Blood Lies

by Daniel Kalla

Ben Dafoe, a young emergency-room doctor and part-time crime-scene consultant for the Seattle Police Department, is haunted by addiction. Two years earlier, a cocaine and crystal-meth habit claimed the life of his identical twin, Aaron. Now Ben walks onto the scene of a savage stabbing to find that the victim is his former fiancée, Emily Kenmore―another loved one who fell prey to drugs. Part of the carnage in Emily's bedroom is a single streak of blood caked on the wall. When the DNA from that sample matches Ben's, he becomes the prime suspect. Convinced his identical twin is still alive and somehow involved in Emily's death, Ben goes on the run, aiming to find Aaron. Working under an assumed identity at an inner-city clinic, Ben desperately searches for Aaron while playing cat-and-mouse with the authorities. But someone is determined to thwart his hunt at any cost. In the story's final twist, the truth hits closer to home and more lethally than Ben ever imagined. Set against the backdrop of the ER, Blood Lies is a medical thriller and a Fugitive -style suspense novel with a major twist. As Ben struggles to solve a tragic mystery from his past and clear his name, he might just learn that, sometimes, blood lies. . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Medical, Crime, Suspense, Audiobook

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Born, raised, and still residing in Vancouver, Daniel has worked as an ER Physician for the past twenty years. He is also the author of fifteen published novels, which have been translated into thirteen languages.

In his latest novel, THE DEEPEST FAKE, a tech CEO and AI pioneer’s carefully curated life is unraveling—his wife is cheating, someone is defrauding his company, and he’s just been handed a fatal diagnosis. He’d end it all, if only he could trust his own reality. As deepfakes and deception blur the lines between truth and illusion, the novel explores the challenges and pitfalls of safeguarding reality in an age when it can be fabricated.

Daniel received his B.Sc. and MD from the University of British Columbia, where he is now a clinical associate professor. He is the proud father of two girls and a poorly behaved but lovable mutt, Milo.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emergency-room physician, Ben Dafoe, is horrified to learn that his former fianceé, Emily, has been brutally murdered. He’s still trying to come to terms with his twin brother Aaron’s death two years earlier, so Emily’s murder is especially devastating. When evidence suggests that the blood found on the walls in Emily’s bedroom is likely Ben’s, he panics and leaves Seattle for Vancouver, British Columbia, where Aaron was last seen. Is his twin actually alive? Aaron and Emily were both drug users, and she was killed along with a known drug dealer. To make matters worse, an anonymous caller seems two steps ahead of Ben and eager to help the police catch him. As the story unfolds, a simple premise evolves into a much darker, more complex story.

Author Daniel Kalla has written a gripping, intelligent mystery. Given that Kalla’s an emergency room physician, the realistic medical scenes and patients Ben encounters isn’t a surprise. I disliked the many italicized passages of back story that ran throughout the book, though. Three would have been fine, but there were at least twice that many and several could have been shorter. I also thought that Ben made some dumb choices for a man used to making sound, life-and-death decisions. On the other hand, how many of us would be capable of rational thinking if we were confused, grieving, and running for our lives?

[Dinah Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel written in the first person was an exciting read. I enjoyed the medical jargon and the constant running and truth seeking by the protagonist.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the beginning to the end, I was hooked. I couldn't wait to turn the next page to see what was going to happen. Never have I been so anxious to find out what's going to happen next. "Blood Lies" is a great suspense book. It's like watching a movie as you read the book. And I would read it all again just for the thrill it brings.

This book keeps you reading in a whodunnit kind of way:

A doctor finds out that his ex-fiance and male friend of hers was viciously murdered in her home. Confused as to why someone would want to kill her, he then becomes the prime suspect. Why is he the prime suspect? Because a splatter of blood on the wall matches his. But it couldn't have been his, he did not kill her..or did he? But he has a twin brother who has been "missing" for over 2 years. Could this mean his brother is still alive? If his brother is alive, why would he kill her?

He sporadically receives phone calls accusing him of killing his ex-fiance, and the calls are coming from Canada where his brother last resided. Becoming the prime suspect, he flees the US to Canada to unravel the truth to who her true killer is. Also, he hopes to find out whether his brother is still alive, or he actually is dead. Who knows? But with every step he takes in discovering the truth, his world becomes more twisted and complicated....and trust is something he had to choose very carefully, for all he knows someone is framing him and there is a long list of possibilities.

I never had a book I was so eager to read. I kept reading faster and faster to see what would happen next, and how the crazy twist of events would unravel themselves, would he ever find the truth. This book gave the perfect recipe for suspense and I love it. You wont be disappointed. Daniel Kalla is now one of my favorite authors.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emergency room doctor Ben Dafoe receives a call from the police. This is not unusual as he often consults on matters of blood in murder cases. However, this one is a little different – the victim is his ex-fiancee. To make matters worse, some of the blood found at the scene belongs to Ben. Proclaiming his innocence, yet fleeing Seattle in favour of Vancouver Ben tries to clear his name.

This book is full of twists and turns, doctors, cops, crooked lawyers, sex, drugs but, alas, no rock and roll. Ben is a truly likeable character and he carries the book well. A light summer read for fans of a pretty good who-dun-it.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 review to follow

[Dyck House · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It was interesting that the author included so much of Vancouver's landscape into the story. My legs hurt thinking about how far the main character biked. 🤣

[Patricia Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

What was I thinking!? It’s a thriller with a doctor as the main character.

I’m not a health professional and I’m really not interested in medical procedures and technology. And this book contains lots of that. I mean LOTS.

There are thousands of characters. Perhaps if I enjoyed the novel more, I would have remembered when they appeared later. Early in the story Ben is advised by his lawyer not to tell anyone where is going when he’s on the lam. Yep- you got it. Ben knows better than any and everyone else.

Sex. There’s sex. It’s not a romance novel or porn, but some of it is graphic. That might matter to some readers. I suppose it’s helpful in explaining the relationship between the murder victim and the main suspect. Luckily for us, most of the love in the story is not described in a sexual way.

Ben is not only a dedicated doctor (including lecturing his patients and their family and friends- sarcasm, folks) he’s a fighter. Yes, his righteous indignation sometimes causes him to strike a blow in order to express his point of view. I was disappointed that he called Patricia, one of his trans patients “he.” What a jerk.

The narrator is dramatic. More than once I thought, “Calm down, Dude.”

[Mark Edlund · Rating 2 out of 5]

Myastery - Too many plot holes in this one to make it truly enjoyable. Doctor supplies "hydromorphine" instead of hydromorphone tablets for a character. A doctor would NOT be carrying around opioids from a private stash. American doctor walks into a BC clinic and immediately begins to see patients and bill for their visits. Not likely. He would need a provincial billing number. Lots of confusion as to twins and blood smears and DNA and whatever.
Canadian references - character receives calls from "Canada" as per his screen; think they would be a bit more specific since we are a pretty big country; mention of the superiority of the Canadian health care system.
Pharmacy references - character buys black market HIV drugs since she cannot afford her prescription.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uh...este libro fue un desfile de altibajos pero al final decidí que si me gustó jajaja. Al principio creí que estaba leyendo otras memorias de asesino y la verdad ya me di cuenta que eso no me gusta nada. Sin embargo, esta historia de verdad en ningún momento supe cómo iba a terminar y eso hizo del final algo interesante y sorpresivo.

La idiotez del personaje principal me estresaba a ratos, lo admito, pero entendiendo cómo fue manipulado y cómo pensaba de necio ya de por si, no se me hizo tan poco plausible. Estuvo muy entretenido.

[Kelly Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ben is a young doctor who is surprised to find that his ex-fiancé has been brutally murdered. He’s even more surprised when he finds out that he’s the lead suspect. Instead of taking the normal route - lawyer, evidence, court case, etc., he decides to go on the lam and solve the case himself.
At one point, a character from the story says something to the effect of, “It’s getting so complicated.” And she wasn’t kidding. By the end, things were a bit convoluted and the climax was a little predictable and absurd. Still, it was entertaining enough.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read by Dr. Kalla and I really enjoyed it. The story was very suspenseful, though I did figure out the bad guy relatively early on. The main character was a bit of a flake. One of my first thoughts when he determined his brother had HIV was to test the sample at the crime scene since it’s the one differentiation in their blood. But he was on the run, questioning whether his brother was actually dead, and perhaps not thinking clearly. He was still an interesting character despite being goofy at times. Overall good story and I plan to read more from Dr K

[Evan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this one much, although for a while, I was sort of interested to find out how it would turn out. I read this with a group after someone else in the group picked it. I did like that part of it takes place in Vancouver, the city I live in. The book promotes stigma against people with HIV and people who use drugs. Women seem to only exist as objects of desire to be possessed by men. Nope, not for me!

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Kalla's newer novels are far superior to this earlier one.

Twins Aaron & Ben ae physically identical but have diverged onto different paths. When Dr. Ben finds himself the main suspect in the murder of his former fiancée, Emily, Ben takes off from Seattle to Vancouver (Canada)

I found parts that were repetitious but for the most part this novel was a fast-paced hunt for the real murderer.

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never saw the ending coming! I fell for all the typical pitfalls and traps that the author laid out but I definitely didn't see the ending until the last few pages. Not quite the same high pace as say cold plague but still a good read.

[Patricia L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audio book and appreciated the plot and characters a lot. Sometimes it seemed like the author would tell us a character didn't notice things that we just heard described. That seemed weird to me. But overall the characters were believable and interesting.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 40/52 for 2021. I love Dr Kalla's stories. They are gripping and hard to put down. This was no different, but it just didn't feel like it could ever happen and the story was just outlandish on many levels. That being said, this is one of his earlier books so that could be part of it.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Ben's ex-girlfriend is brutally murdered, He's determined to find out who killed her. And that's before he realizes that he is being framed! And his twin brother, who he thought has been dead for 2 years, is one of his prime suspects.

[Priscilla Del Gesso · Rating 4 out of 5]

GOOD BOOK

[Haven Lockeby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was shocked at the ending, in the best way.

[Travis Haugen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic medical thriller. This book was a page turner and kept me engaged until the end..... and the ending was not what i expected!

[Tiffiany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a afternoon, it had me hooked right from the beginning! Amazing read filled with all kinds of action!

[Yelena Nikitina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read :)

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how much I enjoy medical thrillers.

[Winette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit cheezy in parts but a decent read

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one kept up the twists right to the end. Blood lies is a perfect title. Twins, addictions, a chase across the boarder. So many great characters. Almost wish this was a series!

[KH Khaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I thought this was another medical thriller with a doc playing detective. But the more I read on, the story became a page turner until the very end. Excellent book

[Donna McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another author to read. Enjoyed my first Daniel Kalla book. Was able to read and set aside without the urge to skim ahead to the end. Looking forward to reading some other books by Daniel Kalla.

[Michelle Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not put this book down!!!! Hence why I finished reading it in one day!!!! Fast paced, easy read, with lots of twists and turns, my fave type of book!!

[Eunice · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I wanna say is that the the plot is predictable and it's really difficult to understand the characters. (Doctor, cyclist, drug addict, HIV, murder,romance, religion, )

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good…medical view and suspense combined.