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Evidence of Blood
Edgar Award winner Thomas H. Cook has earned acclaim and a growing legion of fans for his brilliantly styled, intensely evocative thrillers. Now, in his most seductive suspense novel yet, he draws us into a world of love, betrayal, and murder from which one man can find no escape.
"It's better to know, don't you think?... No matter what the cost?"
Forty years ago in Sequoyah, Georgia, Charles Overton was sentenced to die for the murder of a young woman, even though her body was never found. But the prosecution had all the ammunition it a blood-stained dress and a jury out for vengeance....
Now true-crime writer Jackson Kinley is coming home to grieve for an old friend. But Sequoyah sheriff Ray Tindall's death has left many Why had he reopened the Overton case... and then, without explanation, shut it down? What was he looking for? And what did he find that he couldn't bear to reveal? The search for answers leads Kinley into a small-town web of corruption, secrecy, and lies--and finally into the darkest corners of the human heart, where the terrible truth lies...in the Evidence of Blood.
"It's better to know, don't you think?... No matter what the cost?"
Forty years ago in Sequoyah, Georgia, Charles Overton was sentenced to die for the murder of a young woman, even though her body was never found. But the prosecution had all the ammunition it a blood-stained dress and a jury out for vengeance....
Now true-crime writer Jackson Kinley is coming home to grieve for an old friend. But Sequoyah sheriff Ray Tindall's death has left many Why had he reopened the Overton case... and then, without explanation, shut it down? What was he looking for? And what did he find that he couldn't bear to reveal? The search for answers leads Kinley into a small-town web of corruption, secrecy, and lies--and finally into the darkest corners of the human heart, where the terrible truth lies...in the Evidence of Blood.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
21 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
About the author
Thomas H. Cook
96 books355 followersThere is more than one author with this name on Goodreads.
Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.
He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.
Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood
Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.
He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.
Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 15, 2013
When you read a certain author working in a specific genre long enough, the patterns will emerge. With Thomas H. Cook, who happens to be one of the finest literary mystery authors out there, this is still very much the case here. There is an emotionally aloof/numb/borderline asperger like disconnected protagonist who sets out to uncover a mystery from his past. The mystery itself in this case was a mixture of police procedural and court drama with some personal revelations thrown into the mix. I was surprised by the very ending, it wasn't what I thought I figured out it was going to be, so definitely nice twist there, although the ending was a tad muddled. The book moved along nicely (it might have been slow in other author's hands, but with Cook there is much to enjoy just reading him) and, while the protagonist (a crime writer who returns to his tiny home town to bury an old friend and starts investigating a missing person/murder case that took place in 1954)remained somewhat of a stoic mystery, Cook always does a terrific job with all the additional characters, no matter how small. His descriptions are top notch, very well drawn and three dimensional. As a mystery this was pretty good, as a novel this was excellent. Cook's observations on human nature are exceptionally astute and his writing is so exquisite, that it might have managed to overshadow the plot, but either way this was a very good read. Recommended.
April 25, 2014
I read sometime back, making a comment about Mr. Cooks writing. He's one of the most lyrical novelist writing today. That pretty much sums up his prose. His take on the human condition, of the habitants of a small town in Georgia, shows the reader their souls. Our protagonist Jack Kinley, is originally from, this small town, back there for a funeral of an old friend. This friend was the former sheriff, and was looking into a 30 plus year old murder....and Jack decides to dig into it himself. Great story, with a surprise ending.
August 25, 2013
It's a slow starter but worth the wait.
I'm backwards with Cook, read most of his more recent before these early '90's ones. This one held the location feel from beginning to end- but the unraveling of the "problem" only started well into the book.
Regardless, the conclusion was one I did not see coming at all. And it hit a peak of reveal at exactly the highest point of Cook location and emotion description.
For the depth of psychology and knowledge of human failings and emotions that Cook has, his writing still remains precise and easy read. But also distinctly on the flowery passage side.
Most like Cook's later and far more commercial work (mysteries)but I think I prefer the earliest. He tried to parse out the patho/sociopath
perception much more in the earlier. That's slow going and truly difficult- a much slower read and pace. Not popular with the short attention span of many modern, popular who-dun-it readers who crave the action. But I think his earliest seem more masterful overall, while more entrenched within thoughts upon human nature itself and negative result human actions (crime)and their consequences.
I'm backwards with Cook, read most of his more recent before these early '90's ones. This one held the location feel from beginning to end- but the unraveling of the "problem" only started well into the book.
Regardless, the conclusion was one I did not see coming at all. And it hit a peak of reveal at exactly the highest point of Cook location and emotion description.
For the depth of psychology and knowledge of human failings and emotions that Cook has, his writing still remains precise and easy read. But also distinctly on the flowery passage side.
Most like Cook's later and far more commercial work (mysteries)but I think I prefer the earliest. He tried to parse out the patho/sociopath
perception much more in the earlier. That's slow going and truly difficult- a much slower read and pace. Not popular with the short attention span of many modern, popular who-dun-it readers who crave the action. But I think his earliest seem more masterful overall, while more entrenched within thoughts upon human nature itself and negative result human actions (crime)and their consequences.
March 3, 2016
Cook does it again. As I read through this book I wasn't really fond of it. Man who is a true-crime writer returns to his hometown for the funeral of his best friend who had been the local sheriff for many years. He finds that Ray has been working on an old case - a young woman allegedly killed (although no body was found) and whose "murderer" was electrocuted. The case is 40 years old but obviously something about it made Ray want to persue it. At the last moment, however, he dropped it.
Jackson Kinley decides to follow up and try to determine what Ray found and why he decided to discontinue the case. Many of the witnesses are dead. Files are no longer available. It is going to be a long haul since Ray destroyed all the notes he had made during his investigation.
As Jack begins and continues his investigation he become surer and surer that the allegedly murderer was innocent. But what he finds at the end of his search is stupifying.
And that ending is the reason you should read the book. It suddenly becomes clear why Ray dropped the case and burned his files. And why Jack had to be the one to pick up the thread and continue.
Jackson Kinley decides to follow up and try to determine what Ray found and why he decided to discontinue the case. Many of the witnesses are dead. Files are no longer available. It is going to be a long haul since Ray destroyed all the notes he had made during his investigation.
As Jack begins and continues his investigation he become surer and surer that the allegedly murderer was innocent. But what he finds at the end of his search is stupifying.
And that ending is the reason you should read the book. It suddenly becomes clear why Ray dropped the case and burned his files. And why Jack had to be the one to pick up the thread and continue.
January 2, 2014
I picked up this 1992 novel because I was taken with the film adaptation. It had a decidedly human element that a lot of current crime fiction never captures. The storyline and Cooks writing style made it perfect for a film version. The dialogue almost word for word. Cooks writes in long breathless paragraphs that cause the readers heart to pound. Even though I had already seen the film and knew how the story would end, I couldn’t put it down. All the necessary elements are there to make this book worth your time. Excellent plot and cunning word crafting. Cook is a brilliant storyteller.
August 31, 2017
I libri di Cook non sono solo gialli o thriller ma anche fine lavoro psicologico.
Ma molto spesso gli autori che meglio riescono a fare questo lavoro di cross-over sono quelli meno conosciuti o meno osannati.
Questo è il tema di questo libro dalla trama assolutamente non scontata.
Ma molto spesso gli autori che meglio riescono a fare questo lavoro di cross-over sono quelli meno conosciuti o meno osannati.
Non era nemmeno sicuro che la verità fosse quello che lui aveva sempre creduto: qualcosa di alto, esaltante, che valeva la pena di inseguire a tutti i costi. Anzi, forse era solo qualcosa di cattivo, un altro coltello che poteva essere usato per lacerare le vene degli uomini.
Questo è il tema di questo libro dalla trama assolutamente non scontata.
September 15, 2012
Jackson Kinley, the protagonist of Evidence of Blood, is a true-crime writer. His career has brought him close to unimaginable horrors: rapists and murderers and people who torture others for pleasure. Kinley (as he is most often called) seems somehow immune to these horrors. Perhaps it’s his IQ, which is reportedly off the charts. Perhaps it’s his own childhood – he was raised by his grandmother in backwater Sequoyah, Georgia. Whatever the reason, Kinley is able to face the dark deeds of the world’s most reprehensible criminals without flinching.
His armor is breached, however, when he gets the call that his childhood friend, Ray Tindall, has been found dead. He returns to Sequoyah and learns that Ray was trying to uncover the truth about a murder which had occurred many years before.
Thomas H. Cook – as those of you who are regular readers here already know – is my favourite mystery writer. True, I am not a mystery scholar by any stretch, but an accidental discovery of his book Breakheart Hill several years ago has turned me into a fan and I have read several of his books (and I am thrilled to know there are more waiting to be read.)
Cook is particularly adept at creating nuanced characters and Kinley is no exception. Kinley’s past is deeply rooted in Sequoyah, but even he is unaware of just how deep those roots go. He can’t help himself – he’s an investigator and the shocking death of his oldest (and perhaps only) friend, has him sifting through the past. Ray, it turns out, was looking into the mysterious disappearance of Ellie Dinker, a sixteen year old whose bloody dress was found on a tree branch in 1954. A man was sentenced to death for that crime and Ray was trying to prove his innocence.
Like all of Cook’s novels, the mystery will keep you guessing. I tried out several potential (and I thought entirely plausible) solutions and was still surprised at the end of the book. I like the way Cook writes; his are literary mysteries. I feel like the craft of writing is just as important to him as telling a cracking good story – which he does. You keep turning those pages.
As Kinley follows Ray’s paper trail, interviews the players who are still alive and recalls childhood memories, he slowly begins to understand the implication of Ray’s words to him at one of their final meetings: “It’s better to know, don’t you think, Kinley? No matter what the cost?”
If you like well-written mysteries, you really can’t beat Cook.
His armor is breached, however, when he gets the call that his childhood friend, Ray Tindall, has been found dead. He returns to Sequoyah and learns that Ray was trying to uncover the truth about a murder which had occurred many years before.
Thomas H. Cook – as those of you who are regular readers here already know – is my favourite mystery writer. True, I am not a mystery scholar by any stretch, but an accidental discovery of his book Breakheart Hill several years ago has turned me into a fan and I have read several of his books (and I am thrilled to know there are more waiting to be read.)
Cook is particularly adept at creating nuanced characters and Kinley is no exception. Kinley’s past is deeply rooted in Sequoyah, but even he is unaware of just how deep those roots go. He can’t help himself – he’s an investigator and the shocking death of his oldest (and perhaps only) friend, has him sifting through the past. Ray, it turns out, was looking into the mysterious disappearance of Ellie Dinker, a sixteen year old whose bloody dress was found on a tree branch in 1954. A man was sentenced to death for that crime and Ray was trying to prove his innocence.
Like all of Cook’s novels, the mystery will keep you guessing. I tried out several potential (and I thought entirely plausible) solutions and was still surprised at the end of the book. I like the way Cook writes; his are literary mysteries. I feel like the craft of writing is just as important to him as telling a cracking good story – which he does. You keep turning those pages.
As Kinley follows Ray’s paper trail, interviews the players who are still alive and recalls childhood memories, he slowly begins to understand the implication of Ray’s words to him at one of their final meetings: “It’s better to know, don’t you think, Kinley? No matter what the cost?”
If you like well-written mysteries, you really can’t beat Cook.
March 9, 2019
This is one of Cook's older novels which I missed. It is a murder mystery, but it is actually far more than that. It is a perfect example of the things that can go on in small towns which affect many, many people. In this story, Jackson Kinley, a true crime writer, returns to his hometown of Sequoyah, Georgia, to attend the funeral of his best childhood friend, Ray Tindall, a law enforcement officer. Jackson had grown up under his maternal grandmother's care because he was told his parents died in an automobile crash. When Kinley returns to Georgia, he finds out that Ray had been working on an old, 'resolved' homicide case from 1954. There had always been questions about the conviction and execution of the man accused of the crime. Kinley, at the behest of Ray's daughter, Serena, decides to look into the history of the crime where a 16 year old girl disappeared on July 2, 1954. Although a bloody dress showed up along with her shoes and a bloody tire iron in the supposed perpetrator's truck, Ellie Dinker was never seen again. What Kinley finds out during his investigation is some permanently life changing information and there are several people who will never be quite the same again. What a convoluted and surprising plot! I enjoyed this book very much.
April 17, 2020
Evidence of blood - Thomas h.cook
ಅವನೊಬ್ಬ ಲೇಖಕ. ಸರಣಿ ಹಂತಕನೊಬ್ಬನ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತಾಡಿ ಅವ ಬರೆದ ಪುಸ್ತಕಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಯೂ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಅವ ತನ್ನ ಪಾಡಿಗೆ ತಾನಿರಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಅವನ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದೂರಿಂದ ಒಂದು ಸುದ್ದಿ. ಅವನ ಗೆಳೆಯ ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಆ ಗೆಳೆಯ ಒಬ್ಬ ಪೊಲೀಸ್. ರಿಟೈರ್ ಆಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಯಾವುದೋ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ವರ್ಷ ಹಳೆಯ ಕೇಸೊಂದನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಹುಡುಗಿ ಹಠಾತ್ತಾಗಿ ನಾಪತ್ತೆಯಾದ ಕೇಸನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದವ ಹೃದಯಾಘಾತಕ್ಕೀಡಾಗಿ ಸತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಆ ಹಳೆಯ ಕೇಸು ಇವನಿಗೂ ನೆನಪಿದೆ. ಗೆಳತಿಯ ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೊರಟ ಹುಡುಗಿ ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಪತ್ತೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದಾಳೆ. ರಕ್ತದಿಂದ ತೊಯ್ದ ಅವಳ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಮತ್ತೂ ಷೂ ಮಾತ್ರ ಪತ್ತೆಯಾದದ್ದು. ಅದು ಒಬ್ಬ ಟ್ರಕ್ ಡ್ರೈವರ್ನ ಟ್ರಕ್ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪತ್ತೆಯಾದ ಕಾರಣ ಅವನೇ ಕೊಲೆಗಾರ ಎಂದು ಅವನಿಗೆ ಗಲ್ಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಮುಚ್ಚಿ ಹೋದ ಕೇಸು.ಇದನ್ಯಾಕೆ ಅವ ಬಗೆಯಹೊರಟ ಎಂದಿವನಿಗೆ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ. ಗೆಳೆಯ ಅರ್ಧಂಬರ್ಧ ಮಾಡಿಟ್ಟ ಪತ್ತೇದಾರಿಕೆಯ ಕೆಲಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಇವ ಮುಂದುವರೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.
ದಶಕಗಳ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಕೇಸಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನವರು ಸತ್ತಾಗಿದೆ. ಅವರ ಮಾತುಕತೆಗಳ ರೆಕಾರ್ಡ್ಸ್ ಮಾತ್ರ ಇವನಿಗೆ ದಾರಿದೀಪ. ಹೀಗೆ ಹುಡುಕಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೊರಟವನಿಗೆ ಯಾರೂ ನೋಡಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಅದು ತನ್ನ ಬುಡಕ್ಕೇ ಬರುವಾಗ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಯಾರನ್ನು ನಂಬಬೇಕು ಯಾರನ್ನು ಬಿಡಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ಅಯೋಮಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಹಾಗಾದರೆ ಕೊಲೆ ಯಾರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು? ಅವ ತನ್ನೊಳಗೆ ಬಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟ ರಹಸ್ಯ ಯಾವುದು? ಇದು ಕಥೆ.
1991 ರಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದ ಇದು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಮಜಾ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಓದು.
ಅವನೊಬ್ಬ ಲೇಖಕ. ಸರಣಿ ಹಂತಕನೊಬ್ಬನ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತಾಡಿ ಅವ ಬರೆದ ಪುಸ್ತಕಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಯೂ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಅವ ತನ್ನ ಪಾಡಿಗೆ ತಾನಿರಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಅವನ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದೂರಿಂದ ಒಂದು ಸುದ್ದಿ. ಅವನ ಗೆಳೆಯ ತೀರಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಆ ಗೆಳೆಯ ಒಬ್ಬ ಪೊಲೀಸ್. ರಿಟೈರ್ ಆಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಯಾವುದೋ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ವರ್ಷ ಹಳೆಯ ಕೇಸೊಂದನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಹುಡುಗಿ ಹಠಾತ್ತಾಗಿ ನಾಪತ್ತೆಯಾದ ಕೇಸನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದವ ಹೃದಯಾಘಾತಕ್ಕೀಡಾಗಿ ಸತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಆ ಹಳೆಯ ಕೇಸು ಇವನಿಗೂ ನೆನಪಿದೆ. ಗೆಳತಿಯ ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೊರಟ ಹುಡುಗಿ ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಪತ್ತೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದಾಳೆ. ರಕ್ತದಿಂದ ತೊಯ್ದ ಅವಳ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಮತ್ತೂ ಷೂ ಮಾತ್ರ ಪತ್ತೆಯಾದದ್ದು. ಅದು ಒಬ್ಬ ಟ್ರಕ್ ಡ್ರೈವರ್ನ ಟ್ರಕ್ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪತ್ತೆಯಾದ ಕಾರಣ ಅವನೇ ಕೊಲೆಗಾರ ಎಂದು ಅವನಿಗೆ ಗಲ್ಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಮುಚ್ಚಿ ಹೋದ ಕೇಸು.ಇದನ್ಯಾಕೆ ಅವ ಬಗೆಯಹೊರಟ ಎಂದಿವನಿಗೆ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯ. ಗೆಳೆಯ ಅರ್ಧಂಬರ್ಧ ಮಾಡಿಟ್ಟ ಪತ್ತೇದಾರಿಕೆಯ ಕೆಲಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಇವ ಮುಂದುವರೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.
ದಶಕಗಳ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಕೇಸಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನವರು ಸತ್ತಾಗಿದೆ. ಅವರ ಮಾತುಕತೆಗಳ ರೆಕಾರ್ಡ್ಸ್ ಮಾತ್ರ ಇವನಿಗೆ ದಾರಿದೀಪ. ಹೀಗೆ ಹುಡುಕಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೊರಟವನಿಗೆ ಯಾರೂ ನೋಡಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಅದು ತನ್ನ ಬುಡಕ್ಕೇ ಬರುವಾಗ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಯಾರನ್ನು ನಂಬಬೇಕು ಯಾರನ್ನು ಬಿಡಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ಅಯೋಮಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಹಾಗಾದರೆ ಕೊಲೆ ಯಾರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು? ಅವ ತನ್ನೊಳಗೆ ಬಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟ ರಹಸ್ಯ ಯಾವುದು? ಇದು ಕಥೆ.
1991 ರಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದ ಇದು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಮಜಾ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಓದು.
August 17, 2025
Beautifully written, quite poetic. I kept thinking I'd worked out the mystery, but I was wrong every time.
August 30, 2018
Very involved mystery. Thomas Cook is always good.
December 28, 2008
I was very disappointed in this book. I've read many Thomas H. Cook books and this was too long. The action took so long to get started and it wasn't that the writing was so interesting that you didn't mind. I kept wanting to put it down and finally did 3/4 of the way through the book, but I also looked ahead to see what happened. It didn't work - the plot, the writing, the characters. Nothing worked. I've like his later books, so maybe that's the key - it was written earlier in his career. Nevertheless, I need a break from this author.
November 18, 2013
Used HB -- thanks Amazon 3.5
A really good story during which the author gives you tid bits and builds the bits into clues. It reads like a well done Perry Mason story. I could have not predicted the ending, which left a sour taste in my mouth. This is a story that is told through the charm of the South and the cadence of mountain folk. cook is a stand alone author and I am gald I discoverd him after he wrote 20+books.
A really good story during which the author gives you tid bits and builds the bits into clues. It reads like a well done Perry Mason story. I could have not predicted the ending, which left a sour taste in my mouth. This is a story that is told through the charm of the South and the cadence of mountain folk. cook is a stand alone author and I am gald I discoverd him after he wrote 20+books.
April 28, 2023
Jackson Kinley, a fictional New York City-based true-crime writer, has come home to rural Georgia to attend the funeral of his lifelong friend, Ray, the former sheriff of the county. They said Ray had a heart attack.
After the funeral, Kinley gets interested in what Ray was investigating at the time of his death. He had dug up files on a 40-year-old murder. The more Kinley followed Ray’s meanderings through old court files and news clippings, the more fascinated he became about the death of teenager Ellie Dinker. She died in 1954, and Kinley ultimately uncovers some twisty new realities about the case.
This is a literary mystery. If you want staccato-short sentences and dizzying fast action, this won’t be your book. But if you enjoy someone whose skills as a wordsmith are more than a little apparent, you’ll enjoy this. The descriptions are almost sumptuous at times, and the rural Georgia woods become almost a character in and of themselves.
After the funeral, Kinley gets interested in what Ray was investigating at the time of his death. He had dug up files on a 40-year-old murder. The more Kinley followed Ray’s meanderings through old court files and news clippings, the more fascinated he became about the death of teenager Ellie Dinker. She died in 1954, and Kinley ultimately uncovers some twisty new realities about the case.
This is a literary mystery. If you want staccato-short sentences and dizzying fast action, this won’t be your book. But if you enjoy someone whose skills as a wordsmith are more than a little apparent, you’ll enjoy this. The descriptions are almost sumptuous at times, and the rural Georgia woods become almost a character in and of themselves.
August 31, 2020
A teen is missing and her dress is found in the woods covered with blood.
Jackson McKinley hears about this when he goes back to his hometown for his friend's funeral.
His friend had been investigating this teen's disappearance and McKinley decided to pick up the
investigation where his friend left off when he died.
Jackson McKinley hears about this when he goes back to his hometown for his friend's funeral.
His friend had been investigating this teen's disappearance and McKinley decided to pick up the
investigation where his friend left off when he died.
October 10, 2022
I know I read this this year, but for the life of me I can't remember what happened. There was something suspicious about where the dead person died, and this somehow led to the solving of the crime but that's all the information I've managed to retain. Since it went in the donate pile as soon as I finished it, I don't feel like it was any great loss.
August 3, 2025
Plenty of atmosphere, and well structured. The author skillfully leads you to the wrong conclusions along the way, and although the big reveal was relatively easy to work out the ending is satisfying.
Want to read
November 6, 2018Synopsis: true crime writer Jackson Kinley is home in Georgia investigating the unsolved murder of a teenage girl. All she left was a bloody dress.
January 20, 2022
A slow start, but once it gets going it's really good. Lots of good twists, and an unexpected final resolution. Would recommend to a friend, but wouldn't reread it.
May 5, 2022
4.5🌟 Well-written account of a search for the truth about the long-unsolved murder of a young girl. Many twists and turns with a great finale.
December 24, 2013
True crime writer Jackson Kinley is coming home to Sequoyah, Georgia to grieve for an old friend. Jackson's boyhood friend, Ray Tindall, was the sheriff of Sequoyah at the time of his sudden death. Now with his passing, Jackson has returned and subsequently finds himself being drawn into an investigation of the town's most enduring legend: a thirty-seven-year-old unsolved murder.
In the summer of 1954, sixteen-year-old Ellie Dinker disappeared on a winding mountain road, leaving behind a bloody green dress swaying in the breeze. Charles Overton was sentenced to die for the murder of young Ellie, even though her body was never found. But the prosecution had all the ammunition it needed: that blood-stained dress and a jury out for vengeance...
Sheriff Tindall's death has left many questions: Why had he suddenly reopened the Overton case...and then, without explanation, shut it down? What was he looking for? And what did he find that he couldn't bear to reveal?
Determined to discover the truth of that long-ago mystery, Jackson Kinley embarks on a chilling odyssey that will send him hurtling back into the lost, terrifying canyons of his own buried childhood...as he unearths evidence of an unspeakable crime - and the shocking blood secret somebody killed to keep.
I may have several books by this author on my bookshelf already, although to my knowledge Evidence of Blood is the first one that I've actually read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book - overall, it was well-written and compelling - although I did find the story a little slow to get into in the beginning. The plot also was slightly more convoluted than I was expecting; it took me some time to work out and to fully understand the solution to the mystery.
However, that could be just be my personal experience while reading this book. Occasionally, I find that using 'armchair detection' doesn't come easily to me! Anyway, I give this book a definite A! and am looking forward to reading more from Thomas H. Cook in the future.
In the summer of 1954, sixteen-year-old Ellie Dinker disappeared on a winding mountain road, leaving behind a bloody green dress swaying in the breeze. Charles Overton was sentenced to die for the murder of young Ellie, even though her body was never found. But the prosecution had all the ammunition it needed: that blood-stained dress and a jury out for vengeance...
Sheriff Tindall's death has left many questions: Why had he suddenly reopened the Overton case...and then, without explanation, shut it down? What was he looking for? And what did he find that he couldn't bear to reveal?
Determined to discover the truth of that long-ago mystery, Jackson Kinley embarks on a chilling odyssey that will send him hurtling back into the lost, terrifying canyons of his own buried childhood...as he unearths evidence of an unspeakable crime - and the shocking blood secret somebody killed to keep.
I may have several books by this author on my bookshelf already, although to my knowledge Evidence of Blood is the first one that I've actually read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book - overall, it was well-written and compelling - although I did find the story a little slow to get into in the beginning. The plot also was slightly more convoluted than I was expecting; it took me some time to work out and to fully understand the solution to the mystery.
However, that could be just be my personal experience while reading this book. Occasionally, I find that using 'armchair detection' doesn't come easily to me! Anyway, I give this book a definite A! and am looking forward to reading more from Thomas H. Cook in the future.
October 12, 2014
I turn to Thomas H. Cook's books when I want to read an intriguing story by a master storyteller who uses language beautifully. I sometimes feel that Cook and I are having a long, intimate conversation and that he's confiding to me the secret to solving the book's mystery. EVIDENCE of BLOOOD is such a book.
We have a successful writer, Jack Kinley, an orphan raised by his grandmother, who returns to his small Southern town at the death of his best friend Ray Tindall, once the town's Sheriff, and discovers that, before his death, Ray was re-working a 30+ year old case involving a teenage girl Ellie Dinker who was murdered, her body never found, just her bloody dress, and a man named Charles Overton was convicted and executed for the crime, although it turns out that he was but an innocent scapegoat.
Kinley feels compelled to pick up where Tindall left off and finds that Ellie was pregnant at the time of her death, the father the town's prominent DA which in turn leads to a tangled web of influential good old boys' secrets, lies, and corruption AND.... intertwined in all this, Kinley's own family secrets are revealed, leading to a very surprising ending which took me awhile to understand and digest Didn't love it but the many twists kept me reading.
We have a successful writer, Jack Kinley, an orphan raised by his grandmother, who returns to his small Southern town at the death of his best friend Ray Tindall, once the town's Sheriff, and discovers that, before his death, Ray was re-working a 30+ year old case involving a teenage girl Ellie Dinker who was murdered, her body never found, just her bloody dress, and a man named Charles Overton was convicted and executed for the crime, although it turns out that he was but an innocent scapegoat.
Kinley feels compelled to pick up where Tindall left off and finds that Ellie was pregnant at the time of her death, the father the town's prominent DA which in turn leads to a tangled web of influential good old boys' secrets, lies, and corruption AND.... intertwined in all this, Kinley's own family secrets are revealed, leading to a very surprising ending which took me awhile to understand and digest Didn't love it but the many twists kept me reading.
June 29, 2008
Thomas H. Cook just knocks me out sometimes:
talking about killers he had written about, the protagonist says "They were all alike...had all been rocked by those sudden, instantaneous surges to 'find a way out'...to soar for just one orgasmic moment on the broad red wing of your desolation."
And describin a "tiny red-haired waitress" he says "she had a thin, bony face that made her look as if she'd already died and been buried hastily in a shallow grave."
So, this longish (for a one-night stand) story tells about a crime writer who returns to his Southern home from New York where he has gone to be a renegade Yankee author, and unravels a complicated story involving his grandmother, mother, birth father, local politicos, a 1954 murder of the town skank, etc etc.
I think I made a mistake reading til 2 AM, because when the whole truth rolled out, it was REALLY convoluted, and I may not have it straight, but it was well written and I can go back to confirm what I THINK happened. God, I love summer.
talking about killers he had written about, the protagonist says "They were all alike...had all been rocked by those sudden, instantaneous surges to 'find a way out'...to soar for just one orgasmic moment on the broad red wing of your desolation."
And describin a "tiny red-haired waitress" he says "she had a thin, bony face that made her look as if she'd already died and been buried hastily in a shallow grave."
So, this longish (for a one-night stand) story tells about a crime writer who returns to his Southern home from New York where he has gone to be a renegade Yankee author, and unravels a complicated story involving his grandmother, mother, birth father, local politicos, a 1954 murder of the town skank, etc etc.
I think I made a mistake reading til 2 AM, because when the whole truth rolled out, it was REALLY convoluted, and I may not have it straight, but it was well written and I can go back to confirm what I THINK happened. God, I love summer.
May 6, 2013
I discovered this story on Netflix through the movie starring David Strathairn. But, being tired I fell asleep while watching. I meant to go back and finish the movie, but it expired on Netflix within a day!!!!! So, I began looking for the book, and found it in my local library.
Evidence of Blood is a very original story about an orphaned True Crime writer who returns to his boyhood home in Appalachian Georgia following the death of his father figure, a retired sheriff. When he died, the retired sheriff was looking into a cold case from 1954 that had some disturbing loose ends. Of course, our protagonist is drawn to the investigation and eventually solves the puzzle.
The first few chapters start out kind of slow, but soon the details of the story and the always unpeeling layers capture your attention, and it's hard to put the book down until you've finished.
If you like original stories of the mystery/thirller genre, I think you'll enjoy Evidence of Blood by Thomas H. Cook
Evidence of Blood is a very original story about an orphaned True Crime writer who returns to his boyhood home in Appalachian Georgia following the death of his father figure, a retired sheriff. When he died, the retired sheriff was looking into a cold case from 1954 that had some disturbing loose ends. Of course, our protagonist is drawn to the investigation and eventually solves the puzzle.
The first few chapters start out kind of slow, but soon the details of the story and the always unpeeling layers capture your attention, and it's hard to put the book down until you've finished.
If you like original stories of the mystery/thirller genre, I think you'll enjoy Evidence of Blood by Thomas H. Cook
February 23, 2014
Had to wait a day to write this review. I feel that you gotta let Cook's books marinate in your head for a few hours before you can decide on what to say about them. Like the previous books I read by him, the prose is still there. The characters who you warm up to and get to know are always present. The plot from the way it starts to the way it ends is arguable but after some time like I said, sinks in and makes sense. Each of his books I kept thinking about for weeks and I feel this one will have the same effect. There were so many twists and secrets about the characters in this book that it was a psychological mindf**k. The final twist I actually had to re-read as always because by the time you reach his final twist, you're still trying to piece everything together. It is definitely a solid read that I recommend. 5/5 stars.
November 8, 2016
The problem with this book is that I was spoiled by so many of Thomas H. Cook's other works that this one just didn't live up to the same excellence.
It's almost as if he was "stuck" at numerous points in this book and had to meander through layers of details to get back on track. Although some of that same prose style of writing that Cook is famous for us utilized in this book, it was mostly repetitive and unfulfilling with one dimensional characters and an abrupt ending.
I still think Thomas H. Cook is a literary genius and he is still one of my favorite modern day authors - just not for this book.
It's almost as if he was "stuck" at numerous points in this book and had to meander through layers of details to get back on track. Although some of that same prose style of writing that Cook is famous for us utilized in this book, it was mostly repetitive and unfulfilling with one dimensional characters and an abrupt ending.
I still think Thomas H. Cook is a literary genius and he is still one of my favorite modern day authors - just not for this book.
April 21, 2012
I have an older edition that I marked up as I initially read it years ago. Loads of characters had me think while I placed them all. I still tried to guess the ending and was surprised by a couple things, which I like.
September 7, 2012
This is one of my all-time favorite mystery reads. Watching this man attempt to unravel his past and connect it to the present was intriguing and kept me turning pages.
September 13, 2020
I read the book because I just love the movie. It's pretty good, but a bit long.
May 11, 2013
I loved it. Not quite as good as Chatham School Affair but well worth reading. Cook has a unique ability to keep you hanging until the end.
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