My Review

I am a huge fan of Liz and her work and have been for a few years now. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed each and every book that she has written to date. When I heard that Liz was due to release the first book in a new series, I knew that I had to grab a copy at the earliest opportunity and hibernate until after I had read the last word on the last page. Well ladies and gents the wait is over because the first book in the series featuring Detectives Solanki and McQueen is called 'The Blood Promise' and it was released on 23rd May 2024. It's a superb start to a new series and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of 'The Blood Promise' but more about that in a bit.

As with all of Liz's books, the synopsis of 'The Blood Promise' was enough to grab my attention and draw me in. I couldn't wait to start reading so after I had grabbed a cup of tea and grabbed my copy of the book, I settled down for a brilliant afternoon of reading. This was one of those books that seemed to grab me from the start and seemed to develop a 'hold' over me that I wasn't willing to break. I would pick the book up only intending to read a chapter or two but I was so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the characters that I would still be sat there reading several chapters later. Part of the reason why I enjoyed reading 'The Blood Promise' so much has to do with the detective pairing of Solanki and McQueen. They are a bit like chalk and cheese personality wise but they do seem to get on well. I was intrigued by their partnership and how their investigation would pan out. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I was so into the story that I didn't realise how quickly the time was passing and how quickly I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of 'The Blood Promise'. I found 'The Blood Promise' to be a gripping, well plotted, tense and dramatic read, which certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat. 'The Blood Promise' is a superb start to a new series.

'The Blood Promise' is superbly written but then I have come to come to expect nothing less from Liz Mistry. Liz certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story. For me, the story starts with a bang, it hits the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace. Liz clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I, which in some cases was rather terrifying. Reading 'The Blood Promise' felt like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns to it than you would find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board. I love the way in which Liz makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the story. That's how I felt at any rate.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Blood Promise' and I wholeheartedly recommend it to other readers. I hope to read much more of Liz's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was a well paced police drama with gory murders but humour in the relationships between colleagues. It centred around Jazzy and her traumatic upbringing which we witnessed in flashbacks. Not a cosy mystery by any means but a gritty well written storyline that kept the reader thoroughly engaged.

Jazzy Solanki had a hard start to life, found with her twin siblings and her dead mother. Since then she has worked hard, reaching the rank of Detective Sergeant in Police Scotland. However, after an altercation, she has been demoted to DC and sent to work in Livingstone with a poor DI and a difficult partner. However, when a gruesome murder is committed, Jazzy sees the links to her own life and becomes convinced that she is the target of a plan.
Having read some of Mistry's past booksI know that she is great at putting together a complex plot but here I really enjoyed the cat and mouse aspect. The characters are fantastic especially Queenie and the broad Scots accent really works well. What I especially liked was the fact that the door is open for the sequel, there is no clear ending. This book gripped me.

An absolute great start to the series!
It does take a bit to get into the story and you do have to pay attention to what is going on... but overall a great read.
The chemistry between the characters is great!
The author did a great job in the way they presented certain elements, specially the torment our main characters felt.
ANDDDD can't forget the setting- mixing Christmas with something so dark and twisting.. amazing!

The Blood Promise had all the workings of a great novel, but just fell a little short for me.

I will say, the twists and turns of this book are ones I never saw coming. I also really enjoyed the development of the different characters, especially the so-called "Jazz Queens." Those scenes were by far the best ones, because they were silly and showed different sides of all the characters. I thought the pacing was really well done, and I rarely say that books are the perfect length but this one was.

I had two major qualms with the book. First, it did not let you forget it was placed in Scotland. As an American reader, I struggled along with some portions that were almost unreadable if you aren't familiar with Scottish lingo. It wasn't even in the speaking, it was in the text as well. For broader appeal I think toning down slightly on the Scottish slang would be best. My other issue was the inclusion of facts only when they are relevant to the story line. A few that come to mind is when we find out Jazzy's mom is blind just out of nowhere, Azqual reveals he is her dad at the complete end of the book, and her siblings are two somewhat minor characters I barely remembered. A lot of it felt like it came out of the blue.

Overall, I enjoyed the read, but got a bit pulled out of the story by the Scottish slang and random plot points dropped in.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mistry, and HQ for providing a digital copy of the book in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.

The Blood Promise is a brilliant opener for the Solanki and McQueen crime series.

I have never read a book by Mistry before so it was the perfect introduction to her writing style.

I have to say she knocked it out of the park! Right from the opening pages I was absolutely gripped and couldn't flip the pages fast enough.

It's fast paced, compelling and veers on the darker side ie there's plenty of gore, with the author certainly holding nothing back in her descriptions of the murders.

With both detectives recently being demoted down from DS' you immediately knew they were characters to become emotionally invested in.

I really enjoyed the book and can't wait to tour with the second installment.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This book is the first in a series; a murder mystery set in Scotland. I wouldn't call it cosy, but it was an enjoyable, comfortable read. I liked the detectives, Jazzy and Queenie, and how they worked together. They had strong personalities and I found some of their interactions quite funny.

As a murder mystery, this book was entertaining and kept me guessing. I found parts of the narrative a little ambiguous, and that made me want to read more quickly. I would probably read about these characters again, and if you are a crime/mystery fan, you may enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, and to the author and publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.

This book just wasn't for me. The story was interesting but the dialogue and style of writing made me not interested in reading. The attempts at humor were distracting in what was a serious story. I'm sure many will enjoy this story so I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying this one for themselves. Rounded up to 3.

A new series by Liz Mistry - what's not to get excited about? As always, the author delivers a cracking, fast-paced read with the BEST characters! I loved Jazzy, but I think Queenie takes top spot as my favourite. Newly placed together, Queenie knows lots about Jazzy, but the same can't be said from Jazzy's perspective. And is it any wonder when a grisly - proper grisly - murder scene evolves into something personal for Jazzy, something she'd rather not share with everyone at work, but something, nonetheless, that will prove vital in catching this killer. The connections are, at first glance, subtle: Jazzy's shared birthday with the murder victims' daughter. A coincidence, you might think until Jazzy is obliged to share details of her stalker, and then it gets very, very personal.
I loved how the author drip-feeds the reader details of Jazzy's past, sprinkles in snippets about Queenie's life, and then has the inspiration to create The Jazz Queens (a much better name for the D team who do not deserve the "dunce" label given to them by their odious boss - Dick by name and dick by nature.
Great characterisation, sublime banter, a fast-moving plot, and a serial killer on the prowl. Bring on the next book!

I’ve had a few duff birthdays – Forest losing 8-1, being told I had a brain tumour the day before my 40th, having a operation to repair my broken and ripped foot 2 days after my birthday. But this is nothing compared to Imogen Clark who on her 16th birthday found her parents dead. That would make me never want to remember my birthday again, I dread to think what damage it would do to a 16 year old!

This is just the start of things, some very brutal things and at the centre of the investigation are the black sheep of West Lothian and Borders police, demoted Jazzy and Queenie. They are a right pairing. They both have their baggage but both have some pretty special skills that should crack this brutal case!

I love the Jazz Queens, both the OG and the extension to the group. Their banter is brilliant. There may have been friction to start with but they are brilliant once they get going.

The little twists, I say little, they appear little at the time but as I thought about them, the impact is just huge after what I’d read previously. Mistry has really mastered the sleight of hand here. You’ll know what I mean when you read it.

I loved reading The Blood Promise. Mistry has brought a new dimension to her dark police procedurals, a level of comedy. If you love your police procedurals, you need to get this book on your reading pile stat! An excellent start to a new series! Can not wait for book 2!!!

Detectives Jazzie and Queenie find themselves demoted after separate incidents in their careers. Now in the D team they are stuck on low level inquiries being hassled by their boss and generally feeling down. The A and B teams are out on investigations when a murder call comes in and they are sent to the scene until the other teams can attend. When they attend they find a bizarre tableau set out in the kitchen with 2 bodies. The daughter had come down on her birthday morning to find her parents murdered . As investigations continue it appears that Jazzie is being targeted , but by whom . The 2 girls are joined by 2 other detectives as they , Haggis and McBride ( who has an alter ego as a drag queen Misty Thistle) Queenie decides they will be known as The Jazz Queens . Jazzie's childhood is brought to the front and she was adopted by her Uncle and Aunt after her alcoholic mother died, she was separated from her twin siblings and had not seen them since. Despite the opposition of their boss who is now the senior office on this crime they try to link earlier murders to this one and after many twists find the culprits eventually.

Set in West Lothian and working from the Livingstone station, DC’s Jasmine Solanki (Jazzy) and Annie McQueen (Queenie), both experienced but recently demoted – Queenie due to the infamous “needle-gate” affair and Jazzy because of an apparent affair with Chief Supt Afzal – have been given the dud job of a stakeout for a weed farm on the insular hamlet of Stùrrach, a place even their neighbouring villagers avoid at all costs, and with A and B teams occupied on exciting jobs, it’s the D teamers who get the call to a double murder scene. Imogen Clark has been waiting for her parents to call her down for her 16th birthday breakfast but when they don’t appear she finds them beheaded and bizarrely posed in the kitchen. It’s both a curious and hideous crime scene but the one that Jazzy’s ptsd puts in her head is even more intriguing. Coupled with a stalker following her from home to home leaving birthday cards, it seems to Jazzy that her past’s ghosts will never leave her alone. Afzal’s intervention ensures the pair stay on the murder case along with fellow “D for Dunce” team members DCs Fenton Heggie and Geordie McBurnie (aka drag queen Misty Thistle) working under their odious DCI. The reader also hears commentaries from the killer. Who is this person with their “work”? What lies in Jazzy’s past and what is her relationship with DI Elliot Balloch? And as the investigation expands, will the team be able to catch this manipulative and very clever killer?
I absolutely loved it! It is as brilliant as every other book I have read by this author but maybe contains a little more humour, such as the wonderful Stùrrach Hillbilly Outing, which just adds to the pleasure of reading it but in no way detracts from the gruesome and dark crimes. The additions from the killer’s mouth are great and add to the mystery. I adore the “D” team – Jazzy, Queenie, Fenton and Geordie - and the dynamic between them all, feisty Queenie being my absolute favourite with her little trios of expressions and her attempts at knitting. The story is inclusive in a completely natural way and uses very authentic words and phrases which I don’t think anyone reading would have any trouble in understanding. Overall, it’s a tense and fast-moving story, full of twists and shocks, featuring two excellent detectives who have both experienced more than their fair share of tragedy but are still determined to bring justice for the victims. Cracking in every sense and an absolutely brilliant opener to the new series, I am so looking forward to more from the Jazz Queens.

Oh this was good! A new police procedural with a lot of thriller about it. Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen are a very unlikely pairing who have both recently been demoted to Detective Constable for different misdemeanours. The rumour mill abounds that Jazzy is having an affair with the DCS. Paired together on an overnight stakeout, Annie is completely doing Jazzy's head in when they are called to a brutal murder scene just as their shift ends. Jazzy is particularly bothered by the scene- as memories and flashbacks come to her, this is reminiscent of the defining moment of her childhood. It feels as if this murder scene has been staged just for her. But why? Her senior officer discounts anything Jazzy offers so, along with two young constables, they become the Jazz Queens and run their own investigation. A brutal, evil and twisted story- i can't wait to read the next adventures of the Jazz Queens. #netgalley #thebloodpromise

The first book in a brand new series and what a book it is! Dark, gory with plenty of twists. Some I guessed but some I absolutely did not. Wasn't sure about Queenie to start but her character really grew on me. I loved this book and I can't wait to read more. Brilliant.

A deadly gift

Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her parents dead at the breakfast table, along with a message from their killer.

A twist of fate

Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen join the investigation, but the more they discover, the more Jazzy suspects that the killing is a twisted message for her. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen, and believes that this is more than a coincidence.

A race to catch a killer

When Jazzy discovers the connection between the killer and the stalker who has been following her for years, she is forced to confront the dark past she was desperate to keep hidden. She must stop at nothing to solve the case, before she becomes the next victim....

A story of crime, murder and misdirection. I loved the characters, they brought relief to the story when the passages got too intense and poor Jazzy was under siege from the darkness of remembered past history. A story of personal heartache and a traumatic beginning blossoming into a story of strength in the face of adversity and terror. The main character, Jazzy, has a past that needed to be buried but with unforeseen circumstances has raised it's ug;y head. If you like a good police procedural with a bit of terror, humour and strong characters, you will enjoy this book. The book is set in Scotland and even though it has a lot of Scottish words and phrases that I did not really understand, it did not interfere with my appreciation of the story. I am looking forward to Book 2 of Jazzy and her D Team.

Darkly themed, this Scottish crime story is brutal, intense, and layered with police procedural details that ring with authenticity.

DC Jazzy Solanki, — recently demoted from Sergeant to her new lowly rank on the D-team, has lived through some hard times. Still suffering from the effects of her traumatic childhood, Jazzy has struggled to keep her private life secret, a task made nearly impossible when a new horrific and very grisly crime (with disturbing and deadly personal relevance) appears within her patch.

Jazzy, paired with her new partner, the abrasive yet strangely maternal Queenie, (a character remiscent in many ways of the indomnitable Vera Stanhope) has her work cut out for her as victims accumulate, and the secrets Jazzy can no longer hide explode to threaten her very existence.

A top-notch crime read (quite a bit more grisly than this reader typically enjoys), the first in a new series that promises drama, mystery, twists, a terrific cast of characters and a desperate depiction of the ongoing battle between goodbess and pure unadulturated evil - bred through misery and pain and now mercilessly instigating the the same.

My stop today on the #rachelsrandomresources tour for #thebloodpromise by #lizmistry

A great big thanks to the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
:

When Imogen Clarke wakes up on her sixteenth birthday she's looking forward to the usual treats she gets every year, what she doesn't expect is to find her parents brutally murdered in their kitchen, an image she will never forget. Newly demoted detectives Jasmine (Jazzy) Solanki and Annie (Queenie) McQueen are sent to investigate the double murder and neither of them are prepared for the sheer horror that faces them. As they continue their investigations it becomes clear there is a connection between the perpetrator and someone that has been stalking Jazzy for some time and she knows she must dig deep into her past to solve the case before their next victim is claimed.

The Blood Promise is the first in the new Solanki and McQueen crime series and introduces us to a very dysfunctional team of detectives who have been thrown together to form the D (dunce) team and, along with DC's Fenton Heggie and Geordie McBurnie, who, much to their horror, Queenie declares will be known as the 'Jazz Queens', set to investigating this very gruesome crime. Jazzy and Queenie quickly form a tight bond which is beautiful to watch and I'm looking forward to seeing this special partnership develop further in the future. This is a well crafted, very dark thriller from Mistry with some wonderful humour thrown in courtesy of Queenie's antics and some great twists and turns, but it's definitely not one for the faint hearted. I'm looking forward to book two already!

I'd like to thank HQ and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

The gruesome beginning sets the tone for the crime noir that follows. Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Anne McQueen have become partners after their respective but unrelated demotions. I like that this story focuses on two female detectives with emotional backstories. While they make an unlikely partnership, events push them together, and gradually, they become an effective investigative force. It has many disturbing scenes and a cruel killer. Irreverent humour between the detectives lightens the darkness, making this authentic. It's a story of horror and secrets, and the menacing ethos dominates. I like the dynamic between the detectives, the chilling sense of danger the author creates and the twisty mystery that relentlessly keeps you turning the pages, scared to discover what happens to the characters you care about.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her parents dead at the breakfast table, along with a message from their killer. Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen join the investigation, but the more they discover, the more Jazzy suspects that the killing is a twisted message for her. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen, and believes that this is more than a coincidence.
The start of a new series & a very good starter it was, well written, strong characters & a gruesome storyline which was lightened by some witty banter between Jazzy & Annie. I thoroughly enjoyed this edge of the seat thriller & look forward to more in the series
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

What a scorching start to a new series!

Imogen Clark is turning sixteen and is waiting to be called down for her 'surprise' by her parents - but she gets more of a shock that a surprise when she finds their bodies. Despite being ordered to set this aside as a 'one off' crime, Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen - dubbed the 'Jazz Queens' by Annie - begin to realise there is more to it. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen and has had a stalker for quite some time; it seems the time to share the details has come - much against her wishes ...

Oh, this is a cracking thriller! Grabbing me from the first despicable crime, I was hooked as the story twisted and turned revealing details bit by bit and all with typical Scottish humour sprinkled throughout. I think this may be the first book by Liz Mistry that I've read, but it certainly won't be the last. A belter of a read, and one I highly recommend and happily give a full house of stars! 5*

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is = as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.