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Book Review: Blood Sins by Kay Hooper

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I am a huge fan of Kay Hooper’s, The Bishop Trilogies. Blood Sins is the second in the fourth set of trilogy books that she’s written and it was awesome! As usual, Kay Hooper grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat till the very last page! For those not familiar with these trilogies it is centered around FBI agent Noah Bishop and his Special Crimes Unit. The agents working in this unit all have special abilities whether it be mediums, precogs, abilities to heal themselves, profilers, etc-there are so many psychic abilities that it’s absolutely fascinating. They use these abilities to solve horrific crimes that can not normally be solved by conventional means.

In the previous book, Blood Dreams, a killer had gone on a rampage and he had been caught. However, there was a Puppet Master behind these killings and in Blood Sins we get to meet him, Reverend Samuel. He has himself holed up in the mountains near Grace, North Carolina and he has been building himself a loyal group of followers-a cult. Samuel is very scary-he has his very own set of psychic abilities and is using them to draw other’s energies to gain even more power for himself.

In this novel we meet Tessa Gray, playing the role of a grieving widow. Her job is to infiltrate the cult as these are the kinds of people the Reverend Samuel prays upon. Tessa is still learning how to use and control her unique gift which is being able to identify other psychics and knowing their abilities-this is something Samuel would love to have. She is approached by members of Samuel’s church and she visits the compound.

From here the story explodes and as in all thrillers it’s hard to talk about them because you can give away much of the story without even trying. What I will say is this is one of the creepier books that Kay Hooper has written. To even allow your imagination to go in the direction of what a cult leader like Samuel could do to people is terrifying. When reading one of her novels I feel like I’m right there with everyone, my heart is pounding and my eyes are hurrying over the words so I can get to the next part and find out what will happen.

What I liked about this novel was seeing some familiar names brought back like Galen, Quentin who I loved and Hollis, who was another of my favorite characters. Tessa was also a very likeable character. I’ve found that the author has a way of drawing you into the character’s lives even though it’s a thriller. She makes you know them, feel for them, and be scared for them. Kay Hooper also writes some romance novels (none of which I’ve read) but she always weaves an element of romance in her thrillers and while in this one it wasn’t hugely pronounced, it was there and I always enjoy that bit of light banter between the two people finding that they may like each other.

Without question I would recommend this novel to those who are fans of Kay Hooper’s Bishop stories and for those who aren’t, what are you waiting for? Pick one up and give it a go-if you love the excitement of a thriller you’ll like her books. I will say though that this one did have a few disturbing scenes but for me that’s part and parcel of a thriller-killers and their crimes are disturbing. I will now be anxiously awaiting the third and last installment in the Blood Trilogy and I can’t wait! Another note, any of the books in these trilogies can stand alone. You don’t have to read them in sequence to know what’s happening although I’ve liked doing so because of learning who the agents are and what they’ve gone through to get where they are now.

This book was released in hardcover by Random House on December 16, 2008. It sure would make a great Christmas gift for that thriller lover in your house!
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Comments

  1. I haven’t read a book by Kay Hooper yet. If I have time, I will in 2009. It’s not even the 1st and my list is getting longer and longer…lol

  2. I haven’t yet read one of the Bishop Trilogies, although I keep hearing good things about them. I think my mom has one of the books….think I’ll sneak over to her house and steal it. 🙂

  3. I’ve got an old Kay Hooper book that I bought just as I reached the point that I had to stop reading blood/gore/murder because of nightmares. Is this nightmare-inducing, you think? The paranormal aspect really appeals to me.

  5. I haven’t read any of the Bishop books. Looks like my wish list will be growing! Thanks for the review.

  7. I might like this for a change … I’m too wimpy to read a thriller when J. is travelling though (I don’t have a Buddy to protect me!) 🙂 Maybe I’ll put Kay Hooper on the back shelf until the long lazy (daylit) days of summer!

  8. I’ve read a few of hers and really liked them so will look for the first in this series.

    Excellent post!

  9. I’m not familiar with the author or series, I have to confess, but it really sounds like a very gripping book. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much, Dar!

  13. I’ve been wanting to read this author for awhile now. I’m adding her books to my neverending TBR list 🙂 Great review Dar!!

  14. Dar, I think you did a great job of summarizing the book without giving away too much. I agree that thrillers and suspense can be difficult to review for that reason.

    Shana
    Literarily

  17. 2nd book in the 4th set of trilogies??? wow! that’s a lot of books and i haven’t read a single one by her as yet! Hopefully, should read a wider range of books in 2009. my list for 2009 is already becoming impossible:(

  18. My daughter loves Kay Hooper. She such a sporadic reader (meaning if she doesnt finish a book, she’s OK with that. Drives me nuts) I’ll have to let her know there’s another one out there. Have a Merry Christmas!

  19. Merry Christmas, Dar! (It’s weird putting this message on a post called “Blood Sins”, but oh, well! 🙂

    Lezlie

  21. Awesome review, Dar! I haven’t read any of Kay Hooper’s work…but I’m definitely going to now!!