Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Blood Royals by Geri Hemer is a police procedural thriller about a former police officer. The story revolves around Lucy, who now works as a private detective. She's been haunted by the disappearances of two boys for years, and now that she's working for herself, she has the chance to revisit cold cases. Soon, her case goes beyond simple disappearances, and she finds links to human trafficking and ritualistic killings.

Here is a chilling excerpt from the Prologue:

"But the boy shook his head. His face, streaked black with tears and dirt, stared back at her. Eyes glistening, mouth open in a silent scream as the darkness swallowed him whole, "No!"
While the darkness wrapped her in its cloak, invisible hands clawed at her skin and grabbed her throat, choking her, and dragging her down into a spiral of her own despair."

Overall, Blood Royals, is a pretty standard police procedural that go beyond the other books in this genre. I've enjoyed books in this genre, such as the Unsub series or the Slayton Thrillers series, so I was expecting to enjoy this one. But maybe because of the predictable nature of police procedures in general, I was rather bored by this one. Nothing - not the characters, not the plot - really grabbed my attention. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, you can check out this book, which is available now!

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

A fast paced read. There are some cases that stick with law enforcement agents throughout their career. This is the case for Lucy except her cold case might be lava hot. The plot and characters are enjoyable and Lucy's vernacular is spot on for some. It is a standalone and quick read.

2.5 Stars

'Let the rain wash away my doubt and the sun light up my way'

I didn't love this book, I didn't hate it either. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed the main character Lucy which is why I rated it 2.5 stars. She was so unapologetically herself, brave, fierce, messy and she did not take no for an answer.

I found it hard to connect with the other characters and the story. For me, there was not much suspense or build up and I would have liked more depth to side characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy.

2.5 STARS
TW: Death, gun violence, kidnapping, torture

This book is fast paced and ends on a cliffhanger, so if you want to read something quickly, this is for you. Unfortunately, there were a lot of formatting issues (possibly because I was reading on a Kindle) and I found some of the speech to be unnatural. I will not be reading the sequel.

I’d like to thank @netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Blood Royals was published on January 26, 2022.

Bood Royals by Geri Hemer.
A Lucy Williams thriller.
Harry and Puma Ken disappeared ten years ago, and the investigation hit a dead end. A rookie in the police academy at the time, Lucy Williams, was told to leave it to the professionals. But the professionals came up empty time and time again…
Now a private detective, Lucy has decided to revisit cold cases and look into a number of disappearances that seem to occur around Paradise Mountain. After a dream convinces her that the boys might still be alive, Lucy heads off to the area they disappeared from in the hopes of finding any evidence still there. When an emaciated man, on the brink of death and showing clear signs of torture, runs into her car, Lucy knows that these cases might not be as cold as some believe.
Lucy enlists the help of Josh and Cecil, prior colleagues in the force, and together they uncover that the disappearances are linked to international trafficking and ritualistic killings. Her reputation and detecting skills are essential now as the little time they might have is fast running out…
A good read with good characters. Likeable story. 3*.