The Color of Blood
by Declan Hughes
Published by William Morrow
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
PI Ed Loy is back in Ireland after twenty years of living in Los Angeles. He returned to bury his mother (The Wrong Kind of Blood).
Dr. Shane Howard's daughter Emily, age nineteen, is missing. Loy is hired to find her. His only clue is a series of sexual photographs. Loy locates Emily, but not before her mother and ex-boyfriend are murdered.
As Loy digs deeper into the murders, he learns that the Howard family has secrets they'd like to keep under wraps. Their long-established family reputation and much more is at stake.
I enjoyed the earlier book, The Wrong Kind of Blood, and believed that Irish playwright Declan Hughes would improve as a novelist with each new book. I was correct in that assumption. The Color of Blood is compelling. It's dark and gritty, the characters are complex and well-developed, the plot is smooth and the setting of Ireland is rich and lush.
Waiting for the next Loy novel is glorious anticipation. Hughes is quickly claiming his place in the field of exciting writing.
Armchair Interviews says: The Color of Blood is a must read.