The Blood Promise is the first in a new series of police thrillers from Liz Mistry which introduces readers to detectives Jazzy - Jasmine Solanki and Queenie - Annie McQueen.
Set in Scotland, this well written thriller will keep you enthralled from the outset. The characters are richly developed and the plot is dark and gruesome with enough red herrings and twists and turns to keep you guessing through out.
An excellent start to the series and I am really looking forward to book number two.

A wonderful introduction to Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen who initially seem like an odd pairing but soon had me routing for the Jazz Queens!

Although the subject matter and the framing of the murders in this story are dark, the humour put me in mind of Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride, which is heady praise indeed!

As well as being an intro to Jazzy, Annie and the team, there is of course some perverse murders to solve and once Jazzy realises there might be a link to her past things really step up a notch. This unlikely pairing make for a formidable duo once they settle into their groove and manage to trust each other - they end up being a great team and I found them both endearing characters to follow.

I've enjoyed Liz Mistry books before and so didn't hesitate to read The Blood Promise - and I can confirm that Mistry has another sure fire series on her hands and I look forward to reading the next in the series.

The first in the Solinki and McQueen series. I’ve read all of the other books in the DS Nikki Parekh series which are fantastic so I had high hope for this new series! The storyline was gripping and I can’t wait how Solinki and McQueen characters develop over the series

Book Review: The Blood Promise by Liz Mistry

Rating: 3 Stars

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing The Blood Promise by Liz Mistry, and I have to say, it was a bit of a rollercoaster ride. This novel marks the beginning of the Solanki and McQueen Crime Series, and while it didn’t blow me away, I found it to be an engaging read overall.

Summary

The story kicks off on a chilling note as Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday to discover her parents dead at the breakfast table, with a sinister message left behind by their killer. This shocking event sets the stage for detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen, who dive headfirst into the investigation. As Jazzy digs deeper, she starts to suspect that these murders are somehow intertwined with her own life—especially since she shares the same birthday as Imogen. Things take a darker turn when Jazzy realizes that the killer is linked to a stalker who has haunted her for years. Faced with her own troubled past, Jazzy races against time to solve the mystery before she becomes the killer’s next target.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed this one overall. The atmosphere was beautifully crafted; you could really feel the tension in the air as the plot unfolded. The mystery itself was well plotted, keeping me guessing until the very end. I also appreciated the character development—Jazzy and Annie felt like real people with complex backgrounds.

The pacing was spot-on, which meant I was turning pages quickly, eager to see what happened next. However, my main issue with The Blood Promise was the point-of-view (POV) shifts. They were incredibly confusing at times. I found myself lost in the narrative because the POV would shift in the middle of a paragraph without any indication that we had switched perspectives. Honestly, some clear markers or breaks would have made a world of difference in keeping track of whose thoughts we were following.

Despite that hiccup, I still found enough enjoyment in this book to look forward to the next installment in the series. If you’re a fan of crime novels and enjoy a good mystery with some well-developed characters, I’d say give The Blood Promise a shot!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

The Blood Promise by Liz Mistry, the first in the Solanki and McQueen Crime Series, is set for release on 23 May. Returning to her Scottish roots in West Lothian, Mistry introduces DC Jasmine Solanki, or Jazzy, whose past resurfaces when a murder case connects to her mother's death 15 years earlier. The gripping opening draws you in immediately, showcasing Mistry’s talent for setting the scene and storytelling. Jazzy, along with her demoted partner Annie McQueen and their team, faces a web of intrigue, tension, and humor—especially from Queenie. The well-developed characters, including Geordie McBurnie and DI Elliott Balloch, promise a captivating series ahead.

The first book in a new Scottish detective series and hopefully I will enjoy the rest as much as I enjoyed this one.
Imogen wakes up on her 16th birthday and wonders why her parents aren’t rushing to start her celebrations. Unfortunately, she soon discovers why.
Recently demoted detectives Jazzy and Queenie are on the team tasked with investigating the case,. To say Queenie often rubs Jazzy up the wrong way is an understatement. However, as the storyline progresses the relationship changes thanks to some quite funny scenarios along the way.
Jazzy soon realises that she is connected to the case in ways she could never have imagined due to a long-held secret and a stalker.
The book kept me guessing until the end and was quite suspenseful at times.
This is the first book I’ve read by Liz Mistry but I’m sure it won’t be the last. I enjoyed her style of writing and I love a gory murder/ mystery. Sorry, not sorry.

It has been a tradition in her family that on birthday's Imogen stays in her bedroom until she is called down for a special breakfast & presents. On her sixteenth she seems to be waiting a long time so she goes downstairs & sees the dreadful fate that has befallen her family. DC's Jasmine (Jazzy) Solanki & Anne McQueen are first on the scene. The pair of them are an unlikely combination. Both have been demoted & placed in the D team of their section of West Lothian & Borders police, along with a couple of other 'non-rated' officers.

Somehow this unlikely group, who have overlooked skills come together & become the Jazz Queens! A title Jazzy tries to reject but eventually takes on board. This is a good police procedural story but it is raised to an amazing read by the humour & banter throughout. The characters are folk I can't wait to meet again & the writing style flows along. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. I loved Liz Mistry previous series of police procedurals but this was some thing else!

It was a treat to read this book an excellent addition to the Scottish crime writing scene. Already an accomplished crime writer with books set in Yorkshire this is the first in a new series from Liz Mistry set in the Scottish Borders. The main characters , Janine and Queenie are complex and somewhat flawed characters who bond during a murder investigation which soon appears to have ties to Janines difficult upbringing. As we progress through the story more and more is gradually revealed about her past and also the traumatic events in Queenies life. It initially seems like they are a mismatched pair but gradually a bond forms between them as the investigation proceeds and further murders are uncovered from the past and continue to be committed.This is not a story for those looking for a cozy mystery but will appeal to readers of authors as diverse as Ian Rankin, Alex Gray and Stuart McBride among others. A wonderful start to what promises to be a an excellent series which could easily take the author to the top table of Scottish crime.

The Blood Promise is the first title in an electrifying new series by Liz Mistry featuring Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen.

Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday, but the mood is far from celebratory when she finds her parents dead at the breakfast table – and a message from a killer who is only just getting started. Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen join in the investigation and the more they dig, the more their apprehension and trepidation increases. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen and the detective cannot shake off this feeling that this was not a mere coincidence, but something much more sinister.

With time not on her side, Jazzy has no time to waste – especially when she discovers a twisted connection between the killer and the stalker who has terrorized her for years. As she is compelled to confront dark demons which she has never managed to fully vanquish, Jazzy realises that she needs to solve this case as fast as she possibly can – or else she might end up as the killer’s next victim.

Liz Mistry’s The Blood Promise is a fast-paced and tension-filled crime thriller full of high stakes, heart-pumping suspense and nail-biting chills that grabs you from the get-go and keeps you absolutely riveted to the page. In Jazzy and Annie, Liz Mistry has created two nuanced, layered and intelligent detectives you will love spending time with.

A cracking good thriller perfect for Val McDermid and Angela Marsons fans, The Blood Promise is the latest unputdownable page-turner by Liz Mistry.

Love Liz Mistry books….read a lot of the precious series. This one was interesting but I thought it was possible that the killers could have been recognized by their sister…even though 15 years had passed, and I also thought that 21 was too young for these two killers to devise and execute such complicated murders staring at 16 without leaving behind forensic material etc so I didn’t believe that part of the story. Otherwise it was ok.

I initially struggled with this novel - the crimes were gruesome and I found the conversation between the two detectives jarring. However as the book progressed I found I liked both Jazzy and Annie.

The connections to Jazzy from the crime scenes initially seemed convoluted but as the story progressed they became more ‘realistic’.

I liked the D team and enjoyed seeing the team grow together.

An interesting ending leaving the way for more stories about this pairing.

Thank you HQ for the ARC. I enjoyed book #1 and was looking forward to this one but unfortunately it wasn't for me. 5 stars for a DNF as I cannot comment on the overall quality of the book.

Loved this brilliantly plotted and gripping novel.
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the first book in Liz Mistry's third series. I enjoyed the Nikki Parekh stories but couldn't connect with the Gus McGuire books. When I first heard about this new series, I wondered where it would fall on the spectrum of my liking - more like Nikki Parekh or more like Gus McGuire. To my pleasant surprise, it is like neither. It has its own unique voice, one that I very much enjoyed.

The story is very dark, starting with the death of a family and only getting darker from that point onwards.

It's good to see two female protagonists. Usually, if there is a female lead, the spotlight has to be shared with a man, but here we have Solanki and McQueen, both female, both having problems with authority, and both struggling in different ways to overcome their problems.

In a book with such dark themes and gruesome descriptions of horrific crimes, there has to be something to lighten the mood, to prevent everything from being too bleak. Liz Mistry proves what an excellent writer she is by injecting humour into the story without ever making it feel like the events are being trivialised.

I hope the Jazz Queens come back in another story, and if it is as good as this one, then it will indeed be a treat.

Liz Mistry's thrillers (the Nikki Parekh series and DI Gus McGuire series) are typically dark and bleak, as the themes she explores in her fiction show the brutal side of the humankind, so I'm not sure what about the latest book that made me wince more than usual.

I'm not the biggest fan of staged murder scenes in fiction (like The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, Angel Maker by Morgan Greene and others). The detailed descriptions of mutilated bodies leave me rather nauseated. And there is a lot of stomach-churning detail in The Blood Promise too.

Get ready for a terrifying thrill ride that will leave you breathless. And if you're squeamish, don't read this book while eating, just don't.

I also wanted to mention that the formatting of the ebook was a challenge to read, and hope that the E-book availble to buy is better edited. I found it hard to understand when two different narratives were not distinguished by different fonts or spacing. A few times I had to re-read the page to see when the voice changes to a different narrator.

Full review is published on my blog.

The first book in a new detective and police procedural series from the author who delivered a powerful and earthy series set in Bradford, one which I very much enjoyed. So this series is set in scotland and I am looking forward to a bit of Tartan Noir.

Mistry follows a similar format with a disturbing prologue to truly set the scene for what is to come. Surprised that the first case is so similar to the incident in the last book of the Bradford series - a family murdered at their own dining table. How bizarre.

The central characters are two quirky women detectives, often coarse in their workplace banter and with their own issues to deal with too. Like the previous series, the women suffer from previous trauma that seeps into their psyche and shapes their current lives. Told in the third person from mainly one of the detective's perfectives, there are also intermittent chapters from the murderer in the first person. The chapters are grouped into sections of days, so the pace of the story is always obvious. They certainly pack a lot in.

There is gruesome murder, cat-and-mouse trails, tension and a rugged narrative. A great read for those who like grisly crime and are looking for a new series to follow.

The stars mark is lowered because of the similarity to the previous series set in Bradford. If I hadn't read that it would have been 4.5 stars.

First in a possible series featuring two recently demoted female DCs set in West Lothian, Scotland.

Lots of potential for me as I like Ms Mistry's work, and here she starts off this story in a really gruesome way. As usual well described and the two DCs have to investigate. I was happy at this stage but the story and the various twists were not as good as the interplay between the two women, Queenie and Jazzy.

In my opinion I enjoyed all their dialogue but little else. Yet again one of the characters had a difficult upbringing. Can't we have other more 'normal' parents and home life?

I'll probably steer clear of book number two.

Thanks to Net Galley and HQ Digital for the chance to read and review.

Book one in Solanki and McQueen series and it's promising to be a new brilliant series. Looking forward to reading more in this series!

‘The Blood Promise’ is a deftly crafted and plotted crime book that will keep readers hooked from the first to last page! I am a huge fan of Liz’s work and I was very excited to hear that she was finally writing a series that was set in Scotland, her home country. It did not disappoint at all, in fact, it exceeded all my expectations and delivered a cracker of a book! I am fully a signed-up member of the Jazz Queens fan group.

Although this book has a lot of humour included in the narrative, it's also not for the faint-hearted as some of the scenes, the opening ones in particular are very descriptive and very dark. But then I expected that from Mistry, but what I didn't expect was all the humour! The two main protagonists are demoted cops DC Jasmine Solanki (Jazzy) and DC Annie McQueen (Queenie) have a lot of baggage in their backstories. To begin with, neither woman likes the other and both come across as having abrasive personalities but as the book and story progress and we learn about their backstories you begin to understand their characters and how they cope with life. Plus as the case progresses you learn that Jazzy has a very personal connection to it all.

One thing I admire about Liz’s work is that she always manages to write about damaged characters and accurately portray their mental health struggles. Her characters always show how nuanced mental health struggles can be and she shows great empathy in creating them. Her characters always have light and shades to them and I love how diverse they are. They say a writer should always write about what they know and Liz is a shining example of how this works amazingly in her books. Considering Liz wrote her doctoral thesis on mental health portrayal in crime fiction you know that anything in her books is going to be on point!

This is the start of what I hope is going to be a very long series as I loved reading it and it is set in a part of Scotland that most crime writers ignore Livingston, which means that it's going to have its own unique dynamic! I can't wait to read what is coming next!

Let me know if you pick this one up!

I loved that this was set in my neck of the woods in Scotland! Never really read one so close to home usually they are all set in Glasgow or Edinburgh! I enjoyed the story and that characters however, I found this hard to read in the sense that there would be a sudden shift in who was telling the story - one min we were having Jazzy POV then suddenly it shifted to someone else's without any warning making it mess with the flow and my focus!

Detectives Jasmine 'Jazzy' Solanki and Annie 'Queenie' McQueen were quite the quirky characters, which I rather enjoyed - though for some reason we were constantly reminded that Jazzy was a POC, it felt unnecessary at times and overused. However they had a great rapport and the banter between them was enjoyable and a welcome break from all the gruesomeness going on. Jazzy has something going on from her past that she doesn't want anyone knowing about, but the murders that have been happening seem to have some correlation to her past. There were plenty twists, gruesome murders ( I mean first crime scene had heads on the table!) and overall a good start to this series, the only thing I think would make this better would be a huge tweak on the editing front to differentiate which character was speaking so it make the story flow better.