Monday 14 May 2018

Book ~ "Bleeding Darkness" (2018) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ Two murders, fourteen years apart, both shrouded in secrets.

David McKenna lies dying in a Kingston hospital, his children gathered from across the country to say a final goodbye. But the family reunion opens old wounds. David’s only daughter, Lauren, never recovered from the unsolved murder of her high school best friend, Zoe Delgado, fourteen years earlier - or the suspicion that her brother, Tristan, was behind it.

Before David breathes his last, Tristan’s pregnant wife, Vivian, disappears and the Major Crimes Unit is called in to help find her. With Kala Stonechild struggling to reconnect with her foster niece and Woodhouse making trouble for Staff Sergeant Jacques Rouleau, tensions are running high on the team, but they must put their personal problems aside when a woman's strangled body is found frozen on the Rideau Trail.

With a winter storm sweeping the shores of Lake Ontario, the team uncovers unspeakable betrayals that give more than one suspect a reason to kill … and raise fears that the two killings were only the beginning.

As David lies dying in the hospital, his family gathers in Kingston, ON, to say good-bye ... along with his wife, Evelyn, are his daughter, Lauren, from Toronto, his son, Tristan, and his wife, Vivian, from Edmonton, and his son, Adam, and his wife, Mona, from Vancouver.  The family is still living under the shadow of the unsolved murder of Tristan's high school girlfriend, Zoe, years ago ... many think Tristan did it because Zoe had broken up with him.  When Vivian is found murdered shortly after David passes away, the police find it too coincidental that two loves of Tristan have been murdered so look to the family, even though they are grieving.

Police officer Jacques Rouleau is temporarily in charge while his boss is on an extended vacation.  Not only does his team have to solve Vivian's murder, Rouleau also has to manage the different personalities and ambitions of his team.

Police officer Kala Stonechild is taking care of her teenage niece, Dawn, while Dawn's mother is in prison.  Dawn's father has recently been released from prison and Kala uses her contacts to try to find out where he is.  Dawn has always been a loner and is wondering why a popular girl is suddenly paying attention to her.

This is the fifth (and latest) in the Stonechild and Rouleau series and I enjoyed it.  Though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone and you don't need to have read the previous ones to read this one (there is enough background given).   It's always nice to read a book that is happening in Ontario (these characters live in Kingston and the author doesn't hide this fact).  I liked the writing style and found the storyline interesting.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on the various characters wherever the action was happening.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I look forward to reading future books in this series and by this author.

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