Member Reviews

What I expected here is not what I got! Oh yes it had the murder/thriller elements I expected but then so much more - a strong horror/supernatural element (which I normally avoid) and a dark, very dark, storyline. The story revolves around Rebecca Carter and her daughter Moonflower, originally Monica. They are travelling in an old camper van and running from something. Rebecca seems overprotective of her daughter and keeps her hidden as much as possible. With little money or food the only way Rebecca can make ends meet is stealing, because Moonflower is always hungry!

Briefly, FBI special agent Marc Donner has been searching for a serial killer for two years. As his investigation continues he gets an indication that a middle aged woman travelling with her daughter may be involved in the string of murders and determines to find them, against the wishes of his bosses. And eventually even his partner has had enough. But Rebecca is adept at hiding and they won’t be easy to find.

This is a tale of a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter, giving up everything she has known to protect her precious child, no matter what the consequences. This is also a tale of obsession, a man’s obsession that means him giving up everything including his family and damn the consequences. A man and a woman both with their own lives on the line until the two lines cross! I’ll say right now I probably wouldn’t have read this if I had been aware of the actual content and what a loss that would have been. This is a tense and shocking read, dark and disturbing and completely compelling. Brilliant.

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Blood like mine is the kind of story that creeps up on you. Page after page is filled with tension and the tension is only getting worse towards the end.
When we mee Rebecca Carter and her teenage daughter Moonflower (originally Monica) they are travelling in an old van. They have no home, no money, no family, nothing. They have each other and that must be enough. It must, because Rebecca and Moonflower are on the run and they are hiding a terrible secret.
Marc Donner works for the FBI and he’s searching for a killer. A killer who leaves dead man in shallow graves in the woods – and now Marc is suspecting the killer has a certain method that also leaves dead animals in his wake.
The two stories come together pretty soon in the book and now the readers get more clues about what this is all about. Very important is the fact that Rebecca is a great mother to Moonflower, and she would defend her with her life should she ever be found. But Rebecca and Moonflower also start to realize that this life cannot go on forever. The have a certain craving and they need to fulfil that sooner or later.
Marc Donner will do anything to stop the killer because by the time he got more insight in the case, already dozens of dead men were found almost over half the country. And as one day Rebecca is caught stealing something she desperately need, the hunt is on. Literally.
This is horror as horror should be! Its creepy and dark and the characters are great. And just as you think you’ve seen it all, there is that incredible ending.

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Blood Like Mine is a pulse-pounding detective/crime horror that grabs you and doesn’t let go. Rebecca and her daughter, Monica Moonflower, are on the run, and Rebecca will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Meanwhile, FBI agent Marc Donner is closing in on a merciless serial killer, feeling the tension build with every new body found in the Colorado foothills.
What unfolds is a nerve-shredding cat-and-mouse game that’s as bloody as it is gritty. When things start to escalate, so will your heart rate—it’s a relentless, adrenaline-fueled ride.
This book consumed me. I was so immersed in the story that I lost all sense of time, emerging on the other side with nothing but a lingering sense of awe. The ending ties everything together perfectly, but there’s a tantalizing hint that more could come.
The narration by Michael Braun and Elisabeth Rodgers adds an extra layer of intensity, making this third-person thriller even more immersive. Blood Like Mine will haunt your thoughts long after the last page.

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This is a very inspired and different crime story that’s getting a lot of early social media attention. It won’t be for everyone, but I don’t want to spoil anything by saying why. It’s listed as horror, but it’s not hard core horror, just crime with a little added extra.

Rebecca and her twelve year old daughter Monica aka Moonflower are permanently on the move living in their van. We get their story and also that of Special agent Marc Donner who has spent the last two years searching for a serial killer.

The characters are really well developed and presented so that the reader cares about them. I loved Rebecca with her desperation to keep her daughter safe. Marc is very focused and driven to the detriment of his life work balance.

The plot is really well developed and I love how it all unfolds seemlessly. It maintains a good pace throughout, with plenty going on.

I am always craving something that’s a bit different, this meets that criteria, and is in my books of the year. It’s one that I’d highly recommend.

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Sinister and haunting



Rebecca and her daughter Monica, called Moonflower, are on the run. We don’t know why at first but we learn very quickly what they are doing. They live in their van, always moving, and Moonflower is not allowed to interact with other people. Rebecca seems overprotective.



Special Agent Marc Donner is hunting a serial killer. They kill men, cut their throat and leave them in the woods. And they all fit a special profile. But this hunt has cost him his family because he never had time for them. His wife left him with their two daughters. He is obsessed with this killer and when he finds out who they are there is nothing that would stop him solving this case.



I must admit if I would have known the real topic of this book, I would not have read it. There are special topics which are just of no interest to me. And this book has one of them. Very early in the book you can figure out what kind of monster Moonflower (what a ridiculous moniker) is. My whole body sagged with disappointment and I was considering to put the book aside. But I was on the bus on my way to work and I continued. In a way I am happy that I did then the book is unusual. It is dark, brutal, depressing and chilling. There is no romanticizing. The characters are all flawed and I did not like one of them. I could not feel for Rebecca because I found her hard and controlling. Donner is obsessed and does exactly the opposite of what would be best. But I also could not understand how the police handled the case so I could at least understand why Donner got more and more frustrated and desperate.



I cannot say that I enjoyed this book. It is too disturbing and dark. But I like when a book surprises me. Maybe it just should not have been this particular surprise. I also missed some explanation, why and how and in general... I have a lot of questions about this story.



So, I am torn how I should rate this book. It was slow at the beginning and became later on a game of cat and mouse. I found the scheme of the story not very appealing, f.e. I did not like the letters included which Rebecca wrote for her daughter when she was young. But it was also very emotional and dark. I think I would stay with 3 Stars, but I would recommend this book because it still touched me deep inside even if it has many components I did not enjoy.

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I am not the fastest reader in the world as sometimes I am easily distracted so it has been quite some time since I have found a book that has held my attention and seen me finish it in a day. Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville had me hooked right from the start and ignoring the family (as much as I could).
I loved The House of Ashes so there was no way I was not going to pick up Blood Like Mine. Special Agent Marc Donner has been chasing a serial killer and his desire to catch the killer ahs consumed him so much it has taken a toll on his personal and professional life, and it is only going to get worse. Rebecca Carter and her daughter Monica or Moonflower as she is called appear to be leading a nomadic life, never settling in one place for long and making sure that they have as little contact with people as possible. It is clear they are hiding something but what it remains hidden at least at the start. There is clearly a link between Donner’s investigation and Rebecca and her daughter and although you may think you know what it is, it still is not quite what it seems.
If you love the supernatural then this is definitely the book for you. It is subtle but it is definitely there, and the evidence builds up more with each page. Stuart Neville takes a different approach to it though and I think that is what I found so refreshing. Rebecca is just trying to do the best by her daughter even if it is tough and she has had to make difficult life choices. To an extent I think I can understand her need to protect her daughter no matter what that may entail. You can see she struggles at times with her actions but to her they are justified and as much as possible no truly innocent person is harmed.
For Donner, the truth of what is happening has to come out, no matter how unbelievable it may be and the killer must be stopped no matter if it ends his career or his life, in fact towards the end he accepts that both are inevitable and it also sees him wrestling with his own demons that he thought he had put behind him.
This is a fast-paced book that even in its quieter moments never really lets up on the tension that is building to the final showdown between Donner and Rebecca. It is certainly a book I needed when I had been struggling, it also had me smiling on occasion but that was not really related to the story but more to do with name choices of some of the characters… some you may be familiar with. One thing is for certain I am now definitely a fan of Stuart Nevilles books and will look forward to what comes next

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Loved this. So thrilling and pacey, and a real ride. The characters were great, had real depth and I cared what happened to them. The story is intense and fast paced and I loved going on the run and then the chase.

I gritty, well written thriller with so much going for it.

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This is remarkably dark and intense, an imaginative and chilling thriller, blended with elements of horror, that grabs you by the scruff of the neck right at the beginning and never once lets you go, written by the talented Stuart Neville. Single mother Rebecca Carter feels a ferocious maternal love for her daughter, Moonflower (Monica), there is nothing she would not do to protect her, no sacrifice too great that she would not willingly make, as the two try to remain below the radar and invisible as they travel across the American West, on the run. Rebecca is at her wit's end, desperate to survive, with no money or food, stranded in the remote snowy mountainous landscape, yet she pushes away help when it is offered. Why?

For Rebecca and the teenage Moonflower have a phenomenal secret. FBI Special Agent Marc Donner is a man obsessed, he has been chasing a macabre serial killer for a long time, a killer who drains the victim's blood prior to severing their spinal cords. Donner has paid a heavy price for his determined investigation when it comes to his family, but he just can't let go. A trail of dead bodies has accompanied Rebecca and Moonflower on their journey, and Donner is convinced of their guilt, that they are the serial killers. In this gripping and tension packed horrifying narrative with its flawed characters, there are grave dangers, shocks and twists, I raced to the end, turning the pages ever faster, right up to the exciting conclusion.

Neville gives us a evocative, brutal, and emotive book, that overflows with intrigue, you are not going to forget this in a hurry, it is so good that I have no doubt that it will be a big success on publication, particular highlights being the characters he created and developed. Additionally, there is the illuminating central study of a mother-daughter relationship that captivates, along with the troubled detective in pursuit. Simply brilliant and highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

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This was my first Stuart Neville novel so I had no idea what to expect apart from a serial killer. Boy was I in for a surprise! I really enjoyed the story after the excellent and humongous twist. I especially liked the relationship between mother and daughter. The drunken self destructive FBI agent, not so much. I know these people are dedicated but this image really has been done to death in fiction writing. I will certainly look out for more of Stuart Neville's writing in the future and I am happy to recommend 'Blood like Mine' as an excellent and different read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own

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Blood Like Mine is certainly a good page-turner; it's a cross-genre novel that reads well as a thriller, crime or fantasy story. It keeps you engaged and wondering how it'll all end - although you very quickly come to the conclusion that there'll be no happy ending. It's well-paced, well-plotted and nicely written to keep you ready for the next chapter, plus the descriptions of the locations are pretty atmospheric and feel true to the back-waters of the USA.

There is a big "but" in all of this though...the main "cop" character Marc Donner is such an old stereotype. I'm sick to the back teeth of blokes with drink problems who've let their families down and have become obsessed with the job. So much so, that I really didn't care about what happened to him and just switched off. This character was so badly drawn and obvious; we get so much about the booze and the missus, but not about why he came to be like that in the first place and what made him tick before the obsession.

That said, you'll enjoy it if you've never come across an FBI character with these hackneyed issues!

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Once a book is on my tbr pile I rarely read the synopsis as they often give too much away, which I find irritating. Thankfully I had no idea of what I was heading into with this book so veering off the traditional path I was expecting took me totally by surprise.

This is a book that really crosses genres. It’s not quite thriller, not quite chase novel, nor is it straight horror. It’s hard to go into too much detail without adding spoilers but it centres on a mother, Rebecca, her daughter, Monica (aka Moonflower) and FBI Agent Donner.

When a body is found, Donner believes that it is part of a pattern he has identified in which someone seems to be targeting paedophiles. His colleagues are sceptical and those that aren’t tend to think that the victims had it coming but Donner believes that only the State has the right to mete out justice and he is determined to find the perpetrators, whatever the cost.

This is an unusual novel and an interesting read, although I would have liked there to be more character development.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster UK and Stuart Neville for an arc of this book.

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There is nothing quite like a mother’s love for her child and what lengths she will go to protect her child and although this is a serial killer story it’s also about Rebecca’s love for Moonflower/Monica and it’s an amazing read.
I wasn’t so sure I would like this book as much as I don’t like horror stories so much but this read is so much more than that and it kept me gripped throughout and I absolutely loved the ending.
The writing is excellent and the characters all well crafted and this is a read I would highly recommend it’s so different and you won’t want to put it down, well I certainly didn’t!
My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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2.5/5

Thank you Likely Suspects & Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this ebook.

Wherever Rebecca and her daughter, Moonflower go, a string of bodies always seems to be left behind. Special Agent Mark Donner is convinced they have something to do with all these murders.

I thought this was such a good idea for a book but I unfortunately found it incredibly slow. Part of the issue was a big twist was accidentally revealed to me so I knew what the story was building up to.

The writing style itself is great but the story was lacking. Not much really happens in the book and I found the ending really unsatisfying.

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Blood Like Mine is a standalone thriller, my first read by Stuart Neville.

Special Agent Marc Donner has been successfully working the cybercrime unit, helping to bring those preying on innocent children to justice. It comes to his notice that a not insignificant number of people he looks to bring to justice, seem to disappear, or find themselves meeting a grisly demise.

Rebecca Carter, and her daughter Monica, affectionately known as Moonflower, come to Marc’s attention. There appears to be a correlation between lesser crimes, the disappearances and the nomadic pair’s movements.

This is certainly not your run of the mill thriller, not a regular mum and daughter victims on the run book.

There is so much love between Rebecca and her daughter. Moonflower knows how much her Mum has given up for her, even though this isn’t always at the forefront of her mind.

I didn’t read the synopsis thoroughly enough, to see that this is a horror fiction work, which is my fault entirely. So I was a little surprised when the book started to take an unexpected tangent. Horror isn’t a genre I read, and the jury is still out on whether I would read again. I usually read crime/thriller books, and there was an element of this, particularly in the earlier stages of the story. I felt the book moved slowly, and there was an inevitability to the plot and ending for me.

I know many other readers have loved this book, but I’m afraid I wasn’t the right reader for it.

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Blood Like Mine is a book about a serial killer. Sort of. In as much as the dictionary definition of 'serial killer' applies to the person responsible for the murders of several men across various states of the US. The victims ... well, aside from method of death, they have a connection that is not easily discernible, although it is noted by Special Agent Marc Donner. His superiors are not so easily persuaded that there is a link, and it takes alot for him to convince them to allow him to chase down a lead. And it's not even as though Stuart Neville has made the victims all that sympathetic either. There are many, sometimes shocking, reasons why people might want to see them dead. None of which come close to the real motivation of the killer. That ... well that is the part of the book that ended up taking me a little by surprise. If you are looking for a straight up serial killer thriller, a FBI v Antagonist kind of read, well, you get that, but with a not quite so subtle but, for me, ultimately delicious twist.

Now it is so hard to talk about this book without giving away too much about that particular twist. If you have read my reviews before, you will know that I do love a police thriller, but that I also love those that give me something a little ... extra. A slice of the supernatural or the unexplained, and I got that by the bucket load in this book, although not right from the start. It's that kind of secret that is hidden in plain sight. The subtle hints that if you pay close attention, you may well pick up on, and be able to guess that shocking twist that is going to hit you, full force, around halfway through the book. Yes, okay, it is unusual that the suspect in this case is a mother, travelling across the states with a young child in tow. But that is definitely not it. It might give a hint as to why she might select the victims that the killer does, but not doesn't really explore the reasons why she would turn to murder in the first place.

There are scenes that explore Rebecca's past, using a technique that works very effectively as a testimony to how she arrived at this point in time, but it take some time to work towards that pivotal moment that changes everything. This is a dark, and surprisingly emotional tale, that is packed with scenes that will have you on the edge of the seat, and those that, were this ever to be made into a movie, and I can see that it would work very well if it were, would be outright leap out of your seat moments too. I kind of liked Rebecca, admired her absolute devotion to her daughter, Moonflower, even if she did appear over protective at times. Stuart Neville has really captured that fierce streak in Rebecca, and that sense that she would do literally anything to save her.

If you are squeamish, do not fear. While the method of dispatch may be brutal, it is mostly off the page, the few scenes where we do witness a murder are quick and not really gratuitous, and whilst the aftermath of the violence is made known, it is seldom seen. There is such a building of tension form the very beginning that I was totally and utterly hooked by teh tension and the dark and brooding atmospheric nature of the narrative, even before I realised just what it was that I was reading. And I really do love books of this nature - somewhere between crime fiction and horror. A beautiful amalgam of the two genres which really feed my imagination the best. Donner makes for a great, if very flawed, investigator, and though the direction of his travel had a sense of the inevitable about it, I was still happy to take the journey with him.

One thing I did note - can't help wondering if there is some kind of pact between the Fun Lovin' Crime Writers. There are one or two (or five) familiar names hidden in those pages, which brought the odd smile to my face, in spite of the serious and atmospheric, and even melancholic, nature of the story.

Did I live this book? Why, yes. Yes I did. Do I hope that we may make a return to these characters? Well, it's probably easier for some than others, but that ending promised so much - we can only hope, right? Most definitely recommended.

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Blood Like Me had me hooked from page one and still hasn’t let me go - weeks after I finished reading it. I cannot stop thinking about the characters involved in this complex, genre-bending novel.

Neville captures the intricacies of motherhood so perfectly that my heart ached at times for Rebecca.

I genuinely did not expect the majority of what happened in this book, it absolutely blew me away.

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It’s July 4th in Texas as I’m writing this review. I went to a festival before the fireworks and finished this almost right before they went off!!! Holy smokes this was amazing!!! Fireworks were the perfect setting!

Rebecca and her daughter, Moonflower are on the run. Rebecca will stop at nothing and no one in order to keep her safe. Something terrible happened some years ago and they’ve been trying to stay out of sight. What is this terrible secret? Can Rebecca really keep her daughter from a terrible demise? On top of that, what actually is it???

This is what I call TRUE HORROR! This is the kind of stuff I grew up to. The mother, daughter and detective on the case were all just fascinating to me. Neville wrote an ending that is truly EPIC! Horror fans and thriller fans DO NOT MISS OUT! PUT THIS ON YOUR TBR NOW!!!

Huge gratitude to Stuart Neville for writing this masterpiece! Thank you to Hell’s Hundred, Soho Press and NetGalley for the phenomenal opportunity!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Deeply creepy, original and well written. I really enjoyed this horror and found myself thinking about it for weeks after.

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I started this book without reading the synopsis so I was totally unaware of what was to come.
I started off thinking it was just another novel about a woman on the run with her daughter but as the story progresses it becomes clear that this is not the vein in which we tread.

How do I review this without a spoiler?

I probably can’t but it definitely chilled me to the core and I’m so glad that I read it. Brilliant story telling and I’m so glad I went into it blind.

Thank you NetGalley & Stuart Neville for an advanced read

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Not having read a book by Stuart Neville before, I had no idea what to expect. And in hindsight, that couldn’t have worked out better for me. On the surface, 'Blood Like Mine' seems your regular crime fiction story. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

Rebecca and her daughter,Monica aka Moonflower, travel across the country in a van. It isn’t a road trip for fun, though. It becomes clear quite early on that they are actually on the run. Why? That remains to be discovered. It’s imperative that they lay low as much as possible, that nobody remembers them. But with no food and no money, that is becoming increasingly harder. 

FBI Agent Marc Donner is convinced they are serial killers. He’s been hunting them for two years, losing his family in the process. Rebecca and her daughter seem to leave a trail of dead men behind them. All with their throats cut, blood drained, and spinal cords severed. Donner has become rather obsessed with this case. How far will he go to prove he’s right?

At its heart, this is merely a story about a mother doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter. Rebecca has been undertaking this challenging task for many years. However, hunger and exhaustion are causing her to make mistakes. It’s easy to imagine the lengths she will go to to keep Monica safe, her daily struggles, the sacrifices she's made, her uncertainty about the future and underneath all of that, her undying love for her daughter. No matter what.

'Blood Like Mine' is one of those books that is immensely tough to review without giving anything away. Like me, you should definitely go in blind if you can, and prepare yourself for the unexpected. That jaw-dropping moment is where I sat up straighter and found myself completely absorbed by this story. 

Mostly, I just wondered how things would turn out. I never considered there would be a happy ending for all of these characters. After all, Rebecca, Monica and Donner are on a dramatic collision course. This is a deadly game of cat and mouse. Who will come out as the winner? It is that and the unpredictability of these characters that ratchets up the tension. 

'Blood Like Mine' is a dark, chilling and bloody (I know, shocking!) tale of a mother’s love and a fabulous twist on the serial killer genre. Pacy, exciting, slightly scary, fabulously addictive, … there is a lot to like about this book and I’m glad I took a gamble on it.

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