Blood Rival

by Jake Arnott

Following the suspicious death of notorious underworld gangster, Lee Royal, his widow Jo and Eddie – the rival gangster Jo has been having an affair with – try to solve the murder.

 “It happened at a place where three roads meet. Junction 1A of the M25, heading east towards Gravesend. There’s a killer on the road.”

Lee Royal – the King of Kent – is dead. Killed on the M25 in a brutal act of road rage. But was this a random attack or something more premediated – something stemming from a dark and long-kept secret? With Lee’s death, so begins a cat and mouse game to discover the truth …

Jo Royal, Lee’s wife, has long been discontented in her marriage. A complicated relationship and a marriage fraught with secrets and betrayals has left a steady resentment for Lee bubbling away under the surface. But does this give her motive enough to want him dead?

Eddie Pierce – young, ambitious and ruthless – is the new kid on the block. Determined at any cost to move up the ranks within the criminal underbelly of Kent, his growing infatuation with Jo only gives him more to fight for. But as his obsession with finding Lee’s killer takes over, his grip on what is fact and fiction begins to dangerously unravel. What is he capable of doing to become the next King of Kent?

Commander Ray Spinks of Scotland Yard has been a long-time associate of Lee’s. Brash, arrogant and underhand – he is owed his share of the wealth Lee has amassed and he won’t let anyone get in his way.

What starts as a seemingly random act of violence will soon turn into a high-stakes man hunt for a killer and the revelation of an explosive secret that will have devastating consequences.

BLOOD RIVAL is a fast-paced, addictive and twisty thriller told at a whiplash speed, rife with dark family secrets and deadly stakes. A story of lust, betrayal and tragedy.

Genres: Crime, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2025

About the author

Jake Arnott is a British novelist, author of The Long Firm and four other novels. In 2005 Arnott was ranked one of Britain's 100 most influential gay and lesbian people. When he was included in a list of the fifty most influential gay men in Britain in 2001, it was declared that he was widely regarded as one of Britain's most promising novelists.

Reviews

[Mergulum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable thriller which begins as an apparent fictionalised alternative history of the aftermath of the Brink’s Mat robbery but very quickly it becomes clear that its origins lie in a far more ancient tale. I was tipped off to this at the introduction of a character who had transitioned into a woman and was in the process of transitioning back. He was also blind and claimed to be able to see the future. This collection of characteristics was totally familiar to me and I was thrust straight into the world of Greek myth. And once I realised that the name of a principal character, Eddy Pierce, sounds a bit like Oedipus then I like Tiresias foresuffered all and so knew exactly what had happened and what was to come. Thereafter the book’s constant nods and winks to the origin tale seemed to me to be a little too pointed. But that may just be that although I have no familiarity with Mr Arnott, our latter day Sophocles, I do have some familiarity with, well, Sophocles. Obviously it is a great story or it wouldn’t still be being (re)told more than 2000 years later and I enjoyed it. But I suspect that I would have enjoyed it more if the tale had been completely new to me. Thanks to NetGalley and Datura books for this review copy.

[Lape · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Rival is an intricately woven crime whodunnit thriller that takes you deep into the grime and glamour of England’s criminal underworld.

The story opens with the violent death of Lee Royal, “the King of Kent” in what appears to be a road rage incident on the M25. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that nothing about Lee’s demise is random.

The multiple perspectives setup worked brilliantly here. Each voice, Jo’s simmering resentment, Eddie’s dangerous ambition, and Commander Ray Spinks’ self serving corruption adds another layer to the story. You’re constantly questioning motives, trying to figure out who’s really pulling the strings. Fast paced, the writing crackles with tension: short, punchy, and twisty.

Although, I did see the big twist coming, that final twist left me with my jaw on the floor. Absolutely brilliant!! This was my first book by Jake Arnott, but I’m definitely going to be reading more of his work soon.

Many thanks to the author and Datura books for access to the digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One year after his murder, the investigation into the death of crime kingpin Lee Royle is being wound down. His widow Jo doesn't seem interested but her new, younger, husband wants to know the truth. Eddie has stepped into Lee's shoes, running crime in Kent and developing more sophisticated avenues. However he is troubled by weird dreams and Jo is holding a secret.
I haven't read any of Arnott's books for many years and rather enjoyed this one. Of course, it does help that I twigged what was going on fairly early which meant that I was not fooled by the 'Brinks Mat' style plot in the first half of the book. What this really is all about is a modern-day version of Sophocles - rather cleverly done!

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greek myths seem to be in vogue for thriller writers as following Don Winslow's recent Homeric Danny Ryan series here we have Jake Arnott using the story of Oedipus as the background for a thrilling story about the murder of a gangland Mr Big and its ensuing fall out as rivals jockey for position.

The plot is clever, the writing taut and the action flows throughout. In fact all the ingredients for a superior literary thriller are present and this book was an exciting and intoxicating read.

Highly recommended.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, fast paced thriller which I really enjoyed. Despite the dark theme and plenty of violence, the book has a unique feel but the plotting is not for the faint hearted. I really did not like any of the characters but found the book to be a very addictive and original read which is full of family betrayal, lies and a deadly secret, all intricately woven together by the author. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

[Barondestructo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one has it all! Nonsensical motivations. Plot-convenient coincidences. Convenient amnesia. And one of the most unintentionally hilarious final twists I've ever come across. Proceed at your own risk.

[J R · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting and unique crime thriller with some great twists the more and longer it goes. would recommend this one. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Guy Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophocles tale retold as if Kenny Noye and Kent villains were all greek !
DFun and games and reimagining , a thoroughly enjoyable tragedy tale updated to Organised Crime.
Short but sweet

[Eyejaybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake Arnott has published several novels weaving complex stories with heavy allusions to true crimes. Most notably, his first two books (The Long Firm and He Kills Coppers) drew on incidents from the history of the Kray Twins’ domination of the London organised crime milieu. Those two books were particularly noteworthy for the manner in which, rather than being consecutive, they seemed to complement and fit around each other.

In this latest book he takes an infamous incident – the road rage murder committed by Kenneth Noye in 1996 – and creates a new version of the Oedipus story. I will not offer much of a synopsis for fear of inadvertent spoilers. However, the story that develops from an opening scene in which a similar road rage incident to that in which Noye was involved unfolds in unexpected ways, with the Oedipal references imparting a heavy sense of the ominous impact of fate.

This is a very cleverly constructed story, and gripped my attention right from the start.