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DI Ray McBain #1
Blood Tears
The first in a series of books with D.I. Ray McBain - a Glasgow detective who turns to his best friend, Kenny O'Neill when he goes on the run after he becomes the prime suspect in a grisly murder.
An old man is found murdered in his Glasgow flat. DI Ray McBain is called to the scene and is the first to notice that the man's wounds mirror the Stigmata. The police quickly discover that the victim is a former janitor who worked in several care homes where he abused his charges. Is someone taking revenge thirty years after the fact?
McBain, as a child was a resident of Bethlehem House, a Catholic run care home where the murdered man worked and early on in the investigation, McBain decides to hide a crucial bit of evidence relating to his stay in the convent orphanage.
When his superiors find out, McBain becomes the prime suspect in the case and has to make a decision which will leave him on the run and alone, trying to solve the murders and, at the same time, the puzzle of his past – a past that is pushing into the present with a recurring suffocating dream of blood and feathers that descends on him every night.
Tough, funny, dark and so in your face it hurts, a superb piece of writing --Ken Bruen, novelist
Michael J. Malone is one of those new writers that you feel you've known a long time. Blood Tears blasts onto the Tartan Noir scene like a bullet. Big, bold themes and terrific humour amidst the darkness makes this my debut of the year. --Tony Black, author of Murder Mile
An old man is found murdered in his Glasgow flat. DI Ray McBain is called to the scene and is the first to notice that the man's wounds mirror the Stigmata. The police quickly discover that the victim is a former janitor who worked in several care homes where he abused his charges. Is someone taking revenge thirty years after the fact?
McBain, as a child was a resident of Bethlehem House, a Catholic run care home where the murdered man worked and early on in the investigation, McBain decides to hide a crucial bit of evidence relating to his stay in the convent orphanage.
When his superiors find out, McBain becomes the prime suspect in the case and has to make a decision which will leave him on the run and alone, trying to solve the murders and, at the same time, the puzzle of his past – a past that is pushing into the present with a recurring suffocating dream of blood and feathers that descends on him every night.
Tough, funny, dark and so in your face it hurts, a superb piece of writing --Ken Bruen, novelist
Michael J. Malone is one of those new writers that you feel you've known a long time. Blood Tears blasts onto the Tartan Noir scene like a bullet. Big, bold themes and terrific humour amidst the darkness makes this my debut of the year. --Tony Black, author of Murder Mile
285 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2012
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201 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 9, 2018
Despite the three stars I think this was a really good book, Scottish noir at its best. It starts with a bang with the discovery of a body with terrible mutilations mimicking the stigmata of Christ. The religious undertones are ever present and weigh heavily on our lead character, the rather gloomy DI Ray McBain.
The character development is excellent and the plot is dark and brooding. The reason I marked it down was that McBain seemed to need a padded cell there at times. His head was very screwed up and I'm getting a bit weary of characters so disturbed they can barely function. None of us perfect but still...
Having said that I feel he may get better as the series progresses (I have already bought book 2 so there's confidence for you) as this story brought too many unpleasant childhood memories to light. I'm hoping this will turn into a great series and will let you know after the next book.
The character development is excellent and the plot is dark and brooding. The reason I marked it down was that McBain seemed to need a padded cell there at times. His head was very screwed up and I'm getting a bit weary of characters so disturbed they can barely function. None of us perfect but still...
Having said that I feel he may get better as the series progresses (I have already bought book 2 so there's confidence for you) as this story brought too many unpleasant childhood memories to light. I'm hoping this will turn into a great series and will let you know after the next book.
August 12, 2018
Blood Tears is the first book in a series to feature DI Ray McBain and his friend Kenny O'Neill who tends to be on the other side of the law. The story definitely features more on Ray than Kenny and I look forward to getting to know Kenny more as the series goes on.
Set in Glasgow you really get the whole Scottish vibe through out the book and had no trouble keeping up with the Scottish slang when used. It just adds to the authenticity and was trying my best to do a strong Scottish accent in my head, of which I have no doubt I failed miserably.
There is a certain amount of humor throughout the story which I think was needed as the story line is a very dark one. It touches on abuse of which is never an easy subject to read about but this has been handled very skillfully by the author. McBain's own past leads to him dealing with demons and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough wanting to find out more.
There are actually a few stand out characters including McBain. It's not often you get so many likable characters, not in a crime book anyway. Whilst not everyone is on McBain's side, it was good to see that a couple of his colleagues believe in him and I loved the chemistry between them.
Blood Tears is a dark and gritty story that makes for some uncomfortable but entertaining reading. It's certainly a good start to a new series and can't wait to see what else is in store for McBain and his team. With lots to shock the reader, of which will keep you hooked, this is one you need to add to your TBR pile.
Set in Glasgow you really get the whole Scottish vibe through out the book and had no trouble keeping up with the Scottish slang when used. It just adds to the authenticity and was trying my best to do a strong Scottish accent in my head, of which I have no doubt I failed miserably.
There is a certain amount of humor throughout the story which I think was needed as the story line is a very dark one. It touches on abuse of which is never an easy subject to read about but this has been handled very skillfully by the author. McBain's own past leads to him dealing with demons and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough wanting to find out more.
There are actually a few stand out characters including McBain. It's not often you get so many likable characters, not in a crime book anyway. Whilst not everyone is on McBain's side, it was good to see that a couple of his colleagues believe in him and I loved the chemistry between them.
Blood Tears is a dark and gritty story that makes for some uncomfortable but entertaining reading. It's certainly a good start to a new series and can't wait to see what else is in store for McBain and his team. With lots to shock the reader, of which will keep you hooked, this is one you need to add to your TBR pile.
November 3, 2014
Blood Tears is a remarkably assured debut novel. It manages to be both a detailed character study of a police officer with a dark, troubled history, and a well-plotted, psychological police procedural that maintains an edgy tension from start to end. DI Ray McBain is a complex character, who craves acceptance whilst also being contrary and distant. Malone provides a well-rounded view of his strengthens and foibles, placed in a rich back story, and surrounded by a strong secondary cast. The writing is expressive and taut, and the plot unfolds at a relentless pace, rising to a nice climax. Malone uses misdirection quite effectively, making one wonder where the story is heading and for the most part avoids obvious plot devices. He also avoids explicit violence and gore, except for a couple of places where it is vital to the plot, and does so in a non-gratuitous way. Overall, an entertaining read that marks the start of what promises to be a strong series.
January 3, 2015
The first time I met Micheal J Malone was in August of this year as apart of the Tidelines Festival in North Ayrshire, Scotland. He was indulging in his first love and reading some of his poetry from his book In The Raw. That book is reviewed on this site at https://bookreviewstoday.wordpress.co.... His poetry is sharp and well pitched. I was looking forward to reading his first crime novel, Blood Tears. This is particularly because Michael spent a good portion of his childhood in a Roman Catholic orphanage and the book largely revolves around such an institution. Of course, I am sure it is all heightened. It is a novel However, there were things that seem to reflect personal experience in the novel.
Blood Tears opens from the point of view of the murderer. He is in the act of killing a man using the stigmata method to mirror the wounds of Christ. It is a brutal, disturbing, and gripping scene. When the body is discovered it is Glasgow DI Ray McBain immediately realises the terrible mutilations spell out the wounds of the stigmata and recognizes their significance before the other police do. it turns out the victim is a paedophile who worked at several children’s homes, including the Catholic orphanage McBain grew up in. McBain makes some poor procedural decisions and gets himself arrested as a suspect.
Thereafter, McBain is a cop on the run, who must prove his innocence before his former police colleagues catch him again. Dreams of his orphan childhood come back to him, making him question his sanity and motivations. McBain is definitely a flawed protagonist.Clearly, he should have left the case to other detectives because of his connection. A large part of the excitement derives from the fact that he did not. He also brought in his friend Daryl Drain and a new detective, Allessandra, threatening their careers as well as his own. McBain is also over-weight, swears like a trooper, is having an affair with a married woman, and is friendly with a heavy-duty gangster. He is definitely flawed.
The story does get stretched at times. McBain seems to lose weight rather quickly, which helps him to protect his identity along with dyeing his hair. Also, the book jumps between first person when McBain is the narrator and third person the rest of the time. Tht is a conceit I truly dislike. However, overall, the book kept me guessing, there are plenty of twists and turns to grip the reader. At the reveal, what happened to all the kids in the orphanage is upsetting.
This is a first novel and I am sure Michael’s work will go from strength to strength. He took part in the Bloody Scotland Crime Writers’ Festival in Stirling, Scotland this year: so if you enjoy the Scottish noir genre then I definitely recommend Blood Tears. if you decide to go to the Bloody Scotland Crime writer’s Festival sometime, the Stirling Highland Hotel, Spittal Street, Stirling FK8 1DU, Scotland is very conveniently located for it. The hotel is reviewed at https://hotelandrestaurantreviews.wor...
Blood Tears opens from the point of view of the murderer. He is in the act of killing a man using the stigmata method to mirror the wounds of Christ. It is a brutal, disturbing, and gripping scene. When the body is discovered it is Glasgow DI Ray McBain immediately realises the terrible mutilations spell out the wounds of the stigmata and recognizes their significance before the other police do. it turns out the victim is a paedophile who worked at several children’s homes, including the Catholic orphanage McBain grew up in. McBain makes some poor procedural decisions and gets himself arrested as a suspect.
Thereafter, McBain is a cop on the run, who must prove his innocence before his former police colleagues catch him again. Dreams of his orphan childhood come back to him, making him question his sanity and motivations. McBain is definitely a flawed protagonist.Clearly, he should have left the case to other detectives because of his connection. A large part of the excitement derives from the fact that he did not. He also brought in his friend Daryl Drain and a new detective, Allessandra, threatening their careers as well as his own. McBain is also over-weight, swears like a trooper, is having an affair with a married woman, and is friendly with a heavy-duty gangster. He is definitely flawed.
The story does get stretched at times. McBain seems to lose weight rather quickly, which helps him to protect his identity along with dyeing his hair. Also, the book jumps between first person when McBain is the narrator and third person the rest of the time. Tht is a conceit I truly dislike. However, overall, the book kept me guessing, there are plenty of twists and turns to grip the reader. At the reveal, what happened to all the kids in the orphanage is upsetting.
This is a first novel and I am sure Michael’s work will go from strength to strength. He took part in the Bloody Scotland Crime Writers’ Festival in Stirling, Scotland this year: so if you enjoy the Scottish noir genre then I definitely recommend Blood Tears. if you decide to go to the Bloody Scotland Crime writer’s Festival sometime, the Stirling Highland Hotel, Spittal Street, Stirling FK8 1DU, Scotland is very conveniently located for it. The hotel is reviewed at https://hotelandrestaurantreviews.wor...
April 17, 2015
A most interesting novel, written in the first person. Detective Inspector Ray McBain and his team are called to the scene of a grisly, torturous murder. As the narrative develops, it becomes known that McBain was raised in a Catholic children's home, a very structured and cruel environment. Mistreatment came in various forms and it appears most of the children were subjected to the whims and terrors of their nun guardian, Sister Mary. I must digress a bit as I knew way too many Sister Marys in my own youth. I was placed in such an environment as an eleven year old and I can honestly say there were very few happy moments and fewer happy nuns. Beatings were commonplace, harsh words and insults were continually spewed and daily regimentation in the name of religion was the norm. Author Malone has his protagonist state that a very high percentage of children raised in these institutions do not "make it" in later life. I have no statistics to disprove that assumption but I do know that I, for one, did quite well despite the terrors that were inflicted. I cannot speak for the other 500 or so children who lived in the home during my "stay" that ended when I graduated from high school. In short, I could well relate to Ray McBain and his disdain for the Bethlehem school and Sister Mary in particular. She was way, way too real. This is a very cleaver novel with top notch character development and a plot that is a true page-turner.
November 1, 2022
I found this somewhat confusing and, in places, ridiculous, and I was disappointed by the deus ex machina ending. There was potential there ... but it got away from the author.
Set predominently in Glasgow and the south west of Scotland, we get a Scottish detective investigating the murder of a paedophile and being swept back into a rediscovery of his own past. There is potential there, but as the story unwinds we are presented with the abusive myth of recovered memories - and I emphasise 'abusive'. Recovered memories was a technique used by psychotherapists who claimed traumatic memories could be suppressed, dwelling in some mythical subsconscious, and could be rediscovered, brought to the surface and erased by therapy, freeing the victim from trauma. There are too many documented cases of so-called therapists inducing some punter to believe a mythical memory which has actually been shaped and moulded by the therapist - creating trauma rather than relieving it.
So, a story which relies on the myths created by a dangerous and abusive practice - it's hardly going to impress me.
And I found the storyline unbelievable - our hero goes on the run when he becomes a suspect. He is conveniently offered a new identity, he gets help, the book ends in a "with one bound he was free" sort of conclusion which I found more than a little convenient.
There's potential there - there's some dynamic writing - but the plotting and storyline need polish and refinement.
Set predominently in Glasgow and the south west of Scotland, we get a Scottish detective investigating the murder of a paedophile and being swept back into a rediscovery of his own past. There is potential there, but as the story unwinds we are presented with the abusive myth of recovered memories - and I emphasise 'abusive'. Recovered memories was a technique used by psychotherapists who claimed traumatic memories could be suppressed, dwelling in some mythical subsconscious, and could be rediscovered, brought to the surface and erased by therapy, freeing the victim from trauma. There are too many documented cases of so-called therapists inducing some punter to believe a mythical memory which has actually been shaped and moulded by the therapist - creating trauma rather than relieving it.
So, a story which relies on the myths created by a dangerous and abusive practice - it's hardly going to impress me.
And I found the storyline unbelievable - our hero goes on the run when he becomes a suspect. He is conveniently offered a new identity, he gets help, the book ends in a "with one bound he was free" sort of conclusion which I found more than a little convenient.
There's potential there - there's some dynamic writing - but the plotting and storyline need polish and refinement.
June 20, 2017
Blood tears by Michael j Malone is a dark crime fiction read.
A body is discovered: the terrible mutilations spell out the wounds of the Stigmata. For Glasgow DI Ray McBain, the killings are strangely familiar... and then the dreams begin. The first in a series of books featuring DI Ray McBain, a Glasgow detective who has too many friends in the underworld for his own good, but enough to support him when he goes on the run, the main suspect in a murder case. Scottish noir at its best.
Absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. I loved mcbain. He was my favourite character. Very cleverly written. Highly recommended. 5*.
A body is discovered: the terrible mutilations spell out the wounds of the Stigmata. For Glasgow DI Ray McBain, the killings are strangely familiar... and then the dreams begin. The first in a series of books featuring DI Ray McBain, a Glasgow detective who has too many friends in the underworld for his own good, but enough to support him when he goes on the run, the main suspect in a murder case. Scottish noir at its best.
Absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. I loved mcbain. He was my favourite character. Very cleverly written. Highly recommended. 5*.
August 14, 2013
I'm not going to lie, this book for me started off slow. But I continued to read and ended up loving it. The story was very well written and the characters were all individual. I like a book that has life like characters and McBain was certainly realistic and he made me laugh. I liked how this book ended and I'm ready to start the follow up 'A Taste of Malice'
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Scottish Crime :)
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Scottish Crime :)
September 11, 2018
have read and thoroughly enjoyed Michael J. Malone’s most recent books, so last year whilst at The Wee Crime Festival in Grantown on Spey, I picked up a copy of his first crime novel, Blood Tears. It’s been sitting on my TBR pile since then, so this blog tour was a terrific opportunity to knuckle down and read it.
Oh boy, am I glad I did! Dark, gritty and yet with real warmth and a great deal of humour, this is a class piece of work.
Blood Tears begins with a murderer brutally killing a man and inflicting wounds in the form of the Stigmata. At once we can see that this is a deranged killing. Glasgow cop DI Ray McBain is not slow to realise the implications of this type of killing and before long we discover that the victim is a paedophile who has worked at several children’s homes, including a Catholic orphanage, Bethlehem House.
DI McBain is a good-humoured, self-deprecating cop and his team largely look up to him. He is also a bit of a loner. Not normally much of a drinker, his social life involves a married woman whose husband works away a great deal. His closest friend is Kenny O’Neill, a man whose life has taken a polar opposite direction to McBain’s when it comes to the good and bad sides of the fence.
McBain sends his team out to cover all the children’s homes where the victim had worked and he and his new DC Allesandra Rossi, head to Bethlehem House. There he asks the Mother Superior for a list of the children who would have had contact with the murdered man. That’s when it becomes clear to DC Rossi that McBain was one of those children as he removes his name from this and asks her to say nothing, citing his presence at the pub with his team on the night of the killing and suggesting that his removal from the case because of this connection would be plain daft.
Sadly, this is clearly a poor decision by McBain as he implicates his colleagues in complicit behaviour and as the killings continue McBain’s omissions make him look more and more like the main suspect. Now he will have to prove his innocence while investigating the case on the run.
The strength of the book is largely in the way that McBain’s memories of his time in the children’s home begin to re-emerge. The strict and unyielding way the orphanage was run has had a long lasting impact on him and though some of his memories are suppressed, he remembers with clarity the cruelty and harsh treatment he received from some of the nuns. As the killings continue and the case progresses, he finds his dreams becoming more raw and grotesque, leading him to question his own mind and what really happened back then.
McBain is written as a first person narration and this is what really makes the book work. There is rawness and vulnerability depicted in his character that really speaks to the reader. You can’t help but like him, flaws and all, and his need for love is clearly what draws women to him, though he doesn’t see this in himself at all.
His character is the embodiment of how children who are poorly and sometimes cruelly treated by those who should have their best interests at heart can develop. He and the killer have more in common than either might imagine. The covering up of abuse is now well known, but the impact on the children is lifelong and devastating.
Gritty, engrossing and with some gloriously gruesome moments, this is book with a thoroughly compelling plot and a stand out character.
Verdict: Unmissable. The complex character of McBain is a keeper.
Oh boy, am I glad I did! Dark, gritty and yet with real warmth and a great deal of humour, this is a class piece of work.
Blood Tears begins with a murderer brutally killing a man and inflicting wounds in the form of the Stigmata. At once we can see that this is a deranged killing. Glasgow cop DI Ray McBain is not slow to realise the implications of this type of killing and before long we discover that the victim is a paedophile who has worked at several children’s homes, including a Catholic orphanage, Bethlehem House.
DI McBain is a good-humoured, self-deprecating cop and his team largely look up to him. He is also a bit of a loner. Not normally much of a drinker, his social life involves a married woman whose husband works away a great deal. His closest friend is Kenny O’Neill, a man whose life has taken a polar opposite direction to McBain’s when it comes to the good and bad sides of the fence.
McBain sends his team out to cover all the children’s homes where the victim had worked and he and his new DC Allesandra Rossi, head to Bethlehem House. There he asks the Mother Superior for a list of the children who would have had contact with the murdered man. That’s when it becomes clear to DC Rossi that McBain was one of those children as he removes his name from this and asks her to say nothing, citing his presence at the pub with his team on the night of the killing and suggesting that his removal from the case because of this connection would be plain daft.
Sadly, this is clearly a poor decision by McBain as he implicates his colleagues in complicit behaviour and as the killings continue McBain’s omissions make him look more and more like the main suspect. Now he will have to prove his innocence while investigating the case on the run.
The strength of the book is largely in the way that McBain’s memories of his time in the children’s home begin to re-emerge. The strict and unyielding way the orphanage was run has had a long lasting impact on him and though some of his memories are suppressed, he remembers with clarity the cruelty and harsh treatment he received from some of the nuns. As the killings continue and the case progresses, he finds his dreams becoming more raw and grotesque, leading him to question his own mind and what really happened back then.
McBain is written as a first person narration and this is what really makes the book work. There is rawness and vulnerability depicted in his character that really speaks to the reader. You can’t help but like him, flaws and all, and his need for love is clearly what draws women to him, though he doesn’t see this in himself at all.
His character is the embodiment of how children who are poorly and sometimes cruelly treated by those who should have their best interests at heart can develop. He and the killer have more in common than either might imagine. The covering up of abuse is now well known, but the impact on the children is lifelong and devastating.
Gritty, engrossing and with some gloriously gruesome moments, this is book with a thoroughly compelling plot and a stand out character.
Verdict: Unmissable. The complex character of McBain is a keeper.
August 2, 2018
Blood Tears is the first book in the DI Ray McBain series written by Michael J. Malone, and it has recently been given a fantastic new makeover! I first discovered Malone's books a couple of years ago when I read A Suitable Lie; it blew me away. Beautiful, haunting and oh so powerful, it was an easy choice for my book of 2016. Since then I have read several other works by this author and loved each and every one of them. Blood Tears was no different.
A brilliantly graphic and gory start pulls the reader straight into this hard-hitting story. I'm a strange creature (maybe) and I have before confessed to loving crime novels which revolve around religious practices and institutions. And oh boy, this one certainly does. DI Ray McBain is called to investigate the grisly murder scene and immediately notices something no one else has; the victim's wounds mirror Stigmata. Having had a lonely childhood in the local Catholic orphanage, Ray is all too familiar with the marks. What he doesn't realise, as he starts to investigate the killing, is that he's going to have to confront those childhood traumas head-on. Straight back to the malicious Sister Mary and memories of his lonely, far from perfect childhood at Bethlehem House. Desperate to stay on the case, determined to find the killer, Ray makes a catastrophic mistake and convinces a younger officer to lie on his behalf. Before long DI Ray McBain is their number one suspect and on the run. Can McBain solve the case from afar and clear his name before it's too late...
I loved Ray McBain (how could I not?!). I do like my lead characters to have 'something' about them, something that makes them a little more, shall we say, interesting...? Ray is certainly that. He knows right from wrong but in the interests of the investigation, there are certain lines which he is more than happy to blur a little. And as for his mate, well, he's a local 'businessman' who doesn't seem to care how criminal the business he's in is as long as the money keeps rolling in! It wasn't just Ray and BFF Kenny who had my full attention. Virtually every character created by Malone in Blood Tears stands strong and brings something worthwhile to the story.
Would I recommend this book? I would. This is a strong, well-written piece of crime noir and I enjoyed every moment I spent in the company of Malone's characters. There are wonderful dashes of laugh out loud humour dotted here and there which bring a lightness to the intense, terrifying plot. This isn't a story for the faint hearted though; with language which made me blush and many references to bumping uglies*, I was a suitable shade of scarlet at times! Incredibly dark and brilliantly gripping; I can't wait to read A Taste for Malice (DI McBain #2).
Four out of five stars.
*Google it, if you dare!
A brilliantly graphic and gory start pulls the reader straight into this hard-hitting story. I'm a strange creature (maybe) and I have before confessed to loving crime novels which revolve around religious practices and institutions. And oh boy, this one certainly does. DI Ray McBain is called to investigate the grisly murder scene and immediately notices something no one else has; the victim's wounds mirror Stigmata. Having had a lonely childhood in the local Catholic orphanage, Ray is all too familiar with the marks. What he doesn't realise, as he starts to investigate the killing, is that he's going to have to confront those childhood traumas head-on. Straight back to the malicious Sister Mary and memories of his lonely, far from perfect childhood at Bethlehem House. Desperate to stay on the case, determined to find the killer, Ray makes a catastrophic mistake and convinces a younger officer to lie on his behalf. Before long DI Ray McBain is their number one suspect and on the run. Can McBain solve the case from afar and clear his name before it's too late...
I loved Ray McBain (how could I not?!). I do like my lead characters to have 'something' about them, something that makes them a little more, shall we say, interesting...? Ray is certainly that. He knows right from wrong but in the interests of the investigation, there are certain lines which he is more than happy to blur a little. And as for his mate, well, he's a local 'businessman' who doesn't seem to care how criminal the business he's in is as long as the money keeps rolling in! It wasn't just Ray and BFF Kenny who had my full attention. Virtually every character created by Malone in Blood Tears stands strong and brings something worthwhile to the story.
Would I recommend this book? I would. This is a strong, well-written piece of crime noir and I enjoyed every moment I spent in the company of Malone's characters. There are wonderful dashes of laugh out loud humour dotted here and there which bring a lightness to the intense, terrifying plot. This isn't a story for the faint hearted though; with language which made me blush and many references to bumping uglies*, I was a suitable shade of scarlet at times! Incredibly dark and brilliantly gripping; I can't wait to read A Taste for Malice (DI McBain #2).
Four out of five stars.
*Google it, if you dare!
October 16, 2018
Glasgow DI Ray McBain is forced to confront his own past when a body is discovered displaying 'stigmata', the wounds Jesus is reported to have received when crucified. The man, it turns out, was a prolific serial paedophile, working in Catholic orphanages as a gardener and being moved on - to avoid scandal - whenever his activities were reported or suspected.
McBain has a very personal interest in the case since he was housed as an orphan in Bethlehem House, the orphanage at the centre of the investigation. McBain, in order not to be removed from the case, expunges his name from the list of children housed at the orphanage at the time that the murdered man was working there.
He is also having nightmares from which he emerges screaming and drenched with sweat, and in which feathers play a significant role.
His mental state, not helped by a surfeit of junk food and drunken binges, becomes noticeable to colleagues.
One of them witnesses McBain physically attacking a 'person of interest' in a police interview room and another feels duty bound to report that McBain had removed his name from the list of orphans at Bethlehem House. McBain's superiors leap to the quite ridiculous conclusion that McBain must be the killer. He can provide no alibi for the time of the murder as McBain is too much of a gentleman to admit that he was spending the night with a married woman and expect her to provide his alibi.
Arrested and charged, McBain manages to escape in order to track down the real killer and clear his name.
Overall this is a powerful and captivating piece which exposes the level of abuse carried out in Catholic orphanages in the not-so-distant past. Nuns in particular come out of this as far from the holy and compassionate figures we are led to believe they are.
McBain's thoughts and actions attempt to make even the reader suspect that McBain might have been the killer while unaware of what he was doing.
It's not really a spoiler to point out that as this number one in the Ray McBain series, he being the murderer is not a likely outcome.
It doesn't really make sense that Ray is arrested for the murder with seemingly no evidence against him whatsoever but that point is outweighed by the dramatic possibilities made available by the consequences.
There is also a minor element of supernatural shenanigans which begins when McBain picks up a woman while in a drunken stupor who claims to be psychic. She seems to have an uncanny insight into McBain's past and gives him warnings that turn out to be accurate.
The denouement is a decent enough climax but leaves some issues unresolved.
McBain himself is a fascinating character who learns some of the truths about himself as we do during the course of the narrative. He is likeable and engaging, blessed with a ready Glasgow wit and generally a nice guy with some unresolved childhood trauma issues. He has little respect for the shackles of bureaucracy and authority and tends to get results by more direct and unorthodox methods, sometimes clearly to his detriment. He has a close friendship from childhood with a local crimelord who is indebted to him and it is this ambivalence that helps to make McBain so fascinating.
A solid piece of work. Recommended.
McBain has a very personal interest in the case since he was housed as an orphan in Bethlehem House, the orphanage at the centre of the investigation. McBain, in order not to be removed from the case, expunges his name from the list of children housed at the orphanage at the time that the murdered man was working there.
He is also having nightmares from which he emerges screaming and drenched with sweat, and in which feathers play a significant role.
His mental state, not helped by a surfeit of junk food and drunken binges, becomes noticeable to colleagues.
One of them witnesses McBain physically attacking a 'person of interest' in a police interview room and another feels duty bound to report that McBain had removed his name from the list of orphans at Bethlehem House. McBain's superiors leap to the quite ridiculous conclusion that McBain must be the killer. He can provide no alibi for the time of the murder as McBain is too much of a gentleman to admit that he was spending the night with a married woman and expect her to provide his alibi.
Arrested and charged, McBain manages to escape in order to track down the real killer and clear his name.
Overall this is a powerful and captivating piece which exposes the level of abuse carried out in Catholic orphanages in the not-so-distant past. Nuns in particular come out of this as far from the holy and compassionate figures we are led to believe they are.
McBain's thoughts and actions attempt to make even the reader suspect that McBain might have been the killer while unaware of what he was doing.
It's not really a spoiler to point out that as this number one in the Ray McBain series, he being the murderer is not a likely outcome.
It doesn't really make sense that Ray is arrested for the murder with seemingly no evidence against him whatsoever but that point is outweighed by the dramatic possibilities made available by the consequences.
There is also a minor element of supernatural shenanigans which begins when McBain picks up a woman while in a drunken stupor who claims to be psychic. She seems to have an uncanny insight into McBain's past and gives him warnings that turn out to be accurate.
The denouement is a decent enough climax but leaves some issues unresolved.
McBain himself is a fascinating character who learns some of the truths about himself as we do during the course of the narrative. He is likeable and engaging, blessed with a ready Glasgow wit and generally a nice guy with some unresolved childhood trauma issues. He has little respect for the shackles of bureaucracy and authority and tends to get results by more direct and unorthodox methods, sometimes clearly to his detriment. He has a close friendship from childhood with a local crimelord who is indebted to him and it is this ambivalence that helps to make McBain so fascinating.
A solid piece of work. Recommended.
December 15, 2018
This is a crime fiction ebook, if that wasn't clear, but it has a Catholic bent. It's not necessarily for religious purposes, but it does involve nuns and a children's school. I did like that it was definitely not like the traditional crime novels I usually read. The characters are unique (some of them), and have a tinge of the real to them, they are definitely not perfect people, which makes them all the more relateable.
I will also point out that this ebook takes place in the UK and as such is written in British English, and the writer is also from the UK. So the spelling is somewhat different, but not off, same with the grammar. I did get this free on Amazon, but I think it's now on sale for 99 cents, at least that's what Goodreads tells me.
I like the story, I like the events that keep you guessing for two thirds of the ebook. I like the characters who are somewhat unique and believable. Though I do find it interesting that when the plot thickens, the main character is still fixated on his previous theory (though he is still somewhat right) even though it was obvious to me what was going on. Anyway, I liked this piece of British crime fiction.
I will also point out that this ebook takes place in the UK and as such is written in British English, and the writer is also from the UK. So the spelling is somewhat different, but not off, same with the grammar. I did get this free on Amazon, but I think it's now on sale for 99 cents, at least that's what Goodreads tells me.
I like the story, I like the events that keep you guessing for two thirds of the ebook. I like the characters who are somewhat unique and believable. Though I do find it interesting that when the plot thickens, the main character is still fixated on his previous theory (though he is still somewhat right) even though it was obvious to me what was going on. Anyway, I liked this piece of British crime fiction.
May 16, 2019
I didn’t enjoy this. I felt nothing for any of the characters, some of whom seemed superfluous - perhaps they’re built upon in further books in the series (which I won’t be bothering to read) - and the plot development was same-old. Why two stars? No typos or anything terrible about the writing itself.
October 4, 2024
gritty and bloodthirsty!
Police procedural with a difference.
When a body is discovered with crucifixion wounds, DI Ray McBain is thrust back into his past and the terrors he endured at the convent children’s home that he lived in after his parents were no longer able to care for him. Dark and disturbing, Ray’s memories, suppressed for years, come back with a vengeance.
Police procedural with a difference.
When a body is discovered with crucifixion wounds, DI Ray McBain is thrust back into his past and the terrors he endured at the convent children’s home that he lived in after his parents were no longer able to care for him. Dark and disturbing, Ray’s memories, suppressed for years, come back with a vengeance.
June 9, 2018
Always good to discover another good Scottish crime writer. Ray is a detective who suffer bad dreams. They get worse as he begins to investigate a gruesome killing.
February 4, 2020
Absolutely gritty, full of action and a great read.
June 6, 2020
Close to 5* but not too keen o the supernatural element. Otherwise a good read.
February 2, 2022
Good start to a series... but it can get confusing at times to build up the characters. Many fringe story line and the focus is missing during parts of the story.
July 29, 2013
Michael J. Malone’s Blood Tears opens from the murderer’s point of view, in the act of killing a man using the stigmata method to mirror Christ’s wounds. It’s brutal, disturbing, and gripping. It soon moves to the protagonist, Ray McBain, a Glaswegian detective who recognises the ideology behind the murder before the other cops do, and even before seeing the body. Turns out the victim is a paedophile who worked at numerous children’s homes, including the Catholic orphanage McBain grew up in, leading to the man making a few dodgy procedural decisions and getting himself arrested as a suspect.
What follows is a cop on the run, who must prove his innocence before his now-former colleagues catch him again. The only problem is, he is starting to wonder if he actually did kill the man. Dreams of his orphan childhood come back to him, making him question his sanity and motivations. It’s all nicely done. I read a Goodreads reviewer rate this book down because she thought the protagonist too unlikeable. McBain is definitely flawed. He should have left the case to other detectives because of his connection. He didn’t, and brought in a new detective, Allessandra, into his cock-up, threatening her career as a result. He continues to use her and his detective friend Daryl Drain (great name) to help clear his name, increasing their chances of career suicide for them not bringing him in. He swears like a mothertrucker, is having an affair with a married woman, and is friendly with a heavy-duty gangster. The reviewer surely has a point.
No. No, she doesn't. All those flaws make the character interesting. You do think he’s a scumbag. He even uses hotel staff to check his room out before he goes in, scared the murderer might lie in wait. But you don’t need to have a likeable main character to think a book is good. You only have to look at Pete Bondurant in James Ellroy’s American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand.
You do need to empathise, however. There’s plenty of that to go around. Malone doesn’t skimp on showing the evils of McBain’s orphanage, such as when the head nun wraps him up in his piss-soaked sheets as a punishment for wetting the bed. You could argue that the novel’s evil presence is the Catholic Church. The nuns run the school like a prisoner of war camp, where the kids are always one misstep from an eternity in hell. It’s not for the sensitive. So you see the conflicts going on in McBain’s head, and how memories and feelings he had long repressed surface in ways that make him wonder what happened and what didn’t.
The book does get stretched at times. He seems to lose weight pretty quickly, which helps to hide his identity along with his newly dyed hair, and you would think the husband of the woman he is having an affair with would push back when he finds out about the dalliance. I also think the ending got a little “ha-ha-ha, I’m-evil-look -at-me-twiddle-my-moustache-y”. But overall, the book kept you guessing, had plenty to grip you, and the reveal at the end about what happened to all the kids in the orphanage is genuinely upsetting.
A cracking read.
What follows is a cop on the run, who must prove his innocence before his now-former colleagues catch him again. The only problem is, he is starting to wonder if he actually did kill the man. Dreams of his orphan childhood come back to him, making him question his sanity and motivations. It’s all nicely done. I read a Goodreads reviewer rate this book down because she thought the protagonist too unlikeable. McBain is definitely flawed. He should have left the case to other detectives because of his connection. He didn’t, and brought in a new detective, Allessandra, into his cock-up, threatening her career as a result. He continues to use her and his detective friend Daryl Drain (great name) to help clear his name, increasing their chances of career suicide for them not bringing him in. He swears like a mothertrucker, is having an affair with a married woman, and is friendly with a heavy-duty gangster. The reviewer surely has a point.
No. No, she doesn't. All those flaws make the character interesting. You do think he’s a scumbag. He even uses hotel staff to check his room out before he goes in, scared the murderer might lie in wait. But you don’t need to have a likeable main character to think a book is good. You only have to look at Pete Bondurant in James Ellroy’s American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand.
You do need to empathise, however. There’s plenty of that to go around. Malone doesn’t skimp on showing the evils of McBain’s orphanage, such as when the head nun wraps him up in his piss-soaked sheets as a punishment for wetting the bed. You could argue that the novel’s evil presence is the Catholic Church. The nuns run the school like a prisoner of war camp, where the kids are always one misstep from an eternity in hell. It’s not for the sensitive. So you see the conflicts going on in McBain’s head, and how memories and feelings he had long repressed surface in ways that make him wonder what happened and what didn’t.
The book does get stretched at times. He seems to lose weight pretty quickly, which helps to hide his identity along with his newly dyed hair, and you would think the husband of the woman he is having an affair with would push back when he finds out about the dalliance. I also think the ending got a little “ha-ha-ha, I’m-evil-look -at-me-twiddle-my-moustache-y”. But overall, the book kept you guessing, had plenty to grip you, and the reveal at the end about what happened to all the kids in the orphanage is genuinely upsetting.
A cracking read.
November 3, 2014
Blood Tears begins with the killer's eye view of a particularly gruesome murder of an old man.
In the next scene we move to Edinburgh Detective Inspector DI McBain in a pub with his team, celebrating another case sewn up. DI McBain narrates the vast majority of the book. He is a good-humoured, self-effacing sort - a detective of the old school. His team are brilliantly drawn and assembled by Malone, making for a strong supporting cast in a cracker of a book. What Malone does so brilliantly is stretch the first person narration technique to a point where DI McBain leaps off the page straight into the reader's head. And that's not an easy thing to do. As the murders continue, and the religious aspect of the crimes becomes obvious - the victims all stigmatered up, as it were - we think this is a case DI McBain can really get his teeth into . . . until the dreams begin . . . Feathers and blood and an old man pleading for his life . . .
And when DI McBain's closest colleague discovers Ray has been witholding evidence vital to the case, she has no choice but to bring it to the powers that be. So we follow Ray on the run from his own Force, suspected of murder, and only Kenny, his old schoolfriend - now Underworld face - to protect him.
Ray begins to unravel before our very eyes. But he is so likeable still. And that is the beauty of this book - it's power. The more Ray McBain seems like he has more of a part to play in the crimes than is at first obvious, the more vulnerable he becomes. It leaves the reader having to deal with the prospect that a character that has made them laugh, made them cry, made them feel, could have committed these horrendously violent acts. But Malone has written this character so brilliantly, we just hope beyond hope Ray really is as innocent as he believes. Then there comes the point in the book where Ray himself begins to doubt even his own innocence, and at that point I realised how completely taken in I was by this book. I panicked. Wobbled. I thought, no, Ray, don't do this to me. But Malone's writing had left me little choice but to side with DI McBain, come what may.
And when the ending came, well, you'll have to read the book to find that one out . . .
This book had me gripped by the throat from first page to last.
An absolute stunner.
In the next scene we move to Edinburgh Detective Inspector DI McBain in a pub with his team, celebrating another case sewn up. DI McBain narrates the vast majority of the book. He is a good-humoured, self-effacing sort - a detective of the old school. His team are brilliantly drawn and assembled by Malone, making for a strong supporting cast in a cracker of a book. What Malone does so brilliantly is stretch the first person narration technique to a point where DI McBain leaps off the page straight into the reader's head. And that's not an easy thing to do. As the murders continue, and the religious aspect of the crimes becomes obvious - the victims all stigmatered up, as it were - we think this is a case DI McBain can really get his teeth into . . . until the dreams begin . . . Feathers and blood and an old man pleading for his life . . .
And when DI McBain's closest colleague discovers Ray has been witholding evidence vital to the case, she has no choice but to bring it to the powers that be. So we follow Ray on the run from his own Force, suspected of murder, and only Kenny, his old schoolfriend - now Underworld face - to protect him.
Ray begins to unravel before our very eyes. But he is so likeable still. And that is the beauty of this book - it's power. The more Ray McBain seems like he has more of a part to play in the crimes than is at first obvious, the more vulnerable he becomes. It leaves the reader having to deal with the prospect that a character that has made them laugh, made them cry, made them feel, could have committed these horrendously violent acts. But Malone has written this character so brilliantly, we just hope beyond hope Ray really is as innocent as he believes. Then there comes the point in the book where Ray himself begins to doubt even his own innocence, and at that point I realised how completely taken in I was by this book. I panicked. Wobbled. I thought, no, Ray, don't do this to me. But Malone's writing had left me little choice but to side with DI McBain, come what may.
And when the ending came, well, you'll have to read the book to find that one out . . .
This book had me gripped by the throat from first page to last.
An absolute stunner.
November 3, 2014
For all its grittiness and the seriousness of its underlying themes, Blood Tears is also funny and even fun. If I had to sum the book up in one word, it would be `audacious'.
Detective Inspector Ray McBain is our flawed hero, a successful Glasgow detective with a chip on his shoulder and a few enemies on the force. A brutal killing leads him to the doors of the Catholic orphanage he attended as a boy, but he refuses to reveal his links to the orphanage or step down from the investigation. The question, of course, is why he refuses. If at first it seems like straightforward ambition to crack a high profile case, events soon make us believe that there's much more to it than that.
Having a hero whose mind begins to unravel - and I mean really unravel, as McBain's does here - with the strain of the case is the kind of twist we haven't seen done this convincingly since the glory days of the pulps in the 30s and 40s. Throw in a few well-timed gags, a Rocky montage and a bit of serial killer frippery, and what you've got is an author who refuses to play it safe.
In chapter nine the book veers from a running gag that made me laugh out loud to a revelation about the case involving paedophilia, all in the space of five paragraphs. Now how many authors would dare to do that? And how many authors would pull it off?
Malone does. And it's liberating for the reader, this willingness to take risks. Despite the questions the book raises about organised religion, poverty and the nature of justice, ultimately it feels as though Malone's priority is to entertain us, and in that he succeeds brilliantly.
Detective Inspector Ray McBain is our flawed hero, a successful Glasgow detective with a chip on his shoulder and a few enemies on the force. A brutal killing leads him to the doors of the Catholic orphanage he attended as a boy, but he refuses to reveal his links to the orphanage or step down from the investigation. The question, of course, is why he refuses. If at first it seems like straightforward ambition to crack a high profile case, events soon make us believe that there's much more to it than that.
Having a hero whose mind begins to unravel - and I mean really unravel, as McBain's does here - with the strain of the case is the kind of twist we haven't seen done this convincingly since the glory days of the pulps in the 30s and 40s. Throw in a few well-timed gags, a Rocky montage and a bit of serial killer frippery, and what you've got is an author who refuses to play it safe.
In chapter nine the book veers from a running gag that made me laugh out loud to a revelation about the case involving paedophilia, all in the space of five paragraphs. Now how many authors would dare to do that? And how many authors would pull it off?
Malone does. And it's liberating for the reader, this willingness to take risks. Despite the questions the book raises about organised religion, poverty and the nature of justice, ultimately it feels as though Malone's priority is to entertain us, and in that he succeeds brilliantly.
April 16, 2013
This is a book written in 1st person, which is also the first thing I don’t like about it..
Ok, that might not be the best way to start a review, but I gave it 2 stars, so it couldn’t have been all that bad, huh?
This is a book about a Scottish Detective Ray McBain, who was once a kid living in a Catholic orphanage. Some bad things happened to him there, and somehow these things are coming back to haunt him now..
The plot could definitely have worked – ok, yes, we might have seen it all before, but it could work. I liked where it could have gone, but alas… no..
The thing is.. Nothing in this book surprises you.. The book tries to trick you into believing who the killer could be, you just never believe it.
I love it the most when a book smacks me and takes me places I hadn’t seen coming at all and this I had not only seen coming a mile away, I never believed in anything the MC was saying. The love story? What was that all about? Was it even necessary at all?
No, it was not.
There were some funny moments in the book though, and I’ll leave you with my favorite quote:
"’Aye,’ Daryl joins in. ’I know what you’re trying to do, Ray. But in the nicest possible way you can shove it where your dildo don’t reach.’
‘I like that,’ says Allessandra.
‘Thanks. Me too,’ says Daryl. ‘Just made it up on the spot like.’ He puffs his chest up.
‘It goes with that Madonna song,’ Allessandra sings. ‘Papa don’t preach… I’m in trouble deep… Dildo don’t reach.’"
2 stars.
November 3, 2014
Here's a welcome new bunch of coppers and others that we'll be getting to know even better in their (I hope) many future investigations. The new man on the block, D.I. Ray McBain, is dysfunctional in ways undreamed of by his predecessors in the genre. His issues go deep. But, as well as being very good at his job, he's characterized by a great sense of humour and access to a stream of one-liners which make us want to spend lots of time in his company. Mind you, some of the other characters have their own versions of the same quick wit and ambiguous attitudes to procedures, so humour is always there to counterbalance the story's darker recesses (and there are plenty of those).
The dialogue's sharp and snappy and contributes to the great tensions Malone creates as McBain seems to make dangerous choices and penetrate into memories and events that coagulate around many nasty hidden secrets. I know it's a cliché but this is one of those books which it's difficult to put down.
As well as warming to McBain through his humour and the strength of his determination to catch the villains, readers will sense a vulnerability which surfaces at times to add to his complexities. As I said, this looks like a Scottish cop who'll take his place among the stars of the genre.
The dialogue's sharp and snappy and contributes to the great tensions Malone creates as McBain seems to make dangerous choices and penetrate into memories and events that coagulate around many nasty hidden secrets. I know it's a cliché but this is one of those books which it's difficult to put down.
As well as warming to McBain through his humour and the strength of his determination to catch the villains, readers will sense a vulnerability which surfaces at times to add to his complexities. As I said, this looks like a Scottish cop who'll take his place among the stars of the genre.
June 21, 2016
Blood Tears by Michael J Malone was recommended to me by a friend and it was a great suggestion. D.I. Ray MacBain is a successful Glasgow detective but one who has a dark secret that is affecting his mental health. Sent to investigate a horrific killing we then see him afflicted with troubling dreams. The clues lead to a Catholic Orphanage, Bethlehem House, where MacBain had spent time as a child. He fails to disclose his time there and continues to lead the investigation. However this has serious repercussions for him and as other similar killings occur, MacBain finds himself a suspect. His career and even his life are at stake. The author tackles the topic of paedophilia and abuse by those in power over children, not an easy task but one which is brilliantly pulled off. The dialogue is as gritty and realistic as you would expect for Glasgow policemen but there are some marvellously funny one liners as well which lightens the dark nature of the novel. There is a surprising twist at the end when the perpetrator of these crimes is revealed. The book of course makes the reader consider how vulnerable children are treated by those supposedly with their best interests at heart and more troublingly how abuse is covered up. Highly recommended.
August 29, 2012
I'm something of a sucker for crime fiction - trashy or high-brow - I'm not really that fussy. If I remember rightly, this was a free download from Amazon for my Kindle and it was surprising.
There were parts of this book I really enjoyed - and other parts I thought were a bit dull. For the most part, Malone kept up the pace well, although the I personally could have done without so much detail on McBaine's downward spiral early on in the book and would have preferred a little more information about how the case was progressing.
I don't want to say too much about the plot and spoil twists and turns for other readers, other than that I found some elements of the book surprising and others incredibly predictable. I'd worked out who the killer was relatively early on, but there were a few plot twists that I didn't see coming, however, and it was these that made this book compelling to read.
If you enjoy dark crime fiction, I'd definitely give this one a read. It's not going to light up the world but there's enough in there to keep you turning the pages.
There were parts of this book I really enjoyed - and other parts I thought were a bit dull. For the most part, Malone kept up the pace well, although the I personally could have done without so much detail on McBaine's downward spiral early on in the book and would have preferred a little more information about how the case was progressing.
I don't want to say too much about the plot and spoil twists and turns for other readers, other than that I found some elements of the book surprising and others incredibly predictable. I'd worked out who the killer was relatively early on, but there were a few plot twists that I didn't see coming, however, and it was these that made this book compelling to read.
If you enjoy dark crime fiction, I'd definitely give this one a read. It's not going to light up the world but there's enough in there to keep you turning the pages.
September 29, 2015
Gritty Glaswegian Crime
Blood Tears introduces us to DI Ray McBain - possibly the most flawed detective I have come across but also one who you cannot help being drawn to. As his mind begins to unravel his life follows suit as a brutal murder has links with his childhood in a Catholic monastery.
Only in Glasgow could we have comedy alongside paedophilia and Michael Malone manages to pull it off. This book gripped me right from the start, the subject horrifying yet still managed to make me laugh. The references to my hometown of Glasgow made it standout even more - I felt myself walk the streets and drive down the M8 with McBain at times.
Gritty and Glaswegian crime at it's best - couldn't put it down!
Blood Tears introduces us to DI Ray McBain - possibly the most flawed detective I have come across but also one who you cannot help being drawn to. As his mind begins to unravel his life follows suit as a brutal murder has links with his childhood in a Catholic monastery.
Only in Glasgow could we have comedy alongside paedophilia and Michael Malone manages to pull it off. This book gripped me right from the start, the subject horrifying yet still managed to make me laugh. The references to my hometown of Glasgow made it standout even more - I felt myself walk the streets and drive down the M8 with McBain at times.
Gritty and Glaswegian crime at it's best - couldn't put it down!
February 27, 2017
Re-read (I needed to meet McBain again) and the depth of him and the writing much more appreciated. Book 2 already bought.
December 2014: Maverick cop Ray McBain, starts off reasonably okay but then really goes OTT doing far too many ludicrous ill-thought-out actions. Writing certainly good enough to keep pulling me along but this writer will go onto my 'borrow, don't buy' list, not least because I also strongly dislike the relentlessly over-tight, over-white production of Five Leaves books.
December 2014: Maverick cop Ray McBain, starts off reasonably okay but then really goes OTT doing far too many ludicrous ill-thought-out actions. Writing certainly good enough to keep pulling me along but this writer will go onto my 'borrow, don't buy' list, not least because I also strongly dislike the relentlessly over-tight, over-white production of Five Leaves books.
July 15, 2012
This is dark crime fiction at its best. A story that will take you from the streets of Glasgow to the formidable Bethlehem House, with its equally formidable nuns. A killer who mutilates his bodies with the stigmata. And a cop who is as tormented as they come. This is a book that will horrify you, stimulate you and keep you guessing. But above all, it will keep you reading.
August 9, 2012
Whenever I was away from my Kindle, I was always eager to get back to reading Blood Tears. It definitely had that linger factor, and still does now that I'm finished reading it! The characters were all wonderfully portrayed and, coming from Glasgow myself, I felt like I knew most of them! A real page turner, I'd recommend it to anyone.
August 13, 2014
A fantastic read in which the character Ray McBain is a tortured soul who endeavours to do the right thing when the odds are stacked against him. This character comes to life through his many flaws and unpredictable behaviour, however he never ceases to put a smile on your face. The storyline has you hooked from the start and I could not put it down.
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