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Katie Maguire #5

Blood Sisters

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In a nursing home outside Cork, an elderly nun lies dead. She has been suffocated. It looks like a mercy-killing—until another sister from the same convent is found murdered, floating in the Glashaboy river. Why would anyone want to kill them? When a child's skull is unearthed in the convent garden, Katie Maguire discovers a 50 year old secret that might lead her to the killer, if the killer doesn't find her first.

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2015

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980 people want to read

About the author

Graham Masterton

422 books1,971 followers
Graham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.

At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.

Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.

Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.

He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.

Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.

He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
Profile Image for Magdalena.
2,063 reviews889 followers
November 6, 2016
Blood Sisters is book 5 in the Katie Maguire series. I haven't previous read any books in this series, but it was no problem getting into the story and I never felt confused with past events since everything was explained well during the book.

DS Katie Maguire must catch a killer that torture and kill nuns. The question is why are the nuns killed, is is because of something in the past. Then a jawbone of a child is found in the garden of the convent. Could the finding have anything to do with the killing?

The cover and the blurb made me interested in reading the book and I was pleased when I was approved to read this book on NetGalley.

The book started off good in a bad way with the finding of several dead horses that had been forced over a cliff, but I must admit as the story progressed my interest in the story waned. I just couldn't find myself interested in what was going on. Sometimes it felt that there was just too many sidetracks in this story that the main story lost a bit focus. Some sidetrack had a connection, but some of them had a connection to past events. And, I felt that all too often what was happening in the book just didn't interest me and I think partly that was because I never connected with the characters in this the book. Katie Maguire is pregnant with another man's child and she struggles through the book to be able to tell her boyfriend that left her before she got pregnant that she is expecting a child that's not his. She also has a problem with a female college that's in love with her and is thinking of leaving the force because of that. But I just neve really cared about it all. The characters never came alive for me.

The book was not all that bad, it was sometimes very tragic, although some very descriptive scenes involving torture could I have lived without and I felt really sorry for the horses. And, I could actually imagine myself reading another book in this series, just to see if it was just this book that didn't work for me. Also, because the book ended with a cliffhanger and I want to know what happens next...

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!
Profile Image for Matt.
4,834 reviews13.1k followers
August 8, 2022
The gem that is the DS Katie Macguire series has become my latest obsession. Graham Masterton pulls the reader in from the opening pages of each book and presents a horrible crime and then spends the bulk of the story trying to have his protagonist piece it all together. In this novel, DS Macguire not only has a handful of cases to resolve, but also some major developments in her personal life, all of which are sure to come crashing down before her if she cannot bring order to the situation. Strong storytelling matched with wonderful plot twists keep Masterton at the top of his game and provides the reader with a stellar piece of writing.

Detective Sergeant Katie Macguire is still trying to come to terms with having brought her Chief Superintendent down in a flurry of illegal activities, which resonates throughout the Cork community. Paired with a personal revelation that her life is about to change forever, DS Macguire has little time for anything else. Alas, there are some new crimes in the area that beg her attention.

The bodies of many horses are discovered by locals, apparently dumped off a cliff and into the water. Sure that this is more than a freak accident, DS Macguire summons her team to begin looking into it, thinking that this could be a massive case of animal cruelty. Meanwhile, an elderly nun in a nursing home is found dead, which is soon labelled as a murder when she was violated with a small statue. DS Macguire cannot believe who would want to target an elderly nun, but is sure that she’ll use all the resources at her disposal.

When more nuns are found murdered, all from the same convent, DS Macguire begins to see that there might be a pattern here. The convent was once the home for unwed mothers and their babies, which may be a clue to connect the murders. When tiny bones are discovered in the gardens of the convent, DS Macguire begins to see that this could be the work of a former resident, perhaps seeking retribution for something done to her.

All the while, a teenager turns up drowned in a body of water, with ties to a pimp who has been working in Cork for years. DS Macguire has been trying to nail him for prostitution and other crimes for months and this could be her best shot, if she can find the evidence she needs. But all that is shelved when an old flame returns to Cork and hopes to reconnect with her, while DS Macguire holds onto a secret that could change her life forever. Will she tell anyone or harbour this for as long as possible? Masterton does a brilliant job once again with this Irish police procedural.

Many readers likely gather recommendations and sit on them, choosing to allow their “To Be Read” pile to grow high or gather dust. I read some of Graham Masterton’s other work and promised myself that I would get to this Katie Macguire series something soon. I am now kicking myself for waiting so long, as I have not been able to stop reading them. They are so full of action, development, and the type of police work I find highly engaging. Added to that, the gruesomeness of the crimes makes me want to know more and see how Masterton could dream up such happenings. I have only met a few other authors who can write so graphically and yet keep their books strong on the investigative end. Masterton adds great character development, particular to DS Macguire, allowing the reader to feel a connection to the protagonist with each passing chapter. This is a series well worth adding to the pile, but block off some time, as it is addictive.

Masterton provides a stellar storytelling ability and supports it with a clear narrative, as he has throughout the series to date. Things flow with ease, though the reader will likely need breaks to gather themselves, as Masterton does little to filter what goes on in the criminal underworld of Cork and environs. There remains strong character development, building from past novels into the present, particularly with some of the drama DS Katie Macguire has to face, both at home and work. Masterton’s ability to weave plot twists with his climactic revelations makes for an even more exciting piece of writing, which has become a staple of this series. The ‘Irishness’ of the stories transport the reader to the Emerald Isle and make them feel a part of the auction as linguistic twists pepper the dialogue. There is also an underlying theme here, this time the abuse nuns inflicted in their homes for unwed mothers, which adds depth to the overall reading experience. This series is a must read, but should be started with the opening novel, as there are threads best followed from their origin. With a short story next in the series chronology, I am not sure if it will build on the ending here, or branch off into something completely different.

Kudos, Mr. Masterton, as you keep me wondering and wanting more. What a way to spend my summer reading!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Profile Image for Rob Twinem.
983 reviews55 followers
October 30, 2015
I have a real problem with Katie Maguire, for a high ranking police officer she is so tangled and confused.....

She love’s John? or does she? John loves her? or does he? John may want to live with her in Ireland or may want to move to San Francisco and indulge his pastime within a global pharmaceutical empire? He moves to San Francisco and then moves back! Katie is pregnant but the baby is not John’s rather her next door neighbour who she became intimate with when John decided to go Stateside.....but now John’s back....and Katie love’s John and John love’s Katie? What will John say when he discovers that Katie is pregnant with the child of his next door neighbour who is now unfortunately but conveniently dead....surely his love for Katie will forgive all of her little misdemeanours....yeah right Katie get a life!!

Now as if this was not enough Katie is now even questioning her own sexuality as she appears to be succumbing to the advances of the attractive Sergeant Ni Nuallan known as “Kyna” ....”Without a word, Katie took Kyna into her arms and held her close. Kyna dropped her folder on to the carpet and held Katie, too. They kissed, tenderly but chastely, both with their eyes open, as if they needed to see one another as close as possible”.....

Amongst all this personal angst we have the brutal butchering of some lovely old nuns just going about their daily job of spreading the good word. It seems that a number of the good sisters have an evil past and someone is out for revenge and in typical Graham Masterton style this revenge is long, brutal and bloody.

Having read and enjoyed previous Katie Maguire adventures particularly A Terrible Beauty (now renamed White Bones) I found this latest offering by Mr Masterton devoid of ideas lacking in direction and with a somewhat clichéd storyline. As is a trade mark of the author some extreme violence is introduced but this does little to enhance a story that is doomed to mediocrity from the first chapter and even a cliffhanger type ending does little to endear the reader to the complicated childish and pathetic world of Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire.
Profile Image for Linda Strong.
3,878 reviews1,708 followers
December 22, 2015
DS Katie Maguire is a complicated woman. Being a female in the Guarda brings its own set of problems, but she seems to be handling that quite well. She is trusted and respected. It's her personal life that would confuse most people. She has a lover, who has left her once and then come back. And while he was gone, she had a one night stand with a neighbor (now deceased) and is pregnant by him. And then there's that attraction to another woman .. one of her colleagues.

So while her personal life is out of control, she also has the mysterious brutal murders of several nuns to investigate. Each nun has been killed in a different way but its very obvious its the work of one predator.

While trying to find the thread that ties all these deaths together, she undercovers a secret that's fifty years old .... and now someone wants her dead.

Once again, I picked up a book that is part of a series. There are some references to the previous book, but this one seems to do okay as a stand-alone. As a reader, I gathered a little bit of her history, but not as completely as I would have liked.

The characters work fine .. although Katie is a little confusing. There are many secondary players, as well as those from previous books, and I found it a little difficult to keep up with everyone involved. The particular mystery of this book got a little muddled from other minor cases that seem to be a holdover. And there is a cliff hanger, so the reader is assured there will be another book forthcoming.

My thanks to the author / Head of Zeus / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Profile Image for Μαρία Γεωργοπούλου.
Author 5 books98 followers
May 27, 2018
Ωραίο, αλλά πλέον με έχει μπερδέψει πολύ η πρωταγωνίστρια... Είναι φορές που δεν καταλαβαίνω τι ακριβώς θέλει από τους ανθρώπους που έχει δίπλα της...
Η υπόθεση ήταν αρκετά καλή αλλά, για να είμαι ειλικρινής, ήθελα περισσότερο μυστήριο! Θα κάνω ένα break από τη σειρά, αλλά θα επιστρέψω σίγουρα!
Profile Image for Ola Pasik.
25 reviews
February 23, 2022
Świetna fabuła, która trzyma w ciągłym napięciu.
Książka poruszała religijne wątki, co dla mnie było nowością i miłym zaskoczeniem.
Zachęciła mnie do sięgnięcia po więcej kryminałów z takim klimatem.
Profile Image for Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime.
5,641 reviews330 followers
October 17, 2015
Review: BLOOD SISTERS by Graham Masterton
Release: Feb. 1 2016


The newest engrossing mystery in the Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire of Cork, Ireland, series, has Katie firmly on the horns of a monstrous dilemma in her personal life, a situation that she will find reflected in one of her newest cases--actually multiple cases, both present and past, all focused on the same Irish 
convent, Bon Saveurs. As someone--or more than one--brutally murder aged retired nuns, always showcasing each killing, the nuns' former home convent is discovered to be the burial ground of an untold number of discarded infants and toddlers. Meanwhile, Katie is accused of harassment against a former police administrator, and soon the walls are figuratively closing in. Will her strong character and determination prevail this time?

Graham Masterton's trademark convolutions and gory torments rule a rapid-paced, can't-stop -reading, riveting experience.

18+ for extreme violence, profanity
Profile Image for Petra.
818 reviews92 followers
February 18, 2016
Over the last month, I have listened to/read the Katie Maguire series in publication order and Blood Sisters, book 5, will have been my last one for a while, I think.
Blood Sisters continues from where Taken for Dead left off. Katie is still dealing with the fallout from previous cases and her private life is anything but settled. John is back, but Katie avoids telling him about her pregnancy. Professionally, she is investigating the horrific deaths of 23 horses as well as the murder of a nun.
The story line with the nuns was interesting, but I found the animal cruelty case rather off-putting. But that's a personal dislike, I generally just hate reading anything to do with dead animals.
I really enjoy the police procedural and crime aspects of the story, but what I found a bit disappointing, is the clearly repetitive nature of the story lines now. How many more things can possibly happen in Katie's house?
I enjoyed the first couple of books immensely. But the way Katie has developed (or not) is becoming slightly annoying. I just wish she'd sort out her sex life, and I'm getting so bored with the continuous female attraction thing that's going on.
On the positive side, there is a different audio book narrator, and it is completely safe to listen to the audio again after the previous fiasco.
The book once again leaves things unresolved, and I will definitely pick up the next one (still hoping Katie will sort herself out), but I am going to give it a little break for now.
I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Profile Image for Christy.
229 reviews19 followers
January 23, 2016
This is book #5 in the Katie Maguire series and it will help to have read the previous stories, but is by no means essential as major events are recapped. She is an Irish Detective Superintendent whose character and personality I really admire. A kickass lady who won't put up with anything, has had to fight to be respected in a male-dominated career, but who isn't afraid to show her fragile side as well. I would describe this series as "character driven crime", with more time being spent on Katie, her personal life and feelings, as the actual crimes themselves. The crimes are gruesome, and at times graphic and disturbing, as nuns are being brutally assaulted and murdered, whilst she is also investigating a dreadful act of animal cruelty in some slain horses. The mystery and suspense parts were gripping and intriguing.

I did think that there was a little too much focus on Katie's personal (especially romantic) life (such as the lovey-dovey action between her and John, which really didn't mesh well with animal suffering and tortured nuns) and not quite as much procedural crime investigation as I'd have liked. One has to start to question with how messed up and confused Katie seems to be romantically and sexually, how she manages to get anything at work done at all! It doesn't quite gel with the strong image of a crime fighting team leader.

Overall it was an engaging and enjoyable read, but I hope the next book keeps this as a crime book with good characters, and not Katie's sexual escapades with a bit of side crime.
Profile Image for Sue Wallace .
7,400 reviews140 followers
July 8, 2017
Blood sisters by Graham Masterton.
In a nursing home on the outskirts of Cork, an elderly nun lies dead. She has been suffocated. It looks like a mercy-killing - until another sister from the same convent is found viciously murdered, floating in the Glashaboy river.
The nuns were good women, doing God's work. Why would anyone want to kill them? But then a child's skull is unearthed in the garden of the nuns' convent, and DS Katie Maguire discovers a fifty year old secret that just might lead her to the killer... if the killer doesn't find her first.
This was a really enjoyable read with good characters. I was surprised with how it ended. 5*. Netgalley and head of zeus.
279 reviews
January 21, 2016
Alright, so I wished for this book on NetGalley and I was so happy when I was granted the book. I read some of Masterton's work when I was younger, and I remember enjoying what I did read, so to find new stuff was pretty cool. However, things didn't go quite as I had planned or hoped. I was not a fan of the writing style at all. It annoyed me endlessly. Then there was the issue of character naming. Just call the characters on their surnames or their names, not their entire title, name, surname and pedigree. Seriously. It makes for disjointed reading, and I was unimpressed. Not to mention how the story dawdles, like it has no real idea what it wants to do with itself. I read half the book and virtually nothing had changed - the same things were being continually repeated. To give you an idea - it took me the better part of three weeks to read this because I would read a few pages and then just find something, anything, else to do. I don't know when last I read a book that annoyed me so much or made me procrastinate on the level that I did with this. It was not a tight story, though it had all the potential in the world, it was peppered with unlikable characters, not to mention a ridiculously whiny lead that did nothing to endear herself anywhere - I couldn't care less what happened to her. The story went on and on and on and nothing was really happening. There was some silly reveal that was supposed to shock that fell flat, and there were plenty admissions and scenes littered throughout the book that I did not enjoy at all. I did not find this thrilling, creepy or anything to get under my skin, to make me think further. I was hoping for that, as there are few things I love as much as a crime thriller, especially when there is a dash of horror mixed into it. This novel just didn't deliver the goods on that front. Overall, I feel that I wasted a lot of time with this and that sucks, because I was sure this was going to be a decent read. I am sure that there are people that will thoroughly enjoy this, but I was certainly not one of them. Rest assured, I will not be checking out any of the other books in this series.
Profile Image for kristyna.
207 reviews50 followers
June 16, 2019
Přestože ani pátý díl rozhodně nestačí na počáteční díly série - zvlášť na Bílé kosti - tohle by si tak 3,5 hvězdičky zasloužilo a od třetího příběhu jde o další posun k lepšímu. Nicméně pořád to vykazuje určitý rysy hrůzy - některé události jsou vyloženě předvídatelné a plné klišé. Nemůžu ale Mastertonovi upřít talent na cliffhangery - po dočtení jsem hned otevřela další díl. Ale mám teď Katie Maguire trochu nad hlavu, takže s tím přeci jen počkám :)
Profile Image for David Highton.
3,749 reviews32 followers
December 2, 2017
Latest in the Katie Maguire series - two allied plots plus a lot going on in Katie's personal life. Good police procedural but somehow not quite driving the narrative for me, especially in the first half
Profile Image for Alicja.
41 reviews
April 21, 2023
Takie 4,5 ⭐️ Jak zawsze Graham Masterton mnie nie zawiódł. Uwielbiam tą serię i to jaka jest różnorodna. Teraz kiedy zobaczę zakonnice będę na nią patrzeć w inny sposób🫣🤡
Profile Image for Cheryl .
2,400 reviews80 followers
August 29, 2016
I give this novel 3.5 stars.

I've come to realise that you need to firmly park your sense of reality at the front door before entering one of Graham Masterton's novels to enjoy it. Exceptionally well written, however, the plot is more than a bit preposterous - I mean .... a flying, eviscerated nun??? You can certainly see the author's background in the horror genre.
I don't know whether I have become a bit disillusioned with the Katie Maguire series - I've found that the novels do follow a set formula. There's always Katie dodging multiple attempts at her life, a pervasive sense of violence & corruption, at least one gratuitous sex scene involving Katie's dubious morals (always written from the male perspective) & one scene of visceral violence that leaves you with a very bad taste in the mouth.
Even though there are many faults, you can't help but be drawn into the story all the same. I have a few more of Graham's novels on my ereader so I will wait to pass final judgement until I've read them.
Profile Image for Sarah.
690 reviews19 followers
February 8, 2017
I'm never going to give these more than 3 stars, because I have to skip over parts, but I do love the general plot, the setting, and the main character. I just have to skip the gory parts, and really, I don't need 2 pages of a detailed sex scene. I get it. They like sex. And that's totally fine. I don't mind the sex, but my god I don't need all the exact details. It loses credibility for me, because it changes the tone from a really absorbing mystery to some cheap porno, and then back again. It just ruins it a bit for me, because it doesn't match the rest of the book. But other than that, this is a great series!
Profile Image for Veronika Vorlová.
18 reviews2 followers
October 24, 2020
Většinou čtu detektivky, protože mě zajímá kdo je vrah a co je jeho motivem. Když se to celé dozvím prakticky hned na začátku, tak to je poměrně nuda.
Spousta postav, které nejsou vůbec hlouběji a detailněji popsané a prakticky jen běhají za detektivkou Maquirovou sdělovat jí, co zjistily, mě přímo unavovala.
A námět? SPOILER - vrah vraždící kvůli tomu, co mu před pár desítkami let dělali jeptišky v klášteře je už tolikrát ohraný, že to ani není možné ještě brát vážně.
Profile Image for Christine.
941 reviews39 followers
February 16, 2016
I always claim I cut my horror teeth with “that other author” but Graham Masterton and his Manitou were right there in the mix. With that being said it does not surprise me that his crime novel had some of the more “creative” murders (is it even okay to say that?) I have come across in quite some time (maybe ever).

I’ve never read one of Graham Masterton’s crime novels before so it seems rather unusual to start with the 5th book in the Katie Maguire series but I enjoyed the book and had no problems following along with the characters so obviously this book works as a stand-alone.

The beginning of this book not only quickly caught my attention with the apparently purposeful running of horses over a cliff and onto the rocks below. Definitely a trigger (animal cruelty) for me but it worked to make me want to find out who did this in the hopes that justice would be meted out … preferably in as nasty a manner as possible.

Next scene … an elderly and ill nun dies during the night, safe within the walls of her convent, one would think natural causes. Upon closer examination the words “safe” and “natural” most certainly do not apply. When another nun is discovered murdered a short time later Katie realizes she has a serial killer of nuns on her hands.

When an infant’s skull is discovered buried in the garden of the same convent it keeps Katie and her detectives busy. Split between the three crimes Katie is run ragged. Add to that the fact that her on again/off again relationship with her boyfriend in now on again and she finds herself in the unenviable position of having to tell him she is pregnant – with another man’s child, its no wonder she is quickly at her wit’s end.

Sound like this book has a lot going on? It does, but somehow Mr. Masterton manages to pull it all together into a fast-paced, exciting and cringe-worthy book. The three seemingly separate crime sprees were the crux of the story and I enjoyed the mystery and thrill of those. The addition of Katie’s personal issues seemed a bit of overkill. Granted, since I started with the most recent book of the series I have no investment as her as a character which may have clouded my opinion about the side story. I have added the first book in the series to my TBR shelf, so maybe I’ll think differently after getting to know Katie Maguire from the beginning.

I may be a little inured considering horror and crime thrillers are my go to genres, but there are plenty of things in this book that could be unwelcome subject matter for some readers; animal cruelty, child abuse, grisly murders, questioning Catholicism. I didn’t find any other those as difficult to navigate through as I did the Irish dialogue of the characters. Thankfully, I got used to it fairly quickly so it didn’t stop me from turning the pages as quickly as I could manage to read them. And Mr. Masterton offers a “Dictionary of Irish Slang” on his website in case readers get really bogged down.

I received this book at no charge from the publisher, Head of Zeus, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Elite Group.
3,112 reviews53 followers
October 6, 2015
Blood Sisters – Graham Masterton. 4 stars

A little irritating at times

This is the fifth in the Katie Maguire series. Many people will have read all the stories of the Irish Detective Superintendent so will be familiar with the set up. Possibly as I am not a lover of the horror genre I have not previously read any Graham Masterton books but shall look out for them in future.

It’s understandable that many dislike reading a series of books in the wrong order although this is a stand alone story and the author clarifies any reference to previous history so the reader is not left floundering. However, there is a small twist at the end which should ensure that people come back for more.

To write colloquially is an art and one the author hasn’t mastered in this case. At times it felt a bit like a poor version of “Mrs Brown’s Boys” with the number of “fecking”s flying around. It was also sometimes necessary to resort to Google to translate the odd phrase. Having said that it did not detract too much from the reading enjoyment although nor did it add much to the atmosphere.

Where the author scores is his ability to develop characters as real people. Many detective series focus solely on one crime. This is not the case here. The main character leaps out of the page as a real person having to deal with personal problems, her boss and colleagues and a workload which is overflowing. Her character and that of the other main characters is wonderfully portrayed and the reader is drawn in to the story and cares about the individuals.

The plot reflects the author’s significant experience of writing horror stories and centres around someone who is killing nuns in the most barbaric fashion. It develops at a good pace and keeps the reader interested. Sub plots are interwoven skilfully and then come together in an explosive denouement.

On the whole this is an excellent book and deserved 5 stars had it not been for the slightly intrusive clunky “Irish” language.

mr zorg

Best Selling Crime Thrillers received a copy of the book to review.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
2,426 reviews68 followers
December 24, 2015
Martyrs, my friend, have to choose between being forgotten, mocked or used. As for being understood - never. - Albert Camus

I've read author Masterton's horror fiction before over the years and appreciated it. I had never read any of his crime fiction before this book. Wow, I liked it better than his horror. He doesn't pull any punches.

One thing that was difficult to get used to - this series takes place in Cork, Ireland and the regional language/slang was not easy for me to understand. But I kept reading and the dialect started making more sense to me and I ended up enjoying this glimpse at life in Ireland.

Oh, and if you are Catholic or an animal lover, you are going to have nightmares about this book. Horrendous scenes aplenty in this police procedural.

Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire of the Anglesea Street Garda Station, An Garda Síochána, is looking for the brutal murderer of nuns, is looking for the killer of a slew of horses, plus has major personal problems to contend with.

This was a twisty, turny ride through the Irish countryside with blood, guts and gore in major helpings. I hadn't read the other books in the series but there was plenty of backstory to keep me informed.

Looking for something different to read? Try this gruesome tale.

NOTE: I received this book from Head of Zeus Books through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
178 reviews12 followers
September 20, 2015
I was drawn straight into the action with a murder (the nun) and a mystery (the skull). Katie is a well rounded character. I liked her a lot as a person, though she doesn’t always seem to have the best judgement, and I found the descriptions of what it is like for her to be a woman in the Irish Garda interesting – I can’t believe it is as sexist in real life as Masterton makes out but if it is it’s shocking that this is the case in this day and age!

I would like to see other characters filled out more and was a bit disappointed with Katie’s boyfriend John’s development. He has been in most books since the first one and I can’t say I like him as much as I do Katie and can’t necessarily see what she sees in him (which is where I think her judgement is most questionable).

I was also slightly disappointed in the ending. It involved very little detecting on Katie’s part and I did feel a little bit like Masterton had run out of steam and didn’t know where to go. A shame really as otherwise a good story and good book. Liked (didn’t love) it.

For a full copy of my review, head to my blog
Profile Image for John Morris.
1,012 reviews80 followers
December 29, 2018
What a story!

This was one hell of a story and kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. We had a flying nun, a roasted nun, corrupt police officers, race horses cruelly killed and hundreds of dead babies discovered in a convent garden. Add to the mix a former "fallen woman" seeking sadistic revenge on the nuns who had made her early life a misery and you have a cocktail of horror only Graham Masterton could imagine. Excellent!
Profile Image for Rachel.
568 reviews3 followers
November 29, 2021
I was so disappointed in this book, didn’t bother finishing it. It was all over the place, too many story lines and the violence just wasn’t believable, just ridiculous and the sex scenes turned me right off. I think this author can do so much better than this. I liked this series and felt the characters and writing was good in the previous books. Another series with great potential tossed on the DNF pile
Profile Image for Patricia.
728 reviews6 followers
January 28, 2017
Two mass murders, under-age prostitution, the slaughter of race horses, and police corruption are being investigated by Kate Maguire and her team at the Garda in Cork, Ireland. As the story unfolds the disparate events coalesce and a terror-filled picture emerges. A glossary explaining Irish jargon would have been helpful.

No graphic sex or violence
Profile Image for Petra Bohackova.
268 reviews2 followers
March 18, 2018
Nevím, čím to je, že všechny pěkné série objevím tak trochu pozpátku. Zřejmě moje první detektivka z Irska. Takže jsem se několikrát musela mrknout i do Wikipedie (třeba na hurling). Líbí se mi, jak se všechny postavy chovají - tak uvěřitelně, lidsky, i když to byl zločinec, skoro mi ho bylo líto. Předchozí díly už mám stažené, takže nerušit, jdu si číst.
473 reviews5 followers
February 13, 2019
I really liked Katie. After the last book, I had to stop reading for a week or two. Now this one is worse, animals dying...un huh, not for me. Poor John, I feel really sorry for him. Whatever happened to our great Katie? I loved reading about her. I do not even know who she is anymore. Too bad. She was a really great heroine.
Profile Image for Hilde.
67 reviews11 followers
June 7, 2015
I love Katie Maguire. The books are clever and original. I only wish Mr Masterton could write faster.
Profile Image for Julie Kellner.
235 reviews3 followers
December 17, 2015
A disappointing novel from one of my favourite authors. I hope this series improves
522 reviews
October 31, 2021
The arcing storylines across the series about senior Garda corruption and ruthless sex worker boss Michael Gerrety move forwards. At the end of the previous book, Katie thought she had strong evidence against her immediate boss, Bryan Molloy. At the start of this book, Katie is being visited by officers from the complaints department because Molloy has made counter claims that she has falsified the evidence and been bullying him. As a key witness has been found dead and another has flipped her story, Katie is not sure which way things will go. Gerrety is the slipperiest snake. Katie has held damming evidence against him before only for it and any witnesses to disappear. When a teenage girl goes missing, this eventually presents another opportunity to take Gerrety down. Unless he can slither his way out of it again.

In addition, Blood Sisters has two storylines. One is about elderly nuns that keep turning up dead in different and extremely precise ways. Why are these nuns being targeted. The link appears to be that they all worked at a home for unmarried mothers and they had little sympathy, either for the mothers or indeed their offspring. Suffer the little children to come unto me seems to have been rranslated into make the little children suffer.

The other storyline starts with the discovery of over twenty horses found at the bottom of a cliff on a remote beach. They look like they were driven off the cliff whilst still alive. Even more bizarre, all of the horses appear to be thoroughbreds. Unfortunately, the racing fraternity in Ireland is notoriously tight lipped so finding out who was responsible and why is going to take a lot of detective work.

Matters are no less complex in Katie’s private life. After her one night stand with a neighbour in the last book, Katie is surprised to find herself pregnant. And then John, who disappeared off to America never to return, returns and expects to take up exactly where they left off. Plus Kyna, Katie’s lesbian subordinate, keeps making her availability obvious. From a lone Katie at the start of Blood Sisters, will she end up with everyone or no one at the end. You’ll have to read to find out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Stef.
61 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2020

This book follows the murders of a group of nuns from the same convent as an act of revenge from a woman who was taken in by the convent as a young 15 year old girl and pregnant, and thus was treated very poorly along with other young expecting mothers and their children. Each nun dies a similar way as their saints whom they look up to and worship. Only the convent has a lot more to it when a fifty year old secret has been revealed.
It’s one of those crimes committed by religious groups where it just makes you cringe as they have gotten away with it all these years and there’s either not enough evidence to put them away or the police force are too scared to pursue a case incase of backlash from the media and the public.


Now for Katie’s personal life
So Katie’s partner John has decided to come back into Katie’s life realising he didn’t know what he had until he left. Only small hiccup there is Katie is now pregnant with someone else’s child. A man whom she had a one night stand with in the book before this one.
It’s probably halfway through the book when Katie finally confesses to John that she is pregnant and is keeping the baby and John is obviously hurt by this, leaving in the middle of the night, not answering his phone and comes back a few days later while Katie is at work and picks up all of this belongings before setting off again.
Ok yes I can see why John is hurting but seriously? He had no intention of coming back the last time so what did he expect? That Katie wasn’t going to go near another man? Plus for all she knew, he could’ve been sleeping with other women when he was overseas..
And I can’t help but feel that Katie is the type of person who wants her cake and to eat it too. With this poor detective sergeant kyna ni nullan who is in love with Katie and knows that they will never have a relationship has no choice but to apply for a transfer to another station. I think Katie is just selfish for wanting Kyna to stick around when she doesn’t feel the same way and knows it’s hurting her. I can sort of see what would come in the next book but it’s those sort of yelling at the book type things.
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