I knew this would be a great read, when I kept waking up in the early hours, trying to puzzle it out!! The author has this ability to turn an ordinary event, in this case 3 couples on holiday, into a murder mystery with clever twists and always the mocking, knowing voice of the murderer running alongside the narration.
The reason I kept waking early was trying to guess what was the motive for the murder? I guessed the identity of that person fairly early, but the motive eluded me, until the last few chapters, when, well, who foresaw that bombshell?!! I certainally didn't expect that! A clever twist that was so bizarre, surreal and yet on reflection, almost believable.
I liked Jenny Bailey, a young Detective who had dogged determination in spadefuls, desperate to get at the truth and willing to go that extra distance. There was also a very good knowledge of Police procedures and the excitement and boredom of murder investigations.
I must just take issue with the language used regarding Amber-Marie Wilson. She was described as retarded,these days we tend to say having learning difficulties. That was my only gripe about this novel. I have so enjoyed this book and I know it will be a well deserved success.
I have posted this review on Goodreads today.

I still haven't read any of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne books, but this is the second standalone novel that I've read following Die of Shame last year. In a similar fashion, Rush of Blood is about a small group of people, their dysfunctional relationships, their secrets, and enactments of pretence.
Here, we have three British couples who meet while vacationing in Florida. On the last day of their vacation, a young girl goes missing from their resort. We hear from different people including the young girl's mother, the Florida detective in charge of the case, and a young British trainee detective. But the focus is on the three couples who continue to meet up back in Britain. It is clear that one of them is guilty of abducting the girl. I kept changing my mind several times as to who that was and the plot provided a couple of good surprises. The final twist was a little too obvious though. None of these characters had any endearing features. There is a lot of quite mundane stuff going on. Dinner parties, exchanges between the couples at home etc. This isn't an electrifying crime thriller or intricate police procedural, but Mark Billingham is such a great people observer, I truly enjoyed following these flawed characters and their antics. If you enjoy stories about complex relationships and the sometimes odd dynamics between people, you'll like this. If you need characters you can feel sympathetic towards or you can relate to, forget it. My only minor niggle, it took me quite a while until I was able to differentiate between the three women and three men and I could finally remember who was married to whom etc.
I received a copy via NetGalley.

3.5 stars

Three couples, Angie and Barry; Ed and Sue; and Dave and Marina, meet while on vacation in Sarasota, Florida. Bonding over being Brits in America, the couples become “vacation friends,” with the mindset that they will probably never see one another again when they return to England. However, on their last day in Florida a young girl is kidnapped, bonding the couples together. All three couples are hiding something, and when they return to England their “friendship,” continues. When another girl goes missing closer to home, it’s apparent that one of the three is involved.

Rush of Blood switches back and forth between the varying couples’ POV. None of them are likable and there is enough shade thrown on everyone involved that I was constantly changing my mind about who was guilty. At a certain point, I found things dragging and just wanted to get on with it! Overall, entertaining read.

Three British couples meet while on vacation in Florida and form a comfortable friendship. On the last night of their vacation a young girl (unrelated to any of them) goes missing. Needless to say they are all interviewed as possible witnesses to her disappearance and ultimately return to Britain. They meet from time to time at dinner parties at each other's homes and inevitably the young girl's disappearance comes up for conversation-given that it seemed to be unsettling to all of them-especially after the discovery that the child was murdered. It is widely believed that the perpetrator was one of them but the truth doesn't come out til the end. Along the way we learn more about the couples' lives. This is a good but not great who-dun-it.

a twist at the end of this book - a great thriller from an author who never disapoints

An enthusiastic high 4 stars. I have no idea why Rush of Blood is called Rush of Blood, because it isn't particularly bloody. It's just really clever -- one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. Three British couples meet while on vacation in Sarasota. On the last day there, a young girl at their hotel disappears. They are interviewed as potential witnesses and return to Britain. The story mostly takes place after the couples return to Britain and is focused primarily on three dinners the couples have following their return and the lead up to those dinners. We see the story unfold from each of their six points of view. I found the narrative mesmerizing. Billingham has created great characters and a perfect sense of tension between them. I was reminded of Sarasota and the first half of The Dinner. I did see the resolution coming, but that didn't detract from the strength of the narrative. This is the third book I have read by Billingham and my favourite. He is good at focusing his mysteries on people and the relationships between them rather than violence and gore. A good entertaining read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Three British couples meet around the pool of their Florida holiday and very quickly become friends. On the last day of the holiday tragedy strikes. The 14 year old daughter of an American holidaymaker goes missing, her body is found floating in the mangroves.

Once the shocked couples return to the UK they remain in contact and over fraught dinner parties they get to know one another better. But they don't always like what they find buried beneath the apparently normal exteriors.

Then a second girl goes missing close to where all 3 couples live. Is one of these 6 individuals holding a dark secret?

This is a standalone novel from the International bestselling author. It's its pace set I was on a race before bedtime to finish this book. If you have not read any of Mark Billingham's books I highly recommend that you do.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and the author Mark Billingham for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.