The mystery...takes a shocking...turn ... You’ll have to read the book to find out the answers, and it will be worth every moment of your time. Jonathan Moore has been compared to Raymond Chandler. While such comparisons are inevitable, I believe that they state things backward. With all due respect, if Chandler was alive today, he would be writing like Moore. Yes, the guy is that good. If you have even sniffed around private-eye fiction, or great fiction of any genre, you will want to read Blood Relations and Moore’s backlist.
At first the story seems the usual crime noir adventure ... the tone of the story, as well as its theme switches from mystery to sci-fi and from there to horror. Told from Lee’s point-of-view, Blood Relations is a psychological thriller-cum-horror tale trembling on the brink of reality. It may give the reader a great deal to think about—and cause him to look to the future with dread.
This is perhaps less terrifying than Moore’s loosely linked San Francisco triptych, which concluded with The Night Market (2018), but it’s just as suspenseful and skillfully plotted. Noir fans who don’t know Moore have some catching up to do.
Moore's rough-and-tumble PI operates firmly in varying shades of gray; the author delivers enough action and atmosphere to satisfy readers who like their gumshoes old-school while having a lot to say about humankind’s hubris and preoccupation with eternal youth. The mastermind behind Claire’s death is truly vile, and the disturbing finale will linger. Luckily, Moore sets things up for a sequel. Gritty neo-noir with an all-too-plausible speculative twist.
Though the disgraced and divorced Crowe is largely a genre cliché, a well-crafted plot, relentless pacing, and the highly satisfying conclusion more than compensate. Equal parts mystery and thriller, this standalone is a winner.
