A Line of Blood by Ben McPherson (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"For Alex Mercer, his wife Millicent and their eleven-year-old son Max are everything, his little tribe that makes him feel all’s right with the world. But when he and Max find their enigmatic next door neighbor dead in his apartment, their lives are suddenly and irrevocably changed. As the police conduct a methodical investigation, Alex becomes increasingly impatient for them to finish. After all, it so clearly was a suicide.

But as new information is uncovered, troubling questions arise. Why was the neighbor charging his home improvements to the Mercer’s address? How did a possession of Millicent’s end up in his apartment? And what has Max been listening to through the common wall they share with the neighbor? As the knot of suspicion grows tighter, this close-knit family begins to crack. Is Alex really the loving husband he professes to be? And where does Millicent disappear to on those long walks, stewing over something she can’t forget?

Each of them is suffering. Each has something to hide. And as they each question how well they really know one another, the Mercers will be forced to decide how far they’ll go to protect themselves—and their family—from investigators carefully watching their every move . . . waiting for one of them to make a mistake."

My Thoughts:

I am basically a sucker for a book just like this.  Lots of family secrets that come to light at different times?  Yes!  A slightly unreliable narrator?  Yep!  Twists and turns that leave you guessing and sometimes even confused as to what is even going on?  Heck yeah!  I found my instantly intrigued by this strange little family where everyone seemed to have something to hide.  This was also just one of those compelling books where you can't stop reading and you wouldn't want to even if you could.  I kept telling myself just one more page which turned into five or more chapters instead.  I was well and truly hooked on trying to figure out what was really going on.  Because the further I read the more questions that I had which led to even more suspense and tension.  Can you see why I couldn't stop reading this book yet?  Heck I was still thinking about this one even when I did set it down to work around the house or do whatever I needed to be doing.  

One of the things that made this book such a winner for me was Alex the narrator (otherwise known as the husband to Millicent and father of Max).  What I liked about him as the main character and narrator of the story is that I could never fully trust him.  It always seemed like he had his own secrets and reasons for doing the things he did....things that we as the reader never were fully told about.  It made him feel like an unreliable narrator which is something that I always enjoy.  I love when you cannot fully trust everything that is being told to you as it just adds layers to the story and gives thrillers like this so much more atmosphere.  I was constantly questioning his actions and trying to figure out if I could believe him or not.  In fact I cannot tell you how many times I would stop reading and just wonder what in the heck was really going on.  I loved every minute of it though!  The ending itself was done nicely although I admit to not being as surprised as I had hoped.  I had guessed the twist as some might call it so although it wrapped up quite nicely, I was left wanting a bit.  I can't complain though as the entire reading experience was one that I won't forget any time soon!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am adding this author to my must read list!  Because this is his first book and if it is was already this good, I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!  This is the perfect read for this time of year when the weather starts to get colder and you can curl up with a good thriller under a blanket.  Especially as I am always in the mood for more suspenseful reads and this one fit the bill perfectly.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A thriller that had me wrapped up in it until the very last page!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC book tour.