A Line of Blood audiobook

This is a psychological thriller I found hard to put down.A Line of Blood begins where a father and son discover their next door neighbour dead in his bath with an iron between his legs, amongst other things. I’ll never look at my iron in the same way again after reading this book, and have the feeling every time I do the ironing, I’ll be picturing naked men!The story flowed well, and with so few characters and places, I found I was able to get into the story without having to try remember lots of characters. It wasn’t confusing at all and was very easy to read. I found it chilling, unnerving, and almost claustrophobic at times. I feel like I've spent most of the last few days in and out of two houses, and not quite managed to escape them in my mind yet.At first I felt there was an element of humour within this book, but as the story progressed, that feeling of dark humour was replaced by a more chilling feeling, as the story became more serious and intense. I’m not sure I was all that keen on any of the characters, although I wouldn’t say there was anyone I truly disliked either. Each character had flaws, but I guess that is what makes us human. I had suspicions about the outcome very early on, and they were proved to be correct, but this in no way ruined my experience of the story, as the plot had lots of little twists to keep me interested, and perhaps altered my views of the characters slightly as time went on.I recommend this to fans of psychological thrillers, and those who enjoy witnessing family dynamics and how each character responds in their own way to the same situation.I read this for our Book of the Month discussion in THE Book Club on Facebook.

3.5 bumped to 4 stars: This is a dark, twisted, and suspenseful novel. Told in first person form, from Alex Mercer’s point-of-view, it’s a tale of a father and son, looking for a missing cat and unexpectedly finding their neighbor dead. It looks like a suicide, but the police delve into an investigation that leads Alex to believe they think it’s a murder.McPherson does a great job of providing clues that frames all the main characters as the murderer. Just as the reader begins to believe one character is the murderer, information is gained which points to another character. I will say that I suspected correctly who the murderer was after one third of the book. Generally I find that unsatisfying; but the way McPherson kept providing additional information, which cast doubt, made the story satisfying. The pacing of the plot and clues made this a highly suspenseful novel. Also, all the characters are very unlikeable, which generally makes me not like the novel. It’s in the really good novels where the plot is the focal point and the suspense is high that it does not matter if the characters are likable, which is this novel. I highly recommend it as a fast read and when you feel like a gritty murder/suspense novel. It’s a great weekend novel that you complete by Sunday and feel satisfied.

Scottish Alex, his American wife Millicent and their eleven-year-old son Max live in an area of Finsbury Park, London that is known as 'Crappy'. Alex and Millicent married quickly thirteen years ago, they both work from home in the media industry. From the outside they appear to be a regular, modern family. They are untidy, they swear in front of their son, they spend time apart, but on the whole, things seem to be going well.Until the day that Alex and Max find their next door neighbour dead in his bath, with an erection, and an electric iron submerged alongside him. Alex's initial thoughts are for Max, no father wants his young son exposed to that sort of thing, what will it do to him? It soon becomes apparent that this is no straightforward suicide, the police are looking for a murderer, and Alex discovers that Millicent and the dead man had a little more than the usual neighbourly relationship.As the investigations continue and the police question Alex and Millicent, more truths are uncovered. Max knows much more about his parents than they realised, he's an astute little boy, at times he shows intelligence and maturity far beyond his years, whilst at others, his childish reasoning is at the forefront.Every now and again, a story comes along that grips me, shakes me and totally messes with my head. A Line of Blood is one of those books. With the exception of Max, and maybe Alex's friend Fab5, we are introduced to a bunch of particularly loathesome and selfish characters, whose actions create waves affecting those around them. The author's ability to create these people, yet to also ensure that the reader finds them compulsive enough to continue reading is incredible. I was hooked totally, the plot weaves and twists and turns with an increasing pace. Just when you feel as though you've guessed exactly what has happened, Ben McPherson throws another curve ball your way, and another, and another.The central theme of A Line of Blood is the damage that can be done to young minds, not intentionally, for Alex and Millicent are loving and open parents, but their young son has seen and heard things that no child of that age should. Max things he understands these things, but he also thinks that he has a solution, he wants to help and to make things better - and despite his above average intelligence, he is is still a child, and it is his child-like reasoning that consumes this novel.This is not an easy read, and it is dark and it is disturbing, but Ben McPherson has such a talent that he holds the reader entralled through each and every unsavoury episode, raising questions along the way, questions that will buzz in the reader's head long after turning the final page.A Line of Blood is a complex, subtle and captivating psychological thriller, with characters who are flawed, dangerous and at times incredibly vulnerable.

In ye olde Domestic Noir genre you get a mish mash of reads, some good, some bad, some really excellent and not many done by male authors. Although a few. If A Line of Blood is anything to go by then perhaps more should be entering the fray.What I loved about it was it was so much more about the dysfunctional family than it was about the possible crime. The next door neighbour kills himself (probably, or did he?) his body is discovered by Alex and son Max and then off we go - into a tale of 3 people, Husband, Wife, Child, all of whom are entirely disturbing and completely frustrating. In a good reading way. I wanted to slap the lot of them frankly but I could NOT look away from the drama unfolding.Told by Alex, the story goes on a beautifully constructed twisty path of domestic insanity where everyone is hiding something and nobody is entirely trustworthy. Quite aside from the "who did what to who" where no possibility seems too unreasonable, you have some very insightful and thought provoking character studies, an addictively absorbing style of writing (yes Millicent your name by the end was tattooed on my soul) and quite honestly no idea where it was all going to end.Those are the best stories right? Right.Clever writing, clever plotting, divisive and undeniably unlikeable characters who will get stuck in your head, when it comes to this particular popular sub genre this is the way to do it. Highly Recommended.

This book falls under the category "uncomfortable" for me as it was full of unlikeable characters with dark secrets and in my opinion unusual ways of dealing with situations... .however thankfully I haven't yet had to deal with finding my next door neighbour dead in the bath - so who knows how I would react. I can't say it was enjoyable - but it certainly made me think long and hard (no pun) about how far I would go to protect my family. This book made this think and feel and therefore I would give it 4 stars.

There are so many reasons I wanted to give this awesome book five stars. One of these reasons being that I couldn't put it down, which hasn't happened in a while. It is definitely fast paced; I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I highly recommend it and but there was a VERY slight disconnect in the writing for me. That being said, I would most certainly read another book by this author!

First of all, it is going to take everything in me to NOT squeal and tell you who the murder actually is and why. Everything, lambs. Everything. Mostly because it's so unthinkable and I look at the people in my own little family and I can't connect it. I can't connect it, which is what makes this novel phenomenal. Is it slow? Kind of. But did it read almost like a British episode of Law & Order? Absolutely. Gut punches and all. It all begins with Alex and his son Max, who basically trespass into the neighbors house after their cat, and find the neighbor dead. Naked in his bathtub, he's very clearly dead. Alex, obviously stunned, returns home with Max in tow and is absolutely convinced his son is irrevocably scarred after seeing a dead body. The wife, Millicent, is such a strange character. Right from the beginning, I honestly suspected her of something just because she disappears and her husband doesn't know where to. Max seems to hear and see everything, like most kids, and his parents are seemingly oblivious to what he knows. It's not so much the "who killed the neighbor" that carries this book, it's more of what happens to the family as they find out. How they are all affected by it and what it means for them going forward. Sadly, I can't give you much more that won't ruin the book for you because as the reader, it's super important you discover things at the pace set by the author because you get the feeling of devastation, anger, fearfulness, and more just as the family does. Excellent book. I wouldn't say thriller, but it is definitely suspenseful and it would compare to seasoned authors in this genre with no problem. I highly recommend this is you are a fan of a story that will keep you on your toes!

An uncomfortable but addictive read, full of twists and turns, populated with characters with hidden agendas and flaws. Interesting and compelling.

This book was an Advanced Reader Copy generously provided to the library in exchange for a fair review. A Line of Blood, the debut novel from Ben McPherson, is a dark look at the hidden side of relationships, and the lies we not only tell others, but ourselves. Alex and Millicent Mercer live in a small London neighborhood with their son, Max. For Alex, this life is everything he could have hoped for; his family--his little tribe--provide him with everything he wants in life. When Max and Alex find their neighbor dead in his bathtub, Alex is forced to confront the tough truth that his life is not as picture perfect as it seemed to be, and that his sense of himself isn't as honest as he'd like to believe. This is an excellent debut from McPherson. While the basic premise has certainly been done before--"strange death uncovers dark family secrets" is well trod ground by now--McPherson's prose breathes real life into the world of this troubled family. The story is told entirely from Alex's perspective, which brilliantly lets us see, not only how he views his family, but how he views himself. This creates a wonderful tension, as McPherson so adroitly captures those moments where the person we tell ourselves we are comes into conflict with the things we do when we're really being ourselves. It's particularly impressive that Alex never comes across as cliche or unreal. His pain, anger, confusion feel very honest. McPherson perfectly captures not only the obvious thoughts and actions of a person in pain, but many of the subtly, harder to spot reactions. Alex's relationship with his wife is brutally, brilliantly tragic. McPherson manages to impress upon the reader both the love they have for each other and the anger and resentment. Throughout the book, both characters do profoundly hurtful things and experience intense suffering, but McPherson allows each character to react and act, without falling into the trap of villainizing either of them. Both of them come across as people doing they best they can in life, but who have made intense, serious mistakes. The weakest element of the story is the portrayal of Max. While there are times where Max was endearing, charming, and amusing, there were as many times where I had a hard time believing that this was a real child, or believing the ways that the adults around him were reacting to his behavior. In a book where the other main characters felt so real, and where I was sucked so completely into the drama of their lives, the flatness of Max was jarring. Still, this was a tremendously engaging read, and I look forward to seeing what else McPherson comes out with. A Line of Blood is a thrilling trip to a dark place, and if it isn't completely unpredictable, it's still a tremendously well executed take on a familiar theme. The believable and moving exploration of Alex and Millicent's relationship, and the strains that the discoveries takes on it, more than make up for the weaker execution of Max.

When Alex and his eleven-year-old son, Max, find their next door neighbor's dead body, they find their lives completely upended.At first, it seemed it was a simple suicide. Sad, but fairly open and shut. But before long Alex realizes the police are treating the case as a murder - and Alex seems to be a suspect.Simplicity is best in describing this one. Why? Because nothing is quite as it seems from the start. Even Alex is a bit slow to catch on - the fact that the police are still in the dead man's house a day later. The people showing up at his door asking for Mr. Bryce. The fact that the police want to interview his wife when she wasn't even home at the time the body was found.It's more than that, though. We know from the start that something is off about Alex and Millicent. He wants to call her to let her know what's happened but knows she won't answer. She's frequently gone without his knowing where she is. It comes across quirky in the beginning but then it starts to dawn on the reader that this is not a healthy couple. Then it knocks you over the head.As evidence and suspicion continue to increase, the reader can't even be sure if Alex is trustworthy. But did he kill the neighbor? Did his wife? Was it suicide? Turns out plenty of people had motive, could it be one of them?A Line of Blood is a twisted and twisty thriller.

I LOVED this book! I'm so glad I won it as a firstreads. (Plus it was in hardcover) It was about a father (Alex) & son (Max) discovering their neighbor (Bryce) dead in the bathtub. At first, they believe it was suicide, until the police say otherwise. Then, Alex finds out his wife, Millicent, had an affair with the neighbor. Everyone is questioned by the police. A family's world is turned upside down & changed forever. I highly recommend this thriller to those who love suspense.

This was a page turner, for sure. As the entire world of the main character begins to crumble around him, you start to wonder what will go wrong next. Almost every character was unlikeable and absorbed in their own world, but I was impressed by how well-formed they were in their awfulness. I will say that while I really enjoyed the writing and couldn't put the book down, I solved the mystery long before the other characters in the book did, and found myself frustrated by the ending.