Slowpaced but hard to put down. I enjoyed this investigation of Detective Kim’s and look forward to another installment.
Many thanks to Black Rose Writing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bloody Pages by Bruce Lewis is just the kind of book I like. This captivating detective/crime story revolves around the theft of valuable books from a public library. While the troubled cops play their part, the backgrounds of other characters overshadow them. With a complex plot and intriguing histories, this book stands out. The lead officer ponders the convoluted nature of the case, and a judge considers it one of the strangest. Pretty well-written but felt a little amateurish. Overall an entertaining read.

This is an interesting and intriguing take in the detective/crime genre. The storyline is the theft of valuable books from a public library. There are the usual “troubled” cops but their backgrounds pale into insignificance compared with those of other characters in the story. Their histories really make the difference in this book of many individuals and a fairly complicated and intricate plot. The lead police officer wonders if “her case could get any more convoluted” and a judge says “This is one of the strangest cases I’ve seen”. You get the idea. Along the way we read about a psychological/physical condition called intergenerational violence, so most of us learn something as well. Indeed, scars - of all kinds - are shown to run deep. The book took some time to get me hooked but once it did I sailed through the rest of it fairly quickly, so the interest and excitement obviously increased. All in all, I enjoyed the outing and will probably travel again with Bruce Lewis’ other works. Well done for all those involved in the writing and publication of this book.

abuse, triggers, theft, books, addiction, addictive-behaviors, family, family-drama, family-dynamics, multigenerational, multicultural, violence, hatred, suspense, priceless, thriller****

The triggers are unchecked personal violence, deep hatred, and serial generational chemical addictions. Not a good fit for ER personnel, family counselors, or police detectives to read at the end of the day. As I spent most of my career dealing with these things and the wreckage left behind, I was unable to finish the book. Too emo for me. The policework seemed as good as it could be.
I requested and received an EARC from Black Rose Writing via NetGalley.

The story was okay. There were too many coincidences for my taste, some inconsistencies, and the dialogue was stiff. I felt like the characters acted in ways that weren't realistic or genuine. There were typos (a minor annoyance, really), but also quotation marks were used incorrectly, so it was sometimes confusing to know who was speaking. It just seemed not quite ready for prime time. Still, I would give the author another try.

Rather weird and complicated story. Interesting in parts,boring in others. Not always entirely believable.

Ok, so what happened to the beagle? As the sign says, I don't care who dies, as long as the dog lives.
Fun story, kind of an interesting twist on the motive: a rich guy leverages his down and out friend to do a 'shouldn't be a big deal' crime that goes big time wrong.
The ensuing effort for the bad guy to hide, the manipulator to manipulate and the cops to figure it all out is ok, not a terrible procedural effort, but not a fantastic one.
All more of less turns out the way it should, with the exception of what happened to the dog? If that detail had been included, and with a good outcome, I would have increased the number of stars.

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Bloody Pages had a slow start with getting deep into the plot, but once I hit that sweet spot well, I just couldn't put it down! The book contains what you could say is a fantastical story with an unexpected ending! Though not quite a mystery and maybe not quite a thriller in its traditional sense, but a great read that needs to be picked up and read!