Blood of My Brother

Nov 15, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had downloading this during a kindle promotion several months back and finally got around to reading it. I've never read Lepore before so I honestly didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very good thriller involving some familiar locations and thriving characters.

Jay and Danny grew up in Newark, NJ during the time of the riots. Jay was younger and more responsible, Danny was older and more streetwise, more on the fringe of the law. What they were as kids they became...more I had downloading this during a kindle promotion several months back and finally got around to reading it. I've never read Lepore before so I honestly didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very good thriller involving some familiar locations and thriving characters.

Jay and Danny grew up in Newark, NJ during the time of the riots. Jay was younger and more responsible, Danny was older and more streetwise, more on the fringe of the law. What they were as kids they became larger versions of in adulthood. Jay became a successful lawyer while Danny became a private investigator, but he never truly left his criminal past behind.

Jay is representing a powerful real estate magnate during a sketchy divorce when both his client and his clients soon to be ex wife are both found brutally murdered. Not too long after, Danny professes lust for an exotic bombshell who claims to have ties to Jay's deceased client. Danny's involvement with the bombshell gets him brutally murdered. What follows is a decades old web of crime and Jay's sole mission in life is to mete out justice for his fallen, and flawed, best friend.

A good portion of this novel takes place in Newark, NJ and the surrounding areas. Kearny, Bloomfield, the Iron Bound district. As it happens I went to college up that way for several years so I recognized many of the places and images Lepore was describing. He definitely got the feel of the area correct, so for me, the novel portrayed a great sense of place.

The mystery itself is complex. This is not a book that one can just cruise through, only paying half attention. And it's not so much that it has several flashbacks and goes from NJ, to Miami to Mexico City or the fact that the clues are well hidden, which they are for the most part. I found that the most difficult thing for me while reading this book was to keep track of the sheer number of characters. There are cops, detectives, ex cops, friends, ex partners, drug lords, their hitmen, ex cops from NJ that are now in Miami, their spouses, the person who runs the motel, the person who's a friend of a friend of a...well, you get the idea. While there is a smallish group of main core characters to pay attention to (Jay, Isabela, Markey) there are varying degrees of relevance for the other characters. Some are supporting, some are very minor with minimal page time and many have similar last names or only pop up on occasion. The massive number of players at work makes a well written and already smart and complex combination of plot and subplot a little too cumbersome at times.

Another knock was the romantic aspect of the novel. I won't put in any spoilers but I just wasn't buying it, at least now how it actually transpired as written by the author. I think it was set up fine but it was executed a little sparingly.

There, those are my gripes. Still, a very good page turner with a very sick twist thrown in for good measure. I will be checking out Mr. Lapore again in the future without a doubt. (less)

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Mar 16, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jay Cassio and Dan Del Colliano have been best friends since the first awful day of the Newark race riots of 1967. Bound together as tightly as brothers throughout their lives, Jay and Dan remain close, though they live very different lives. When Dan, a private Investigator, takes on a dangerous assignment and winds up dead, Jay goes looking for revenge. But the situation isn’t as easy as that because Dan and Jay have been involved in a serious situation that includes extortion, money laundering...more Jay Cassio and Dan Del Colliano have been best friends since the first awful day of the Newark race riots of 1967. Bound together as tightly as brothers throughout their lives, Jay and Dan remain close, though they live very different lives. When Dan, a private Investigator, takes on a dangerous assignment and winds up dead, Jay goes looking for revenge. But the situation isn’t as easy as that because Dan and Jay have been involved in a serious situation that includes extortion, money laundering, and murder. It’s only when Jay goes rogue to find Dan’s killers that he discovers a crime syndicate based out of Mexico that wants to erase not only him, but anyone else who might be able to implicate them in their crimes. Now Jay is not only fighting them, but also the devious Agent Markey, who has plans of his own to stop the crime bosses using Jay as bait. When Jay discovers that all his hopes rest on the beautiful and elusive Isabel Sanchez, a woman also on the run, the stakes of the game get higher and higher. In this captivating story of one man’s quest for revenge, LePore brilliantly creates a narrative of high action and even higher tension.

A couple of years ago, I reviewed A World I Never Made by James LePore. Though it wasn’t my normal fare, I found the story to be utterly compelling and wound up having a really positive reaction to LePore’s ability to craft an enticing story around characters I truly cared for. It was one of the only books in the crime/thriller genre I was able to fully appreciate, so when I was offered the chance to review Blood of My Brother, I quickly decided I needed to read this latest installment. I knew very little about the book going in, which for me was actually better because it made the story all the more exciting and interesting, and it enabled me to come at the book with no preconceived notions.

One of the first things I noticed was the way LePore shifted his narrative among different times and places. Normally this gets confusing and irritating, but something about the way it was handled in this particular book made me better appreciate the scope of what was being done with the story. In its past and present reflections and its encompassing several characters and places, the story became energized for me, making the narrative seem much more fluid and cohesive than I think it would have been had the story been told from a static and linear perspective.

The characters were greatly nuanced and fully three dimensional, which is also something that really worked for me in terms of this narrative. Though Jay was rather serious, it wasn’t hard to see why Dan’s murder affected him so deeply and why he wanted to take revenge. There were a host of minor characters as well, most of them some type of law enforcement agents, and each one was distinct and carried a weight all their own. I grew to really dislike Agent Markey and came to think of him as a villain in himself, which gave the book a solid feel, for there was more than one perpetrator of evil here. I liked Isabel’s resourcefulness and ingenuity and felt that there was much more to her than your typical damsel in distress. There was a lot going on with her in terms of her importance to Jay, the crime bosses and the law enforcement agents. Everyone seemed to want something different from her that she was loathe to part with. I felt that she was really the crux of the action in the story and all the other pieces really moved around her.

The action was also quite well done, with tensions and dangers mounting with each successive chapter. It wasn’t the type of story that was predictable or laborious to read; rather it was enthralling to try to figure out just what Jay was going to do next, and a few times I wondered if he was going to make it out alive. There wasn’t a lot of plot contrivance and coincidence in this tale to make things turn out nicely for everyone; instead, LePore takes the time to write carefully and inventively to twist the tale to a natural and believable conclusion that readers will appreciate. Each character played their role perfectly, leading to a harmonious and credible conclusion.

I really enjoyed this second foray into LePore’s work. I like that he writes with confidence and skill and that he’s not afraid to take on some daring plot constructions and sophisticated characters. The fact that this isn’t my genre of preference, yet I enjoyed it so much, should tell you a lot about the book itself, and for those who are looking for a really diverting read, I would recommend this one to you. LePore also has a new book that will be released soon called Sons and Princes, and I’m eager to give that one a read as well.
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Jan 26, 2011 Bookworm rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jay Cassio and Dan Del Colliano grew up together in the mean streets of Newark New Jersey. The two boys were best friends. Jay grew up to be a lawyer, while Danny who was more of a 'bad boy' grew up to become a private eye. Danny however has debts and owes money to a local shark.
Jay's female client turns up dead and her husband is the prime suspect. The husband however, soon turns up dead himself. While Jay is trying to put together pieces of the puzzle, Danny's body is found brutally murdered i...more Jay Cassio and Dan Del Colliano grew up together in the mean streets of Newark New Jersey. The two boys were best friends. Jay grew up to be a lawyer, while Danny who was more of a 'bad boy' grew up to become a private eye. Danny however has debts and owes money to a local shark.
Jay's female client turns up dead and her husband is the prime suspect. The husband however, soon turns up dead himself. While Jay is trying to put together pieces of the puzzle, Danny's body is found brutally murdered in Miami.

Isabel Perez is a beautiful woman who has lived the hard knock life. As an orphan living in a nunnery in Mexico, she was adopted by a man who called himself Senor Hermano and who sold her into prostitution at a young age. Isabel lived this life for many years, not knowing anything else.
Isabel last 'assignment' involved Danny. The people she is working for know she knows too much and plan to kill her off after this final mission.

On the quest to find Danny's killers, Jay tracks down Isabel. After getting to know the truth about her, he slowly begins to fall for this dark beauty. When she meets Jay, Isabel develops genuine feelings for him also. Soon enough, the two work together. Isabel wants to free herself from Hermano's clutches once and for all. Jay wants to avenge Danny's murder.

Blood of My Brother is a suspenseful read and I did enjoy it. There is passion and drama within these pages, and I enjoyed reading about Isabel and Jay as their relationship develops. Being a sucker for romance, that was my favorite aspect to this story, this crazy, on-the-run, dangerous love affair.
Books with a plot twist that can truly shock me are few and far between. There is a shocking revelation in this book that had me saying 'no way!' Secrets are revealed, truths come to light and the plot takes twists and turns as the suspense builds.

I do want to mention that there are flashbacks throughout the book, the story goes from past to present and vice-versa. I know some readers would want to know that. Personally, I don't mind flashbacks and they didn't deter me from enjoying the book nor did I find them confusing.

I do recommend Blood of My Brother to those who enjoy a good crime thriller with plenty of suspense and plot twists. The book was unputdownable toward the end.

read my full review here
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/201...
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Jan 22, 2011 Literary Feline rated it 3 of 5 stars

Last year I had the opportunity to read and review James LePore's A World I Never Made, a complex novel about a father and daughter's relationship amidst a tale of terrorism and intrigue. I was swiftly taken in by the author's writing and the complexity of his characters and their stories. And so, when offered the chance to read his latest book, Blood of My Brother, I was eager to give it a try.

Jay Cassio is a successful attorney whose best friend is murdered by professional hit men. Danny had b...more Last year I had the opportunity to read and review James LePore's A World I Never Made, a complex novel about a father and daughter's relationship amidst a tale of terrorism and intrigue. I was swiftly taken in by the author's writing and the complexity of his characters and their stories. And so, when offered the chance to read his latest book, Blood of My Brother, I was eager to give it a try.

Jay Cassio is a successful attorney whose best friend is murdered by professional hit men. Danny had been his savior time and time again when they were growing up in New Jersey. Danny's death appears to be connected to a couple of other murders in what the police have ruled as a murder-suicide. But Jay has information that leads him to suspect otherwise. As Jay digs deeper into his friend's murder, the more trouble he finds himself in. Not only is the FBI out to stop him, but he is being targeted by some very powerful people involved in money laundering and the drug trade.

Jay's only chance at exposing the truth and coming out on top is to find Isabel Perez, the beautiful Mexican woman who he believes lured his friend to his death and may hold the secrets to bring down the bad guys once and for all. Isabel's own life has been marred by cruelty. She wants nothing but to escape the bonds holding her down since she was a young teenager--that and to exact revenge against those who have enslaved her.

The novel got off to a slow start for me but soon took off. It is an intense book, right up until the end. I was most drawn to the scenes when the author takes the reader back into the characters' pasts, giving us a taste of why the characters are who they are today. Isabel especially has had a difficult life. She has proven to be a strong and resilient woman time and time again, fighting for her own survival in a world she had so little control over.

As enjoyable as it was, I wasn't as taken in by the characters of Blood of My Brother as I had been of A World I Never Made. I was wrapped up in the action of the book but never quite felt close enough to the characters. Regardless, Blood of My Brother is suspenseful read, one I couldn't wait to see how it would end.(less)

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Jun 12, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one!

Recommended to Sarah by: goodreads

Shelves: first-reads, books-i-own, 2-star-book

Okay so I won this book here on Goodreads I was super excited to read the book. When I received it in the mail I immediately started to read it. It was extremely boring to me plus it swore quite frequently. So there it went on my book shelf to collect dust. Well one boring summer day i decided to give it another chance so I dusted off the cover and began to read. I had no emotion to the book.
Okay so this book is not Young Adult just saying... this is why....

Sex & Nudity
Two men are talkin...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Staci rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Staci by: author

Shelves: 2011-reads

1.) Reasons you chose this book

I read 'A World I Never Made,' by the author back in 2009, loved it and when James contacted me about reading this one I immediately said yes.

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book

* I liked the characters that James brought to life. I could picture having a friend much like Jay and Dan. I understood their relationship and the bond that they forged.
* I had a hard time getting into the pace of the story. I found myself getting lost and at times not really feel...more

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Mar 21, 2011 CorLostForWords rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tour, for-review

Source: Received from publicist for Pump up Your Book blog tour. Many thanks goes to Tracee for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 4/5

Jay Cassio and Dan Del Colliano have been inseparable friends since they were five years old. They survived the Newark riots together, and continued to look out for one another throughout the years. Now, Dan has been murdered, and Jay is on a mission to avenge his friend's dea...more Source: Received from publicist for Pump up Your Book blog tour. Many thanks goes to Tracee for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 4/5

Jay Cassio and Dan Del Colliano have been inseparable friends since they were five years old. They survived the Newark riots together, and continued to look out for one another throughout the years. Now, Dan has been murdered, and Jay is on a mission to avenge his friend's death.
What he soon learns, is that Dan may have been a pawn in a much larger, dangerous game; a high stakes game of money laundering, drugs, and corruption at the highest level of government. Jay will do anything to avenge his friends death though, even if it requires his own. His pursuit of justice will take him from his old New Jersey neighbourhood to the coast of Florida, and the streets of Mexico.
Jay is a fully rounded, three dimensional character. His background has been hardship after hardship. When his parents died in a plane crash he retreated into himself, and it was only Dan who was able to bring him back to life again. Dan has been everything to Jay, a friend, confidant, and protector. When he is brutally murdered, Jay is horrified. His case is still open, but no one is working on it, and so Jay takes it upon himself to uncover Dan's last moments and avenge him. Jay is emotionally distraught, and Blood of My Brother shows just what lengths a man, or anyone, will go to, to avenge the death of a loved one. The mystery deepens further though as Jay finds out the FBI is involved, but he is only given the runaround. When more deaths start piling up, Jay can only assume that he'll be next. His voice, his emotions, and his being are all indicative of someone who will do anything to avenge his beloved friend. However, everything is not black and white, and there are many varying shades of gray. Those who work for the police department, or in other positions of power may be corrupt as well, and this book shows the nuances between those characters who have crossed the line, and those who are holding their ground. With a full cast of characters it is easy to become lost not knowing who is who; however, LePore juggles all of his characters and the various threads of his plot with skill, leaving the reader appreciative of the journey they are taking alongside the main characters.
Isabel Perez is another character who garners attention, and it is only a matter of time before her destiny becomes entangled with Jay's. They are a well-matched pair, both reeling from the loss of someone close to them, and the bond they forge while on the run is strong. They will need help from various friends, and each other, if they are to achieve their ultimate goals.
All in all, this is a fast-paced, enthralling, and thrilling read. Definitive characters, and an action-packed plot make this an enjoyable and fast read. The addition of Jay's past memories throughout only strengthens the book and shows the magnitude of the bond he had with Dan, making his decisions all the more credible and heartfelt. Fans of James Patterson's Alex Cross series will enjoy this read, though it is a bit heavier than Patterson's work. LePore is definitely one to look out for in the future. (less)

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Jan 26, 2011 Ishanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book through Goodreads "First Reads" giveaway. I will update my review upon finishing it!

Update**
This book was good from the very first chapter to the very last. I zipped right through it. I'm looking forward to reading the other 2 books James LaPore has written so far!

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Jun 19, 2011 Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, crime-thrillers

James LePore's "Blood of My Brother", is an amazing novel and you will find that this is a book that has unstoppable action, twists and turns and plenty of suspense.

Mr. LePore makes liberal use of flashbacks throughout Blood of My Brother and to great benefit. The flashbacks give us insight into attorney Jay Cassio, private investigator Dan Del Colliano and the mysterious Isabel Perez and how all three tie together. I felt the flashbacks were the strongest part of the book, along with the actio...more

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Jun 15, 2011 K.R. Bankston rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I truly thank her! It was a great read, and I loved the characters, the storyline, everything about it. Jay and Isabel made a wonderful couple and I'm so glad after a life of pain, they found happiness with each other. Sis Josefina was a tough a** nun!! lol...I was pleased that those who deserved their comeupance, good or bad, got it. The book was entrancing and kept me entertained all the way through it. I had a little trouble at the beginning whe...more

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Dec 05, 2010 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-copy-review, action-thriller, author-s-first-book, own-it, read-in-2011, reader-s-club-review-request, series, thriller

This is a novel that deals with the important issues of loyalty, friendship, integrity and justice.

Attorney Jay Cassio's best friend and the person who prtected him when he was a boy, is killed and it appears that it's a professional job. Jay decides that he owes it to his friend, Dan, to find Dan's killer and punish him.

Dan had told Jay that a woman named Donna Kelly was holding some money for one of Jay's clients, Bryce Powers. She was referred to Dan from Bryce. Now Bryce and Bryce's wife wer...more This is a novel that deals with the important issues of loyalty, friendship, integrity and justice.

Attorney Jay Cassio's best friend and the person who prtected him when he was a boy, is killed and it appears that it's a professional job. Jay decides that he owes it to his friend, Dan, to find Dan's killer and punish him.

Dan had told Jay that a woman named Donna Kelly was holding some money for one of Jay's clients, Bryce Powers. She was referred to Dan from Bryce. Now Bryce and Bryce's wife were dead in what police say is a murder-suicide. Donna told Dan that she was told by Bryce that if anything happened to him (Brcye) she should call Dan. She tells him that she would pay him if he brought the $500,0000 to her in Florida.

There is a parallel story in Mexico City where a beautiful girl named Isable is placed in a convent in 1977. In 1991 the man who visited her and she thought of as Uncle Herman, sees that she has developed into a beautiful woman and removes her from the convent to work for him in ways that an innocent girl could not have imagined.

Jay is looking into Bryce Powers' death and is warned from continuing his inquiries by the FBI. Before that, he learned that one of the people that Bryce had dealt with in Mexico is named Lazaro Santaria who is now the attorney general in Mexico and that he has a brother named Herman.

After a confrontation with the FBI agent, Jay travels to Florida to look for Donna Kelly. He is accompanied by his friend, Frank Dunn, a retired police officer.

The tension mounts as two Mexican gunmen look for Isabel (Donna Kelly) and add Jay to their search and intended victims. Isabel is on her own in Florida but has enough information about Herman Santaria and his brother that they want her dead.

There is plenty of action in this story and the characters are well described and sympathetic. It is as if Jay and Isabel were two innocents and the reader is turning the pages to see if they will be able to evade the people attempting to kill them and then seeking revenge for Jay's friend, Dan.(less)

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Apr 16, 2011 Deana rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those interested in crime and mystery stories, or stories with twists

Recommended to Deana by: first reads

Shelves: first-reads, 2011, owned-me

I received this book through one of the Goodreads Giveaways. I didn't intentionally register for this one, truth be told -- I apparently clicked on the wrong button and didn't notice it was the wrong book until the confirmation page. But I thought, why not, maybe it will turn out to be a new favorite.

The story revolves around lawyer Jay Cassio, whose best friend since childhood (Danny) is murdered in a situation involving a case Jay is working on. Jay gets mad when no one seems to be investigati...more I received this book through one of the Goodreads Giveaways. I didn't intentionally register for this one, truth be told -- I apparently clicked on the wrong button and didn't notice it was the wrong book until the confirmation page. But I thought, why not, maybe it will turn out to be a new favorite.

The story revolves around lawyer Jay Cassio, whose best friend since childhood (Danny) is murdered in a situation involving a case Jay is working on. Jay gets mad when no one seems to be investigating or following up on his friends murder, and eventually learns that the FBI has taken the case but won't say why or give anyone information about what is happening. Frustrated, Jay takes it into his own hands to take revenge on his friend's killer(s).

I won't say it will ever be a FAVORITE, but I did quite enjoy it. The story is all twisted up, and it's really neat to see all the details come together in the end. And there are some shocking surprises (though maybe not so shocking in the context of the story). It's a lot of fun to read, even if it is gruesome and kind of horrifying to think of these sorts of things happening in the real world (but I am sure they do). There is something about the writer's style that didn't really appeal to me, though i still can't quite put my finger on what it is. Too matter-of-fact, perhaps? But the story itself was really good, kept me interested and engaged, wondering what would happen next. I found it all to be believable, and parts of it even made it into my dreams one night. The only thing I thought was odd was there was no mention or even concern about disease even though Isabel had admittedly had sex with hundreds (or was it thousands?) of men.

I really enjoyed reading the author's descriptions of Newark (where my mom lived for a long time - she recognized many of the places mentioned here, kind of neat!), the little area of Miami, and the small towns in Mexico with the colorful little shacks.

It's an entertaining, quick read, and I recommend it to anyone who likes crime/suspense books.(less)

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Jun 07, 2011 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nicely paced, well-plotted. Kept my interest to the end.

Jay Cassio's friend dearer than a brother is murdered and he's determined to find out why. He leaves his successful law practice and follows a trail that leads to Mexican politicians. Along the way, he hooks up with a beautiful Mexican woman (don't they always?) who was the last person to see Jay's friend alive. Turns out she's part of the Mexican mob and wants out.

Together they must hunt down the bad guys and ensure justice is done.

Some sa...more

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Dec 16, 2010 Elizabeth A. rated it 3 of 5 stars

"I waited too long, Dan. I’m sorry. If I was the one killed like that, you’d have started the next day. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I’m starting now.” – Jay Cassio

What Jay Casio is starting in James LePore’s Blood of My Brother is an investigation into to the murder of his best friend since childhood, Dan Del Colliano. And start with a vengeance he does.

Jay’s and Dan’s friendship was forged under fire during the turbulent race riots of 1967 in Newark, New Jersey when, barely school age...more "I waited too long, Dan. I’m sorry. If I was the one killed like that, you’d have started the next day. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I’m starting now.” – Jay Cassio

What Jay Casio is starting in James LePore’s Blood of My Brother is an investigation into to the murder of his best friend since childhood, Dan Del Colliano. And start with a vengeance he does.

Jay’s and Dan’s friendship was forged under fire during the turbulent race riots of 1967 in Newark, New Jersey when, barely school age, they were caught up in the violence that erupted in their formerly peaceful neighborhood.

As they grew so did their bond, strengthening ever deeper as they weathered through tragedies such as the death of Jay’s parents in a plane crash. By the time they are adults, Jay a successful attorney and Dan a not so successful private investigator, the two have come to think of each other as brothers, through their common bond if not blood.

When a woman Jay is representing in a divorce is killed, beheaded, her high-powered soon to be ex-husband is the number one suspect… until he too is found dead. The discovery of Dan’s brutally tortured and murdered body in Miami a short time later initially seems like a case of coincidental bad timing. But when the FBI shows up and indicates Jay should stop asking questions it becomes clear to him that something more sinister is going on, something he’s determined to get to the bottom of.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Mexico, Isabel Perez is leading her own double-edged life of triumph and tragedy. An orphan herself, Isabel was taken in at the age of fourteen by an “Uncle” who had anything but her best interests at heart. Quickly she is introduced to a world where she is used as the sexual consort and unintentional confidant for high powered criminals and crooked officials. Though she is provided with fine clothes, a fancy car, and nice place to live, she knows her life is not her’s to live on her terms, and never will be.

Further, her intimate association with such powerful individuals exposes her to information she eventually realizes places her in the position of knowing too much, making her a liability. When an assignment from her “Uncle” that she well suspects may be her last sends her to Miami, her path crosses with that of Jay, there investigating Dan’s murder, and the stage is set for an electrifying alliance and an explosive race to uncover the true circumstances of Dan’s death and expose the crime and corruption in which Isabel is caught up.

Blood of My Brother is billed as a suspense novel, and while there are certainly suspenseful aspects to it I believe it also has a very healthy dose of thriller living between the covers. The story takes place in locales such as Mexico City and Miami, involves corruption and cartels, and includes more than a few action packed sequences and shootouts, giving it a decidedly thriller feel.

Carefully worked into the action, however, is the exploration of the human element at the heart of the story: the fierce bond formed between Jay and Dan; how their childhood molded them into the men they became; how the choices they made as adults led them down different paths, with very different consequences, despite their common background; and, how people respond under dire situations when forced to make life-changing decisions.

It’s the action that keeps you turning the pages, but it’s the bigger issues LePore works into the story that will keep you thinking even after you’ve finished. Blood of My Brother will be released on December 28th, so go ahead and earmark some of that Christmas money Santa brings you for this one.(less)

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Dec 15, 2010 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, legal-thrillers

Pick up James LePore's Blood of My Brother and you will find a book that has unstoppable action, twists and turns and plenty of suspense. Fans of Robert Ludlum will enjoy this lighter option.

Mr. LePore makes liberal use of flashbacks throughout Blood of My Brother and to great benefit. The flashbacks give us insight into attorney Jay Cassio, private investigator Dan Del Colliano and the mysterious Isabel Perez and how all three tie together. I felt the flashbacks were the strongest part of the...more

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Apr 29, 2011 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jay Casio’s childhood friend Dan Del Colliano is murdered execution style. Since Dan is Jay’s best friend he vows vengeance. In another part of the world, Isabel Perez is trained to be a prostitute for Mexico’s’ elite. Somehow these two chacaters are connected and as we read the story we found out why. Told in flashbacks and present tense, we learn about the individuals and what makes them who there are. This suspenseful novel has corruption, some action and some character development; a little...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

Kindle ebook, this was a great find on Kindle/Amazon website. Very much enjoyed this mystery/thriller about 2 people searching for revenge and finding redemption along the way (that will be my cliche shortened review description). Was impressed by LePore's writing, plotting, and well-developed characters. Was initially a little put-off by early chapters jumping back and forth in time and place, but it ultimately came together for the benefit of strong characters and plot. Am looking forward to r...more

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Jun 19, 2011 ABookVacation rated it 4 of 5 stars

LePore says it best in regards to his novel as it “explore[s] many things: the child shaping the man, the loss of loved ones, human cruelty, and the forces that compel us to either live or die in the face of despair.” This is a wonderful read with many different twists and turns.

I highly enjoyed the parallel stories entwined within the novel. LePore has a gift for bringing together two seemingly unrelated stories, and I love reading about two separate instances and contemplating their connection...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Literary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cover

I've been trying to figure out if the picture on the cover is a depiction of a lady in the throes of passion, which would represent Isabel, or if it is a depiction of a person murdered, which would represent any number of people.

Plot

This book is definitely engaging and was one I did not want to put down once I started it. The relationship between Jay and Dan was realistic and, in the end, sad. There was some back-and-forth, at the beginning of book, between present day and the past, but tha...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dan Del Colliano and Jay Cassio were the best of friends. They have each other’s backs. Jay grew up to be an attorney. Things are not looking good for Jay. His current client has just lost her head literally. Jay’s client was Kate Powers. She was married to Bryce Powers. Mr. Powers is a very powerful man like his last name. He owns Bryce Powers & Company. Dan is helping Jay. Dan tells Jay that he is going to Florida to meet with someone to get some dirty on Powers. If Jay had known that this...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Cheryl "Mash" rated it 3 of 5 stars

BLOOD OF MY BROTHER by James LePore
Published by The Story Plant
The Aronica-Miller Publishing Project, LLC
ISBN-13: 978-0-9819568-8-6
At the request of The Story Plant, a TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis (borrowed from B&N): "When Jay Cassio's best friend is murdered in a job clearly done by professionals, the walls that he has built to protect himself from the world of others begin to shatter. Dan Del Colliano had been his confidante and protector since the men w...more BLOOD OF MY BROTHER by James LePore
Published by The Story Plant
The Aronica-Miller Publishing Project, LLC
ISBN-13: 978-0-9819568-8-6
At the request of The Story Plant, a TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis (borrowed from B&N): "When Jay Cassio's best friend is murdered in a job clearly done by professionals, the walls that he has built to protect himself from the world of others begin to shatter. Dan Del Colliano had been his confidante and protector since the men were children on the savage streets of Newark, New Jersey. When Dan supports and revives Jay after Jay's parents die in a plane crash, their bond deepens to something beyond brotherhood, beyond blood. Now Jay, a successful lawyer, must find out why Dan died and find a way to seek justice for his murder.
Isabel Perez has lived a life both tainted and charmed since she was a teenager in Mexico. She holds powerful sway over men and has even more powerful alliances with people no one should ever try to cross. She desperately wants her freedom from the chains these people have placed on her. When Jay catapults into her world, their connection is electric, their alliance is lethal, and their future is anything but certain.
My Thoughts and Opinion: I was a bit skeptical when I picked up this book to read for a couple of reasons, one being this was my introduction to this author, never having read any of his work and the fact that this book was part of a "Tristate Triology" and not reading the first book of the series, would I be able to give this author justice, if I wasn't able to follow the story line out of sequence(I do have his latest one, Sons and Princes, also on my requested review shelf). I was proven wrong after reading the prologue, I was hooked. The plot started when the main character, Jay, and his best friend Dan were children in 1967. A story of true friendship, loyalty, betrayal, "street justice", corruption, murder, trust, love and much more. The cast of characters is quite long and at times, I would have to go back in the book to try and find them to see what their roles were. The beginning of the book hooked me, the middle of the book was a bit confusing, and the end of the book was action packed and page turning with some surprises. And as far as the triology, this book can be read as a "stand alone" novel. I look forward to reading Sons and Princes.
My Rating: 3
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Apr 05, 2011 Chrissy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-review-books

I haven't read anything from this other until receiving Blood Of My Brother for review. Blood Of My Brother is actually the authors second novel. When I read the description on the book it sounded like a novel that I would enjoy. I love a good murder mystery, action packed book.

I really enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end. The book had a great story line that pulls you in right from the start and keeps a hold of you tell the end. The characters in the story were easy to get to know a...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Anette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jay Casio's childhood friend Dan Del Colliano is murdered execution style. Since Dan is Jay's best friend he vows vengeance. In another part of the world, Isabel Perez is trained to be a prostitute for Mexico's' elite. Somehow these two characters are connected and as we read the story we found out why. Told in flashbacks and present tense, we learn about the individuals and what makes them who they are. This suspenseful novel has corruption, some action and some character development; a little...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Jenny Hilborne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Blood of My Brother is a good story but it is not a fast-paced thriller, which made it hard to become truly vested in the story and the characters. At times, I felt drained reading it and several times almost put it down. My biggest frustration is the long, awkward, passive sentences throughout and the flashbacks. They dragged me out of the story, which I already found too slow. I just wanted it to move. Had this been a fast moving book, I would have loved it

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Mar 25, 2011 Marsha Nelson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was hooked on Blood of My Brother from the Prologue and was never disappointed. The story centers on the life of Jay Cassio, a young lawyer whose parents died on the way to his college graduation. He is saved from his all encompassing dispair by best friend Dan Del Colliano. Dan and Jay could not be more different. Dan believed in living on the edge and beyond while Jay always colored inside the lines. That all changes when Dan is brutally murdered. This book explores the depths of how childho...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Maria Miaoulis rated it 5 of 5 stars

James LePore expertly weaves together stories of past and present in this wonderful suspense novel. On the surface it may only look like a tale packed with sensational money laundering schemes, shady government officials, drug cartel violence and red tape, things LePore probably encountered often in his years as a lawyer. However, it is the skilled way in which he unveils the underlying motives behind these predicaments where LePore shines. He explores the themes of revenge, redemption and moral...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although the plot was somewhat formulaic, I found the character development compelling enough to really want to know what happened next. I discovered after reading it that this is second in a trilogy. I would absolutely read books one and three.

LePore's prose did take some getting used to, but once I did, I enjoyed the book a lot.

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Jun 18, 2011 Mark Goodwich rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just OK Read

I found this book on the “free Kindle Top 100” list and downloaded it after reading the description and some of the reviews. I Just give the book 2 stars, as in “just OK”. I will not go into the story-line, many other reviews have already done this so I will just rate the book on its elements (0 to 5 being highest):

Protagonist Development: 3
Antagonist Development: 2
Minor Character Development: 1
Storyline: 2
Setting: 2
Theme: 2
Writing Style: 2
Overall Rating: 2

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Jul 09, 2012 Donna Halloran rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good - solid 3 1/2 stars. The ending was actually a tad bit surprising which is, let's face it, hard to do with another crime drama. I liked the writing and would definitely read another of his books. In fact, I liked the main lawyer character so I wouldn't mind if he was turned into another crime solver!

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Feb 27, 2012 Everybookhasasoul rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, for-review

This is the second novel I have read by LePore and I wasn't disappointed. I love the way LePore switches the narration between the past and the present. In other novels I have found this style of narrative confusing but LePore style of narrating suited the novel well and help add a depth of character to the novel.

The characters are very well described and all have a role within the novel. Each character has something to add to the story and I loved that.

I did struggle with the first few chapters...more

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