Justine Stone is a criminal barrister who has just been handed her first big case, a double murder, the accused is Brad Finchley except he's not, he's her ex-boyfriend Jake Reynolds and she hasn't seen him since he ran out on her on that fateful night but, to find out the truth about his case she needs to return to the place she left twelve years ago, which brings back all the bad memories she thought had been buried for good.

Bad Blood is the debut thriller from this author, a dual timeline set in the present and the past, told from multiple perspectives throughout and fraught with secrets in a toxic family where, however much they believe they are protecting their loved ones, their actions have far reaching consequences on others. This is a slow burn, with a multi layered plot, stripped back to reveal the truth of what really happened eighteen years earlier in Justine's family and explains the reasons behind what is happening in the present day. It's an intriguing read with some great twists and a surprising ending.

I'd like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the approval. I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

WoW . . . . . . Bad Blood by Sarah Hornsley was so good! I ended up glued to my kindle all day and ended up reading it till the very end. . . . . What an excellent book Bad Blood was, I loved it. This book had everything. . . . .

A double murder.
A toxic past.
A family secret.
There's no law against keeping secrets. . . . . and there were lots of them, especially as It was also full of brilliant twists and turns which made it a roller coaster ride.

Justine Stone left her home twelve years ago, and she was never to return.

Now Justine's ex-boyfriend, Jake, has been accused of a double murder in the town where they both grew up in.
Justine is a barrister and she has to make the case against him.

She need to face the courts, but, she also needs to know all the the real truth on what happened when they were so young, and not just some of the story. . . . . Justine will need to tell the jury of the courts.

But, firstly she needs to return to where it all began so many years ago and reach the very heart of it, She must face up to the part her own family played in it.

You know what happens to Family Secrets. . . . They always have a way of coming to the surface and it doesn't matter how long it takes, they always come out!

Will Justine be safe when she starts to find out the truth! WoW!

I highly recommend this book. A big fat 5 stars for this excellent book.

Bad Blood by Sarah Hornsby, This is another book where the summary doesn’t match the story. She isn’t the one who builds a case against him because for one thing she’s a lawyer in London not to mention she knows the defendant which is something That causes a breach of trust in the judicial system. Now despite that she still investigates the story the thing I didn’t like about the book besides the main character Justine was that when she arrived in her hometown she said she hadn’t seen her mom in 12 years but when she realized her brother isn’t home She just immediately goes to her house… Does this village not have hotels? I do want to say the whole thing with her brother and the ending of the book made this worth reading all of it. Just be worn she isn’t likable and there are many things you may be like WTF? as far as the mystery and the conclusion goes it was really good and I would definitely read another book by this author I just didn’t like the main character the overuse of words in the story and a few things that had me raising an eyebrow but other than that you will probably love this book way more than I did.#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#SarahHornsby, #BadBlood,#HotterInStoughton,

Justine left behind a traumatic childhood to reinvent herself as a successful criminal barrister, but 18 years after she left her hometown, a case lands on her lap that threatens to rake everything up all over again. As far as crime/mystery thrillers go, this one seemed to have it all, but I didn’t enjoy the storytelling. Justine’s first-person PoV was interspersed with others’ (historical) perspectives, but it didn’t really land well., For one, it was hard to keep track of what you as the reader knows versus what Justine did. For another, it felt like a cheat, not being able to discover everything with the person telling the tale. Plus, I found it hard to warm to Justine—lots of telling, but no real feeling.

The story too was predictable, though I had some unanswered questions (which could just be me not picking up the right bits, to be fair). For instance, despite going on about how wonderful the husband was, we never do get an explanation of how she got away with keeping him in the dark, and lying to him. How did he not pick up that she was hiding stuff when she was clearly off the rails, and given they were supposedly so in tune?

This is a gripping tale of murder. Justine is a criminal barrister, handed her first big murder case to prosecute. Except that the murderer is Jake, someone she used to love and hasn’t seen since she was 18. Justine has to give up the case, but in continuing to look into the crime all the secrets of her past begin to unravel.
This is a well written, intriguing murder mystery. I read it in one day and although I’d guessed at some of the plot, this still had a few surprises in store. An enjoyable page turner.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Justice left home 18 years previously she is a flawed chracter that's well realised by the author. Full of twists that hooks you from the beginning.Cleverly plotted and will keep you guessing till the end. A very good debut can't wait to read more from this author.. Thanks to Hodder & Soughton and Netgalley for this review ARC.

Bad Blood was a work of art!! Each piece, each character was placed in a way that you had to follow the steps and clues, and I was hooked! I thoroughly enjoyed each main character in this story, how they told their story then and now in each event that shaped their lives. Very clever!
I can see a lot of readers will enjoy this book and crave more when this is finished. Keep writing Sarah!!
Many thanks to Hodder And Stoughton for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #HodderAndStoughton, #SarahLitAgent.

This is an excellent psychological thriller. Full of twists, secrets and suspense. The main character is so well drawn and almost keeps the reader at arms length , I didn’t particularly care for her but I was so invested in where this story was going. It kept me guessing and engaged from start to finish. I’ll look forward to this authors future work.
4⭐️

Bad Blood
Sarah Hornsley
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3.25)

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Bad Blood is a clever thriller, with plenty of twists and turns. Sarah Hornsley does a great job at creating suspense and keeping the story flowing.

However, I really struggled with the main character Justine, she was unlikeable from the start, her actions were selfish and she lacked growth. It was this flawed character I had me questioning if I wanted to continue reading.

That being said, by the time I did reach the ending I released that maybe the main character wasn’t meant to be liked and with that made me reevaluate my thoughts and the story’s intent.

If you love thrillers where the protagonist doesn’t have many redeemable qualities, this could work for you, but if you need a character arc of growth and redemption, Bad Blood might not be the one for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book, I found it to be an easy read and although I didn't find myself on the edge of my seat, it still kept me entertained throughout!

I didn't really know how the book was going but the ending was a real shock, with lots of twists and turns that I did not expect!

This has been a brilliant debut novel and I look forward to seeing more from this author!

The blurb really stood out to me on this book.

So glad I took the chance.

Page turner, brilliant written.

Can't wait for more.

Wow what a debut book I really enjoyed this one and couldn't turn the pages quick enough would recommend

Sarah Hornsley’s debut novel, Bad Blood, is a gripping psychological thriller that intricately weaves together themes of family secrets, past traumas, and considers the meaning of justice. Set against the backdrop of a small Essex town, the narrative follows Justine Stone, a barrister whose seemingly perfect life unravels when her past collides with her present in the most unexpected ways.​

Justine Stone left her hometown eighteen years ago, distancing herself from her mother, Evelyn and a family shrouded in secrets. Now married to Noah and advancing to the next level in her legal career, she is handed her first major murder case. To her shock, the accused is Jake, her childhood sweetheart, a man she has not seen for eighteen years. Justine is forced to confront the memories she had long buried and feels compelled to return to the town she once fled. As she delves deeper into the case, Justine finds layers of deception, leading her to question not only Jake’s innocence but also the very foundation of her own past.​

I really enjoyed this book. It is very well written, and kept me engaged throughout. Though elements of the storyline are guessable, the whole is unpredictable and the psychological elements relating to both Justine and her mother’s characters were absolutely fascinating.

Bad Blood is not actually a legal thriller, as Justine is forced through conflict of interest to give up the case, but she will see the trial through to its conclusion, even as just a spectator. Justine is portrayed by Sarah Hornsley with a blend of strength and vulnerability. Her determination to seek the truth, even at the expense of her own safety and well-being, exemplifies her resilience. But the more we see of her, the more we realise that this is a woman who lies to herself and everyone else around her, including her own therapist. Her internal conflicts and the resurfacing of past traumas add layers to her character, making her both relatable and compelling.​

Jake is accused of the crime – a double murder of a husband and wife in Essex. We don’t really hear from Jake at all, so what we know of him is seen through the eyes of others, notably Justine. As well as being Justine’s first love, he was also a close friend of Justine’s brother, Max. Accused of a terrible crime, Jake’s character oscillates between that of victim and possible perpetrator. Through Justine’s memories and the unfolding investigation, readers are kept guessing about his true nature, reflecting the novel’s theme of ambiguity and mistrust.​

Justine’s husband, Noah, to whom she is happily married, embodies the life she has built away from her past. His support and their relationship dynamics provide a contrast to the turmoil Justine faces, highlighting the tension between her present and past lives.​ But Justine has lied to Noah, too.

The whole of the Stone family, and Justine’s marriage to Noah, is emblematic of buried secrets and unresolved issues. Each family member’s actions and the mysteries surrounding them serve as catalysts for the narrative’s twists and turns.​

Bad Blood has dual timeline that enriches the storytelling by juxtaposing past events with present developments. This structure allows readers to gradually piece together the puzzle of Justine’s history and its impact on current events. The transitions between timelines are seamless, maintaining suspense and deepening character development.​ The pace is good and the chapters are kept short. There are a number of well-placed strategic revelations and a few cliffhangers which contribute to the sense of suspense, making the novel difficult to put down.​

Written in both the first-person and the third-person, this use of different narratives is particularly effective. Justine’s chapters, written in the first person, offer intimate insights into her thoughts, emotions, and motivations, fostering a strong connection between her and the reader. In contrast, the third-person perspective in other chapters provides a broader view of the unfolding events and other characters’ actions, all of which creates a well-rounded and immersive experience.​

Bad Blood explores how hidden truths can fester over time, leading to devastating consequences when they surface.​ Justine’s journey is as much about understanding herself and coming to terms with her past as it is about external truths.​ At the same time it raises questions about the nature of justice and grey areas of morality.

Verdict: Bad Blood is a captivating debut novel full of family secrets and more lies than a Trump press release. Sarah Hornsley has crafted a compelling and unpredictable narrative full of psychological suspense. The well-crafted characters, narrative structure, and exploration of deep-seated themes make it a standout read. It is a thought-provoking and immersive novel. I found myself riveted by Justine Stone’s journey into the heart of her own darkness. Go get it!

“Bad Blood” is an explosive psychological crime thriller, the debut book of Sarah Hornsley.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Plot: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Characters: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Suspense: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Ending: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️


What you’ll find in this book:
⭐️ Suspenseful mystery
⭐️ Hidden secrets
⭐️ Family bonds
⭐️ Unpredictable twists
⭐️ Fast-paced story

My Review:

Ah, Bad Blood—a twisted little gem that leaves you on the edge of your seat with enough suspense to make you second-guess every character’s intentions. This is one of those books where you’re constantly trying to piece things together like a jigsaw puzzle, but half of the pieces are mysteriously missing or maybe just deliberately misplaced. It's that sneaky.
The premise kicks off with a bang: Justine Stone, long gone from her hometown of Essex, is yanked back into the emotional quicksand of her past when her childhood sweetheart, Jake, is accused of a gruesome double murder. (As if you needed another reason to never go back to your hometown, right?) Add in a disappearing brother and a buried family secret or two, and you’ve got yourself a story that's not just about bloodlines, but about the lengths people will go to hide their messes.
On the writing front, Hornsley excels—Bad Blood is a fast-paced, compelling read. There’s a real skill here in creating suspense, in dropping twists at just the right moments to leave you clutching the book tighter, swearing there’s no way it can end the way you think. You can practically feel the tension between the pages, and Hornsley has a knack for keeping you hooked even when you want to scream at the characters to just talk already. (But no, they prefer their secrets, don’t they?)
But here’s the catch: while the plot’s electric, the ethics of the main characters are, uh, a bit of a hot mess. By the final chapters, you’re not sure whether to cheer for Justine’s attempts at redemption or wonder how someone can be so morally… questionable and still keep a protagonist status. That’s what got me. I wanted to root for her, I really did. But by the end, I felt more like I was watching a car crash in slow motion, knowing full well it wasn’t going to end well, but still not able to look away. And that’s not a knock on Hornsley’s ability to craft tension and complexity—no, no. She’s very good at it. But if I’m being honest, my moral compass was left a little out of whack.
So, while Bad Blood was a thrilling ride that kept me engaged from start to finish (thank you for that, Sarah!), the character choices toward the end left me feeling… well, disappointed is a light way to put it. But don’t let that dissuade you; the journey is worth it for the rollercoaster ride of suspense. If you're in the mood for a gritty, twisty thriller that makes you question your own ethics at times, Bad Blood delivers in spades.
Just don’t expect to walk away feeling all warm and fuzzy. This one will leave you thinking—and questioning—long after you’ve closed the book.
And hey, sometimes the bad blood is the most memorable part of the family history, right? Justine would probably agree.

To be honest I struggled to finish this book because there were so many things that annoyed me. The first was the time Jake ‘really’ saw Justine. She had to ask ‘Jake, isn’t it?’ so they hardly knew each other, and she didn’t know his mum – yet she told him to wish her happy birthday (how did she know?) and then ended up at the family birthday celebration meal that night. The second was when the police asked her to look round Max’s house to see if anything was out of place. Hang on! She hadn’t been back for 20 years so she’d never even been there. There were lots of other things that just seemed nonsensical to me and there was a lot of repetition and unnecessary padding. It wasn’t the thriller I was hoping for but I can see I’m in the minority here. The book will obviously be a great hit with a lot of readers but unfortunately it didn’t press any buttons for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This book follows Justine, a barrister who is given her first huge case, a double murder. Justine quickly realises the accused is her ex boyfriend using a different name. This leads Justine back to her home town to uncover the truth. But by finding the truth of that murder, she uncovers secrets that may have been better left untouched.

This was a very thought provoking read that definitely keeps you on your toes! There was something missing for me and I do think there can be too many twists and turns sometimes. However, the ending leaves you questioning how far you would be willing to go to protect your family.

ARC - PUBLICATION DATE 27TH MARCH 2025

『 plot 』
justine stone left home over a decade ago, vowing to never return, after that fateful night, too many secrets, too many lies and too much to lose if it all came out. but the night that changed everything is threatening to surface when she hears on the news that her ex boyfriend has been arrested for a double murder, in that same hometown she never wanted to return to. but as a criminal barrister, this is something she is good at, finding out the truth; spinning the truth. two murders, a dark past, and secrets that will ruin her carefully planned new life, but she needs to know the truth.

『 characters 』
justine stone is the main character and what a main character she is! on the surface she’s the cool, calm, collected barrister with the perfect life and the perfect husband and friends but underneath all that is so many layers of everything she went through as a child, and what a deep and complex person she is! you quite literally feel like you’re inside of her head and knowing all her thoughts, which helps to delve into the mystery of it all.

『 writing style 』
the story is told in ‘before’ and the present time, and whilst we’re reading about the now it is written in first person, but the ‘before’ jumps to third person and it just works so well! the third person kind of made me feel like i was just being told a story, whereas the first person made me connect more, made me empathise and try to really understand what justine was going through and it is so cleverly done for this story! i absolutely loved it

there are multiple POVs from other characters throughout this book, all retelling the ‘before’ part of the story which really helps spin the twists and turns and keep you constantly trying to guess what actually happened


『 my thoughts 』
i honestly loved this book, i genuinely had no idea where the story was heading the majority of the time and every time i thought i knew something about justine or what her ex did, or what happened all those years ago, i was proven wrong a few pages later! the twists and turns just kept coming and kept me wanting more and more. this was such clever mystery/thriller and i am so glad i found this arc on netgalley. and that ending!! wow! so well done and just made the whole book that much more compelling and so worth the read

a thrill packed thriller. i felt i knew what was coming but didnt and that was a great suprise. i like the premise of the book and felt like once again an author has managed to make the genre original. i dont know how thriller writers do it. especially at the moment when so it must be so hard not to fall in to the same kind of plot points. to make thrillers unique is something that baffles and inspires me.
i liked the way our main character had to go back to a time that changed her life forever. and how the things that happened, the secrets and lies that then spread and rippled throughout time and people.
for a debut novel this is a brillaint piece of work. i cant wait to find more from this author in the future. if this is her style i really cant wait.
there are twists and turns abound so strap in.

Not at all for me. Characters acting illogically and a plot which was too neat.

Justine is a rising star KC prosecutor who is given her first murder case, only to find out the suspect is her ex-boyfriend, who disappeared from her life 18 years ago. She returns to her home town to discover what happened, reopening family wounds and that dreadful night he left.

My main problem with this book is the characters act in a completely nonsensical way and that broke me out of the story and this applies to every character throughout the book.

There are subplots that don’t go anywhere, the timeline jumps around hinting at a dark secret and characters which don’t develop. Justine is really annoying protagonist, she’s supposed to be a brilliant barrister but acts like a teenager with a problem with impulse control. The big bad secrets were weird and also played out repetitively.

The book was short and would make an ok holiday page turner.

Thanks to Netgalley for my arc.

An interesting read. It has a clever, unusual, and well-crafted plot. Set over two timelines, the book explores the consequences of the first colliding with the second.