There are only a handful of books I’ve read that made want to scrub myself with a wire brush, having put me through the halls of creepiness. Declan Hughes’ second novel THE COLOR OF BLOOD is one of them, with some last-minute revelations that will make most readers queasy. This is not the type of reading one would do for light entertainment.
Private detective Ed Loy has moved back to Dublin after spending 20 years plying his trade in L.A. It felt to me that Hughes based his character on another L.A. detective: one Lew Archer. It became more apparent when, in one of the chapter breaks, Archer’s creator Ross Macdonald is quoted.
What starts out as a case of finding a missing daughter involved in amateur porn turns into a spider web of a family history that would rival even the works of Sophocles. Ed is hired by Shane Howard, who is just frantic about his girl’s disappearance and the photos he received with a promise that the Internet will be the next stop for them. The thing is, Ed solves the missing girl case pretty easily.
But this leads to the history of the Howard family, which we find out is filled with deep secrets that have been kept secret for far too long, starting with Emily’s co-star in the film: her cousin.
Already the book goes into creepy mode and never lets up. Hughes really makes this story his own and not some cookie-cutter, by-the-numbers story, which is the norm for some modern mysteries. Even though the climax is disturbing, I was still drawn into the dense, complex story, which plays like a post-modern version of Archer, but never settling for the quick out.
Some readers might get lost with some characters and their histories, but don’t let that throw you one bit. It’s really worth the attention you give it. Hughes is a name to add to all mystery readers’ lists. His work here is likely to upset, but it’s the kind of writing that will bring the readers back. –Bruce Grossman
Related posts:
- The Doomsters
- Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. Howard
- Big City, Bad Blood
- Blood Hunt
- The Blood Rider
