A Bleeding of Innocents by Jo Bannister

Book Jacket text:

When Detective Chief Inspector Frank Shapiro loses his right-hand man to a hit-and-run driver, he finds himself with little time for regret. Problem number one is Sergeant Donovan, a broody young Irishman convinced that the policeman’s death was ordered by a local crime baron. And if that weren’t enough trouble for the already understaffed police force in Castelmere, England, someone has chosen this moment to launch a career as a serial killer.

Help comes in the form of Inspector Liz Graham: Intelligent, intuitive, and ambitious, Liz is eager to prove herself worthy of her promotion, and knows she’ll have to fight tooth and nail for acceptance in the overwhelmingly male-oriented world of criminal investigation. The resourceful and canny policewoman is determined that no one–especially not an angry young sergeant who resents her very presence–shall stand in her way.

With the body count rising and no end in sight, Liz and Donovan finally realize that their status as outsiders on the police force is perhaps their greatest strength. And when Liz discovers a link between the murder victims–a link so ordinary, so innocent that everyone on the force is baffled–the pair devise an unconventional scheme of grace and cunning that’s so crazy it just might work… if it doesn’t destroy them first.

My Review:

I picked up A Bleeding of Innocents as part of my random author challenge. At first, I picked up another book by Jo Bannister, but I quickly realized in the description that it was a series, so I looked it up to find the first book.

I knew from the description that it was going to be interesting because it’s a mystery set in England. Being from the U.S., some of the terms and hierarchy of the police force are different than what I’m used to, but even so, it was pretty easy to follow.

At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the book. There was action early on, but it didn’t hook me as much as I would have liked. But after a while, it picked up and I couldn’t put it down. I really liked the way the characters interacted. They were very realistic.

Overall, I liked the book and I would consider reading more in the series now that I’m invested in the characters. 4 stars!

Purchase the book on Amazon.