy and why. I really wanted to like this book, and I thought I would, especially since so many other people seem to have loved it.

This was a well-written and gripping story of sisters caught in a complex mess of prior and current secrets, lies, and forgotten details. The mystery they're trying to get to the bottom of was compelling enough that it kept me reading, and the answers were unexpected enough that I didn't predict how it would all play out.

3 stars because there were a few loose ends that were never tied off that left me slightly dissatisfied, and then some details that were included required suspension of disbelief that I struggled with. I also had a bit of trouble accepting the omniscience of the "5 years ago" flashbacks vs. the spottiness of the present-day memories of the characters; it was a confusing juxtaposition. I particularly enjoy a thriller with well-paced reveals that keep me surprised and guessing but feeling some satisfaction at learning things as I go. At times this book did that, but ultimately the last 25% of the book wasn't well paced and even the reveals landed with more of a thud than a bang.

It was a fun quick read if you want to disappear into a creepy world for a bit.

Five years ago six friends go to the outskirts of town to party and only five make it home. Izzy calls her sister Frankie, drunk and confused with a vague memory of hitting something. Fast forward to present day and Frankie's truck is used an Amber Alert for a girl whose been abducted. The other other person with access to her keys is Izzy. Frankie has to see how far she's willing to go to protect her sister.

Blood Will Tell is action packed and on the edge of your seat story that will keep you guessing until the very end. It shows the lengths one will go to protect those they love. Frankie is one touch character that will do anything for her sister. The story is told in present tense with every once awhile a chapter told in the past, five years ago, that gives the reader pieces to the puzzle of what happened to the girl that went missing and is presumed dead. I love when stories are told this way. Overall the story is fast paced, disturbing at times, has some good plot twists and keep me entertained. I couldn't put it down.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Blood Will Tell has a fabulous premise, but it falls apart in execution. Thrillers like this are a delicate balance of maintaining the tension and intrigue, while also developing the inner relationships of the characters, and I feel like it falls down in trying to balance all of it.
The sister relationship is reasonably compelling, if dysfunctional, with Frankie often having to step in to clean up her sister Izzy’s messes. And with Frankie trying to unravel what Izzy got into, and figuring out how far she’s willing to go to protect her sister, that provides great stakes on a personal level.
But this is definitely a slow-burner in its reveal of plot twists, and I frequently found myself struggling to maintain interest in what was going on. With two very unlikable major characters who I only occasionally felt invested in, a compelling plot would have held the story together better, but very little happens until the end, which results in the story wandering until the end when it all comes to light.
I didn’t care for this one that much, but it could be that it’s just not the type of thriller for me. If you like slow burning thrillers with messy characters, this one might work better for you.

I was super-excited to receive this ARC, as I loved the author's previous novel. I was not disappointed with this one! I loved meeting sisters Frankie and Izzy, I loved the two different timelines, and most of all, I loved the story! Characterization is excellent, atmosphere is excellent, suspense is excellent.....I have decided that I love Heather Chavez! GREAT book!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Heather Chavez and William Morrow and Custom House for this ARC!

After the stunning No Bad Deed, I was so excited to read this sophomore novel from Heather Chavez!

Blood Will Tell is a story of sisters, secrets, and suspicion. Frankie Barrera has lived by a code for most of her life: take care of her wild-child younger sister, Izzy, even when Izzy bucks back. Things haven't always been so great between them, but lately Izzy seems to have calmed down. She has a serious boyfriend and a part time job, and she's committed to staying sober. Frankie has even relaxed enough to give her permission to drive her truck and a spare set of keys.
So when Frankie is approached by cops concerning a missing girl, an AMBER alert, and someone maybe seen driving her truck during the commission of the crime, Frankie does the only logical thing: she lies. It's not like it's the first time.
Just 5 years before, Frankie was awoken by a panicked call from Izzy, begging for help with a car accident. Frankie arrived on the scene to find a drunken and incoherent Izzy, desperately in need of medical attention. Although Izzy survived, her memories did not, and she has only hazy recollections of the night. That would be a blessing in any other circumstance, but not this one. Because six friends were out there partying, including Izzy, and only five came home.
With the police breathing down her neck, a missing child, and possibly deadly consequences, Frankie has to decide how far she is willing to go to protect what's hers.

The cover for this book is incredible, so even if I wasn't already salivating, the cover would have drawn me in. The story itself starts with a bang, sucks you right in and consumes you.
Chavez deftly uses the past timeline to parcel out clues and background, with a clever hand, and dark intentions.

The pacing was suffering toward the middle of the book, and I did feel like it was rather lengthy. When reading a thriller, you want the story to be taut and succinct, but I understand that sometimes there's a surplus of information that the reader needs. Those are my only issues with the book, so I ended up at 3.75 stars. Heather Chavez is a huge talent, and I can't wait to read what comes from her twisted mind next! Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the chance to review this advance copy.

Wow this book totally rocked! This was beautifully written and perfectly executed. This was full of secrets as well as so many great twists and turns.
The character development was amazing and kept me totally invested in the story. Will definitely keep an eye out for this author.
Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’m such a fan of this author and was very excited when I heard about this. This was an engaging read with a nice fast pace. I loved the ending and thought it was wrapped up nicely in the end.

This is not your average thriller folks. This one is deep and pulls at the heart strings. My sister and I are really close. We have gone through a lot together and so this one hit home. The relationship between Frankie and Izzy was so close to ours that I felt it deep down in my soul. I know what it is to feel that extreme sense of loyalty and fierceness when it comes to protecting and raising a sibling. I also know that there are times when I have to remember to step back and be a sister, not a mom. Heather really did a wonderful job with this.

As far as the story line goes, you will be hooked. No one is as they seem and with everyone’s memory foggy you really don’t know if everyone knows what happened. I don’t want to give any spoilers but this has some big and small twists sprinkled throughout which really helps propel the story forward. This is definitely more mystery then thriller so for those scardy cats-this is for you! I think the fact that the story line stuck with one POV (Frankie) throughout really helped add to the mystery of the entire thing.

If you can’t tell, I loved it and Heather Chavez as she will be an auto buy for me forever! Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

Two sisters, a long unsolved missing girl case, and a new missing girl. One sister is protective of her seemingly always getting into it little sister. It seems one sister is always covering for the other but which one and more importantly why? Compelling thriller for fans of this genre!

This book was SO GOOD.

Blood Will Tell by Heather Chavez is about two sisters and a crime of a missing girl. Frankie suspects her sister is involved, after all, Izzy has a habit of getting herself into some precarious situations like what happened five years ago…

Schoolteacher and single mom Frankie Barrera has always been fiercely protective of her younger sister Izzy—whether Izzy wants her to be or not. But over the years, Izzy’s risky choices have tested Frankie’s loyalty. Never so much as on a night five years ago, when a frantic phone call led Frankie to the scene of a car accident—and a drunk and disoriented Izzy who couldn’t remember a thing.

Though six friends partied on the outskirts of town that night, one girl was never seen again . . .

Now, an AMBER alert puts Frankie in the sights of the local police. Her truck has been described as the one used in the abduction of a girl from a neighboring town. And the only other person with access to Frankie’s truck is Izzy.

This time around, Frankie will have to decide what lengths she’s willing to go to in order to protect Izzy—what lies she’s willing to tell, and what secrets she’s willing to keep—because the dangerous game that six friends once played on a warm summer night isn’t over yet . . .

This story was plotted out perfectly and kept me guessing. I will definitely be looking forward to more books from Heather!

Coming out on April 26

Frankie has always protected her little sister Izzy, so when she is stopped by the police after her truck fits the description of an Amber alert, she lies to the police. Unfortunately, Izzy has a lot of issues and even though she knows Frankie will protect her, she lies to Izzy about everything, so Frankie never really knows the truth about anything Izzy does. As Frankie starts to dig, she realizes that the current situation has something to do with an event that happened 5 years ago.

Frankie is definitely a bad ass and a great character in this book. She smart, a math wiz, and a great problem solver. She also has a tendency to get herself in bad situations each time she tries to help Izzy. This was a very well done mystery/thriller that had a lot of little twists. I probably would have liked it better if I understood how siblings connect more, so I couldn't really relate to that aspect of Frankie's overwhelming desire to ALWAYS help her sister. Overall, a great page-turner!

Gripping, with multiple layers of mystery.

From the author of the searing debut, No Bad Deed, comes a story about family bonds, and the secrets sisters keep in order to protect each other. Blood Will Tell is original, captivating, and layered with mystery. The backgrounds of the characters are unique and believable, their relationships complex and intriguing, revealing a number of possible antagonists, which kept me guessing until the very end. The past and present timelines are weaved together perfectly, allowing time to digest and reveal possible psychological motives for the crime. I loved how different Frankie and Izzy are and felt that it brought so much life to the story. The scene descriptions are vivid, and the plot steady, giving a real sense of mystery as Frankie leads us through the puzzle of what actually happened that dreaded night, five years ago. One scene that sticks in my head involves the night Frankie drove to her sister’s aid only to find her passed out in the driver’s seat of their parent’s car, a streak of blood, and a clump of human hair on the hood. So chilling!

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy compelling female characters, family secrets, and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

Schoolteacher and single mom Frankie Barrera has always been fiercely protective of her younger sister Izzy—whether Izzy wants her to be or not. But over the years, Izzy’s risky choices have tested Frankie’s loyalty. Never so much as on a night five years ago, when a frantic phone call led Frankie to the scene of a car accident—and a drunk and disoriented Izzy who couldn’t remember a thing.
Though six friends partied on the outskirts of town that night, one girl was never seen again . . .
Now, an AMBER alert puts Frankie in the sights of the local police. Her truck has been described as the one used in the abduction of a girl from a neighboring town. And the only other person with access to Frankie’s truck is Izzy.
This time around, Frankie will have to decide what lengths she’s willing to go to in order to protect Izzy—what lies she’s willing to tell, and what secrets she’s willing to keep—because of the dangerous game that six friends once played on a warm summer night isn’t over yet . . .

What a twisted book!!! (In a good way, at least for me)

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Izzy and Frankie - sisters being willing to cover for each other etc and just together through thick and thin. The structure of present day chapters interspersed with chapters from five years ago was perfect for this plot line. And I can honestly say, I 100% did not see that ending coming - what a great job by Chavez!

3 stars rounded up to 3.5

So many of my fellow bookstagram friends on here have been giving this 4 or 5 stars. Not sure what happened for me, but this book started off so strong and then drug on for far too long. There were storylines that made no sense or didnt add value to this story (for instance the kidnapping and Frankie having a son) and this felt like it was patchworked together. The ending was definitely a twist and it honestly made me queasy.

I loved her other book, but this fell really short for me 🥲

Blood Will Tell by Heather Chavez

Thrillers can be pretty hit and miss for me. I recently picked up a highly recommended thriller and DNF after the first chapter. There was too much swearing and the whole book was centered around who was sleeping with whom. Definitely not my thing.

Heather Chavez's book, on the other hand, was fantastic. It revolves around what it means to be siblings, to take care of each other, and how difficult it can be to trust the people we've known our whole lives. The who-done-it kept me guessing and the why-done-it was not what I suspected. 

If you're looking for a good thriller that will have your brain flip-flopping between suspects and leaves you with a whhhhatt feeling at the end, try this one. Releases April 26, 2022.

Using lean language and a gripping plot, Heather Chavez offers a page-turning mystery with a surprise ending.

I was so intrigued by the cover and premise of this ARC. I give Blood Will Tell 3 stars. I have mixed feelings about it, because I wanted to LOVE it, but I found myself struggling to muddle through it at times. It was VERY slow and dragged for quite a bit. The plot kept me engrossed enough to keep going, however. I also found myself having a hard time getting attached to the two main characters, sisters, Izzy and Frankie. There are a lot of characters to take in, and this is not a fast read in any means, as it comes in at 400 pages. If you enjoy sisterhood relationship stories with a somewhat darker twist, I'd recommend this novel.

This book was highly rated, but it just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t really get into it. I’m sure it would fit an audience that likes CJ Tudor.

A well written tense thriller, grabbed me right away and slowed down in the middle but it kept me tense throughout. Loved the relationship between the sisters as they grew and evolved. There was an impending sense of doom of waiting for the next bad thing to happen. It tells the story, both of a missing girl in current time and a probably dead girl from five years before, that one sister thought she might have killed and the other sister, as was her pattern helped her covering it up. Twists and turns and characters worth caring about 4.5