Blood like mine By Stuart Neville

Huge Stuart Neville fan I have read all of his books but Blood like Mine is not one of his best, Don't get me wrong it is a good read but he has written so much better.
It's a slow burn with the past being retold in the form of letters discovered by the FBI as they hunt a serial killer to say much more would spoil the book.
it's your average summer read and the least you know the more enjoyment you will take from the book.

The characters are wrote well and the action set pieces are handle with care, as Neville slowly unwinds the plot and the book takes on a different edge once the secret is revelled.

I would recommend this book and feel new comers to the author will get a lot more out of it than I did.

Overall a good read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read the Arc.

I enjoyed this thriller / horror story. It’s a story with a difference; a mother and daughter are on the run, but, from what or whom we know not. An FBI agent is searching for a serial killer and is determined to bring the killer to justice.

The first half is slow and at times laborious, but, it then picks up and maintains the pace to a startling conclusion.

Overall a strong good read and I would recommend.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for the opportunity to preview.

A haunting story, where the horror is tangible, and Blood Like Mine will, I’m sure, be a hit. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review it before publication.
The book opens with Rebecca Carter having a near miss with an elk. For reasons we’re not told, she needs to get away from the scene and hope that nobody remembers her, her daughter or their van. My brain was picturing a number of scenarios here, but it came nowhere near what was actually happening.
We then quickly switch our attention to FBI agent Marc Donner, an agent on the trail of what he believes to be a prolific serial killer. He is going on little other than gut instinct, but there have been a number of male bodies found with their throats slit and their spinal cords removed. Donner is convinced that this woman and her daughter may be the key to solving this crime.
Quite early on we’re given the insight into what’s happening. In some ways this made what followed even more chilling. Nobody wins in this, and that final scene suggests an unstoppable horror has been unleashed.

A mix of genre, a tense and gripping story that brought me to very dark places and feeling chilly even if it's high summer and the temperature is quite high outside.
I rooted for the main characters, was afraid and fascinated.
A page turner that didn't let me go and kept me turning pages.
Great mix of horror and thriller, highly recommended
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
A more extensive review will follow

I came to this book knowing very little about it and, as it happens, that is the best way to approach it. So, I’ve offered up the short version of the blurb here, because this is a book you will want to discover for yourselves.

I thought, as I read the opening pages, that I knew where this story would be going. I was completely wrong. A mother, Rebecca Carter and her daughter Monica are travelling across the west of America in an old campervan. They keep themselves to themselves and are clearly fleeing from something or someone. It’s no life for either of them and for Monica, whom her mother calls Moon Flower, it’s particularly isolating. They have no friends, no-one to fall back on, hardly any money and they are reduced to stealing wherever they go. Rebecca is determined to keep Moonflower safe. So much so that she will go to any lengths including sacrificing herself. Rebecca shows the strength of her love by the extraordinary lengths to which she will go to protect her child.

It’s a powerful bond between mother and child and Stuart Neville excels in showing us the strength and determination that ensures that bond is never broken.

FBI Special Agent Marc Donner is hunting a serial killer who severs the spinal cords of the victims and bleeds them dry. He’s obsessed with finding this killer and for the past two years, he has focussed on nothing else. His family and his partner at work have pretty much given up on him and his solace these days is in a lonely bed with a bottle of Jack.

This killer’s victims tend to be not much of a loss to society. They’re male and when their backgrounds are investigated, they’re usually found to be violent, or abusers or worse. That their deaths have been gruesome is very true, but there are few who will miss these specimens of the more brutal in our society.

Neville tells this story from the perspectives of Rebecca, Moonflower and Donner. But interspersed with these narratives are extracts from letters Rebecca has written to Moonflower over a long period. Letters that tell of her mother growing up, dating and how she has a vision for the life she wanted to lead. These extracts are interspersed between the current daily lives of Rebecca, Moonflower and Special Agent Donner and so it takes a while to understand what has brought Rebecca and Moonflower to this state of constantly being on the run

In her letters Rebecca comes across as much more likeable, unsurprisingly as when we first meet her she is nearing the end of her tether with frayed nerves and the need to constantly look over her shoulder, She is afraid and that fear takes its toll on her.

Because she is likeable, you can see so clearly the darkness that now surrounds her and the emotional strain that keeping her daughter safe brings upon her. That strain, the fear and the emotion are so near the surface they are tangible and its impossible not to get caught up in these emotions, too.

As Rebecca and Donner draw closer to each other, it is easy to see that they are like two sides of the same coin. Both driven and determined to do what is right. Both unafraid to sacrifice themselves in pursuit of their goals and both determined to stand in the way of the other.

Stuart Neville has written an immensely dark and emotive thriller with a strong emotional core and a fierce understanding of the nature of a mother’s love. It’s a tremendous piece of imaginative and different fiction with a strong plotline and excellent pacing.

Verdict: This is a book that will grab you from the beginning and never let you go. Different, exciting, haunting and sometimes horrifying, it is written with skill and beauty. Blood Like Mine is an intense, chilling book that will stay with you for a long time. A five star must read from me.

Blood Like Mine is a chilling, bloody crime thriller with a hefty dose of horror thrown in. It's fast paced, gripping, and it sure takes you on a wild ride. When I started reading it, I wasn't really sure what I was going to get but the more I read the more I liked it and just couldn't put it down.
Stuart Neville wrote a compelling and yet gruesome story depicting some great characters, story that as dark as it is it's also deeply compelling and I really enjoyed it.

I love it when an author goes 'all in' - if you are going to write horror, write HORROR, don't mess with the formula, don't try and reinvent the rule book and don't ever look away. This is a beautifully written, genuinely terrifying story in the best tradition of early Stephen King. A triumph

Rebecca Carter is a mother who will do anything to protect her daughter, but times are tough, they are living in a van with almost no money and very little food. If only things were as straightforward as they seem. Being poor is not their biggest concern. Moonflower, her daughter has a dark secret. A secret that will destroy their lives if it comes out .
To add to their misery they are being hunted by Marc Donner an FBI agent who suspects one of the them is a serial killer, as bodies have been discovered wherever the two suspects have last been.
In the ultimate game of cat and mouse can mother and daughter survive with their secrets and liberty in tact?
I’m not sure I’ve read a more dark and poignant book than this in a very long time.
I’ve read all of Stuart Neville’s books and loved them all, but this something very special.
A truly remarkable piece of fiction that is impossible to put down.
It’s one of those books that gets into your soul and leaves you thirsting for more.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.