Publication Date: 1st August from Head of Zeus *e-book released in May*
Source: Netgalley
In southeast London, a young mother has been accused of an unthinkable crime: poisoning her own child – and then leaving him to die.
The mother, Ellie, is secretive and challenging – she’s had a troubled upbringing – but does that mean she’s capable of murder?
Balancing the case with raising her disabled five-year-old son, criminal defence lawyer Sarah Kellerman sets out in desperate pursuit of the truth. But when her own child becomes unwell, Sarah realises she’s been drawn into a dangerous game.
Unsettling and compulsive, In the Blood is a chilling study of class, motherhood and power from a new star in crime fiction.
This one was brilliant.
I’m a fan of psychological thrillers when they are beautifully written and try and bring something new rather than follow formula. I’m also a fan of legal thriller’s and courtroom drama which I don’t find enough of these days. So “In The Blood” was an absolute perfect storm for me. On the surface a perfect storm of a read and once started, proved to be just exactly that. I was riveted.
Our main protagonist Sarah Kellerman is a realistic portrayal of working single parenthood – with added pressure due to the nature of her job and her challenging child – she walks a thin line trying to find that work/life balance and suffers for it. When she takes on the case of Ellie, attempted of murdering her own child, things are going to get very fraught indeed…
The story is beautifully twisted and explores several intriguing and thought provoking themes, class divide, rich and poor, challenging assumptions and realities, all the way through. Using her characters to show modern prejudices and privilege, Ruth Mancini takes us on an atmospheric and riveting journey towards the truth – a tangled web indeed which brings danger right to Sarah’s door. Ellie is divisive, she garnered both sympathy and exasperation in me, Sarah too for that matter, two very different women coming together towards a common goal – proving Ellie’s innocence. But is she actually as innocent as Sarah believes?
Fractured families, the vagaries of the law, some beautifully written scenes that really immerse you into the action both in and out of the courtroom and across many aspects of the characters lives. The finale is clever, in fact the whole novel is gorgeously plotted, with unexpected moments and some growing and fascinating developing relationships.
Loved it. Can I hope that Sarah will be back in future books? I hope so. She is just the type of strong female protagonist we need at the moment, realistically flawed, failing in those ways we all fail, but somehow keeping it all together. Loved her. All else that flowed from it was just the icing on the cake.
Highly Recommended.
Happy Reading!
