Well-plotted mystery with lots of red herrings -- remind me, however, NEVER to make fast friends with any couples from Britain on my future Florida beach vacations!

Three couples meet at a Sarasota resort and enjoy fun in the sun for the duration of their vacations. Right before they all head back home to England, a young teenager goes missing. She and her mom were also staying at the Pelican Palms Resort so the couples had all met Amber-Marie, a happy girl with special needs. The police speak to everyone getting statements, but have no real leads, and the couples get on the plane without giving it much thought. Once home, they start getting together for dinners and slowly but cleverly, the truth begins to come out. The couples are interviewed again by a trainee constable following up with some additional questions from Jeffrey Gardner, the Florida detective, and she is struck by the notion that more than one of them has not been telling the truth about their whereabouts and activities on the day of Amber-Marie's disappearence. Then the girl's body is found hidden in the mangroves. The hunt for the person responsible is now revitalized.

The reader knows that one of the members of this couples group killed Amber-Marie. The chapters flip back and forth in time and point of view. The killer has a voice and "speaks" about how easy it is to lie and how luck played such a huge part in the successful murder. But then, unable to stop, the killer snatches another little girl from a special needs school and does it again. This sets off an intense trans-Atlantic police interaction as Trainee Detective Constable Jenny Quinlan's somewhat overactive imagination proves her suspicions to be closer to the mark.

The identity of the killer was not hard to guess, especially if you're a fan of this type of book and anticipate the twist. There was, however, a big surprise that I didn't expect and I love it when that happens. I did like the way the author unraveled the crime and the pacing of this novel. I went back to the beginning again and reread some parts to see if I should have picked up on the clues sooner but found it all nicely camouflaged with each of the parties saying or doing something odd. I enjoyed this one very much. I have read previous books by this author, and will look for his next as well.

In Rush of Blood by Mark Billingham three British couples meet on holiday in Florida and are witnesses to the disappearance of a child from the resort. Rush of Blood is told thorough the back stories of the three couples and their interactions once they have returned home as the investigation unfolds on both sides of the Atlantic. Gradually you realise that one of the 6 was responsible for abducting the child.

Rush of Blood is challenging because all of the characters are unpleasant and yet at the same time you are aware that much of this is misdirection. I read this with a sense of fascination watching a train crash in slow motion and at the same time eager for it to be over. Mark Billingham is usually much better than this, if you have enjoyed his Tom Thorne series you may be disappointed by this stand alone novel

Another great read from Mr Billingham

Perfect strangers; perfect holiday; perfect murder. Three couples meet around the pool in Florida and become fast friends. But on their last night the teenage daughter of one of the couples goes missing and later her body is found floating in the mangroves.

I loved this book. It is told from different perspectives and with every chapter you switch the blame The only thing you do know until the end is it’s one of the three couples who were in Florida. The book explores the dysfunctional families behind the seemingly happy personas.

The chapters were lovely and short and the story flowed beautifully with the interspersed e-mails and a few chuckle moments.

I have read all of Mark Billingham’s books and enjoyed them all. This is a stand-alone as opposed to a DCI Tom Thorne book.

A good book; no negatives. Just give yourself time to read it as it’s a real page-turner.

Helen

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

I chose to read this book (which was a prepublication copy from NetGalley, thank you) because of the author. He is one of the authors I had been introduced to last summer by the infamous Munro’s Bookstore in Victoria, BC. I really enjoyed the first book (Sleepyhead, the first of the DI Tom Thorne books). This is a standalone novel, however. And the author admits he has stepped out of his comfort zone (England), with Sarasota, FL one of the two locales in which the book is set (although I found that very interesting as I live just a few miles south of there - his references to places is quite accurate). Three British couples, Barry and Angie, Ed and Sue, and Dave and Marina, meet at a low budget resort on Siesta Key during a two week holiday. They have never met before, and enjoy each others company. The day before they are to return to England, a young girl who had been staying at the same resort disappears. Upon their return to England, the couples continue their newfound friendship by hosting dinner at each of their houses. And the subject of the missing (eventually found dead) girl keeps coming up, especially as the Sarasota detective engages a British counterpart to ask these couples some more questions. The British detective goes beyond what she was asked to do, but that only deepens the mystery. And when a similar crime is committed in England, the two cases are eventually tied together. The book moves along, but it is a little choppy. But it will keep you guessing - every time you think you have it something will throw you off the case.

There were a lot of things I could learn from this book. You don't really know anybody. Nothing is like it seems. And the most important: Don't invite holiday "friends" to your home. When the three couples met in their hotel in Florida everything was fantastic. They had a lot of fun and the promise to met up, when back in the UK, was an easy one to make. But this is just something you say, right? Nobody is taken such a promise seriously. Well, one of the six is and set's in motion a chain of events with repercussions for all of them. In the beginning I had some problems with the alternating between the events taking place in the UK and in Florida and the thoughts of the killer. It would have been easier if the chapters had a headline with the place setting. But once I got into the story it was hard to stop reading. As every single one of these six persons had their own secrets and wasn't what the let the others see, it was hard to make assumptions as to who the killer is. Towards the end I had my suspicions towards all of them and it was impossible to figure out what really had happened. I was not prepared for the conclusion though. At first there was this feeling of things being rushed in the end but then there was another twist in the story and as it turns out - the end was not really the end at all. I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to everyone who likes a good mystery.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press!

Feb 01, 2017 · edit
really liked it
Read from February 01 to 07, 2017

I have not read any of the Tom Thorn series, but I have always wanted to and will be starting that series next month. This book is a stand alone. While I was reading it I thought that it was a thriller and thought that there was not enough action for me. As I read further I found out that it was more of a who done it mystery which was very well done. I feel that at the end though it turns out to be also a psychological thriller. I was able to guess the killer but I always have fun guessing and loved it when I was right. The clues are all revealed with twists and turns toward the end. The motive was just crazy and I wouldn't of been able to guess that.

Three British couples are all on a vacation in a resort in Florida. They are all socializing by the pool and wherever they go. They are all strangers. The last night of their stay a special needs child disappears. The child is found dead months later and another child of the same age
vanishes suggesting a serial killer. The case then is discussed among the three couples. Suspense starts to build up from each couples POV. It is well known that the killer is one of these six individuals but which one?

I loved the setting of the story. There is plenty of sun, the sea and lots of drinking. I loved the descriptions of the resort in Florida, and wished I was there, since it is the season of Winter where I am. I found the characters very unlikable and unpleasant. I had a hard time rating this book, only because I did found it slow in the beginning but loved the setting. I thought it was very well written and loved the mystery. I give it 3.5- 4 stars rounding it to 4 stars.

I want to thank Netgalley, Mark Billingham and the publisher for a copy of this book in return forban honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it.It was written from several points of view I didn't like the Brits who had met in the States it always interests me when there are so many unlikable characters I did feel at one point that I didn't really care who did it as they were all pretty unlovable but I did like the girls mother and the detectives and I did want to find out what had happened so the book kept my interest even if a lot of the characters didn't appeal to me.Not going to give the game away by saying much more this book kept me guessing and I liked that.Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Three couples meet around the pool on their Florida holiday and become fast friends. But on their last night, their perfect holiday takes a tragic twist: the teenage daughter of another holidaymaker goes missing, and her body is later found floating in the mangroves.

When the shocked couples return home, they remain in contact, and over the course of three increasingly fraught dinner parties they come to know one another better. But they don't always like what they find: buried beneath these apparently normal exteriors are some dark secrets, hidden kinks, ugly vices...

Then, a second girl goes missing.

Could it be that one of these six has a secret far darker than anybody can imagine?

Once again I was not disappointed-Mark Billingham is a superb thriller/crime writer. A gritty page turner I just wish he would write faster as I always look forward to his books.

Another great thriller from Mark Billingham. A compelling read that kept my interest throughout.

Stand-alone murder mystery with some crafty twists and turns

Three British couples happen to meet in Sarasota, Florida while on holiday. They have a "holiday friendship," going out to dinner and for drinks while in Florida. That might have been it except right towards the end of their time in Florida a young mentally challenged girl disappears from the resort they are all staying at. All six are then questioned by the police about any knowledge they might have about the disappearance.

Once back in Great Britain the couples decide to continue meeting, having dinner at each of their houses. And then another girl disappears in their vicinity and the questions really start.

There were things I liked about this tale. I liked reading about the differences in the U.S. and British law enforcement and judicial systems. I liked reading about the law enforcement officers involved with each case.

But the British couples were not likable. All involved had their quirks and I got tired reading about them. The middle of the book bogged down and I had a difficult time finishing the story.

I am glad that I did, though. I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the ending had a few twists that I did NOT see coming. That's always a plus for me when reading a whodunit.

I received this book from Grove Atlantic through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

So you’re on holiday in Florida, you’ve met up with another two couple’s from the UK, spent time together all fairly standard stuff and then on the last day, a girl goes missing from the resort. You’re interviewed by the police and allowed to return to the UK. Would you make a date to meet up with your fellow holidaymakers away from the sun?
Well that’s exactly what the couples in our story did. It has to be said some were keener than the others to get together but they grouped together round Angie and Barry’s table they begin to get to know each other on home ground so to speak. Inevitably the conversation becomes dominated by what could have happened to Amber-Marie and how she had disappeared so suddenly. Of course it goes without saying that one uncomfortable dinner party isn’t enough for these intrepid travellers, as Ed and Sue host one as do Marina and Dave. For the reader who doesn’t have to endure the actual company, these are brilliant parties with each character showing their hand a little bit more.
Over in Florida Amber-Marie’s mother Patti Lee Wilson is naturally distraught and the manager of the resort where she has camped out is fearing she is bad for business, or he’s simply run out of what little compassion he has.
Jeff Gardner is working the case in the US and left to voice the increasingly trite sounding reassurances that the case is getting the department’s full attention. And then there is a murder in the UK and a bright trainee PC, Jenny Quinlan decides to contact Jeff and so the investigation progresses both sides of the Atlantic.
In between the dinner parties themselves not only does the investigation gather pace but we hear what the characters are doing, what worries them and, for some, what have they found on the internet that they can mull over and dissect at the next meeting. We also hear the killer’s voice but I have to admit, it wasn’t who I thought it would be.
I can safely say that none of the characters have bucket loads of redeeming features but they are all recognisable, you probably work with at least one of them! There characteristics range from mousey through to an arrogant assumption that their opinion is what everyone is waiting for, from the geeky nerd to the wannabe actress and from the neurotic to the grumpiest man on the planet – why the couples are with each other is intriguing enough let alone why they would voluntarily chose to spend time with the other couples!
In a nutshell that is the beauty of Rush of Blood this standalone novel has a different feel to the Tom Thorne books, although fans will be pleased to hear he does have a cameo role. While there is a mystery to solve it is more firmly in a whodunit than a why which makes it possible for the author to experiment with the amusing character studies which contrasts behaviour between the couples themselves and how they behave in a group situation… and the author doesn’t neglect the detectives either but I’ll let you make your own minds up about them!
I found Rush of Blood an absolutely fascinating read whilst vowing to myself to make sure I look as unfriendly as possible on any future holidays I may take!!
I’d like to thank Grove Atlantic for allowing me to read Rush of Blood. This honest review is my thanks to them.

Despite the title, this book is not overly gory. I would say that it falls in the "suspense/thriller" category, but unfortunatley I found it to be rather lacking in drama and tension. While there was certainly a "who dunnit?" element, I found the book just couldn't sustain my interest for long stretches at a time.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three couples meet on holiday in Florida. On their last night, a young girl goes missing. They have all met her and her mother who were also staying at the same resort as them, albeit only momentarily. The couples return home and then attend a series of dinner parties, each couple taking it in turns to host. They also get together a couple of times in between and the topic of what happened to the girl in Florida is never far from their conversation. The Sarasota police are baffled and reach out to the British police to assist with some clarification on witness statements from the couples. Then a girl goes missing in the UK, near to all three couples' homes and things hot up, especially when the American girl's body is discovered.
We follow this story from multiple povs, each person gets their say. In the 6 holidaymakers, Mr Billingham has managed to create a cast of the most horrible people but then I suspect this has been done to keep them all in play right until the end. They all had certain traits that earmarked them all as potential suspects. I get that no one is every completely squeaky clean but here we do go a little over the top with throwing in clue after clue that had me flitting between each in turn as I tried to guess the killer! I do admit though to figuring out something quite key early on so I wasn't quite following all the red herrings at face value along the way. Other characters were easier to connect with, especially the girl's mother and both British and American detectives.
Pacing was on the whole good. It did drag a little for me at times but I think that was probably more to do with my dislike for certain characters rather than a slur on the author's writing.
But... the way the book has been written, the way things follow, the way that some of the visual aspects were obvious has me thinking that this book was written with TV in mind. To me sometimes it screamed screenplay a little too much and this did distract me a bit. I may well be wrong but that's how it felt to me whilst reading.
All that said, it was a good solid easy read that kept me interested throughout. Mostly to see whether I had guessed right (I did - yay me!). Although I have read another of his stand alone books, I still haven't read any of this author's Tom Thorne series which I have heard good things about, I really should rectify this omission.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I discovered after I got this book that I'd already read it when it was published in 2012.

It seemed familiar - three couples who met holidaying and remained in touch... perhaps only because of the tragedy of a teenage girl who went missing near their resort.

Billingham switches perspective a number of times, though we remain in third person until we're in the mind of the killer (when we switch to first person).

We know then, that the killer is one of our six holiday-makers but kept guessing as to which one until the very end.

I actually guessed the twist at the end - because of the writing and it wrapped up a little too easily otherwise.

I was probably less engaged than I could have been in the outcome of this book because the characters were so unlikeable. I found I didn't really care about any, other than the two detectives (who we meet but briefly). However, this was an enjoyable novel and an easy page-turner.

I note I gave it 3 stars in 2012 and I'll stick with that this time around.

Rush of Blood by Mark Billingham sounded like it would be right up my alley. Three British couples become friendly at a resort in Florida and continue to get together after the vacation ends. The vacation was wonderful, except for the incident with the fourteen-year-old girl who went missing on the last day of their trip and was later found dead. After a second girl is murdered much closer to home, the couples begin to wonder what their new friends are hiding. The book shifts back and forth between "what happened then" and "what's happening now" with occasional first person sections written by the killer. I wasn't worried about what would happen to any of the characters and I barely cared who the murderer was. The whole reason I'm drawn to thrillers is that I want to see what's going to happen to the people involved, but this book just didn't pull me in. And there was way too much complaining about portion sizes.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
This is an excellent book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Three British couples meet on holiday in Florida and decide to keep the friendship group going once they get back home from holiday. They each take turns hosting dinner parties, which are become increasingly uncomfortable.
While they couples are on holiday in Florida, a teenage girl goes missing. Once the friends return home, we find out that at least one of the people involved are hiding a huge secret.
This domestic noir is a fantastic read, it is fairly slow in its unravelling of the story which allows us to get to know the characters and build the tension. None of the characters are very likeable which is fine, it means the reader has reason to suspect them all!
I thought this was a brilliant, atmospheric read and would thoroughly recommend.

Mark Billinghams stand alone crime drama is every bit as good as his D.I. Thorne series.
3 couples meet on holiday in America and end up thrown together almost by default. On their holiday of a lifetime something shocking happens, a young girl goes missing, all 3 couples have alibis or do they? There are some rather poignant moments in this crime novel. At least twice with this I said I knew who it was, well didn't I get it wrong, so very wrong.
Another good read, well done.

Six worthy suspects, three strange couples, hints that point in all directions, it could have been interesting, but the slow pace, the endless recounted conversations, the lack of real suspense made it hard for me to stay interested, as the focus was more on the awkward interaction between the couples than on the horrible senseless crimes. Strange enough that they didn't suspect each other.

RUSH OF BLOOD BY MARK BILLINGHAM

EXCELLENT!!! FANTASTIC!!! I LOVED IT!!! This is the third work of this author that I have read and it is my favorite book this year 2017. Mark Billingham is from Great Britain and he did an outstanding job with Rush of Blood. He writes so convincingly his characters are well developed and realistic. This is the story of three British couples who meet at the Pelican Resort in Sarasota, Florida. I used to live in Florida many years ago. He gets the setting and background One Hundred percent on target.
I am really impressed by how American the flavor is.

Angela and Barry, David and Marina, Sue and Ed all from England on vacation meet one another by sitting around the pool in the bright sunshine. Before these three couples fly home they will all be questioned by a compassionate homicide detective, about the fourteen year old cognitive impaired girl who goes missing one afternoon. The girl's mother forms a bond with the detective. The next day the three couples fly home to England. The three couples vow to all keep in touch with each other when they are back home in England.

Eight weeks later Angie and Dave plan a dinner party reunion inviting David and Marina, as well as Susan and Ed. Angie has made up place mats

of a photograph of the six of them snapped by another person by the pool. The couple's all have
quirks and second guess whether it is a good idea for them to have the reunion dinner. Barry seems to have an anger problem. Ed is kind of boastful. Dave designs video games and thinks he knows what happened to the victim. One of them or more has given a false statement to the police in Florida. I kept on thinking it was two out of the group that was the guilty party of murdering the fourteen year old. The book is compelling and riveting and so realistic.

Soon after the six all get together at Angie and Dave's, there is the voice of the killer planning for a second abduction. It is very creepy how the mind of the killer speaks to us unwitting readers. The creepy voice is explaining how he is going to go about snatching another child. Somehow this trainee gets assigned to tie up some loose ends from the murder in Florida by questioning the six people. I can promise you that by the end of this book the identity of the murderer will blow you away. I thought this novel was very clever and the dialogue was interesting and engaging. What makes this such a unique mystery/thriller is the introduction of the three very different couples.
I would highly recommend this to both genders.

Thank you to Net Galley, Mark Billingham and Atlantic Monthly Press for my digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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Three British couples become friends after meeting on holiday in Florida. Disaster strikes, however, when, on their last night, the teenage daughter of a fellow holidaymaker goes missing and is eventually found dead. Keeping in touch on their return home and meeting up for a series of three dinner parties, it soon becomes apparent that looks can be deceiving – what exactly are each of these couples hiding? When a second girl goes missing, and connections begin to be made, could one of the six actually be involved?

As a fan of Mark Billingham’s ‘Thorne’ books, I’d wanted to read Rush of Blood (a non-Thorne standalone) for a while. Initially, I found the six characters confusing and it took me a while to fully comprehend who each person was and who their respective partners were. Once I’d overcome this problem, I did find the characters believable, if a tad unlikeable. At times, the couples seemed mismatched, although this helped to muddy the plot slightly, making it harder to fathom out who the killer was.

Despite the story revolving around the death of a teenager, this is very much a character-driven plot and very little detail is actually given about the murder. The only real police work we read about takes place after the couples return home and a young police constable is tasked with eliciting information from them.

This is not a fast-paced book but more of a slow burner that makes you question what goes on behind closed doors. Like in many books, a twist was anticipated although I did not guess the correct culprit! I did feel, however, that the motive was not fully explained and would have liked this to have been expanded further.