Blood Related

by William Cook

For over two decades, Detective Ray Truman has been searching for the killer, or killers, who have terrorized Portvale. Headless corpses, their bodies mutilated and posed, have been turning up all over the industrial district near the docks. Young female prostitutes had been the killer's victims of choice, but now other districts are reporting the gruesome discovery of decapitated bodies. It seems the killer has expanded his territory as more 'nice girls' feel the wrath of his terrible rage.

Meet the Cunninghams... A family bound by evil and the blood they have spilled. The large lodging-house they live in and operate on Artaud Avenue reeks of death, and the sins that remain trapped beneath the floorboards.

Ray Truman's search for a killer leads him to the Cunningham's house of horrors. What he finds there will ultimately lead him to regret ever meeting Caleb Cunningham and the deviant family that spawned him. The hunter becomes the hunted, as Truman digs deeper into the abyss that is the horrifying mind of the most dangerous psychopath he has ever met.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Serial Killer, Crime, Psychological Thriller, True Crime, Dark

428 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2012

About the author

William Cook was born and raised in New Zealand and is the author of the popular Psychological Thriller, 'Blood Related.' He is also the author of two non-fiction books: 'Gaze Into The Abyss: The Poetry of Jim Morrison' and 'Secrets of Best-Selling Self-Published Authors.'

He has also written many short stories that have appeared in anthologies and has authored two short-story collections ('Dreams of Thanatos' & 'Death Quartet') and two collections of poetry ('Journey: the search for something' & 'Corpus Delicti'). William writes Psychological Thrillers mostly, but also dabbles in Horror Fiction and, more recently, Non-Fiction.

He is currently hard at work on a sequel to his Psychological Thriller, 'Blood Related,' a second volume of 'Secrets of Best-Selling Self-Published Authors' and an exciting new Pulp Thriller Series all due out in 2016. Stay tuned!

William loves to stay in touch with his readers and interact on social media. You can find him via the following links:

Email: williamcookauthor@gmail.com
Twitter: @williamcook666
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WilliamCookW...

Grab a free copy of William's 250 pg collection, 'Dreams of Thanatos.' Sign up now for the VIP newsletter at: http://williamcookwriter.com/p/subscr... (just copy and paste into your browser).

His work has been praised by Graham Masterton, Joe McKinney, Billie Sue Mosiman, Anna Taborska, Rocky Wood and many other notable writers and editors. William is also the editor of the anthology 'Fresh Fear: Contemporary Horror,' published by James Ward Kirk Fiction.

Member of the Australian Horror Writers Association, SpecFicNZ & the SFFANZ.


"This man is simply scary. There is both a clinical thoroughness and a heartfelt emotional thoroughness to his writing. He manages to shock as well as empathize, to scare as well as acclimatize, yet beneath it all is a well read intelligence that demands to be engaged. I loved Blood Related. Ordinarily I hate serial killer stories, but William Cook won me over. He is a unique and innovative talent."
- Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Dog Days

"William Cook tells a gruesome story with a sense of authenticity that makes you question with considerable unease if it really is fiction, after all."
- Graham Masterton, author of The Manitou and Descendant

Reviews

[Angela DeSilva · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems to run in the family, thus the fitting title Blood Related! This is the story of Charlie and Caleb Cunningham a pair of brothers, twins in fact, who are sadistic prolific serial killers like their father and grandfather were. Ray Truman is the cop who is determined to bring them to justice whatever the cost. I really liked this book. It is fascinating with all the news reports and interviews interspersed within. Its very descriptive, great writing. This is not for the faint hearted, as the kill scenes are very gory and gruesome. This is a psychotic family of brutal killers. I enjoyed the author's style and will be searching out more of his work.

[Marie]

Oh well......another book added to my "dnf" shelf.

This book just didn't work for me at all though the blurb makes it sound really good as it has lots of killing with slice and dice action, but the story reads like a journal. The story centers around a family of killers which consists of a mother and father with their two sons.

One of the sons is telling the story of what happened with his family being killers and what he has done himself as a killer. But most of the story is told through his thoughts and sometimes there is confusion within the storyline (at least for me) with the son's thought processes as it bounces around.

I don't like staying confused within a story and I thought it would get better as it went along, but I tried up to near 48% and that is long enough for me as normally if I am not feeling anything by the 30% mark I will usually put the book down. Also since this is a "dnf" I won't be rating the review as I don't usually rate books I don't finish. Some people might like this type of story and how it is presented, but it is just not for me.


Note: I thought I would put a "note" on this review for readers. This book says I read it 4 times when in fact I did not. Goodreads has three different books by this author combined as one edition. When I click on "other editions" three other books by this author come up under the "other editions" tab. Maybe a Goodreads tech will see this review and fix the problem, but I thought I would point it out so other readers would know if they decide to pick up this book to read. When I went to do my review I had four date starts and date finish, but there is no way to remove the other dates as it does not give that option, so I am stuck with it I suppose.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a violent, abusive and dysfunctional couple who’s two twin boys both turn out to be brutal, sadistic and completely deranged psychopathic serial killers.

Lots of good action with a decent storyline, although things do appear to become mixed-up and quite confusing at times. Plenty of great ideas that you would come to expect from such a story but on the reverse side of the coin also just a bit too convenient, predictable and rather unbelievable, which didn’t quite fit for me. The ending when it came was cleverly built up into being something really special to remember but unfortunately it seemed to fizzle out a little and I found the logic behind some of the last moments quite difficult to accept, bearing in mind earlier events described within the story.

Lots of highlights to really enjoy but had the potential to be even better.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what I would think of this story since the description begins with telling us about the detective on the hunt for a killer. I am usually not a big fan of detective stories, but this book gets right to the heart of the matter. The killers and what makes them tick
Charlie and Caleb Cunningham are bad apples that didn't fall far from their twisted family tree. Like their daddy and his daddy before him. Fans of horror and thrillers alike should enjoy this well written and gory tale, I was up all night reading this one.
Be warned it is quite graphic!

I received a complimentary copy for review.

[Marianne Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this gory, disturbing, creepy novel! William Cook weaves a highly detailed, well-researched tale about a family of serial killers, giving us chilling insight into the deranged minds of evil twins Caleb and Charlie.

While reading it, I remember telling my husband that sometimes I couldn't tell whose point of view I was experiencing. Some reviewers see this as a flaw, but to me, it was very disorienting and scary, in a positive way. Wouldn't it make sense for twins' psyches to be intertwined? I don't know if Mr. Cook did this intentionally, but it really worked to amp-up the psycho factor.

If you enjoy this kind of stuff, you can't find another combination of psychology, gore, and horror quite like it. Can't wait for the sequel!!!

[Simon Critchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and disturbing read

In Blood Related, William Cook takes his readers on a journey into the lives and minds of people that are so depraved and evil that by the end of it you can't help but be grateful he chose the pen over any other means of expressing the darkness that visits him. He has studied his subject and understands the nasty world he paints. He uses his knowledge to take you as uncomfortably close as you'd ever want to go into the realm of the serial killer ... Any closer and you'd probably end up in several plastic bags in a landfill!

[William Malmborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nurture or nature? Anyone involved in such a debate would probably have a hard time pinning an answer to this question when concerning the Cunningham twins Charlie and Caleb. Brought up by abusive parents, one of whom is a savage serial killer that often encouraged his children to take part in his horrible crimes; one could easily argue that the two were nurtured into the monsters they eventually become. At the same time it’s hard to say nature didn’t play a part because how else could one explain the generational bloodlust the Cunningham family displays, bloodlust that seems to have begun with Charlie and Caleb’s grandfather? Whatever the cause, the result is a pair of psychotic serial killers who show no empathy for their fellow human beings; serial killers who actually view themselves as separated and on a higher plane of existence than mankind and thus entitled to do whatever they wish to them.

As noted above, it begins early on for the twins, usually with over the top physical punishments that would easily knock any sense of goodness from within the mind of a growing child. After that came the introduction to murder as their father brought female victims back to the basement and allowed his children to watch and sometimes take part in the torture and eventual slaying of the captive or captives. However, the act of murder was not limited to the basement or even the house. Lacking any control on his impulses, their father will also sometimes commit murder while the family is out and about, a situation that then calls for disposable of evidence and the cleaning up of the crime scene. Such moments are a ‘hands on’ learning experience for Caleb and Charlie, one that will prove invaluable later in life as each matures into individual serial killers. Of course this isn’t to say suspicion isn’t leveled on the father. The local police -- and one man in particular -- are pretty sure the father is responsible for the crimes, ones that eventually become attributed to a killer known as the Dockside Ripper. Being able to nail him down as the Dockside Ripper, however, isn’t easy, which in turn allows the body count, and the education of two budding serial killers, to grow.

Of the twins, Caleb seems the most level headed, which in turn makes him the scarier of the two when it comes to the two serial killers. That said, Caleb does have some impulse control issues just like his father, which sometimes causes close calls with the police. At one point it also puts him in conflict with his brother due to the slaying of a young woman that Charlie wanted to keep alive, his desire to cause chaos and the eventual breakdown of civilization leading to a different type of torture and murder than what Caleb usually takes part it. The question is will the two be able to work together to the end that Charlie wants, while also allowing for Caleb’s desires to be realized, or will the two come into such conflict that they destroy each other. Also, will the detective obsessed with their family and the savagery it displays be able to put an end to their reign of terror, or will he just become another victim?

Mostly told from the point of view of Caleb, but also occasionally from some of the other individuals within the story, Blood Related by William Cook is a wonderfully twisted tale of two serial killers who have no redeeming value whatsoever, yet are somehow fun to read about. In fact, not only are they fun to read about, but at times you find yourself actually rooting for them, which can be very unsettling. Equally unsettling is the disgust one starts to feel toward the father and Charlie, yet not toward Caleb despite his being just as ruthless as the other two. Adding to the story and its authentic feel were the newspaper accounts, books segments, and clinical observations layered throughout the story, all of which had the feel of being real documents one would find in such media forms. Having seen and used these types of documents in the real world when studying such subjects in school, I can honestly say the author nailed it when penning his own, and had I read them as part of a case-study I would have assumed them to be genuine. I also would have been horrified to know that two such killers had done the things they did for as long as they did, and that a family had had produced three generations of serial killers.

Needless to say, I found Blood Related to be an excellent read, one by an author who hopefully will be releasing more works in the near future. Until then readers will have to keep their bloodlust sated with the tale of Caleb Cunningham and his twin brother Charlie. I promise, if this type of story is your thing you will not be disappointed.

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one started confusing, like a jumbled diary entry from an unreliable narrator. That smoothed out, and then it turned into a tale of a violent father, a murderer, and a very brutal person. It showed how both of his sons turned into their dad, essentially. The downside was that they were mental. So the story was chopped up, and like I said originally, unreliable. When he was dreaming, everything became even more confusing.
Ultimately, the story ends with a cop that had it bad for the family and wanted to bring the last living family members down.
I almost DNf'ed this book at about 75%. In all honestly, I skimmed the last 10%. Either I'm in a funk, or it was the book, but it wasn't really for me

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me to dark places and on that journey I met some characters with permanent scar tissue upon their psyche. Characters who could indeed make for an interesting study into what makes a man do what he does and where the boundaries of humanity begins and ends. Written with a fresh new style that I found demanded my full attention and concentration to milk every single brilliant moment out of the text. This is not a light, skim-through book, this is a book for serious readers and will appeal to lovers of horror, serial killer chillers, psychological thrillers and darker themes. A book for more mature readers due to the nature of the content within.

If you don't mind spending long periods of time inside the mind of depraved and damaged killers then step on the journey with me that is Blood Related as we meet and get to know two exceptional brothers neither of whom I would want to meet or know in a million years. Extremely fascinating however and characters that suck you in to their worlds even though you kind of know you don't want to go there.

Meet the Cunninghams . . .
A family bound by evil and the blood they have spilled. The large lodging-house they live in and operate on Artaud Avenue reeks of death and the sins that remain trapped beneath the floorboards.

Meet Caleb Cunningham . . .
Caleb is a disturbed young man whose violent father is a suspected serial killer and mother, an insane alcoholic. After his Father’s suicide, Cunningham’s disturbing fantasy-life becomes reality as he begins his killing spree in earnest. His identical twin brother is to be released from an asylum and all hell is about to break loose when the brothers combine their psychopathic talents. Eventually stepping out from the shadows of his murderous forebears, Caleb puts in motion his own diabolical plan to reveal himself and his ‘art’ to the world. He’s a true aesthete. An artist of death. His various ‘installations’ have not received the status he feels they deserve, so Caleb is expanding his ‘canvas.’

The house is a creepy atmospheric and evil place, behind closed doors and thick walls dysfunctional lives were born and blood and screams fill the pore of this ugly, disturbing building. Cooke does a fantastic job of building up the world that Caleb and Charlie hunt in whilst at the same time showing how the men were created to become who they are today. At times it is as though the house is a living breathing person, holding great influence over these two depraved evil young man.

With a spree of serial killings baffling the city one tenacious Detective has his eyes and ears on the Cunningham brothers, the town is disturbed by the heinous nature of the murders and the methodology used to snuff out precious life. He keeps reaching but can't quite touch them. The book has a dark and steady-fast paced plot, there is not a boring moment in the book and whilst reading it I was in a constant state of tension, knowing next something awful could be thrown up at me to process, and often there was. It was not a relaxed read but a book I was fully engaged with trying to put the pieces together whilst analysing the two brothers left me with a big headache and a need for a lot of Lucozade.

There is so much more I can say. Blood Related is a special book, written with great depth and without fear. William Cook has created a novel that is pitched as a Psychological Thriller which I would put in the horror category also as it darkly crosses over. An intriguing book that I won't forget in a hurry and has landed itself a place on my long-list for best books of 2016. Sublime.

I received a copy of this novel with thanks from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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[Pheebz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a GREAT psychological thriller.Unfortunately, I feel like I need some brain disinfectant after swimming in the depraved brain of a multiple serial killer family. Mr. Cook did a phenomenal job with the genealogy of this badly damaged family and drawing the reader a believable chart of how the sins of the father does indeed actually affect the son's in some cases.How depravity,alcohol,mental illness, and abuse perpetuates itself. This book is brilliantly written with attention to detail.
To understand the Cunningham twins Caleb & Charlie, you must take a look at the father Errol and grandfather.The dysfunction within the family and how being exposed to atrocities at a young age imprints on the young mind and forms who we become just as much as genetics.
Errol Wieland Cunningham was born in 1953 to an abusive father who owned a Manufacturing plant in Portvale, his mother who eventually committed Suicide.Errol had many occupations in his time A Solder, for three years until he was discharged due to a mental breakdown. Landlord after his father left his a large Mansion like house, on Artaud Avenue, turned into a boarding house renting out rooms for a passive income,real estate investor,a mechanic, cabbie and construction specialist. He met his wife Vera in 1973 the mother of the boys and an alcoholic, shortly after he inherited the house.Yet even with his wealth 1 million dollars of assets, he chose to live in squalor.Errol had a difficult time adjusting to civilians life and was in and out of hospitals and mental institutions for attempted suicide.Years later Errol succeeded in 1997 he died just short of the twins 21st Birthday, after being under increasing police and media scrutiny as being the "Dockside Ripper" a serial killer. Five years after his death the killings re-started. The range of the killings were more spread out beyond just the local area.
Caleb & Charlie Cunningham, twin boys.POV is from Caleb, although he has a diabolical plan of his own he is forced into helping Charlie with his master plan. Charlie is deeply disturbed and has spent a good deal of his life in jail and mental institutions. Vera is still a drunk and living on the top floor of the Boardinghouse while Caleb lives in the basement and has a secret place he goes. Charlie also lives in the home when he is not incarcerated.
Though Caleb's grandfather and father were also serial killers, Caleb thinks of himself as an artist.Charlie also shares this sickness, he is more of the enforcer type.
The atmosphere of the Boarding house has not changed much over the years. It houses the depraved and forgotten people of society.The prostitutes and drug dealers.
Now meet Officer Ray Truman a good man and by the book detective. He was a young man and knew Errol was the Dockside Ripper even though he couldn't get the charges to stick. His strong suspicions and dislike of the Cunningham family long before he lost his family in a brutal way. He vows to take down Caleb if it is the last thing he does.
This is a must read book ,Mr.Cook is a masterful Author and has a diverse portfolio, if you haven't read any of his work ...treat yourself if you like dark twisted fiction and horror.

[Colleen Wanglund · Rating 4 out of 5]

BLOOD RELATED
By William Cook
(2012 Black Bed Sheet Books; Tp 323 pgs; Kindle Edition 554 KB)

Caleb and Charlie Cunningham are twin brothers who each inherited a serial killer pathology. Their father was a suspected serial killer and their mother was insane, a drunk, and possibly an accomplice. After Charlie goes to prison and their father commits suicide, the full truth of the Cunningham’s legacy begins to present itself and Caleb’s turns his bloody fantasies into reality.
BLOOD RELATED is told primarily from the point of view of Caleb in the form of journal entries given to a forensic psychiatrist who handled Charlie’s case. There are also news stories and police reports to support Caleb’s claims about his family. The story is graphic and the brothers are violent and relentless, although at times I found myself wanting to like Caleb. The characters are well-developed and tremendously disturbed. William Cook has written a frightening story that poses the question “is it nature or nurture that determines the birth of a serial killer?” The only issue I had with the book was that at times I was confused as to the time line of events. Other than that, I highly recommend BLOOD RELATED, unless you are a bit on the squeamish side. I would definitely categorize the book as extreme horror.

[Neil Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

For much of the book, Blood Related reads like a True Crime story, or one of those serial killer documentaries on satellite, just one hell of a lot more gory and explicit! William Cook has written a detailed and vivid account of a family of killers and the policeman chasing them across the generations. The attention to background detail is impressive and the murder scenes both gruesome and riveting. The only things stopping it getting a 5-star rating from me are a slow opening, sometimes confusing shifts of perspective and moves from 1st person to 3rd and a noticeable lack of dialogue. That said, the lack of dialogue does add to the earlier mentioned feel of True Crime about the whole book so maybe that shouldn't be a criticism. If you like your serial killers gory, crazy and believable then Blood Related is for you.

[Lori Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, was so engrossing I literally couldn't put it down, I read it in 2 days. I found it an excellent story with quite chilling attention to detail, I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who likes a little bit of a bone chiller!!

[Amanda Ruzsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good toxic family tale and this one definitely hit the mark. It is brutal and beautiful and broken, and not at all what you expect at times. This book delves into the life of the third consecutive serial killer to be born to his family line. Cook skillfully brings a painstaking inside look into his complex upbringing as first a victim and then a killer, facing vast emotional trauma and struggles with mental illness, laying out just how deeply generational trauma can spread. The shifts in format and POV add to the cold reality this story brings to the table. I find myself again questioning nature vs nurture, and when a book does this, it’s special. This book gives you such a closeness to the characters, their pain their fear their rage their hate their sad… you can relate … I definitely recommend this book. I read it in a day. 😅

[Vincenzo Bilof · Rating 5 out of 5]

The serial killer genre must be one of the most difficult to write about. Considering that so much research has been devoted to our understanding of these monstrous people who live among us, the killer is not mysterious. We're fascinated by the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes; the killers are granted immortality by the media and our own innate desire to peer into the darkness of the human heart and mind. How can such monsters exist?

William Cook's presentation of a family of murderers, most notably the twin brothers Caleb and Charlie, is a chronicle that charts the evolution (or de-evolution) of a killer's psyche. There is a plot in this novel, or rather, a series of events that result in the book's conclusion (no spoilers here). A revolutionary plot on the manic scale of Charles Manson, a damaged family unit that has been depicted in classic horror films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House of 1000 Corpses, and the downward spiral of the novel's "good guy" all illustrate the environmental conditions which create such monstrosities. Cook may not necessarily allow for a "nature versus nurture" argument here, as he also creates biological and spiritual rationale for Caleb and Charlie's derangements. Cook did very thorough research, no cause behind the madness unexplored.

There are several scenes that may have been more effective if the reader was given a chance to "see" rather than be "told," however, within the greater framework of the novel, which is rather extensive, one can argue that Cook's method only underscore the madness within: there are buckets of gore amid several grotesque mutilations, but all of them are very casually described. Whether from the perspective of a killer who wallows in bloodlust or from files and reports that summarize the grisly murder scenes, the detachment of the prose from the massacre mirrors the mental state of the characters. Descriptions are hardly tense, but rather matter-of-fact.

Grievances with this novel are based on personal preference. As with many serial killer stories, there is a severe lack of an endearing female character. From the perspective of Caleb and Charlie, this is acceptable because it appropriately conveys their worldview; however, I would have liked to see a character contrast with their dark, grimy world. One might argue that a doctor that appears within the pages is this contrast, and the argument is acceptable. In addition, I found some of the information near the end of the novel to be a bit anti-climactic.

Cook knows his material. The contemporary standard for a serial killer novel is, in my opinion, American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis. The fact that I can measure Blood Related against this standard suggests that Cook has accomplished what few writers can with the serial killer story. I've seen Blood Related appear on a few "Best of" lists; I expect Cook to receive accolades for this novel, and future endeavors.

[Book Lovers Never Go to Bed Alone · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Cook’s Blood Related delves into the mind and dark psychology of a serial killer named Caleb Cunningham. The story centers around Cunningham and his family who have all been connected to a series of brutal murders over a number of years. The story begins with a psychiatric overview and then progresses to Caleb’s version of events.

The format of the narrative is interesting in that it makes not two shifts, but several. The first chapter is a first-person perspective from a court appointed psychiatrist. Through her, we get a very rough overview of the Cunninghams. We learn that there are twin brothers, both deeply psychotic and sinister. The psychiatrist examines Charlie during the course of a trial, but then becomes heavily involved with Caleb. We learn that Caleb is the true monster and the bulk of the narrative then becomes Caleb’s diaries, journals, and psychiatric sessions. Later chapters shift again to a series of newspaper articles giving the reader a final summary of the events that Caleb’s first-person account misses. The novel closes with a series of letters from Caleb explaining his motives and leaving the reader and his doctor with a cryptic goodbye.

Caleb’s story is fairly straightforward. Abused as a child, he’s described as “evil,” “one of the most dangerous men alive,” and the like. Cook’s writing is fluid and descriptive, but Caleb’s exploits take on mythological proportions as the story progresses. Cook goes to great length in his research of abnormal psychology. He skillfully uses the terminology and psychiatric evaluations to create an authentic element to the narrative. Caleb’s excesses are in stark contrast to the realism in other areas and it’s a jarring juxtaposition at times.

As a study in dark psychology, Blood Related is an interesting tale. Cook does an excellent job grappling with the disturbed mind. Psychiatry struggles with the abnormal that goes beyond the human comprehension of evil. Cook takes on the challenge of this struggle and handles it well. A more subtle handling of Caleb’s story would have added a great deal to the psychological framework. Definitely worth a read for the insight into a twisted mind.

Originally published at Horror Novel Reviews

[T.W. Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Related by William Cook has a lot of really good things going for it. The pace is steady throughout and you really do feel like you have stepped through the "John Malkovich" portal into the mind of a very bad person. I like that the writer took chances throughout his story and made his central figure a bonafide sociopath. Too often there is an attempt to try and make the reader feel pity for a character telling the story of how they became a depraved killer. At no point do you feel that for Charlie or his twin. (Yes, you get two for the price of one in this story.)

The Cunninghams are peeled back a layer at a time here and there is little to nothing redeeming about any member of the family. The story is delivered almost in a True Crime mode complete with newspaper articles which add to the realness the reader gets while reading this tale.

There were a few points that I need to address. The over use of the comma is something I have suffered from myself as a writer and Mr. Cook needs to dial back about half. There were times that I found them distracting due to their overuse. For the most part the story was clean, only a few typos. Above average is how I would rate the cleanliness of this book. As for the ending, I think I understand what he was trying to do, but it felt like he could have either done away with the last few entries, or perhaps sprinkled them through the main story as a foreshadow. All tacked on to the ending made it almost anti-climactic.

Overall, I would say that Blood Related by William Cook might not be everybody's cup of tea, but it will satisfy those who like to visit the dark recesses of the human mind.

[Wesley Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superbly sick and twisted horror novel that delves into a dark psyche!

We have a very rough-around-the-edges family. A serial killer for a father, drunk for a mother, and twin boys who witness more than any child should.
This book details the horrific things people do to each other and how it mentally and emotionally affects others.

I was completely glued to the pages throughout this book. William Cook clearly does a lot of research when creating his characters and the storylines. It goes far beyond blood, gore and cheap thrills. The kind of horror within these pages will haunt your mind for years to come. The description of these disturbed individuals will send chills down your spine.

This book’s appeal knows no bounds. It has obvious elements of horror. Then a huge criminal element as a detective tries to take down this messed up family. Then as we are on the edge of our seat at several times throughout this novel, there comes a thriller element. And last but not least, a huge psychological theme runs throughout. We are shown, in graphic detail, the darkness that dwells in certain people’s minds.

I do urge the more sensitive readers among us to head for the hills. This book is unnerving on many levels. Not to mention the gruesome murders and vivid depictions of those murders.

I loved how the book was written as if a true crime novel. The style made it all the more enthralling.

Overall, an epic horror/crime/ thriller/psychological novel that stands out from the rest. It will haunt your mind, leave you gasping in terror, but morbidly unable to stop reading the unthinkable massacre.

[McNatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book of this genre I have ever read and will be my last. The hedge trimmer on pubescent breasts disturbed me early on and I struggled to enjoy the multiple stabbing, rape, torture, necrophilia, decapitation and ceremonial disembowlment that followed.

The protagonist Caleb literally gets away with blue murder repeatedly throughout the book which is thrilling, although his sadistic exploits made me feel nauseous. The protagonists brother Charlie in one scene places a pen in the ear of woman before stomping on it, then stabs her multiple times and curls up to sleep next to the bloody corpse. This detracted from my enjoyment of the novel, I can understand serial killing, rape and murder, but a few scenes like this, i felt were written to purely shock the reader and to push boundaries rather than follow predictable human behaviour. The story is generally well written and follows an intriguing plot.

[Newbee (JoAnn) Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book... I really enjoyed it. Well writen and keeps you on the edge... Double lucked my doors and kept all the lights on!

First I'd like to say that I enjoyed the way the story was put together. Very well writen,flows well,easy to read and keep up with the people. Great job! Now with that said: I've added more locks to the doors. Nailed the windows shut. Adopted a big dog. Hang a sign out front " beware of snakes and other exotic animals". Loaded rifle by the front door. Loaded shot gun by the back door. Added base ball bats in each room. And placed my peril handle darenger under my pillow!

Yep, I'm ready for the next book!

[PJ Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a deeply disturbing psychological thriller, extremely descriptive yet without the need for graphic violence being shown . The insight into the mind of a psychopath is chilling and shows the outcome of nature and nurture at play together. The addition of the POV of the police officer determined to catch Caleb, and the newspaper articles, adds to the realistic feel of the story.
I've had a long fascination with serial killers and this book shows that the author researched his subject in depth. Reading this gave me chills whilst being absolutely fascinating and thrilling.

[Michele Dotson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. The entire family is sick and twisted. I especially like how the brothers feed off of each others twisted ways.

[Angi Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is gory, gruesome and very graphic! So real you might just look at your neighbors in a totally different light! Loved it.

[William Bitner Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Related
Just finished reading "Blood Related" by William Cook. This was my first read by this amazingly talented author. This book was deliciously, poetically and darkly gruesome. It flowed throughout and I was taken in from the very first page to the very last page. This will not be my last read by this remarkably talented writer - I look forward to much more from him. Loved it....
Synopsis:
For over two decades, Detective Ray Truman has been searching for the killer or killers who have terrorized Portvale. Headless corpses, their bodies mutilated and posed, have been turning up all over the industrial district near the docks. The remains of young female prostitutes have been the killer’s victims of choice, but now other districts are reporting the gruesome discovery of decapitated bodies. It seems the killer has expanded his territory as more ‘nice girls’ feel the wrath of his terrible rage. This horrifically disturbing tale of a family tree of evil will embed itself in the mind of the reader, long after the last page has been turned. A crime thriller in the vein of other power-packed thrillers like Thomas Harris's 'Silence of the Lambs' and James Ellroy's 'Killer on the Road.'
Meet the Cunninghams . . .
A family bound by evil and the blood they have spilled. The large lodging-house they live in and operate on Artaud Avenue reeks of death and the sins that remain trapped beneath the floorboards.
Meet Caleb Cunningham . . .
Caleb is a disturbed young man whose violent father is a suspected serial killer and mother, an insane alcoholic. After his Father’s suicide, Cunningham’s disturbing fantasy-life becomes reality as he begins his killing spree in earnest. His identical twin brother Charlie is to be released from an asylum and all hell is about to break loose when the brothers combine their psychopathic talents. Eventually stepping out from the shadows of his murderous forebears, Caleb puts in motion his own diabolical plan to reveal himself and his ‘art’ to the world. He’s a true aesthete. An artist of death. His various ‘installations’ have not received the status he feels they deserve, so Caleb is expanding his ‘canvas.’
Meet Ray Truman . . .
A tragic cop whose personal demons won’t let him rest. Overworked and underpaid, Truman is tenacious as a pit-bull. He won’t rest ‘til he’s brought to justice Portvale’s infamous serial killer. His battle with his own demons gives him the strength to chase the shadows and to cut corners when necessary, as he embarks on the hunt of his life. His search leads him to the Cunningham’s house of horrors. What he finds there will ultimately lead him to regret ever meeting Caleb Cunningham and the deviant family that spawned him. The hunter becomes the hunted as Truman digs deeper into the abyss that is the horrifying mind of the most dangerous psychopath he has ever met.

[Sonia Fogal · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Blood Related" is a fascinating journey through the mind and life of a third-generation serial killer. He is both a victim and a victimizer. He is deeply damaged and mentally ill. He embraces and is turned on by his murderous lifestyle. He finds fulfillment in it and sees it as an expression of who he is. But he also knows it's wrong and dreams of "one day becoming a better person".

Graphic, tortuous, nauseating violence. Definitely not for the weak of stomach. If you can handle this though, you must read this book.

This book goes way beyond slash-em-up horror. We are witnesses to the life of a serial killer, Errol Cunningham, through his child's eyes, those of Caleb Cunningham. We learn of the unimaginable horrors that Caleb saw and learned from as a child. He was a witness to, and object of brutal abuse and it contributed to his evolution into the monster he became. He shows some capacity and desire to love at one point, but the pursuit of what he views as his art will not allow that bond.

He is pursued by a policeman who inherited a passion for apprehending a Cunningham murderer from his father, who pursued earlier generations of this murderous family. Caleb is highly intelligent and clever. He learned how to get away with his crimes from his father and fellow inmates and used those skills to formulate his own methods.

We see Caleb transform. We see it through his own eyes as well as through the eyes of outsiders. Cook includes viewpoints of policeman Ray Truman, the media and psychologists. This variety of perspectives provides new insights and information on Caleb Cunningham's psychoses and torturous acts. It is cruel and black and heartbreaking all at once. He is a deranged, twisted killer, but he is also a victim of a brutal childhood, and he has a desire to love and be loved and to live a normal life buried inside himself.

There were times when a change in perspective occurred and I became confused about who was speaking. There were also spots with grammatical issues or incorrect word choice. From a plot perspective, the editing was outstanding. The plot was tight. Grammar and word choice edits could have been better on occasion.

The weaknesses are easily and greatly outweighed by the strengths of this book. If you can't tell, I love "Blood Related". It is complex, fascinating and entertaining. You know the writing is good when part of you feels sorry for the serial killer. I can't wait to see what happens next. I will watch eagerly for the release of the sequel.

[Marilou George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Related is a book that will chill you to the core! A disturbing portrayal of the Cunningham family submerged in generations of violence, abuse, death and torture that will haunt you even after the last page is read. A revenge filled portrayal of the Truman family whose generations of law enforcement officers is determined to bring justice to the victims of the Cunningham’s viciousness no matter the cost.

Caleb and Charlie Cunningham were raised in a home fraught with abuse delivered by their parents Errol and Vera. We relive the story through the mind of Caleb, his disturbing family history, his twin brother Charlie’s insane actions and his own appalling exploits.

Ray Truman comes from a family of law enforcement officers who have spent decades trying to bring the Cunningham’s to justice for the horrific crimes they have committed. Ray will stop at nothing to continue this vendetta in any manner he sees fit.

The character portrayals in this book are both stunning and unnerving. Enhancing the authenticity of this book are media accounts, book excerpts and clinical observations reflected throughout the story contributing to the feel of genuine techniques used in real investigations.

The haunting view into the mind of a psychopath is portrayed in such a profound and memorable way that was very tangible and chilling.

Blood Related is an excellent yet unnerving read that I recommend reading with the lights on!

[Donald White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloody and brutal, torturous and tantalizing, this is the relating of a tale in unrelated pieces skillfully pieced together and vividly rendered with an artist's brush. The use of various eye-witness accounts, news reports and correspondence give a terrifying portrait of a family of murderers and their gruesome work. Specifically, it centers on twin brothers Charlie and Caleb Cunningham and their murderous exploits. There is an intriguing contrast between the two: Charlie is brutal, while Caleb is cunning. As time goes on and the body count rises, it begins to take its toll on the minds of these two men. The mundane becomes surreal, until is difficult to discern what is real and what is a product of the character's twisted and damaged psyche. Despite the graphic description of the individual acts, a sense of their inhuman nature prevents the reader from becoming numb to their graphic depiction. Time itself becomes irrelevant as the accounts are presented out of sequence but with special emphasis on that moment in the killer's career and its effect on all that transpires. This story puts you into the mind a killer: a journey into the depths of depravity; it is less a motorcycle hurtling into the night, than a large truck, with irresistible momentum behind it plowing through all preconceived notions and standards of sensibility. If murder is in the blood, then it is a harbinger of something truly horrific.

[Syrena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Related reads like true crime but arises from the talented mind of William Cook.
Written in first-person narrative from Caleb’s point-of-view this story is vivid and dramatic. Caleb has a killer father, crazy mommy and a twisted twin. William took me on a journey; a dark ride that put me in the car with a family who exhibits the most depraved inner tenets. Blood Related is a non-stop killing spree that spans three generations.
Daddy (Errol) mentors the psychopathic pair with a lifestyle that would make Ted Bundy curl up into a ball and hide. United or opposed the special bond for these twins is always in play. Brothers Charlie and Caleb Cunningham excel in the family pastime. Their victims suffer the most heinous of physical and mental violations. Don’t forget to breath.
Detective Ray Truman is after Caleb; though his methods may sometimes cross the boundaries of police procedure.
Cook is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I recommend this book to serious horror fans. Cook spares no gore. If you identify with any of the Cunningham’s go to the nearest psychiatric facility and check yourself in.

[Debbie Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Related is a psychological roller-coaster. I couldn’t put it down. The nature or nurture theme comes across strongly. Reflective of Caleb and Charlie Cunningham's disturbing family background and the outcome of what could be only described as twisted parenting. Parents (Ella and Vera’s) poison continues to bleed into the adult lives of two brothers. The madness of their crimes is chilling, and persistence of Ray Truman whose goal is to bring them to Justice - leads the story into an endless horror fest for the reader.
The Cunningham’s childhood home becomes a house of horrors. Spine chilling gore and the insight into the mind of a serial killer kept me hooked. In my mind’s eye I could imagine the carnage, sense the emotions, with that feeling of watching a horror movie at every twist and turn, I wanted to look away, but couldn't.
William Cook has a talent of making the story come to life. And if this is your choice of genre, then you are in for a treat.

[Debbie Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Related is a psychological roller-coaster. I couldn’t put it down. The nature or nurture theme comes across strongly. Reflective of Caleb and Charlie Cunningham's disturbing family background and the outcome of what could be only described as twisted parenting. Parents (Ella and Vera’s) poison continues to bleed into the adult lives of two brothers. The madness of their crimes is chilling, and persistence of Ray Truman whose goal is to bring them to Justice - leads the story into an endless horror fest for the reader.
The Cunningham’s childhood home becomes a house of horrors. Spine chilling gore and the insight into the mind of a serial killer kept me hooked. In my mind’s eye I could imagine the carnage, sense the emotions, with that feeling of watching a horror movie at every twist and turn, I wanted to look away, but couldn't.
William Cook has a talent of making the story come to life. And if this is your choice of genre, then you are in for a treat.