What do you think?
Rate this book
Joe Sandilands #10
Not My Blood
Scotland Yard Detective Joe Sandilands is caught off guard one night in 1933 by a phone call from a distressed boy named Jackie Drummond, who just might be the illegitimate son Joe never knew he had. Jackie is in trouble at his Sussex boarding school, where a teacher has been murdered. When Joe gets himself assigned to the investigation, he learns the boarding school case is more complicated than it appears: A frightening number of boys, all from wealthy families, have gone missing over the school’s history, and by some coincidence none of the families have followed up on their sons' whereabouts.
345 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
86 people are currently reading
577 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cleverly
45 books230 followersBarbara Cleverly was born in the north of England and is a graduate of Durham University. A former teacher, she has spent her working life in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk; she now lives in Cambridge. She has one son and five step-children.
Her Joe Sandilands series of books set against the background of the British Raj was inspired by the contents of a battered old tin trunk that she found in her attic. Out of it spilled two centuries of memories of a family – especially a great uncle who spent a lot of time in India – whose exploits and achievements marched in time with the flowering of the British Empire.
Her Joe Sandilands series of books set against the background of the British Raj was inspired by the contents of a battered old tin trunk that she found in her attic. Out of it spilled two centuries of memories of a family – especially a great uncle who spent a lot of time in India – whose exploits and achievements marched in time with the flowering of the British Empire.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
September 9, 2012
First Sentence: Carrying more than a hint of snow, a southwesterly wind gusted up from the Channel, spattering the school’s plate glass windows with sleety drops.
A phone call from Jackie Drummond, a young boy claiming to be his nephew has Joe Sandilands travelling to a boarding school in Sussex where a teacher has been murdered. The case raises a number of questions for Joe. Is the boy actually his illegitimate son? Why has Dorcus, the daughter of close friends, who had recently been avoiding Joe, suddenly insistent on helping him with this case? However, the main question is what has happened to a surprising number of missing boys, each from a wealthy family. With Dorcus to aid him, Sandilands is headed to school, looking for answers.
Barbara Cleverly really knows how to captivate her readers from the very first page. Her excellent descriptions of period, place and weather create the atmosphere and bring us straight into the story. It is fascinating to see this period of history between the wars where there are women police and the beginnings of education reform in public schools.
The characters are charismatic and real; Joe, his sister Lydia, his expected Jackie, ever-clever aide-de-camp Alfred and Dorcus who is now grown and has a degree in psychology. These are people you come to know by Cleverly providing enough history that new readers don’t feel lost and with whom fans of the series have become friends. Not normally a fan of relationships between two principle characters, Ms. Cleverly makes it work and faithful readers will see things progress as they may have hoped it would so do.
Dialogue makes such a difference and here, it is excellent and reflective of the period and class. Ms. Cleverly’s writing is wonderfully literate and she expects the reader to be the same while not trying to embarrass or be over the head of the reader as the meaning is always clear from the context…”If anyone’s been setting himself up as some sort of a psychopompos, a guide to the souls to the Land of the Dead—a Hermes, or even a playful Peter Pan—we’ll have him.”
The intrigue and subterfuge is masterfully created, yet clever plotting and occasional humor keep things from becoming overly grim. This is a time when science is evolving. The motive is horrific but not inconceivable, and that makes it the more terrible still.
“Not My Blood” is an excellent traditional police procedural driven by intelligent dialogue and charismatic characters and where the case is solved by following the clues and having a good working relationship with the other branches involved. It also has a wonderful, lovely ending. This is also a very good series which should be read in order.
NOT MY BLOOD (Hist/Pol Proc-Det. Joe Sandilands-England-1933) – VG+
Cleverly, Barbara – 10th in series
Soho Crime, 2012
A phone call from Jackie Drummond, a young boy claiming to be his nephew has Joe Sandilands travelling to a boarding school in Sussex where a teacher has been murdered. The case raises a number of questions for Joe. Is the boy actually his illegitimate son? Why has Dorcus, the daughter of close friends, who had recently been avoiding Joe, suddenly insistent on helping him with this case? However, the main question is what has happened to a surprising number of missing boys, each from a wealthy family. With Dorcus to aid him, Sandilands is headed to school, looking for answers.
Barbara Cleverly really knows how to captivate her readers from the very first page. Her excellent descriptions of period, place and weather create the atmosphere and bring us straight into the story. It is fascinating to see this period of history between the wars where there are women police and the beginnings of education reform in public schools.
The characters are charismatic and real; Joe, his sister Lydia, his expected Jackie, ever-clever aide-de-camp Alfred and Dorcus who is now grown and has a degree in psychology. These are people you come to know by Cleverly providing enough history that new readers don’t feel lost and with whom fans of the series have become friends. Not normally a fan of relationships between two principle characters, Ms. Cleverly makes it work and faithful readers will see things progress as they may have hoped it would so do.
Dialogue makes such a difference and here, it is excellent and reflective of the period and class. Ms. Cleverly’s writing is wonderfully literate and she expects the reader to be the same while not trying to embarrass or be over the head of the reader as the meaning is always clear from the context…”If anyone’s been setting himself up as some sort of a psychopompos, a guide to the souls to the Land of the Dead—a Hermes, or even a playful Peter Pan—we’ll have him.”
The intrigue and subterfuge is masterfully created, yet clever plotting and occasional humor keep things from becoming overly grim. This is a time when science is evolving. The motive is horrific but not inconceivable, and that makes it the more terrible still.
“Not My Blood” is an excellent traditional police procedural driven by intelligent dialogue and charismatic characters and where the case is solved by following the clues and having a good working relationship with the other branches involved. It also has a wonderful, lovely ending. This is also a very good series which should be read in order.
NOT MY BLOOD (Hist/Pol Proc-Det. Joe Sandilands-England-1933) – VG+
Cleverly, Barbara – 10th in series
Soho Crime, 2012
November 2, 2014
Another terrific Sandilands novel -- this one takes place within the British education system. All my favorite characters were involved and the now grown up Dorcas. I have one more to read before the newest one is released. I do love this series. It is complex and well written. The endings are closer to fact than fiction -- not all the bad characters go to jail. The characters grow and sometimes change -- so there are surprises in store. It's my new favorite series and perfect for a wintry rainy day!
March 19, 2019
A young runaway from an English boarding school where a teacher has been killed asks Scotland Yard detective Joe Sandilands, an old friend of his parents, for help. Set in 1933, the story and mystery are firmly rooted/placed in that time period with lots of historical detail and an unusual motive
May 22, 2018
For a while I was in reading Nirvana! British Public School mystery plus references back to the first (and in many ways, the best,) Joe Sandilands series: The Last Kashmiri Rose...heaven! Alas, the thrill was short lived as the story came apart as it moved away from the classic form. I lost interest when MI5, Cabinet Ministers & sinister secret societies became heavily involved. It began to be a sermon against the politics of the era, and while there were certainly plenty of horrors committed in WWII, I find it impossible to believe that everyone in England, as early as 1933, was already polarized into a stance either totally committed to fascism or presciently aware of atrocities to come and therefore embraced socialism!
I wish that the book had instead followed through on the original premise of a runaway school boy covered in the life-blood of his unsavory form-master, who erupted unheralded into Joe Sandiland's life and who might or might not be his son!
Also, we have the return of Dorcas Joliffe, after an absence of seven years, during which time she has definitely grown up, gained a University education, caught the fond attention of several government big wigs and all by 21! And while I have long anticipated a romance between Joe & Dorcas (when she came of age,) I certainly did NOT expect it to be a casual, rushed, throw-away scene served up ice-cold on the very last page of this book! It was an insult to readers who deserve a more developed, explained and delightful experience rather than this hole-in-the-corner embarrassment!
After all these complaints, why the four-star rating you ask? I would have given this book a rating of 3.5 if possible, but since it's not allowed on the Goodreads scale, I have rounded up rather than down. And the reason for this is that Barbara Cleverly still remains an engaging writer and I'd rather read her on a bad day than many other writers on their best day!
I wish that the book had instead followed through on the original premise of a runaway school boy covered in the life-blood of his unsavory form-master, who erupted unheralded into Joe Sandiland's life and who might or might not be his son!
Also, we have the return of Dorcas Joliffe, after an absence of seven years, during which time she has definitely grown up, gained a University education, caught the fond attention of several government big wigs and all by 21! And while I have long anticipated a romance between Joe & Dorcas (when she came of age,) I certainly did NOT expect it to be a casual, rushed, throw-away scene served up ice-cold on the very last page of this book! It was an insult to readers who deserve a more developed, explained and delightful experience rather than this hole-in-the-corner embarrassment!
After all these complaints, why the four-star rating you ask? I would have given this book a rating of 3.5 if possible, but since it's not allowed on the Goodreads scale, I have rounded up rather than down. And the reason for this is that Barbara Cleverly still remains an engaging writer and I'd rather read her on a bad day than many other writers on their best day!
November 19, 2012
I'm usually a big fan of Sandilands, and while that hasn't changed much, I'm finding I'm having less fun reading about his adventures.
The mystery here is in two parts - a teacher's death at a prep school and then a more sinister conspiracy involving that prep school. Sandilands, of course, is in charge of uncovering the conspiracy, which he does, but with more luck than with skill .
Beyond the talk of eugenics and the coming Nazi problems, the thing that made me cringe was the ending and the (possible) budding romance between Sandilands and Dorcas. Really - not only is he old enough to be her father, he's known her since she was little. Maybe they haven't seen each other for seven years, but still - yuck!
The mystery here is in two parts - a teacher's death at a prep school and then a more sinister conspiracy involving that prep school. Sandilands, of course, is in charge of uncovering the conspiracy, which he does, but with more luck than with skill .
Beyond the talk of eugenics and the coming Nazi problems, the thing that made me cringe was the ending and the (possible) budding romance between Sandilands and Dorcas. Really - not only is he old enough to be her father, he's known her since she was little. Maybe they haven't seen each other for seven years, but still - yuck!
April 22, 2016
This was just not to my taste. Cleverly has succeeded in creating the atmosphere of many British mysteries of the 20s and 30s -- posh protagonist, plot development through dialogue rather than action, posh setting, sterling good guys who pal together to solve a dastardly crime, posh paranoia. It's certainly perfectly all right to like that kind of story, but I don't and just thought I'd warn people who share my tastes. I did give it a chance; I gave up after about 150 pages.
June 12, 2017
Although I like this series a lot, this was not one of my favorites. I was so delighted to see Dorcas back as a character, and glad to have here as part of Joe's life again, but the whole premise of the mystery of the vanished schoolboys just seemed a little silly.
March 5, 2017
Excellent. Well-drawn characters, believable plot.
March 4, 2018
For some reason this book lagged for me about halfway through, but the characters kept my interest.
October 28, 2024
It is London in 1933. Joe Sandilands is Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard. One evening while his sister is visiting him, he gets a call from a young boy who says he is Jackie Drummond. He claims he is Joe's nephew and he has taken the train from his boarding school in Sussex to London.
Joe picks him up at the station and keeps him overnight. Jackie tells Joe and his sister, Lydia, that he is in trouble. A teacher at his school has been murdered and he thinks he is responsible. Joe asks for help from his supervisor at the Yard. When he arrives for the meeting, he realizes the situation is much more serious than he felt; a group of high officials meet with him. He learns that particular school has been under review for a while.
It seems that several boys have gone missing from the school over a period of years. The boys are all from wealthy families. What is frightening is that none of the families have ever followed up on what happened to their sons.
Joe and Lydia travel to her home as it is on the way to the school. Dorcas, a young woman, invites herself along on the trip to the school. There they meet with a new teacher, George Gosling, who is trying to look into the situation. He is working for another division.
Joe, Dorcas and George find the whole situation as a big mystery. They are joined by Police Chief Martin at the school as they all attempt to unravel the mystery.
The unwinding story turns out to be very sad one.
Joe picks him up at the station and keeps him overnight. Jackie tells Joe and his sister, Lydia, that he is in trouble. A teacher at his school has been murdered and he thinks he is responsible. Joe asks for help from his supervisor at the Yard. When he arrives for the meeting, he realizes the situation is much more serious than he felt; a group of high officials meet with him. He learns that particular school has been under review for a while.
It seems that several boys have gone missing from the school over a period of years. The boys are all from wealthy families. What is frightening is that none of the families have ever followed up on what happened to their sons.
Joe and Lydia travel to her home as it is on the way to the school. Dorcas, a young woman, invites herself along on the trip to the school. There they meet with a new teacher, George Gosling, who is trying to look into the situation. He is working for another division.
Joe, Dorcas and George find the whole situation as a big mystery. They are joined by Police Chief Martin at the school as they all attempt to unravel the mystery.
The unwinding story turns out to be very sad one.
November 7, 2020
1933 ~ Almost ten years old Jackie Drummond's 'phone call to Sandilands at 9 o'clock on a Friday night from Victoria Railway Station where he ended up after running away from his boarding school (St. Magnus School in Sussex)... set in motion an investigation on past disappearances of boys considered 'unfit' and did not measure up to the school's certain criteria... it was the culling of the the Empire's future leaders and upstanding citizens that would secure England's future mirroring Hitler's efforts of a super race by arbitrarily getting rid of the Jews and other 'inferior' races as well as dissenters of his megalomaniacal schemes. Jackie was Nancy Drummond's son and the fruit of her selfish manipulation to get Sandilands into a sanctioned adultery with her though Joe was willing enough (in 1922 The Last Kashmiri Rose ~ Book 1). Nancy denied Joe's paternity citing her obvious present pregnancy by her own husband thus negating the possibility of Jackie being a Sandilands. Well, she lied before plus she would have feared that that Joe would put a claim on his son. Another good one.
August 4, 2022
Cleverly is a new author to me and having read this I will definitely be looking for more of her books. The story begins when police detective Joe Sandilands receives a telephone call from a young boy named Jackie who might be his illegitimate son. Jackie shockingly tells him that he has run away from boarding school after killing a teacher. Fortunately, Joe does not believe the child capable of murder and is assigned the case but things are far more complicated than they at first seem especially when a young boys begin to disappear.
This really was a super read. Rather far-fetched and sensational in places but if read with a forgiving eye, this only adds to the drama and fun of the plot. There is a good deal of humour especially in the dialogue between characters which really lifted the mood of what might have become a quite serious and gritty novel due to the subject matter. Although, technically classed as a police procedural, I’d say this had a very satisfyingly golden-age feel and with a touch of romance at the end, what’s not to love? Highly recommend.
This really was a super read. Rather far-fetched and sensational in places but if read with a forgiving eye, this only adds to the drama and fun of the plot. There is a good deal of humour especially in the dialogue between characters which really lifted the mood of what might have become a quite serious and gritty novel due to the subject matter. Although, technically classed as a police procedural, I’d say this had a very satisfyingly golden-age feel and with a touch of romance at the end, what’s not to love? Highly recommend.
November 3, 2017
Another winner from Barbara Cleverly. This is Book #10 of the Joe Sandilands mysteries. Because of the end of the book, I'm thinking that Joe may be making an entirely different shift in his work.
This book was about what happened to nine lost boys who dissappeared from the school which his "nephew" Jackie Drummond attends. There were some strange events going on in the school, and Joe, and the superintendent Martin, begin an investigation. The nine boys that went missing were about the same age, and scattered over a period of 10 to 15 years.
As Joe and Martin, along with Joe's friend Dorcas, and Mr. Gosling who is one of the head teachers at the, form a team and begin to find out about the nine lost boys, they begin to uncover the truth.
I don't want to spoil this book for others.
This book was about what happened to nine lost boys who dissappeared from the school which his "nephew" Jackie Drummond attends. There were some strange events going on in the school, and Joe, and the superintendent Martin, begin an investigation. The nine boys that went missing were about the same age, and scattered over a period of 10 to 15 years.
As Joe and Martin, along with Joe's friend Dorcas, and Mr. Gosling who is one of the head teachers at the, form a team and begin to find out about the nine lost boys, they begin to uncover the truth.
I don't want to spoil this book for others.
January 28, 2023
Not My Blood by Barbara Cleverly is the 10th book of the Joe Sandilands mystery series set in 1933 England. Jackie Drummond shows up on Joe Sandilands' doorstep one night. A total shock: Joe realizes Jackie is his son. Jackie fled his Sussex boarding school in terror - he discovered a murdered teacher, and he's the prime suspect. Joe discovers a deeper mystery at the school: students have gone missing through the decades. He's chilled to realize Jackie was the next boy planned to be "sent away for treatment".
Dorcas makes a welcome return to the series! She is key to unraveling the complex web of treachery. She's been on a research project, and has knowledge that completely reveals the true nature of a secret society. A bit tedious that the intrigue has political repercussions to the top levels of government, but it's mostly an interesting mystery, with a few suspenseful scenes.
Dorcas makes a welcome return to the series! She is key to unraveling the complex web of treachery. She's been on a research project, and has knowledge that completely reveals the true nature of a secret society. A bit tedious that the intrigue has political repercussions to the top levels of government, but it's mostly an interesting mystery, with a few suspenseful scenes.
August 18, 2021
1933. Joe is surprised to receive a call from young Jackie Drummond, the son of friends in India. Jackie's father had given him Joe's phone number in case of emergency; and when the boy decided he had to run away from school, he headed for London — and Joe. But this isn't the only surprise in store for Joe, as Jackie is not the first boy to disappear from St. Magnus. With the help of Dorcas, now a psychology student, and some colleagues, Joe discovers a very disturbing trend. Fascinating and hard to put down, but also, at times, distressing. Recommended.
February 24, 2022
This book gets high marks. At first it is a bit confusing if you are unfamiliar with the British School system in the 1930s. An investigation of the mysterious disappearance and deaths of school boys over
the years ensues. Along the way the discussion of eugenics and medical experimentation of the poor and other races becomes an integral part of the story. Take note this is at the beginning of Hitler's rise to power. Highly recommend. I must admit I enjoy British novels.
the years ensues. Along the way the discussion of eugenics and medical experimentation of the poor and other races becomes an integral part of the story. Take note this is at the beginning of Hitler's rise to power. Highly recommend. I must admit I enjoy British novels.
June 20, 2021
I have enjoyed the Joe Sandilands series from its beginnings in India to 1933 in England. The title has a double meaning concerning Joe's own history and the rise of Hitler and "blood inheritance". The answer to the mystery is very dark, but I recommend this book and series. Kristi & Abby Tabby
January 11, 2024
Started out well but, for me, it dragged a bit in the middle, picked up later on but went off in a direction I wasn’t expecting. For quite a while I couldn’t figure out if Martin and Gosling were good guys or not. I didn’t realize this was the 10th in a series, or I might have preferred to start at the beginning. Favourite character was Joe!
July 12, 2019
Honestly, this was a terrible book. The mystery was inconsistent and sensationalist. Did it need to be about eugenics and euthanasia and did there have to be a murder for hire plot as well as someone raped in the past? It was just pure mess. I hated everyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2019
I liked this book even better than the Inspector Redfyre books I've read. This one deals with eugenics in 1930s England. I am going to have to ask the library to get audiobook versions of the previous Sandilands books in the series.
August 12, 2023
Was a little disappointed with this one. It seemed as though it would be a better movie than a book. The British manner of speaking is hard to read, and a bit easier to understand if seeing facial expressions.
Also was a bit drawn out.
Also was a bit drawn out.
November 3, 2017
Good story with historical disgusting thinking!
Very clever plotting. Covers popular ideas of the times (An d probably still today) that people don't talk about openly.
Very clever plotting. Covers popular ideas of the times (An d probably still today) that people don't talk about openly.
December 5, 2017
boy in english boarding school- teacher murdered- good but not gread
July 26, 2018
great series
August 8, 2019
long and discouraging
October 17, 2019
Enjoyable book about an old time boarding school in England (in the 30's) and the mysterious happenings at the school.
November 13, 2019
Joe Sandilands is an interesting character and the stories are always engrossing.
May 25, 2021
Enjoy the Sandilands series but this isn't one of my favourites. And I'm not sure I like where his personal life is heading...
May 2, 2022
Interesting time setting and murders in the past and present, but I felt there were too many digressions and conversations.
August 13, 2023
This is an outstanding entrant in the Joe Sandilands series. i highly recommend it. Difficult to summarize without spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews