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Ziba MacKenzie #1
Blood for Blood
Ziba Mackenzie profiles killers. Now one is profiling her.
Rush hour, London. A packed commuter train is torn apart in a collision. Picking through the carnage, ex-special forces profiler Ziba MacKenzie helps a dying woman who passes on a cryptic message: He did it. You have to tell someone.
When a corpse is found bearing the gruesome signature of a serial killer dormant for twenty-five years, Ziba is pulled into the hunt for the perpetrator. As the body count rises it becomes clear he’s on a new spree. But what’s brought the London Lacerator back after such a long hiatus? And does his sudden return have anything to do with the woman on the train?
Ziba scrambles to profile the killer in the hope of predicting his next move. But time is running out. And the closer she gets to uncovering his identity, the closer he gets to destroying hers.
Rush hour, London. A packed commuter train is torn apart in a collision. Picking through the carnage, ex-special forces profiler Ziba MacKenzie helps a dying woman who passes on a cryptic message: He did it. You have to tell someone.
When a corpse is found bearing the gruesome signature of a serial killer dormant for twenty-five years, Ziba is pulled into the hunt for the perpetrator. As the body count rises it becomes clear he’s on a new spree. But what’s brought the London Lacerator back after such a long hiatus? And does his sudden return have anything to do with the woman on the train?
Ziba scrambles to profile the killer in the hope of predicting his next move. But time is running out. And the closer she gets to uncovering his identity, the closer he gets to destroying hers.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2019
11113 people are currently reading
15723 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Selman
15 books364 followersAfter graduating from Oxford University, Victoria Selman studied Creative Writing at the City Lit and wrote for the Ham & High and Daily Express newspapers.
In 2013 she won the Full Stop Short Story Prize and her first novel, Blood for Blood, was shortlisted for the 2017 Debut Dagger Award.
Victoria lives in London with her husband and two sons.
In 2013 she won the Full Stop Short Story Prize and her first novel, Blood for Blood, was shortlisted for the 2017 Debut Dagger Award.
Victoria lives in London with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 827 reviews
May 23, 2019
1.5 Stars—- “Blood for Blood” by Victoria Selman was a Kindle first selection that I put off reading for months because I was unsure from the reviews whether it was worth reading. After reading it I can tell you — it is not. Selman is a first time, Oxford educated author whose work does not measure up to the works of other English authors profiled on Amazon.com for a variety of reasons. First, the author tries too hard to make her protagonist, Ziba Mackenzie, a criminal profiler for Scotland Yard, witty. If calling all of the other people in the book crude, ridiculous nicknames is witty —- count me out. The plot is also very bad with a contrived plot that is implausible to say the least. I kept wanting the red herrings the author continuously threw at the reader to be true because otherwise the story would be ridiculous.... unfortunately ridiculous won. Finally the subplots like “ the Honda stalker” “the widow’s budding romance with deceased’s best friend” and “the sleazy but lovable boss” are not just cliches, they are boring. Hopefully, Ms. Selman’s next book will better address some of these problems because if this is the first in a series of books, Ziba might not make it to book 3.
January 4, 2019
Blood for Blood was both a page-turner and a disappointment. What began as an edge-of-your-seat read quickly deteriorated into a muddled pool of feints and missteps.
The book starts on a commuter train where Ziba MacKenzie is engaged in people-watching. It’s clear that she is keenly observant as she relates the minute details of her fellow passengers and silently passes judgement on each. The reader learns that MacKenzie is a successful independent “profiler”, in the process of emerging from her grief over her husband’s murder. When the train then crashes, the results are grisly. MacKenzie springs into action, drawing strength and knowledge from her time in the special forces, helping where she can in spite of her own injuries. As one woman lay dying, her final words draw MacKenzie into a quest for truth that eventually becomes intertwined in a serial killer case upon which she is called to work with Scotland Yard.
Author Victoria Selman does a great job setting the tone and breathing life into Ziba MacKenzie. It is in that character, however, that the first cracks in the armor appear. Selman is so intent on sharing her own vast store of knowledge regarding serial killers that every time MacKenzie speaks, she shares another fact that adds nothing to the read. Almost every mass murderer in history is given a moment in the spotlight. I found myself gritting my teeth whilst at the same time wanting to pen a note to the author that said, “OK, we get it! You’ve done your research! Move along!”
The second downfall is in the author’s attempts to resolve the red herrings she has introduced. I understand the need to tie up loose ends, but here they come off as extremely contrived. Every minor character suddenly reveals secrets about which I couldn’t have cared less. There was never any courted investment in those people to garner interest in the explanations for their behavior.
The final issue is one that involves a spoiler. It was a huge miscalculation on Selman’s part to be so detail-oriented and then ignore such critical holes in the story.
In the end, I did finish the novel, but not without some misgivings and a boatload of questions that remained unanswered. Selman is clearly in command of the language and is great with dialogue. For those with a keen interest in serial killers, there is enough here to keep you reading. For those who indulge in the mystery genre, however, this one just falls short.
The book starts on a commuter train where Ziba MacKenzie is engaged in people-watching. It’s clear that she is keenly observant as she relates the minute details of her fellow passengers and silently passes judgement on each. The reader learns that MacKenzie is a successful independent “profiler”, in the process of emerging from her grief over her husband’s murder. When the train then crashes, the results are grisly. MacKenzie springs into action, drawing strength and knowledge from her time in the special forces, helping where she can in spite of her own injuries. As one woman lay dying, her final words draw MacKenzie into a quest for truth that eventually becomes intertwined in a serial killer case upon which she is called to work with Scotland Yard.
Author Victoria Selman does a great job setting the tone and breathing life into Ziba MacKenzie. It is in that character, however, that the first cracks in the armor appear. Selman is so intent on sharing her own vast store of knowledge regarding serial killers that every time MacKenzie speaks, she shares another fact that adds nothing to the read. Almost every mass murderer in history is given a moment in the spotlight. I found myself gritting my teeth whilst at the same time wanting to pen a note to the author that said, “OK, we get it! You’ve done your research! Move along!”
The second downfall is in the author’s attempts to resolve the red herrings she has introduced. I understand the need to tie up loose ends, but here they come off as extremely contrived. Every minor character suddenly reveals secrets about which I couldn’t have cared less. There was never any courted investment in those people to garner interest in the explanations for their behavior.
The final issue is one that involves a spoiler. It was a huge miscalculation on Selman’s part to be so detail-oriented and then ignore such critical holes in the story.
In the end, I did finish the novel, but not without some misgivings and a boatload of questions that remained unanswered. Selman is clearly in command of the language and is great with dialogue. For those with a keen interest in serial killers, there is enough here to keep you reading. For those who indulge in the mystery genre, however, this one just falls short.
February 21, 2019
Blood for Blood was an Amazon First Read selection for January and I'm thrilled that I chose this one. I have a new favorite series as well as a tough, new female protagonist to follow.
Zina MacKenizie is former special ops, a widow who watched as her undercover cop husband was shot by a pro in front of her eyes. She now is working as a freelance profiler for the MET and is one of the best in field.
Selman, the author, writes a gritty, dark, fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing throughout the story. Admittedly, because of Ziba's mixed heritage background, she uses a lot of ethnic words - primarily Yiddish - with which I'm familiar but others may not be. She also throws in a lot, okay too much, military slang. That's actually very normal for former military members but it really did get to be too much after a while. Those are my only complaints. I have read critiques about spelling and various uses of words - American vs English - that I think is just silly. The author attended school and lives in London. I read books by British authors who write about American locations who use British spellings and I simply don't pay attention and I would hope that international reviewers could be mature enough to do the same. There are different vernaculars and different variations of spellings all across the globe and eras. That should not be what makes or breaks a book for a reviewer. That said, I've already requested and read the second book in this series and I loved it too!
Zina MacKenizie is former special ops, a widow who watched as her undercover cop husband was shot by a pro in front of her eyes. She now is working as a freelance profiler for the MET and is one of the best in field.
Selman, the author, writes a gritty, dark, fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing throughout the story. Admittedly, because of Ziba's mixed heritage background, she uses a lot of ethnic words - primarily Yiddish - with which I'm familiar but others may not be. She also throws in a lot, okay too much, military slang. That's actually very normal for former military members but it really did get to be too much after a while. Those are my only complaints. I have read critiques about spelling and various uses of words - American vs English - that I think is just silly. The author attended school and lives in London. I read books by British authors who write about American locations who use British spellings and I simply don't pay attention and I would hope that international reviewers could be mature enough to do the same. There are different vernaculars and different variations of spellings all across the globe and eras. That should not be what makes or breaks a book for a reviewer. That said, I've already requested and read the second book in this series and I loved it too!
January 14, 2019
This was my Amazon First Read pick for January. It's not a book I'd recommend, and it's not a series I'll follow.
Some things that bothered me include:
Ziba is an annoying character who tries too hard to be a badass. She has a habit of calling people ridiculous derogatory names, constantly, such as "moon chicken" and "DI Dipstick." She also uses her personal lingo for common things, such as "lifer juice" instead of coffee. And a man's hands are "dick grabbers." I swear, she never just talks like a normal person. All this makes her unsympathetic and unlikable.
Ziba lectures about serial killers at every turn. We're besieged with textbook recitations of infamous serial killers' behavior, as if in doing so Ziba proves her brilliance as a profiler. She also provides a litany of observations about people she sees, again to prove her profiling ability, when in reality most anyone would pick up on the things she points out with a flourish.
There is a constant, obvious attempt to throw readers off with red herrings. It's as if the author shouts for us to look over here at this person, because it must be him, and then, no, look over here, because it's really this guy instead. It all feels too contrived.
Clearly, this book was not for me. I couldn't find anything to like here at all. But that's just my opinion.
Some things that bothered me include:
Ziba is an annoying character who tries too hard to be a badass. She has a habit of calling people ridiculous derogatory names, constantly, such as "moon chicken" and "DI Dipstick." She also uses her personal lingo for common things, such as "lifer juice" instead of coffee. And a man's hands are "dick grabbers." I swear, she never just talks like a normal person. All this makes her unsympathetic and unlikable.
Ziba lectures about serial killers at every turn. We're besieged with textbook recitations of infamous serial killers' behavior, as if in doing so Ziba proves her brilliance as a profiler. She also provides a litany of observations about people she sees, again to prove her profiling ability, when in reality most anyone would pick up on the things she points out with a flourish.
There is a constant, obvious attempt to throw readers off with red herrings. It's as if the author shouts for us to look over here at this person, because it must be him, and then, no, look over here, because it's really this guy instead. It all feels too contrived.
Clearly, this book was not for me. I couldn't find anything to like here at all. But that's just my opinion.
September 6, 2022
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The novel opens in a pretty intense way that showcased both parts of the MC, Ziba MacKenzie's, skill set as ex-Special Forces and current profiler. It also sets up a major part of the serial killer storyline.
Alas, while I wish Ziba had been a badass, she's actually the victim of a romance sub-plot. One in which the thing that pushes her back into the real world and back to work after the death of her husband is a man.
I would have really loved to watch a special forces badass bitch learn to stand on her own again; to honour her deceased husband by carrying on with her life, coming to grips with her pain and her loss and finding a way to keep going. But instead, we get a new man.
The mystery is heavily based on religion, schizophrenia and themes of pedophilia. Which, let’s be honest, all pretty much go hand-in-hand and lend themselves well to crime fiction. But sometimes this could read like a textbook with a million serial killer factoids glaringly added in. Small plot points and red herrings were over-explained, which killed the pacing and felt a little like being spoon-fed. And the cops were so bad at their jobs - like had never heard of a profiler before? How? Ziba did get her money's worth of CSI: Miami-style scene-enders out of the dumbed-down cast, though.
This wasn’t terrible, but it’s definitely not what it could have been. There was promise to the procedural elements, but the execution was off.
⭐⭐⭐ | 3 stars
The novel opens in a pretty intense way that showcased both parts of the MC, Ziba MacKenzie's, skill set as ex-Special Forces and current profiler. It also sets up a major part of the serial killer storyline.
Alas, while I wish Ziba had been a badass, she's actually the victim of a romance sub-plot. One in which the thing that pushes her back into the real world and back to work after the death of her husband is a man.
I would have really loved to watch a special forces badass bitch learn to stand on her own again; to honour her deceased husband by carrying on with her life, coming to grips with her pain and her loss and finding a way to keep going. But instead, we get a new man.
The mystery is heavily based on religion, schizophrenia and themes of pedophilia. Which, let’s be honest, all pretty much go hand-in-hand and lend themselves well to crime fiction. But sometimes this could read like a textbook with a million serial killer factoids glaringly added in. Small plot points and red herrings were over-explained, which killed the pacing and felt a little like being spoon-fed. And the cops were so bad at their jobs - like had never heard of a profiler before? How? Ziba did get her money's worth of CSI: Miami-style scene-enders out of the dumbed-down cast, though.
This wasn’t terrible, but it’s definitely not what it could have been. There was promise to the procedural elements, but the execution was off.
⭐⭐⭐ | 3 stars
January 28, 2019
The first book in a new crime series by debut author Victoria Selman. Ziba MacKenzie is a profiler, and her latest case involves a serial killer who is back after a long hiatus.
A fast-paced crime mystery with a strong female lead. I usually enjoy books with strong female protagonists, but Ziba was kind of annoying. She seemed a bit of a know-it-all, and the weird phrases she uses threw me off. Additionally, I would have liked more backstory about Ziba. I'm guessing that as the series continues, more about Ziba will be revealed.
The mystery was interesting though. The story switched between two points of view - Ziba and the killer. The writing was solid and there were enough twists to keep it interesting.
I enjoy fast-paced mysteries and thrillers, so I'll probably continue with this series. Hopefully, I start to like Ziba more.
This book was my pick for Amazon's First Reads in January 2019.
A fast-paced crime mystery with a strong female lead. I usually enjoy books with strong female protagonists, but Ziba was kind of annoying. She seemed a bit of a know-it-all, and the weird phrases she uses threw me off. Additionally, I would have liked more backstory about Ziba. I'm guessing that as the series continues, more about Ziba will be revealed.
The mystery was interesting though. The story switched between two points of view - Ziba and the killer. The writing was solid and there were enough twists to keep it interesting.
I enjoy fast-paced mysteries and thrillers, so I'll probably continue with this series. Hopefully, I start to like Ziba more.
This book was my pick for Amazon's First Reads in January 2019.
January 15, 2022
They are just giving book contracts to anyone these days, aren't they?
This was so poorly written, I was almost in physical pain when reading it. It also had the most idiotic and off-putting main character, which wouldn't be a problem in itself, but it was obvious the author didn't intend that. She was trying to make her tough as nails, whip-smart, slightly rough around the edges, but ultimately a sympathetic character. Ziba was none of those things. She certainly didn't come across as smart by showing off her amazing deduction and profiling skills by correctly guessing a man who walked in with wet hair but a dry shirt, had been walking in the rain with a jacket on but no umbrella or hat. How insightful!
The reason people are stunned by those random monologues Ziba produces is not because of how incisive they are but because of how ridiculous and unnecessary they are.
The crime plot is run-of-the-mill. As usual, a ton of nonsensical and cliched red herrings are thrown in to prevent the reader from reaching the most obvious conclusion as to who the killer is.
Look, I don't even read that many thrillers, but I have already read each of those clichés a hundred times.
Somewhere in the beginning of this book I stumbled upon this illogical sentence:
"My whole body trembled, but this wasn't about fight or flight, not any more. Now it was about something primal. It was about survival."
Wth. "Fight or flight" is precisely the primal survival response.
Do words even mean anything to this author?
Of course, the fact that I think that criminal profiling is pseudoscience did not help the whole book (but I am willing to suspend my disbelief if I am being entertained enough).
I wish I had something, anything, positive to say about this book, but if you've watched more than three episodes of Criminal Minds, this will be a complete yawn fest for you.
Oh, and don't get me started on the weird word choices of our tough main character. She calls coffee 'lifer juice' and weed 'hippie lettuce'. There are many, many other examples like this, but I couldn't be bothered to write them all down. I think Ziba talks like this because she is so cool and tough, and needs no help from no man.
This together with a Wikipedia level of research in serial killers that was just shoehorned into the narrative made it a truly unbearable reading experience. I think I will stop downloading those free monthly Prime Kindle offerings, because my time on this earth is limited, and I don't need to read these books just because they are free.
This was so poorly written, I was almost in physical pain when reading it. It also had the most idiotic and off-putting main character, which wouldn't be a problem in itself, but it was obvious the author didn't intend that. She was trying to make her tough as nails, whip-smart, slightly rough around the edges, but ultimately a sympathetic character. Ziba was none of those things. She certainly didn't come across as smart by showing off her amazing deduction and profiling skills by correctly guessing a man who walked in with wet hair but a dry shirt, had been walking in the rain with a jacket on but no umbrella or hat. How insightful!
The reason people are stunned by those random monologues Ziba produces is not because of how incisive they are but because of how ridiculous and unnecessary they are.
The crime plot is run-of-the-mill. As usual, a ton of nonsensical and cliched red herrings are thrown in to prevent the reader from reaching the most obvious conclusion as to who the killer is.
Look, I don't even read that many thrillers, but I have already read each of those clichés a hundred times.
Somewhere in the beginning of this book I stumbled upon this illogical sentence:
"My whole body trembled, but this wasn't about fight or flight, not any more. Now it was about something primal. It was about survival."
Wth. "Fight or flight" is precisely the primal survival response.
Do words even mean anything to this author?
Of course, the fact that I think that criminal profiling is pseudoscience did not help the whole book (but I am willing to suspend my disbelief if I am being entertained enough).
I wish I had something, anything, positive to say about this book, but if you've watched more than three episodes of Criminal Minds, this will be a complete yawn fest for you.
Oh, and don't get me started on the weird word choices of our tough main character. She calls coffee 'lifer juice' and weed 'hippie lettuce'. There are many, many other examples like this, but I couldn't be bothered to write them all down. I think Ziba talks like this because she is so cool and tough, and needs no help from no man.
This together with a Wikipedia level of research in serial killers that was just shoehorned into the narrative made it a truly unbearable reading experience. I think I will stop downloading those free monthly Prime Kindle offerings, because my time on this earth is limited, and I don't need to read these books just because they are free.
October 11, 2018
A proper serial killer thriller with a great main protagonist and a twisty page turner with some great writing.
Part of my "First Monday Crime" reading so will review properly at a later date. Looking forward to the next in the series!
Part of my "First Monday Crime" reading so will review properly at a later date. Looking forward to the next in the series!
February 13, 2019
Blood for Blood is a three star novel. It started well but it was unnecessarily long and the novel was not as compelling as I would have liked.
February 23, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing / Thomas & Mercer for this arc.
I must say I'm baffled by all the good reviews this has received. I found it to be the usual serial killer hunt & "trap" read with rather erratic pacing and very little "tension". Maybe it's because there were too many "suspects" / dead-ends. But it was the dichotomous mess of Ziba Mac that just kept hitting the sour note for me. She turns from the wobbly, weepy widow woman into the EMT trained heroine performing triage in the middle of a massive train wreck and explosive fire in the blink of an eye. She's this super-trained ex-Special Forces operative knowledgeable of tracking & hunting and psychological profiling and body language expert, yet lacks basic empathy in dealing with her colleagues and friends. The author has certainly done her research into serial killers and has Ziba citing the odd details whenever she can, as further proof of her expertise. That dissonance along with Ziba's precocious arrogance and cockiness just took the book from an okay read to a poor to bad one for me.
I must say I'm baffled by all the good reviews this has received. I found it to be the usual serial killer hunt & "trap" read with rather erratic pacing and very little "tension". Maybe it's because there were too many "suspects" / dead-ends. But it was the dichotomous mess of Ziba Mac that just kept hitting the sour note for me. She turns from the wobbly, weepy widow woman into the EMT trained heroine performing triage in the middle of a massive train wreck and explosive fire in the blink of an eye. She's this super-trained ex-Special Forces operative knowledgeable of tracking & hunting and psychological profiling and body language expert, yet lacks basic empathy in dealing with her colleagues and friends. The author has certainly done her research into serial killers and has Ziba citing the odd details whenever she can, as further proof of her expertise. That dissonance along with Ziba's precocious arrogance and cockiness just took the book from an okay read to a poor to bad one for me.
March 27, 2019
This book left me very torn. A dichotomy of a book. I loved the villain, I hated the heroine. I thought the writing was excellent but detested the author's ham fisted attempts to be clever. I thought the plot was good, but the ending was relatively weak.
Let me explain why I hated the heroine, which also references the annoying attempts at cleverness and the watery ending. Ziba MacKenzie is an ex-Special Forces operative turned freelance profiler. She is an emotional wreck and virtual recluse following the murder of her husband some time before, yet is the first port of call for Scotland Yard when a high profile serial killer case comes to light, purportedly because the DCI was a friend of her husband and is doing her a kindness - is that how high profile case teams are built? I have my doubts, but lets put that to one side. Ziba can't stop profiling. She profiles everyone she sees and everything they do, but can't seem to profile herself or people close to her. She simply cannot read people she knows and yet she supposedly has this sixth sense for profiling strangers? That's strike one.
Strike two comes from her ridiculous habit of using over the top military speak all the time, to the extent her internal monologue sounds like so much SAS radio chatter on a covert operation. I mean, seriously, does anyone wake in the night at "zero dark thirty"? Unless they have read twenty Andy McNab books before going to sleep, I just don't buy it. Talking to others like that because you are living on past glories is one thing, talking to yourself that way? That's just ridiculous.
Strike three and out is when she gets a message from the killer and this super-tough ex-SF badass woman, the go-to girl for wet work, black ops, surveillance, whatever else she reckons to have done, suddenly goes to pieces and feels she has no way out but follow the trail and can't find a way to let her contacts at Scotland Yard know what's happening. Finally she lets them know and guess what? The mystery is solved within a couple of pages. Big shock.
The bonus strike four is the increasingly annoying pattern of finding a different insulting nickname for the serial killer every time she mentions him to herself or to others. I honesty don't think the same put-down is used twice and while it's amusing for the first two or three, it gets stupid by halfway through the book (shit-bird? really?). Any normal person would give him an appropriately insulting nickname and stick with it, but no, the author seems to have made it a game to see how many different combinations of bad words she could cobble together by which to refer to the villain.
A genuine shame, because the plot is good, the action is decent and the serial killer, while slightly formulaic, is given true depth and motive. The writing in the main is of a very high calibre (I don't recall any grammatical errors, which is a rare treat of late). I would definitely be interested in reading more from Victoria Selman but will avoid any more Ziba MacKenzie stories like the plague, because I just want to slap her senseless. Or maybe that's just me?
Let me explain why I hated the heroine, which also references the annoying attempts at cleverness and the watery ending. Ziba MacKenzie is an ex-Special Forces operative turned freelance profiler. She is an emotional wreck and virtual recluse following the murder of her husband some time before, yet is the first port of call for Scotland Yard when a high profile serial killer case comes to light, purportedly because the DCI was a friend of her husband and is doing her a kindness - is that how high profile case teams are built? I have my doubts, but lets put that to one side. Ziba can't stop profiling. She profiles everyone she sees and everything they do, but can't seem to profile herself or people close to her. She simply cannot read people she knows and yet she supposedly has this sixth sense for profiling strangers? That's strike one.
Strike two comes from her ridiculous habit of using over the top military speak all the time, to the extent her internal monologue sounds like so much SAS radio chatter on a covert operation. I mean, seriously, does anyone wake in the night at "zero dark thirty"? Unless they have read twenty Andy McNab books before going to sleep, I just don't buy it. Talking to others like that because you are living on past glories is one thing, talking to yourself that way? That's just ridiculous.
Strike three and out is when she gets a message from the killer and this super-tough ex-SF badass woman, the go-to girl for wet work, black ops, surveillance, whatever else she reckons to have done, suddenly goes to pieces and feels she has no way out but follow the trail and can't find a way to let her contacts at Scotland Yard know what's happening. Finally she lets them know and guess what? The mystery is solved within a couple of pages. Big shock.
The bonus strike four is the increasingly annoying pattern of finding a different insulting nickname for the serial killer every time she mentions him to herself or to others. I honesty don't think the same put-down is used twice and while it's amusing for the first two or three, it gets stupid by halfway through the book (shit-bird? really?). Any normal person would give him an appropriately insulting nickname and stick with it, but no, the author seems to have made it a game to see how many different combinations of bad words she could cobble together by which to refer to the villain.
A genuine shame, because the plot is good, the action is decent and the serial killer, while slightly formulaic, is given true depth and motive. The writing in the main is of a very high calibre (I don't recall any grammatical errors, which is a rare treat of late). I would definitely be interested in reading more from Victoria Selman but will avoid any more Ziba MacKenzie stories like the plague, because I just want to slap her senseless. Or maybe that's just me?
January 4, 2019
It has been a while since a book has intrigued me as much as this one had. I am fairly good at being able to call who the murderer is but this one had me guessing, then second guessing only to revert to my original suspect. And still I was incorrect. However, it wasn't because the murderer was random or completely unforeseen but because of the way the story was written and the focus on different details that are then disregarded as new ones come to light that I focused exactly where the author intended and never strayed from the path she laid out. I was delighted to be so completely engrossed in a story that it left my mind no room to wander from the world she created.
Also, it was refreshing that the main character is a pretty bad-ass well written female. I adore how confident in herself she is while still having many of the flaws any real human has to contend with, that just made her 100% believable and easy to relate to despite the lack of similarities in my personal life.
There were also enough details that alluded to the deranged nature of the crimes with falling into the total ick territory. I appreciate how the author chose to handle the child abuse scenes as well. Again, giving enough details to paint the picture and cause emotional turmoil without going to far. (the situation is disgusting and wrong but I am unable to emotional handle detailed scenes in my daily reading, so I am thankful with the care she took in portraying such heavy content)
Scary how real it all felt but I am genuinely looking forward to the next book in the series.
Also, it was refreshing that the main character is a pretty bad-ass well written female. I adore how confident in herself she is while still having many of the flaws any real human has to contend with, that just made her 100% believable and easy to relate to despite the lack of similarities in my personal life.
There were also enough details that alluded to the deranged nature of the crimes with falling into the total ick territory. I appreciate how the author chose to handle the child abuse scenes as well. Again, giving enough details to paint the picture and cause emotional turmoil without going to far. (the situation is disgusting and wrong but I am unable to emotional handle detailed scenes in my daily reading, so I am thankful with the care she took in portraying such heavy content)
Scary how real it all felt but I am genuinely looking forward to the next book in the series.
January 16, 2019
I wanted to like this book.
But, I must have been 'hitting the hippie lettuce' to have finished this supposed thriller. I suppose that just makes me 'shit stain' to not encourage this up-and-coming young author. But it's the use for such off-the-wall phrases that I find most off-putting. 'Sweet mother of dog shit', I find that annoying.
But finish it book, I did. I did like the set-up and Ziba did start out with promise, but the whole thing started to fall apart when, just when we wanted to like this new, woman role-model, she transforms into a stereo-typical bumbling female Jane Doe, unable to exert any strong, decisive traits that would make her unique or likeable. The plot plodded...drawn out by false leads (more like random thoughts) and two dimensional characters.
I wish Victoria well in her career...she may have promise if she stays away from trying to make her hero(ine) seem ordinary...even mundane...and tries to create a character with whom we feel a connection (ala Cormoran, Reacher or A.X.L. Pendergast)...the profiler angle has been popular in TV for years...maybe another direction?
But, I must have been 'hitting the hippie lettuce' to have finished this supposed thriller. I suppose that just makes me 'shit stain' to not encourage this up-and-coming young author. But it's the use for such off-the-wall phrases that I find most off-putting. 'Sweet mother of dog shit', I find that annoying.
But finish it book, I did. I did like the set-up and Ziba did start out with promise, but the whole thing started to fall apart when, just when we wanted to like this new, woman role-model, she transforms into a stereo-typical bumbling female Jane Doe, unable to exert any strong, decisive traits that would make her unique or likeable. The plot plodded...drawn out by false leads (more like random thoughts) and two dimensional characters.
I wish Victoria well in her career...she may have promise if she stays away from trying to make her hero(ine) seem ordinary...even mundane...and tries to create a character with whom we feel a connection (ala Cormoran, Reacher or A.X.L. Pendergast)...the profiler angle has been popular in TV for years...maybe another direction?
January 1, 2019
Blood for Blood
I'm glad I chose Blood for Blood for my January First Read, it's a great mystery thriller with the bonus that it is the first in a series.
Ziba Mac is an endearing character, she is still grieving the loss of her husband Duncan two years ago. She gets caught up in the death of a woman killed in a train wreck that coincides with the reappearance of a serial killer after a twenty-five year hiatus. As a profiler she gets in the killers head as he sets his sights on her. There is quite a twist to the story, this is an exciting read. Can't wait for more in the Ziba Mac series.
I'm glad I chose Blood for Blood for my January First Read, it's a great mystery thriller with the bonus that it is the first in a series.
Ziba Mac is an endearing character, she is still grieving the loss of her husband Duncan two years ago. She gets caught up in the death of a woman killed in a train wreck that coincides with the reappearance of a serial killer after a twenty-five year hiatus. As a profiler she gets in the killers head as he sets his sights on her. There is quite a twist to the story, this is an exciting read. Can't wait for more in the Ziba Mac series.
December 30, 2018
Blood for Blood is a fantastic debut from an exciting new author. A brilliant explosive opening is followed by a thrilling plot that kept me gripped and guessing to the end. As well as a pacy plot and an enjoyable mystery, the characterisation was superb. Ziba MacKenzie is a fresh and intriguing female lead with some cracking skills and some great one liners. I can’t wait for the next instalment in the series.
January 6, 2019
I found a lot of issues with this book. First, it always bothers me when strong female characters aren’t written as people. In other words, a common trope is to have the female character solo. NEWSFLASH: women aren’t any less powerful when they ask for or accept help.
Many pages were fluff - it seemed more like the author was trying to reach a certain number of pages rather than writing to move the plot forward. The author also restates things regularly, which is extremely frustrating when you read the same thing two pages before.
Also, something that bothered me more than it probably should’ve: INACCURACIES WITH ZODIAC - the author probably meant Son of Sam, and had confused the two. Zodiac never wrote to the NYPD, and he toyed with the press, not with the police. Good lord.
Finally, what is the deal with the junkie?
Many pages were fluff - it seemed more like the author was trying to reach a certain number of pages rather than writing to move the plot forward. The author also restates things regularly, which is extremely frustrating when you read the same thing two pages before.
Also, something that bothered me more than it probably should’ve: INACCURACIES WITH ZODIAC - the author probably meant Son of Sam, and had confused the two. Zodiac never wrote to the NYPD, and he toyed with the press, not with the police. Good lord.
Finally, what is the deal with the junkie?
January 10, 2019
This book was one of the two choices I made for the Kindle First offer for January. I've given up on it at 30%, though......it's full of military slang and I just got totally cheesed off having to keep looking up what she was on about. Especially as Ziba no longer works for the military. There's just no need for it and for me it ruined what is in essence an interesting story. Such a shame.
She uses the word ass a lot as well when it should be arse seeing as we're based in England. Sentences like "....trying to figure out a way to get an ident on my mystery woman" and "So, what's the sitrep ?" then "...the craphat who killed him" and finally, for me, "I'd spotted the shit-bird on the platform." Just needless and annoying, I'm afraid.
The serial killer moniker of London Lacerator just sounds daft AND lacerater should be spelt like this, anyway. I didn't believe that a profiler would refer to genital mutilation and eye-stabbings in a press conference, either.
However, I hadn't spotted any punctuation or grammatical mistakes before I deleted this which is nice to see.
She uses the word ass a lot as well when it should be arse seeing as we're based in England. Sentences like "....trying to figure out a way to get an ident on my mystery woman" and "So, what's the sitrep ?" then "...the craphat who killed him" and finally, for me, "I'd spotted the shit-bird on the platform." Just needless and annoying, I'm afraid.
The serial killer moniker of London Lacerator just sounds daft AND lacerater should be spelt like this, anyway. I didn't believe that a profiler would refer to genital mutilation and eye-stabbings in a press conference, either.
However, I hadn't spotted any punctuation or grammatical mistakes before I deleted this which is nice to see.
January 21, 2019
DNF at 38%.
I don’t normally read books on Kindle, but since Amazon offered two free books for January, I couldn’t turn it down. I’d been stuck in a repetitive cycle of reading WWII books so I decided a thriller would be a nice way to break out of it…unfortunately, it appears I should have waited a bit for some of the reviews to come in or chosen from one of the other two books I had considered as a secondary but passed in favor of this.
Ziba is by far one of the top ten most obnoxious characters I’ve forced myself to read about.
I’m still not sure what the author was aiming for with this character, was she supposed to be quirky? Badass? A quirky-badass? Or was she supposed to be as annoying? Because she was very annoying.
Between the military abbreviations (that had no explanation and I couldn’t be bothered to look up) and her frequent need to differentiate herself by making up words like a kindergartner (ie: Lifer Juice=Coffee. Ink Stick=Pen) instead of talking like a normal adult…Ziba, with the giant chip the size of Everest on her shoulder who assumed she was better than everyone else (especially if they possessed a penis), was insufferable.
As far as the made up words go, it’s almost like the author had a word count she needed to meet and like a desperate college student started making up and/or breaking down words to overly simplified forms to fluff the number count.
A lot of the slang and terms were very British. Like, if you dissected them, they’d bleed little Union Jacks, level of British. Seeing as the author and the book are British I shrugged it off as a little quirk…until the terms started being thrown into what felt like every other paragraph. Why wasn't Ziba capable of just talking normally and saying what she means without the overly British slang and made up terms?
Now, before you get defensive about my "typical American attitude" I fully expect British terms in British books, so no I'm not referring to words like "chips" instead of french fries, "flat" instead of apartment, or a "dummy" instead of a pacifier, etc. It wouldn't be or feel British without their own terms sprinkled throughout.
Ziba, however, is slightly obsessive about throwing out British slang and terms that are so unusual they required me to pause and look them up. Two of them (the two examples I use) are mostly my own fault from misunderstanding but some of them were just ridiculous. As if her made up words weren't bad enough...
Two examples (both of which I think are very minor but more importantly are spoiler-free):
“…as I shook the cellar over my fries…”
Again, minor. But it did make me pause, a ‘cellar’ (besides being a place to store your excess junk) is a small bowl without a lid that holds spices. Basically, that little bowl you see the chefs on cooking shows grabbing pinches or fistfuls of seasoning and throwing it over food...that's a 'cellar'.
I’m not sure if this is what salt shakers are referred to in the UK because when I googled it, I came up with nothing useful. So, I’m going to have to side with her husband on this, if she’s shaking an open bowl of salt on her chips (French fries), she’s going to die young and has no taste buds (after being forced to eat military rations/food, this might be true).
And another:
“…We’d eat them straight out of the fat standing by the hob…”
Now this is my own fault. Being a typical mostly oblivious American I don’t keep up with many trends (both on my own soil and overseas), so to me “hob” still meant “hearth” (which is obviously a fireplace). Apparently, I’m a few centuries out of date because it now means “cook-top”. I will confess it was kind of amusing to picture two modern people, so desperate for fatty, unhealthy goodness, they resorted to cooking chips (French fries) in a cast iron pot over an open flame.
Another issue I had was Ziba’s line of work…I can’t remember where exactly she lives, but apparently, she lives in a pretty nice neighborhood since she never worries about people breaking in or stealing her car…which is where I have many questions.
Ziba pretty much makes it clear she’s a freelancer, meaning she doesn’t have a reliable form of income. She could be called in every day for a year or get nothing for months while they used other people. She isn’t the only Profiler in the UK (which I’ll be talking about in a moment). So how does she afford both the nice apartment and a car that goes for almost $200,000 (which is like £155,000)? I’ve heard its very expensive to live in London, so how does she afford the apartment, the car, and all the other expenses that living in a big city brings…on freelancer pay?
I doubt the military, her husband’s life insurance, and the government pays well enough for her to maintain all her living and car expenses, plus keep up with her going out to eat nearly every single day for two meals a day.
Also, if I remember correctly, Ziba is under or pretty close to 30 years old. She was in the military most of her young adult life (18-35). Where and when did she have the time to magically become a profiler, between her frequent deployments with special forces? Profiling is something that takes years and a ton of training to achieve.
You don’t just read a textbook (which is what a lot of her profiling passages felt like…these being very frequent) and magically become one. Going by her age she’d still be in training and wouldn’t have nearly the amount of prestige needed to be called on so frequently. And using the old “she was in the military” argument won’t work, they train you to look for danger not figure out the dude on the train with sores on his face, unwashed hair, skeletal complexion, and constant fidgeting is (surprise, surprise) a meth addict. Or that mutilation of someone’s genitals means they’re angry with that sex.
She also doesn't have the maturity level expected of someone in her position, which requires emotional detachment and serious observation skills. She frequently gets angry and calls people by childish names. She's also pretty oblivious to the obvious behaviors of people around her.
So how did she become the "go-to" profiler, when there are probably hundreds of other profiles with more seniority and experience than her?
I still don't understand why authors think female leads need to be "lone wolf" types of gals, as if they're all powerful and are what people are clamoring to read about. They aren't.
Actually, I like the dynamic of partners that balance each other out. It makes the characters stronger to have someone to ask for help, softens out the jagged edges, and adds a new dynamic and point of view (be it rasher or calmer) for both male and female characters.
The other big issue I had was how many coincidences there were, it was absolutely ridiculous. Be wary, this paragraph is heavy in the spoilers, just skip over the bolded text to avoid it:
So Ziba gets on a train that just to happens to blow up, that coincidentally is not only also occupied by our serial killer who is stalking a young woman but the serial killers mother as well. Somehow the mother, who doesn’t recognize her son at all, dies (along with 90% of the people in the carriage) but Ziba and serial killer conveniently walk out without a scratch. You really expect me to buy what you’re selling here?
And finally, let me start off this last section with a little disclaimer that I myself do swear, and it only bothers me on two occasions: if it’s done in front of my young child or it’s used excess.
Ziba, as it turns out, is not very articulate in expressing her frustration and anger preferring to just resort to swearing like a Neanderthal every couple of pages. I did a search on some of the more common words to see how often it was said:
D-ck- 10 times
A-s(hole)- 12 times
F-ck- 15 times
Sh-t- 30 times
B-tch- 4 times
B—tard- 4 times
D-mn- 14 times
So she swears (using the most common words, at least) about 89 times in a book that's about 300 and some pages. Just a bit excessive.
Again, swearing doesn’t bother me but I know it bothers other people so that’s why I edited the words a bit. Recognizable but still hidden for those of a more “sensitive” nature.
Unfortunately, this is a series I won’t be retrying or continuing.
I don’t normally read books on Kindle, but since Amazon offered two free books for January, I couldn’t turn it down. I’d been stuck in a repetitive cycle of reading WWII books so I decided a thriller would be a nice way to break out of it…unfortunately, it appears I should have waited a bit for some of the reviews to come in or chosen from one of the other two books I had considered as a secondary but passed in favor of this.
Ziba is by far one of the top ten most obnoxious characters I’ve forced myself to read about.
I’m still not sure what the author was aiming for with this character, was she supposed to be quirky? Badass? A quirky-badass? Or was she supposed to be as annoying? Because she was very annoying.
Between the military abbreviations (that had no explanation and I couldn’t be bothered to look up) and her frequent need to differentiate herself by making up words like a kindergartner (ie: Lifer Juice=Coffee. Ink Stick=Pen) instead of talking like a normal adult…Ziba, with the giant chip the size of Everest on her shoulder who assumed she was better than everyone else (especially if they possessed a penis), was insufferable.
As far as the made up words go, it’s almost like the author had a word count she needed to meet and like a desperate college student started making up and/or breaking down words to overly simplified forms to fluff the number count.
A lot of the slang and terms were very British. Like, if you dissected them, they’d bleed little Union Jacks, level of British. Seeing as the author and the book are British I shrugged it off as a little quirk…until the terms started being thrown into what felt like every other paragraph. Why wasn't Ziba capable of just talking normally and saying what she means without the overly British slang and made up terms?
Now, before you get defensive about my "typical American attitude" I fully expect British terms in British books, so no I'm not referring to words like "chips" instead of french fries, "flat" instead of apartment, or a "dummy" instead of a pacifier, etc. It wouldn't be or feel British without their own terms sprinkled throughout.
Ziba, however, is slightly obsessive about throwing out British slang and terms that are so unusual they required me to pause and look them up. Two of them (the two examples I use) are mostly my own fault from misunderstanding but some of them were just ridiculous. As if her made up words weren't bad enough...
Two examples (both of which I think are very minor but more importantly are spoiler-free):
“…as I shook the cellar over my fries…”
Again, minor. But it did make me pause, a ‘cellar’ (besides being a place to store your excess junk) is a small bowl without a lid that holds spices. Basically, that little bowl you see the chefs on cooking shows grabbing pinches or fistfuls of seasoning and throwing it over food...that's a 'cellar'.
I’m not sure if this is what salt shakers are referred to in the UK because when I googled it, I came up with nothing useful. So, I’m going to have to side with her husband on this, if she’s shaking an open bowl of salt on her chips (French fries), she’s going to die young and has no taste buds (after being forced to eat military rations/food, this might be true).
And another:
“…We’d eat them straight out of the fat standing by the hob…”
Now this is my own fault. Being a typical mostly oblivious American I don’t keep up with many trends (both on my own soil and overseas), so to me “hob” still meant “hearth” (which is obviously a fireplace). Apparently, I’m a few centuries out of date because it now means “cook-top”. I will confess it was kind of amusing to picture two modern people, so desperate for fatty, unhealthy goodness, they resorted to cooking chips (French fries) in a cast iron pot over an open flame.
Another issue I had was Ziba’s line of work…I can’t remember where exactly she lives, but apparently, she lives in a pretty nice neighborhood since she never worries about people breaking in or stealing her car…which is where I have many questions.
Ziba pretty much makes it clear she’s a freelancer, meaning she doesn’t have a reliable form of income. She could be called in every day for a year or get nothing for months while they used other people. She isn’t the only Profiler in the UK (which I’ll be talking about in a moment). So how does she afford both the nice apartment and a car that goes for almost $200,000 (which is like £155,000)? I’ve heard its very expensive to live in London, so how does she afford the apartment, the car, and all the other expenses that living in a big city brings…on freelancer pay?
I doubt the military, her husband’s life insurance, and the government pays well enough for her to maintain all her living and car expenses, plus keep up with her going out to eat nearly every single day for two meals a day.
Also, if I remember correctly, Ziba is under or pretty close to 30 years old. She was in the military most of her young adult life (18-35). Where and when did she have the time to magically become a profiler, between her frequent deployments with special forces? Profiling is something that takes years and a ton of training to achieve.
You don’t just read a textbook (which is what a lot of her profiling passages felt like…these being very frequent) and magically become one. Going by her age she’d still be in training and wouldn’t have nearly the amount of prestige needed to be called on so frequently. And using the old “she was in the military” argument won’t work, they train you to look for danger not figure out the dude on the train with sores on his face, unwashed hair, skeletal complexion, and constant fidgeting is (surprise, surprise) a meth addict. Or that mutilation of someone’s genitals means they’re angry with that sex.
She also doesn't have the maturity level expected of someone in her position, which requires emotional detachment and serious observation skills. She frequently gets angry and calls people by childish names. She's also pretty oblivious to the obvious behaviors of people around her.
So how did she become the "go-to" profiler, when there are probably hundreds of other profiles with more seniority and experience than her?
I still don't understand why authors think female leads need to be "lone wolf" types of gals, as if they're all powerful and are what people are clamoring to read about. They aren't.
Actually, I like the dynamic of partners that balance each other out. It makes the characters stronger to have someone to ask for help, softens out the jagged edges, and adds a new dynamic and point of view (be it rasher or calmer) for both male and female characters.
The other big issue I had was how many coincidences there were, it was absolutely ridiculous. Be wary, this paragraph is heavy in the spoilers, just skip over the bolded text to avoid it:
So Ziba gets on a train that just to happens to blow up, that coincidentally is not only also occupied by our serial killer who is stalking a young woman but the serial killers mother as well. Somehow the mother, who doesn’t recognize her son at all, dies (along with 90% of the people in the carriage) but Ziba and serial killer conveniently walk out without a scratch. You really expect me to buy what you’re selling here?
And finally, let me start off this last section with a little disclaimer that I myself do swear, and it only bothers me on two occasions: if it’s done in front of my young child or it’s used excess.
Ziba, as it turns out, is not very articulate in expressing her frustration and anger preferring to just resort to swearing like a Neanderthal every couple of pages. I did a search on some of the more common words to see how often it was said:
D-ck- 10 times
A-s(hole)- 12 times
F-ck- 15 times
Sh-t- 30 times
B-tch- 4 times
B—tard- 4 times
D-mn- 14 times
So she swears (using the most common words, at least) about 89 times in a book that's about 300 and some pages. Just a bit excessive.
Again, swearing doesn’t bother me but I know it bothers other people so that’s why I edited the words a bit. Recognizable but still hidden for those of a more “sensitive” nature.
Unfortunately, this is a series I won’t be retrying or continuing.
January 14, 2019
Wasn’t feeling this the whole way through. Didn’t help that it kicked off with a ridiculous number of coincidences. Our hero in in a train crash and comforts a dying woman at the top of the book. She’s also brought in on a serial killer murder investigation later that night. The mom of the first victim of the serial killer? Turns out she was the dying woman on the train. Oh and the serial killer was on the train too. (Cause why not?)
January 8, 2019
Intense!
Could not put down this book long enough for my kindle to recharge fully!
Fabulous debut novel.
Erratic killer who believes he heard the voice of God has started killing again after a 25 year absence. Will Ziba, profiler at Scotland Yard get to the bottom of the case before it's too late?
Could not put down this book long enough for my kindle to recharge fully!
Fabulous debut novel.
Erratic killer who believes he heard the voice of God has started killing again after a 25 year absence. Will Ziba, profiler at Scotland Yard get to the bottom of the case before it's too late?
January 6, 2019
Amazon have spoiled Prime members this month with a new year double-whammy of not one but two 'first read' picks and this was one of mine.
Ziba MacKenzie is a Special Forces veteran and a specialist in criminal profiling. Like every good superhero she has a talent (profiling, understanding human behaviour) and an Achilles heel (her grief over the murder of her husband). We meet her on a London suburban train just as it's about to crash with catastrophic impact. As Ziba tries to help the injured and dying, a woman's dying words haunt here. "He did it. You have to tell someone".
Ziba is called in by the police to help on the investigation of a serial killer who kills and mutilates older gay men. After appearing on the news supporting the police, the killer thinks she understands him and is his guardian angel and soon starts setting her tests and challenges. Can Ziba get under his skin sufficiently to stop the killing, whilst trying to tie together dozens of loose ends over more than 25 years?
The serial killer sub-genre is a crowded market place and increasingly it seems like authors think the only way to make their mark is to make their stories more and more complicated, fill them with devious blind ends and red herrings and repeatedly lead the reader astray. Selman doesn't do that. Her story is more linear and logical than most and I'm grateful for that relative simplicity. As a reader, I want to think that I too can piece the story together if I follow all the clues and she let me do that without an over-reliance on unknown-unknowns or super-clever forensics. This is, at heart, a rather old fashioned style of criminal investigation. Hoorah for that.
I'm happy to see this described as Ziba MacKenzie #1 because I'm sure there'll be a good few more Ziba Mac books before I get jaded with this new protagonist. I liked her a lot.
Ziba MacKenzie is a Special Forces veteran and a specialist in criminal profiling. Like every good superhero she has a talent (profiling, understanding human behaviour) and an Achilles heel (her grief over the murder of her husband). We meet her on a London suburban train just as it's about to crash with catastrophic impact. As Ziba tries to help the injured and dying, a woman's dying words haunt here. "He did it. You have to tell someone".
Ziba is called in by the police to help on the investigation of a serial killer who kills and mutilates older gay men. After appearing on the news supporting the police, the killer thinks she understands him and is his guardian angel and soon starts setting her tests and challenges. Can Ziba get under his skin sufficiently to stop the killing, whilst trying to tie together dozens of loose ends over more than 25 years?
The serial killer sub-genre is a crowded market place and increasingly it seems like authors think the only way to make their mark is to make their stories more and more complicated, fill them with devious blind ends and red herrings and repeatedly lead the reader astray. Selman doesn't do that. Her story is more linear and logical than most and I'm grateful for that relative simplicity. As a reader, I want to think that I too can piece the story together if I follow all the clues and she let me do that without an over-reliance on unknown-unknowns or super-clever forensics. This is, at heart, a rather old fashioned style of criminal investigation. Hoorah for that.
I'm happy to see this described as Ziba MacKenzie #1 because I'm sure there'll be a good few more Ziba Mac books before I get jaded with this new protagonist. I liked her a lot.
November 10, 2019
Audio version of this book 📚- Really enjoyed the start of this series, looking forward to the next one
December 29, 2020
4/5
Co to była za pozycja. Nie wiem czemu tak z nią zwlekałam, prawdopodobnie przez moją krótką pamięć i fakt, że regał, na którym stała znajduje się na korytarzu. Naprawiłam jednak swój błąd. Mam nadzieję, że nikt inny go nie popełni, ponieważ ta książka zasługuje na uwagę, a jest oraz było o niej cicho, co mnie smuci. Najlepsze w niej jest to, że od początku wiemy, kto popełnił te zbrodnie, znamy jego motyw, ale mimo to "Krew za krew" wciąga i potrafi zaskoczyć. Nie znamy tutaj do końca powiązań między poszczególnymi osobami a mordercą. Do tego mamy tutaj motyw fanatyzmu religijnego jako choroby psychicznej, nawiązania do liczb ściśle związanych z wiarą, Biblią. Poza tym znajdziemy tutaj także obsesję na punkcie jakieś osoby. Książka ta pokazuje nam także, że nie zawsze jest warto stawiać czoło niektórych sytuacją w pojedynkę. Główna bohaterka Ziba właśnie w ten sposób postępowała i uświadomiła sobie jak wiele kłopotów przez to przysporzyła sobie oraz innym, pracującym nad sprawą. "Krew za krew" pokazuje nam też walkę ludzi ze swoimi demonami, którymi są traumy, a także śmierć bliskich osób. Krótko mówiąc, książka pani Victorii Selman to kawał dobrej historii, która może człowiekowi nie namiesza w głowie, ale wciągnie go od początku do końca.
Co to była za pozycja. Nie wiem czemu tak z nią zwlekałam, prawdopodobnie przez moją krótką pamięć i fakt, że regał, na którym stała znajduje się na korytarzu. Naprawiłam jednak swój błąd. Mam nadzieję, że nikt inny go nie popełni, ponieważ ta książka zasługuje na uwagę, a jest oraz było o niej cicho, co mnie smuci. Najlepsze w niej jest to, że od początku wiemy, kto popełnił te zbrodnie, znamy jego motyw, ale mimo to "Krew za krew" wciąga i potrafi zaskoczyć. Nie znamy tutaj do końca powiązań między poszczególnymi osobami a mordercą. Do tego mamy tutaj motyw fanatyzmu religijnego jako choroby psychicznej, nawiązania do liczb ściśle związanych z wiarą, Biblią. Poza tym znajdziemy tutaj także obsesję na punkcie jakieś osoby. Książka ta pokazuje nam także, że nie zawsze jest warto stawiać czoło niektórych sytuacją w pojedynkę. Główna bohaterka Ziba właśnie w ten sposób postępowała i uświadomiła sobie jak wiele kłopotów przez to przysporzyła sobie oraz innym, pracującym nad sprawą. "Krew za krew" pokazuje nam też walkę ludzi ze swoimi demonami, którymi są traumy, a także śmierć bliskich osób. Krótko mówiąc, książka pani Victorii Selman to kawał dobrej historii, która może człowiekowi nie namiesza w głowie, ale wciągnie go od początku do końca.
January 31, 2019
This was my selection from the monthly Kindle books available to Prime members of Amazon. I usually don't make it through any of the books I choose, so this was a step forward. The young woman profiler Ziba had appeal, so I stuck with the story as it went from a devastating train crash into a Scotland Yard campaign to catch a serial killer, not one of my favorite topics.
January 10, 2019
To begin with, how does book one in a series leave you feeling like you missed something? Was there a series prior to this where Ziba was a background character? The fact that I came into this novel simply hearing about her husband's death, I don't feel as though her grieving made me feel what I'm sure the author intended. Nor did I feel any strong feelings one way or another about her working with, or being around, his former friends and colleagues. I feel like I am missing some major plot-line by simply being introduced to her after her husband's death.
Then, while it is quite obvious that this author has a solid grasp on what makes a good story, and how to execute just enough "is it or isn't it" to keep you guessing, however I was left with A LOT of questions. The most glaring of which is how did the killer keep their identity a secret for so long? Considering the things that happened to them, I feel like someone, somewhere along the way would have caught on. Mental Health treatment is often expensive, and I cannot imagine his therapists, doctors, facilitators, etc, calling him just by the name he gave himself. How did they get paid? How did they keep tabs on him? Perhaps things are different in the UK, and this is plausible, however I just don't understand it.
I also found Ziba to be a bit... snobbish? Standoffish? Unbelievable? Even with her impressive record (even more impressive when you take into consideration how old she is compared to what she has done), she still comes across as the person with all the answers. Even working with detectives who have been around awhile, she still sees things that (to me) should have been obvious, and she takes risks that are wholly unnecessary.
All in all, this is a well written first novel, and I do think I will continue on with this series, just to see how the author and her characters evolve.
DISCLAIMER: This was an Amazon First Reads for January. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
Then, while it is quite obvious that this author has a solid grasp on what makes a good story, and how to execute just enough "is it or isn't it" to keep you guessing, however I was left with A LOT of questions. The most glaring of which is how did the killer keep their identity a secret for so long? Considering the things that happened to them, I feel like someone, somewhere along the way would have caught on. Mental Health treatment is often expensive, and I cannot imagine his therapists, doctors, facilitators, etc, calling him just by the name he gave himself. How did they get paid? How did they keep tabs on him? Perhaps things are different in the UK, and this is plausible, however I just don't understand it.
I also found Ziba to be a bit... snobbish? Standoffish? Unbelievable? Even with her impressive record (even more impressive when you take into consideration how old she is compared to what she has done), she still comes across as the person with all the answers. Even working with detectives who have been around awhile, she still sees things that (to me) should have been obvious, and she takes risks that are wholly unnecessary.
All in all, this is a well written first novel, and I do think I will continue on with this series, just to see how the author and her characters evolve.
DISCLAIMER: This was an Amazon First Reads for January. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
January 8, 2019
Ziba MacKenzie is a criminal profiler who consults with Scotland Yard. On her way to dinner one night, the train she’s riding collides with a derailed tanker car, killing more than a dozen and wounding several hundred. Though injured herself, Ziba comforts a dying woman who with her last breath whispers an enigmatic confession: “He did it.” Who did it? What did he do? And why? are the questions Ziba asks herself.
But these questions get pushed to the side as Scotland Yard requests her services to help them catch the London Lacerator, a serial killer who’s started murdering again after a two-decade hiatus. The catch? While she’s profiling him, it turns out he’s profiling her too. Now the question is: Who will get to the other first?
Eventually, both sets of questions collide in Blood for Blood, the first book in a new series featuring Ziba MacKenzie and penned by Victoria Selman. It’s a page-turner with a likable protagonist, a plot with several twists, and a backstory and ensemble of secondary characters that grow on you. As a devoted reader of Sue Grafton and Michael Connelly, I’m always on the lookout for a new murder mystery series, and this one fits the bill. I’m looking forward to Nothing to Lose, the second book in the series, which releases March 26, 2019.
Book Reviewed
Victoria Selman, Blood for Blood: Ziba MacKenzie Book One (Thomas & Mercer, 2019).
P.S. If my review helps you form an opinion of the book, please vote “Helpful” on my Amazon review page.
But these questions get pushed to the side as Scotland Yard requests her services to help them catch the London Lacerator, a serial killer who’s started murdering again after a two-decade hiatus. The catch? While she’s profiling him, it turns out he’s profiling her too. Now the question is: Who will get to the other first?
Eventually, both sets of questions collide in Blood for Blood, the first book in a new series featuring Ziba MacKenzie and penned by Victoria Selman. It’s a page-turner with a likable protagonist, a plot with several twists, and a backstory and ensemble of secondary characters that grow on you. As a devoted reader of Sue Grafton and Michael Connelly, I’m always on the lookout for a new murder mystery series, and this one fits the bill. I’m looking forward to Nothing to Lose, the second book in the series, which releases March 26, 2019.
Book Reviewed
Victoria Selman, Blood for Blood: Ziba MacKenzie Book One (Thomas & Mercer, 2019).
P.S. If my review helps you form an opinion of the book, please vote “Helpful” on my Amazon review page.
January 17, 2019
Exciting
I wasn’t sure at first about this book but it was the kindle first option that seemed like something I would like the most. I like that the story goes right into it and you hav to help Ziba decipher clues as she goes. You also are trying to figure out who Raguel is and how he someone seems to understand Ziba and how she works. I like that she is a lone wolf but will call in help when she really needs it. I thought it was interesting that you were always turning a corner and learning something new. I liked that the book gives you a lead into the next book Nothing to Lose it’s already drawing me in waiting to see what can potential happen to Ziba and Jack as well as the newest serial killer she is to profile. Great kindle first read. Worth reading if you like shows like criminal minds.
I wasn’t sure at first about this book but it was the kindle first option that seemed like something I would like the most. I like that the story goes right into it and you hav to help Ziba decipher clues as she goes. You also are trying to figure out who Raguel is and how he someone seems to understand Ziba and how she works. I like that she is a lone wolf but will call in help when she really needs it. I thought it was interesting that you were always turning a corner and learning something new. I liked that the book gives you a lead into the next book Nothing to Lose it’s already drawing me in waiting to see what can potential happen to Ziba and Jack as well as the newest serial killer she is to profile. Great kindle first read. Worth reading if you like shows like criminal minds.
January 23, 2019
I don’t think I’m rereading this one 😂 although it was well written, this book just gave me the creeps. I’m not a fan of reading thrillers. I always prefer to watch them on screen rather than read them. There was a lot of very disturbing new info I learned about serial killers. It’s making me paranoid 😂 but if you’re into all that, this book might be just for you.
By the way, I got this book for free from Amazon First Reads for January. You get free ebooks every month when you’re a prime member.
By the way, I got this book for free from Amazon First Reads for January. You get free ebooks every month when you’re a prime member.
November 21, 2019
I enjoyed this one at the beginning and was quite excited about half way through and then it started to lose momentum.
I felt that it could have been more psychological than it was, I was hoping that I was going to experience being thrilled, but I ended wading through it.
I do have the other 2 to read and I am hoping for more.
I did give it 3.5 stars as I was impressed with the profiling research.
I felt that it could have been more psychological than it was, I was hoping that I was going to experience being thrilled, but I ended wading through it.
I do have the other 2 to read and I am hoping for more.
I did give it 3.5 stars as I was impressed with the profiling research.
January 14, 2019
I just finished watching “Killing Eve” and was in the mood for another story about a serial killer and this fit the bill. Compelling story, and although there were some head-scratching plot holes, it was very enjoyable. A good pick from the Amazon First Reads January selection.
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