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Blood Will Tell
From the author of the acclaimed debut No Bad Deed, a twisty novel about the bond between two sisters—and the crimes one covers up to protect the other. For fans of Lisa Gardner and Harlan Coben.
Schoolteacher and single mom Frankie Barrera has always been fiercely protective of her younger sister Izzy—whether Izzy wants her to be or not. But over the years, Izzy’s risky choices have tested Frankie’s loyalty. Never so much as on a night five years ago, when a frantic phone call led Frankie to the scene of a car accident—and a drunk and disoriented Izzy who couldn’t remember a thing.
Though six friends partied on the outskirts of town that night, one girl was never seen again . . .
Now, an Amber alert puts Frankie in the sights of the local police. Her truck has been described as the one used in the abduction of a girl from a neighboring town. And the only other person with access to Frankie’s truck is Izzy.
This time around, Frankie will have to decide what lengths she’s willing to go to in order to protect Izzy—what lies she’s willing to tell, and what secrets she’s willing to keep—because the dangerous game that six friends once played on a warm summer night isn’t over yet . . .
Schoolteacher and single mom Frankie Barrera has always been fiercely protective of her younger sister Izzy—whether Izzy wants her to be or not. But over the years, Izzy’s risky choices have tested Frankie’s loyalty. Never so much as on a night five years ago, when a frantic phone call led Frankie to the scene of a car accident—and a drunk and disoriented Izzy who couldn’t remember a thing.
Though six friends partied on the outskirts of town that night, one girl was never seen again . . .
Now, an Amber alert puts Frankie in the sights of the local police. Her truck has been described as the one used in the abduction of a girl from a neighboring town. And the only other person with access to Frankie’s truck is Izzy.
This time around, Frankie will have to decide what lengths she’s willing to go to in order to protect Izzy—what lies she’s willing to tell, and what secrets she’s willing to keep—because the dangerous game that six friends once played on a warm summer night isn’t over yet . . .
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 26, 2022
54 people are currently reading
14863 people want to read
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March 23, 2022
Fist pumping, heart pounding, nail biting! Yes, another wild ride you get as soon as you find yourself drawn into fast pacing, energizing, mysterious, action packed, breathless Ms. Chavez story you may fully enjoy!
Her first novel: No Bad Deed literally gave me panic attacks! It was extremely exciting and absolutely full throttle thriller! Blood Will Tell is also starting fast, gripping, surprising, containing more emotional and psychological story about two sisters’ bounding. The sisters’ predicaments, struggles were analyzed so deeply, making you truly feel for their pains like glass pieces slowly get under your skin, cutting you slowly.
Frankie is tough, reliable, taking no sh*t, smartest badass you may imagine with her improved math skills ( trying to solve problems as if they’re math equations and her photographic memory skills to remember numbers is also useful to dig out the mysteries)
Did I say she also has improved mechanical skills to fix cars? She can be a hell of detective with those gifts but she focused on raising her four years old son Julian alone, taking care of her own sister Izzy for years. Her parents deal with their own drama causing her dad lose his leg, suffer with health problems, barely paying their mortgage.
Frankie was always there to protect her sister no matter what trouble she gets herself into including traumatic experience she’s had five years ago which caused her hit rock bottom!
Izzy breaks Frankie fixes. Izzy causes trouble Frankie takes blame, finding excuses for her!
But now things get a little far. There’s an amber alert about a truck with same model and plate of Frankie’s truck which has gotten involved with kidnapping of Marine, a teenage girl whose mother saw her being forcefully put in the truck. Her son Julia tells her he saw Izzy borrowed the truck the night before. And Izzy’s boyfriend Mark becomes witness of hit and run incident after calling Frankie, they have to talk something urgent about Izzy!
What the hell is going on? Could her sister do something to this young girl? Could this event be connected with incident that took place five years ago in Mercuryville where six teenagers played a dangerous game and got drunk and ended with a striking tragedy!
I loved the pacing , characterization, conjuncture which kept me on my toes! Finally revelations were also twisty and irritating. All my questions are answered!
I’m rounding my 4.5 stars to 5 : well earned, well written, well developed stars!
Heather Chavez is extraordinary, intelligent author, perfectly creates memorable characters! Frankie is real gem! My kind of sad, compassionate, strong, unselfish heroine I full heartedly adored!
Special thanks to NetGalley and William Morton and Custom House for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Her first novel: No Bad Deed literally gave me panic attacks! It was extremely exciting and absolutely full throttle thriller! Blood Will Tell is also starting fast, gripping, surprising, containing more emotional and psychological story about two sisters’ bounding. The sisters’ predicaments, struggles were analyzed so deeply, making you truly feel for their pains like glass pieces slowly get under your skin, cutting you slowly.
Frankie is tough, reliable, taking no sh*t, smartest badass you may imagine with her improved math skills ( trying to solve problems as if they’re math equations and her photographic memory skills to remember numbers is also useful to dig out the mysteries)
Did I say she also has improved mechanical skills to fix cars? She can be a hell of detective with those gifts but she focused on raising her four years old son Julian alone, taking care of her own sister Izzy for years. Her parents deal with their own drama causing her dad lose his leg, suffer with health problems, barely paying their mortgage.
Frankie was always there to protect her sister no matter what trouble she gets herself into including traumatic experience she’s had five years ago which caused her hit rock bottom!
Izzy breaks Frankie fixes. Izzy causes trouble Frankie takes blame, finding excuses for her!
But now things get a little far. There’s an amber alert about a truck with same model and plate of Frankie’s truck which has gotten involved with kidnapping of Marine, a teenage girl whose mother saw her being forcefully put in the truck. Her son Julia tells her he saw Izzy borrowed the truck the night before. And Izzy’s boyfriend Mark becomes witness of hit and run incident after calling Frankie, they have to talk something urgent about Izzy!
What the hell is going on? Could her sister do something to this young girl? Could this event be connected with incident that took place five years ago in Mercuryville where six teenagers played a dangerous game and got drunk and ended with a striking tragedy!
I loved the pacing , characterization, conjuncture which kept me on my toes! Finally revelations were also twisty and irritating. All my questions are answered!
I’m rounding my 4.5 stars to 5 : well earned, well written, well developed stars!
Heather Chavez is extraordinary, intelligent author, perfectly creates memorable characters! Frankie is real gem! My kind of sad, compassionate, strong, unselfish heroine I full heartedly adored!
Special thanks to NetGalley and William Morton and Custom House for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
October 17, 2024
Blood Will Tell is the sophomore effort from author Heather Chavez. Her 2020-debut, No Bad Deed entertained me from the very start. I really enjoyed it!
Because of this, I was definitely looking forward to this new release. Could she keep up her stellar, fast-paced writing and over-the-top level of intrigue?
The short answer is, YES!!!
In Blood Will Tell our focus is on sisters, Frankie and Izzy. Frankie has always been very protective of her little sister, Izzy, and both girls acknowledge Frankie raised her.
Their father has a chronic illness and with their parents often focused on that, the girls sort of circled in their own little orbit. They would keep secrets from their parents, as they didn't want to trouble them, or worry them. In fact, even as adults, they're still doing that.
Over the years, Izzy has made reckless choices. Her drug and alcohol use certainly hasn't helped matters.
Their most troubling night involved events that happened five-year ago, when Izzy and some friends partied in the woods just outside of town. Six of them arrived, but only five left. One of the girls there that night, Rachel, has been missing ever since.
Izzy drunk and disoriented ended up getting in a minor accident that night in their mother's car. As always, she called Frankie for help.
After Frankie managed to arrive for a rescue, Izzy was a mess and couldn't recall exactly what had happened. Based on some troubling evidence that Frankie found, and a bit of Izzy's rantings, Frankie had a sinking suspicion she knew what happened.
Now when an Amber alert goes out and Frankie's vehicle matches a description given by witnesses, she fears the worst.
She knows she didn't just kidnap the teen girl, Marina, but it is possible that Izzy could be involved. She's the only other person with access to Frankie's truck. With fear in her heart, Frankie sets about investigating what happened to Marina.
Alternating between this present case, and the events of the infamous party night, 5-years earlier, the truth behind Rachel's and Marina's disappearances is revealed. We also gain a full understanding of the sisterly relationship; how intertwined they are with one another.
There's something about Chavez's writing that feels so addictive. She gives you just enough in each chapter to keep you vigorously turning pages. The drama is always high and this sisterly relationship was giving me all the twisted family dynamics I crave.
I really felt for Frankie. Izzy was a lot and Frankie's dedication to her felt like it was extreme at times, but when I sat and thought about it, it really wasn't.
The lengths I would go to for one of my siblings knows no bounds; blood runs thick. I found their relationship, overall, to be quite believable. There were other aspects of this that were more far-fetched than the sisters loyalty.
At the end of the day, I don't mind over-the-top plots. In fact, that's generally what I'm here for. I read to escape and this was a great one for me!
Thank you so much to the publisher, William Morrow & Company, for providing me a copy to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this and look forward to seeing what Chavez comes up with next!!
Because of this, I was definitely looking forward to this new release. Could she keep up her stellar, fast-paced writing and over-the-top level of intrigue?
The short answer is, YES!!!
In Blood Will Tell our focus is on sisters, Frankie and Izzy. Frankie has always been very protective of her little sister, Izzy, and both girls acknowledge Frankie raised her.
Their father has a chronic illness and with their parents often focused on that, the girls sort of circled in their own little orbit. They would keep secrets from their parents, as they didn't want to trouble them, or worry them. In fact, even as adults, they're still doing that.
Over the years, Izzy has made reckless choices. Her drug and alcohol use certainly hasn't helped matters.
Their most troubling night involved events that happened five-year ago, when Izzy and some friends partied in the woods just outside of town. Six of them arrived, but only five left. One of the girls there that night, Rachel, has been missing ever since.
Izzy drunk and disoriented ended up getting in a minor accident that night in their mother's car. As always, she called Frankie for help.
After Frankie managed to arrive for a rescue, Izzy was a mess and couldn't recall exactly what had happened. Based on some troubling evidence that Frankie found, and a bit of Izzy's rantings, Frankie had a sinking suspicion she knew what happened.
Now when an Amber alert goes out and Frankie's vehicle matches a description given by witnesses, she fears the worst.
She knows she didn't just kidnap the teen girl, Marina, but it is possible that Izzy could be involved. She's the only other person with access to Frankie's truck. With fear in her heart, Frankie sets about investigating what happened to Marina.
Alternating between this present case, and the events of the infamous party night, 5-years earlier, the truth behind Rachel's and Marina's disappearances is revealed. We also gain a full understanding of the sisterly relationship; how intertwined they are with one another.
There's something about Chavez's writing that feels so addictive. She gives you just enough in each chapter to keep you vigorously turning pages. The drama is always high and this sisterly relationship was giving me all the twisted family dynamics I crave.
I really felt for Frankie. Izzy was a lot and Frankie's dedication to her felt like it was extreme at times, but when I sat and thought about it, it really wasn't.
The lengths I would go to for one of my siblings knows no bounds; blood runs thick. I found their relationship, overall, to be quite believable. There were other aspects of this that were more far-fetched than the sisters loyalty.
At the end of the day, I don't mind over-the-top plots. In fact, that's generally what I'm here for. I read to escape and this was a great one for me!
Thank you so much to the publisher, William Morrow & Company, for providing me a copy to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this and look forward to seeing what Chavez comes up with next!!
April 29, 2022
Another middle-of-the-road thriller.
At least there was no gaslighting in this one, but there was massive armchair detecting in the guise of "protecting my little sister" (who, mind you, is an adult but whatever).
Frankie is a single mom of four-year-old Julian, and is a middle school math teacher on summer break. While at a gas station, she is arrested and taken in for questioning regarding the kidnapping of a seventeen-year-old girl. Her truck was identified as possibly being involved. Frankie knows she didn't do it, but she suspects that her sister Izzy might have borrowed her truck in the middle of the night. Over the years, due to health problems with their dad, Frankie has taken on more of a mothering role to Izzy, who has had issues with drugs and bad behavior. Five years previously, Izzy was at a party where one of her friends disappeared, and she thinks she might have killed the girl.
The beginning of this book drew me in, I was intrigued by the kidnapping angle and interested to see where the plot was heading. However, it quickly spiraled into Frankie doing armchair investigating, putting herself into places and situations she had no business being: talking to the kidnap victim's mom, visiting a camp the girl attended, etc. Do normal everyday people who are not characters in a book EVER do this?
The resolution of both mysteries from the past and present were lackluster and not very surprising to me. Once we ruled out the obvious suspects there was only one person who could be guilty. It felt like there were a bunch of threads of ideas that the author had and then she didn't know which one to follow. None of them really related to the other: the kidnapping, the various deaths/assaults, there was nothing cohesive to tie them together other than just a very weak link.
Overall, I will likely forget this one pretty quickly. If you like mysteries involving sisters you might enjoy it more than I did.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
At least there was no gaslighting in this one, but there was massive armchair detecting in the guise of "protecting my little sister" (who, mind you, is an adult but whatever).
Frankie is a single mom of four-year-old Julian, and is a middle school math teacher on summer break. While at a gas station, she is arrested and taken in for questioning regarding the kidnapping of a seventeen-year-old girl. Her truck was identified as possibly being involved. Frankie knows she didn't do it, but she suspects that her sister Izzy might have borrowed her truck in the middle of the night. Over the years, due to health problems with their dad, Frankie has taken on more of a mothering role to Izzy, who has had issues with drugs and bad behavior. Five years previously, Izzy was at a party where one of her friends disappeared, and she thinks she might have killed the girl.
The beginning of this book drew me in, I was intrigued by the kidnapping angle and interested to see where the plot was heading. However, it quickly spiraled into Frankie doing armchair investigating, putting herself into places and situations she had no business being: talking to the kidnap victim's mom, visiting a camp the girl attended, etc. Do normal everyday people who are not characters in a book EVER do this?
The resolution of both mysteries from the past and present were lackluster and not very surprising to me. Once we ruled out the obvious suspects there was only one person who could be guilty. It felt like there were a bunch of threads of ideas that the author had and then she didn't know which one to follow. None of them really related to the other: the kidnapping, the various deaths/assaults, there was nothing cohesive to tie them together other than just a very weak link.
Overall, I will likely forget this one pretty quickly. If you like mysteries involving sisters you might enjoy it more than I did.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
July 12, 2022
Why are a couple staring hard at Frankie Barrera at a petrol station? When two police cars pull up why are they so interested in Frankie’s vehicle? When she’s questioned by a detective it transpires they believe the vehicle connects to a teenage girl who goes missing the night before. However, Frankie did not use it that night but is it possible her sister Izzy took it? Is Izzy involved? If so how and why? The novel then backtracks to five years previously and Izzy’s story and alternates with the present day.
I like the start of this one and the premise is a good one and it’s intriguing trying to sift through the guilt and lies to get to the truth. Nothing seems to make sense to Frankie and I’m keen to figure it all out.
However, I find it hard to connect to either Izzy or Frankie as both carry out actions that seem irrational and there’s a lot of rushing about North California and not achieving much. As this is a character driven novel it’s a tad unfortunate not to care too much about the central protagonists!
The pace becomes quite slow and it’s a bit of a slog partly as it’s overlong in my opinion. It gets repetitive too as we hear rather frequently from Frankie that she has always looked out for Izzy since she was a little girl. Yes, message received and understood!!
The big reveal is certainly unexpected and seems far fetched and makes me cringe a bit but at least it has the benefit of being something you don’t foresee. I do like the actual ending and I very much like the character of Frankie’s son Julian who is a sweet breath of fresh air.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
I like the start of this one and the premise is a good one and it’s intriguing trying to sift through the guilt and lies to get to the truth. Nothing seems to make sense to Frankie and I’m keen to figure it all out.
However, I find it hard to connect to either Izzy or Frankie as both carry out actions that seem irrational and there’s a lot of rushing about North California and not achieving much. As this is a character driven novel it’s a tad unfortunate not to care too much about the central protagonists!
The pace becomes quite slow and it’s a bit of a slog partly as it’s overlong in my opinion. It gets repetitive too as we hear rather frequently from Frankie that she has always looked out for Izzy since she was a little girl. Yes, message received and understood!!
The big reveal is certainly unexpected and seems far fetched and makes me cringe a bit but at least it has the benefit of being something you don’t foresee. I do like the actual ending and I very much like the character of Frankie’s son Julian who is a sweet breath of fresh air.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
March 30, 2022
Looking back, I gave Chavez's previous book, No Bad Deeds, an unenthusiastic 2 stars so I guess this one is a slight improvement; but after reading her last two books, I feel pretty confident that Chavez and I are just not a good fit.
Big sister, Frankie, has always been super protective of rebel sister, Izzy. Although their relationship has always been rocky, Frankie has always been there to bail out Izzy. Five years before, Izzy made a frantic phone call to Frankie after car accident. When Frankie arrives at the scene, Izzy is drunk and cannot recall what happened. She remembers partying with her friends and waking up behind the wheel of her car. Frankie finds blood on the hood, and a dead deer in the woods and assumes Izzy hit a deer - until a couple of days later when she finds human hair on the fender. Now one of Izzy's friends from the party is missing, and Izzy is certain she hit her, but Frankie talks her into staying quiet about it. Fast forward to present day, and an Amber alert for a missing teen puts Frankie in the middle of a new issue - the missing girl was witnessed being seemingly forced into Frankie’s truck. Frankie was at home in bed and knows that the only other person with access to her truck was Izzy. Frankie sets out to find the truth about Izzy and the missing girl, and ends up realizing that the events of five years ago are surfacing again - but this time, no one can silence the voices.
It's unfortunate because this one started off strong, but it didn't take long to start seriously dragging. First of all, neither Frankie nor Izzy were compelling characters in the least. I didn't feel bad for either of them - they both made decisions that made no sense whatsoever. Also, there were too many head-scratching storylines that add zilch in the way of value to the plot i.e. Julian's character, the events with Piper, and Marina's disappearance. All three storylines had much potential, but they ended up feeling like an afterthought and just thrown in for shock value (which fell flat in my opinion). Also, while the ending was rather unexpected, it was also over-the-top and bizarre in an uncomfortable way.
I've seen a few rave reviews about this one, but for me, it was just a 3-star read - the type of book that I would check out from the library but wouldn't spend money on!
Big sister, Frankie, has always been super protective of rebel sister, Izzy. Although their relationship has always been rocky, Frankie has always been there to bail out Izzy. Five years before, Izzy made a frantic phone call to Frankie after car accident. When Frankie arrives at the scene, Izzy is drunk and cannot recall what happened. She remembers partying with her friends and waking up behind the wheel of her car. Frankie finds blood on the hood, and a dead deer in the woods and assumes Izzy hit a deer - until a couple of days later when she finds human hair on the fender. Now one of Izzy's friends from the party is missing, and Izzy is certain she hit her, but Frankie talks her into staying quiet about it. Fast forward to present day, and an Amber alert for a missing teen puts Frankie in the middle of a new issue - the missing girl was witnessed being seemingly forced into Frankie’s truck. Frankie was at home in bed and knows that the only other person with access to her truck was Izzy. Frankie sets out to find the truth about Izzy and the missing girl, and ends up realizing that the events of five years ago are surfacing again - but this time, no one can silence the voices.
It's unfortunate because this one started off strong, but it didn't take long to start seriously dragging. First of all, neither Frankie nor Izzy were compelling characters in the least. I didn't feel bad for either of them - they both made decisions that made no sense whatsoever. Also, there were too many head-scratching storylines that add zilch in the way of value to the plot i.e. Julian's character, the events with Piper, and Marina's disappearance. All three storylines had much potential, but they ended up feeling like an afterthought and just thrown in for shock value (which fell flat in my opinion). Also, while the ending was rather unexpected, it was also over-the-top and bizarre in an uncomfortable way.
I've seen a few rave reviews about this one, but for me, it was just a 3-star read - the type of book that I would check out from the library but wouldn't spend money on!
November 11, 2021
Frankie will do anything to protect her younger sister Izzy. The years have tested their sisterly bond, and after the last terrifying incident five years ago with Izzy, Frankie has to decide how far she’ll go to protect her sister when a child is abducted.
Out running errands, Frankie runs into unexpected trouble. Frankie’s vehicle gets searched by the police after a similar truck was used in the kidnapping of a seventeen-year-old girl. Frankie learns someone used her truck and she’s positive it was Izzy. The more Frankie digs into the investigation, the more she learns she may have gone too far this time, trying to save her sister. Turns out the missing girl is Rachel’s sister. Rachel happened to also disappear from a party Izzy attended five years ago. Seems the incident from the past where a dangerous game was played is far from over, but this time Frankie just may lose everything.
Blood Will Tell is a solid thriller, exploring the bonds of siblings from protective to downright deadly. Frankie spins down a gripping path to the truth while wadding through a ton of lies that even Frankie isn’t afraid of telling. Frankie may have to pay for the part she played in the past. And Izzy may be the one to save her this time, if she’ll let her.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Out running errands, Frankie runs into unexpected trouble. Frankie’s vehicle gets searched by the police after a similar truck was used in the kidnapping of a seventeen-year-old girl. Frankie learns someone used her truck and she’s positive it was Izzy. The more Frankie digs into the investigation, the more she learns she may have gone too far this time, trying to save her sister. Turns out the missing girl is Rachel’s sister. Rachel happened to also disappear from a party Izzy attended five years ago. Seems the incident from the past where a dangerous game was played is far from over, but this time Frankie just may lose everything.
Blood Will Tell is a solid thriller, exploring the bonds of siblings from protective to downright deadly. Frankie spins down a gripping path to the truth while wadding through a ton of lies that even Frankie isn’t afraid of telling. Frankie may have to pay for the part she played in the past. And Izzy may be the one to save her this time, if she’ll let her.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 20, 2021
Do you know how far you’d go to protect someone you love? How about if you suspect they’ve committed the ultimate crime? That’s one of the questions Heather Chavez examines in BLOOD WILL TELL, her latest pulse-pounding thriller. I highly recommend you clear your schedule and buckle up for this one heck of a suspenseful ride.
January 6, 2022
I loved this author’s first book, No Bad Deeds and was so excited to read this one. It hooked me from the start. I could not put it down. However, I did not like the direction the book took in the end and I was not a fan of the plot twist.
Izzy and Frankie are sisters who despite their rocky relationship have always been close. Izzy was a bit of a rebel and got into her a fair amount of trouble. Frankie always bailed her out.
Five years prior, Izzy made a frantic phone call to Frankie. Frankie instinctively made her way to her sister, leading to the scene of a car accident. Drunk and drugged Izzy cannot remember what happened. Izzy and her friends partied hard that night, and one of them ended up dead.
Now, an Amber alert for a missing girl puts Frankie in the middle of a new problem; the girl who was abducted was seen being forced into Frankie’s truck. The only one who had access to her truck is her sister Izzy.
Frankie must decide how far she is willing to go for her sister. Will she bail Izzy out one more time?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Izzy and Frankie are sisters who despite their rocky relationship have always been close. Izzy was a bit of a rebel and got into her a fair amount of trouble. Frankie always bailed her out.
Five years prior, Izzy made a frantic phone call to Frankie. Frankie instinctively made her way to her sister, leading to the scene of a car accident. Drunk and drugged Izzy cannot remember what happened. Izzy and her friends partied hard that night, and one of them ended up dead.
Now, an Amber alert for a missing girl puts Frankie in the middle of a new problem; the girl who was abducted was seen being forced into Frankie’s truck. The only one who had access to her truck is her sister Izzy.
Frankie must decide how far she is willing to go for her sister. Will she bail Izzy out one more time?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 5, 2022
After reading and loving Heather Chavez's debut No Bad Deed, I was pretty excited to read Blood Will Tell, and thankfully it lived up to my high expectations! Even though there is a friendship element to the story, at its core this is really about being a sister, and I enjoyed the exploration of sibling bonds through Frankie and Izzy's relationship. What length will we go for a sibling? This novel explores that and more, and at times it got pretty dark which was fine by me! I did get a little confused with the plot of the 6 friends and what exactly happened with them, but it did proceed to surprise me, and I don't think it's anything a reread couldn't fix. Even though this would probably never happen IRL, I was really into Frankie’s decision to start doing her own sleuthing which ends up in her going to talk to the mother of the girl who was kidnapped. This is an extremely uncomfortable part of the book, and one part of me was telling Frankie she was an idiot, but at the same time I liked where it ended up taking the story.
There are technically 2 mysteries happening here, one in the past (Izzy’s friend) and then the kidnapping in current day. Eventually we do get a resolution for both, and one was definitely more surprising than the other. I highly recommend doing Blood Will Tell on audio which is fully in thanks to the narrators Andi Arndt & Sophie Amoss. They did a great job being the voices of Frankie and Izzy and even though this isn’t a slow-paced novel, Arndt and Amoss helped to make it feel like the book was moving faster than it was. I did enjoy the present time storyline better than the past, and I know some readers will find the entire plot pretty far-fetched. I don’t mind this in my fiction reads, and Blood Will Tell made for a pretty awesome escape read. So, who should read this? If you can handle over-the-top plots and enjoy smart female leads (yessss Frankie!) without an ambiguous ending – this is for you!
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
There are technically 2 mysteries happening here, one in the past (Izzy’s friend) and then the kidnapping in current day. Eventually we do get a resolution for both, and one was definitely more surprising than the other. I highly recommend doing Blood Will Tell on audio which is fully in thanks to the narrators Andi Arndt & Sophie Amoss. They did a great job being the voices of Frankie and Izzy and even though this isn’t a slow-paced novel, Arndt and Amoss helped to make it feel like the book was moving faster than it was. I did enjoy the present time storyline better than the past, and I know some readers will find the entire plot pretty far-fetched. I don’t mind this in my fiction reads, and Blood Will Tell made for a pretty awesome escape read. So, who should read this? If you can handle over-the-top plots and enjoy smart female leads (yessss Frankie!) without an ambiguous ending – this is for you!
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
April 18, 2022
Review coming soon.
November 15, 2021
Original, intricate, and very clever, BLOOD WILL TELL is a captivating thriller about the powerful bonds of family. Heather Chavez expertly weaves past and present, unfolding the mystery clue by clue, with an adrenaline-fused, terrifying race to the shocking end. The gorgeous writing, fantastic pacing, and two extremely compelling protagonists will keep you glued to every page.
December 11, 2021
Frankie is a schoolteacher and single mom who has always been very protective of her younger sister, Izzy. Izzy has made some questionable choices in the past, and Frankie has always been there for her. Izzy’s latest call for help brings Frankie to the scene of a car accident and a drunk and disoriented Izzy who can’t recall anything about it. Now one of the girls has gone missing. How far will Frankie go to protect her sister?
BLOOD WILL TELL was an engaging read with a nice fast pace. Plenty of family drama thrown in with the relationship of these 2 sisters. It seems that Frankie will go to great lengths to help Izzy and Izzy doesn’t always appreciate or even want the help. I especially loved the ending and thought it wrapped up nicely!
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
BLOOD WILL TELL was an engaging read with a nice fast pace. Plenty of family drama thrown in with the relationship of these 2 sisters. It seems that Frankie will go to great lengths to help Izzy and Izzy doesn’t always appreciate or even want the help. I especially loved the ending and thought it wrapped up nicely!
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
June 23, 2022
3.5 rounded up
Frankie Barrera has always been protective of her little sister Izzy. She goes to great lengths to protect her and bail her out of difficult situations, including 5 years ago after an accident Izzy doesn't remember after too much imbibing in a night of partying. When Frankie is confronted by police after her truck is reportedly involved in a kidnapping, Frankie starts looking into the case to see how she can once again protect her sister.
I really enjoyed Chavez's debut novel, but I feel like she may have been bitten by the sophomore slump with this novel. The book is still good, but not as enjoyable as her debut. The pacing felt like it was dragging for quite a bit of the book. Once things picked up though, it really took off. I also felt like Frankie made choices that no rational person would make. The ending was a total surprise, but I felt like there were no clues at all that that character was the guilty party. It just came out of nowhere in my opinion. I'm still looking forward to her next book though.
My thanks to William Morrow, Custom House. Heather Chavez, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.
Frankie Barrera has always been protective of her little sister Izzy. She goes to great lengths to protect her and bail her out of difficult situations, including 5 years ago after an accident Izzy doesn't remember after too much imbibing in a night of partying. When Frankie is confronted by police after her truck is reportedly involved in a kidnapping, Frankie starts looking into the case to see how she can once again protect her sister.
I really enjoyed Chavez's debut novel, but I feel like she may have been bitten by the sophomore slump with this novel. The book is still good, but not as enjoyable as her debut. The pacing felt like it was dragging for quite a bit of the book. Once things picked up though, it really took off. I also felt like Frankie made choices that no rational person would make. The ending was a total surprise, but I felt like there were no clues at all that that character was the guilty party. It just came out of nowhere in my opinion. I'm still looking forward to her next book though.
My thanks to William Morrow, Custom House. Heather Chavez, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.
November 3, 2021
Heather Chavez has done it again! I couldn’t wait for whatever came next after the debut of No Bad Deed. I would read a list of ingredients if HC was the author.
The suspense and build up of Heather’s thrillers is done so well that the books are basically pulse pounding from start to finish. The difference is that other authors may do a great build up but they’ll leave out the story. Heather doesn’t slack. The story is always entertaining and very well done. There aren’t any plot holes of missing pieces. You get cardio and a good story while reading these books and Blood Will Tell is no exception. I also love how each character is written. With the exception of Izzy and Frankie’s parents, anyone could be the villain.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy to read and share in exchange for an honest review!
The suspense and build up of Heather’s thrillers is done so well that the books are basically pulse pounding from start to finish. The difference is that other authors may do a great build up but they’ll leave out the story. Heather doesn’t slack. The story is always entertaining and very well done. There aren’t any plot holes of missing pieces. You get cardio and a good story while reading these books and Blood Will Tell is no exception. I also love how each character is written. With the exception of Izzy and Frankie’s parents, anyone could be the villain.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy to read and share in exchange for an honest review!
December 31, 2021
Well, I didn’t expect that twist at the end, and I loved it.
Hard not to compare BLOOD WILL TELL with the author’s first book, NO BAD DEED. BWT is slower paced than NBD, so it did take me a bit longer to get into the story and my heart wasn’t pounding like it was while reading NBD. (I also did read this during the busiest time of my life, so it took me much longer to read than I expected.)
While some parts could have either been cut short or completely eliminated, I enjoyed the story of how family will go to great lengths to protect those they love, and I loved the writing.
A couple of the twists, including the ending, I did not see coming.
Overall, a great and entertaining read; I’d rank this one second to NO BAD DEED.
Huge thank you to Heather Chavez and William Morrow Books for my gifted ARC! BLOOD WILL TELL is out on shelves in April 26, 2022.
Hard not to compare BLOOD WILL TELL with the author’s first book, NO BAD DEED. BWT is slower paced than NBD, so it did take me a bit longer to get into the story and my heart wasn’t pounding like it was while reading NBD. (I also did read this during the busiest time of my life, so it took me much longer to read than I expected.)
While some parts could have either been cut short or completely eliminated, I enjoyed the story of how family will go to great lengths to protect those they love, and I loved the writing.
A couple of the twists, including the ending, I did not see coming.
Overall, a great and entertaining read; I’d rank this one second to NO BAD DEED.
Huge thank you to Heather Chavez and William Morrow Books for my gifted ARC! BLOOD WILL TELL is out on shelves in April 26, 2022.
April 4, 2022
After the stunning No Bad Deed, I was so excited to read this sophomore novel from Heather Chavez!
Blood Will Tell is a story of sisters, secrets, and suspicion. Frankie Barrera has lived by a code for most of her life: take care of her wild-child younger sister, Izzy, even when Izzy bucks back. Things haven't always been so great between them, but lately Izzy seems to have calmed down. She has a serious boyfriend and a part time job, and she's committed to staying sober. Frankie has even relaxed enough to give her permission to drive her truck and a spare set of keys.
So when Frankie is approached by cops concerning a missing girl, an AMBER alert, and someone maybe seen driving her truck during the commission of the crime, Frankie does the only logical thing: she lies. It's not like it's the first time.
Just 5 years before, Frankie was awoken by a panicked call from Izzy, begging for help with a car accident. Frankie arrived on the scene to find a drunken and incoherent Izzy, desperately in need of medical attention. Although Izzy survived, her memories did not, and she has only hazy recollections of the night. That would be a blessing in any other circumstance, but not this one. Because six friends were out there partying, including Izzy, and only five came home.
With the police breathing down her neck, a missing child, and possibly deadly consequences, Frankie has to decide how far she is willing to go to protect what's hers.
The cover for this book is incredible, so even if I wasn't already salivating, the cover would have drawn me in. The story itself starts with a bang, sucks you right in and consumes you.
Chavez deftly uses the past timeline to parcel out clues and background, with a clever hand, and dark intentions.
The pacing was suffering toward the middle of the book, and I did feel like it was rather lengthy. When reading a thriller, you want the story to be taut and succinct, but I understand that sometimes there's a surplus of information a reader needs. Those are my only issues with the book, so I ended up at 3.75 stars. Heather Chavez is a huge talent, and I can't wait to read what comes from her twisted mind next! Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the chance to read this advance copy. All opinions are my own.
Blood Will Tell is a story of sisters, secrets, and suspicion. Frankie Barrera has lived by a code for most of her life: take care of her wild-child younger sister, Izzy, even when Izzy bucks back. Things haven't always been so great between them, but lately Izzy seems to have calmed down. She has a serious boyfriend and a part time job, and she's committed to staying sober. Frankie has even relaxed enough to give her permission to drive her truck and a spare set of keys.
So when Frankie is approached by cops concerning a missing girl, an AMBER alert, and someone maybe seen driving her truck during the commission of the crime, Frankie does the only logical thing: she lies. It's not like it's the first time.
Just 5 years before, Frankie was awoken by a panicked call from Izzy, begging for help with a car accident. Frankie arrived on the scene to find a drunken and incoherent Izzy, desperately in need of medical attention. Although Izzy survived, her memories did not, and she has only hazy recollections of the night. That would be a blessing in any other circumstance, but not this one. Because six friends were out there partying, including Izzy, and only five came home.
With the police breathing down her neck, a missing child, and possibly deadly consequences, Frankie has to decide how far she is willing to go to protect what's hers.
The cover for this book is incredible, so even if I wasn't already salivating, the cover would have drawn me in. The story itself starts with a bang, sucks you right in and consumes you.
Chavez deftly uses the past timeline to parcel out clues and background, with a clever hand, and dark intentions.
The pacing was suffering toward the middle of the book, and I did feel like it was rather lengthy. When reading a thriller, you want the story to be taut and succinct, but I understand that sometimes there's a surplus of information a reader needs. Those are my only issues with the book, so I ended up at 3.75 stars. Heather Chavez is a huge talent, and I can't wait to read what comes from her twisted mind next! Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the chance to read this advance copy. All opinions are my own.
May 16, 2022
Ugh. Unlike her debut novel, No Bad Deed, which was five stars, this was a complete and utter flop. I’m pissed I wasted my time with this mess. By far, one of the top 3 worst books I’ve ever read. Wanted to DNF more times than I could count, which would have been doing myself a favor. Ridiculously stupid, boring to the point of being annoying, convoluted and lackluster story. Nothing was really fleshed out, just one demential storytelling. None of the motives and actions of these characters made any sense to me, just tons of repetitive rambling about stupid, utterly pointless shit. Was easily 150 pages too long with insufferable characters that I wanted to slap out of their stupidity.
A very poorly done rip off of the 5 star book, Long Bright River by Liz Moore.
A very poorly done rip off of the 5 star book, Long Bright River by Liz Moore.
November 17, 2021
Clear your schedule folks, this is a book that once you start you will be unable to put it down...
I am a HUGE Heather Chavez, fan. There is no other that can make your insides rattle the way that she can. Chavez is a natural born story teller and I am here for it!
Blood Will Tell, is an insanely twisted, suspenseful, pulse pounding thriller.
Do you enjoy it when a book scares you? Makes you look over your shoulder? Gives you that pit in your throat that you just cant seem to swallow? Yes, me too. Look no further this book is for you.
Five Stars, duh.
I am a HUGE Heather Chavez, fan. There is no other that can make your insides rattle the way that she can. Chavez is a natural born story teller and I am here for it!
Blood Will Tell, is an insanely twisted, suspenseful, pulse pounding thriller.
Do you enjoy it when a book scares you? Makes you look over your shoulder? Gives you that pit in your throat that you just cant seem to swallow? Yes, me too. Look no further this book is for you.
Five Stars, duh.
September 19, 2022
It took a bit for this one to get going for me, but once it did I was hooked and finished in one setting. I enjoyed the drama between the sisters and their relationship overall. I was able to figure this one out fairly easily, but it was still entertaining to read and I liked this one a lot. This was my first read by this author and I really want to go read No Bad Deed soon.
Thank you to Bibilolifestyle and William Morrow Books for the finished copy to review.
Thank you to Bibilolifestyle and William Morrow Books for the finished copy to review.
January 16, 2024
I wrote such a long review before the app shut down on me and now I’m pissed so all you need to know is this book was really good and the plot twist in finding the killer was not expected.
I’m so mad my review was deleted before I finished it UGH!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m so mad my review was deleted before I finished it UGH!!!!!!!!!!!
April 24, 2022
This was a suspenseful and enjoyable read that I thought was perfectly paced! I was intrigued immediately and was totally engaged throughout!
I thought it had some solid twists that I wasn’t able to predict and I always applaud that! I also really liked Chavez’s writing style and I’m excited to dive into No Bad Deed ASAP!
I really enjoyed Frankie and Izzy as solid and badass female protagonist and was fascinated to dive deeper into their relationship and secrets.
How far are you willing to go to protect the ones you love?
I thought it had some solid twists that I wasn’t able to predict and I always applaud that! I also really liked Chavez’s writing style and I’m excited to dive into No Bad Deed ASAP!
I really enjoyed Frankie and Izzy as solid and badass female protagonist and was fascinated to dive deeper into their relationship and secrets.
How far are you willing to go to protect the ones you love?
December 6, 2021
NO BAD DEED was one of my favorite debuts, so when I saw the author had an upcoming release, I was ALL over it. I've sat awhile on my review because I didn't expect a thriller to affect me so deeply. Without getting into some complicated and personal family dynamics, BLOOD WILL TELL let me grieve some relationships that I didn't get to have.
Frankie Barrera is fiercely loyal to and protective of her younger sister Izzy. As a teenager, Izzy was prone to making bad choices; maybe that's who she was, or maybe she subconsciously knew Frankie would rescue her. Five years ago, a drunk and disoriented Izzy was partying with five other friends...one of whom never made it home. The story opens almost immediately with a riveting scene. Frankie is getting gas and is getting some unwanted attention from other patrons; then the police arrive and tell her that her truck is part of an Amber Alert. With a growing sense of horror and dread, Frankie finds out that her truck was used in the abduction of a girl from a nearby town--and the only other person with access to that trunk was Izzy.
I could feel Frankie's absolute sense of loyalty to her sister even as she wonders if that same loyalty is responsible for creating an irresponsible, even dangerous, adult. There were no slow moments in this book for me, and I was deeply, personally invested in the story. The backstory that is interspersed throughout is absolutely essential to this slow burn of a thriller.
“𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫, 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝.”
—𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭
Frankie Barrera is fiercely loyal to and protective of her younger sister Izzy. As a teenager, Izzy was prone to making bad choices; maybe that's who she was, or maybe she subconsciously knew Frankie would rescue her. Five years ago, a drunk and disoriented Izzy was partying with five other friends...one of whom never made it home. The story opens almost immediately with a riveting scene. Frankie is getting gas and is getting some unwanted attention from other patrons; then the police arrive and tell her that her truck is part of an Amber Alert. With a growing sense of horror and dread, Frankie finds out that her truck was used in the abduction of a girl from a nearby town--and the only other person with access to that trunk was Izzy.
I could feel Frankie's absolute sense of loyalty to her sister even as she wonders if that same loyalty is responsible for creating an irresponsible, even dangerous, adult. There were no slow moments in this book for me, and I was deeply, personally invested in the story. The backstory that is interspersed throughout is absolutely essential to this slow burn of a thriller.
“𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫, 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝.”
—𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭
April 25, 2022
Sad, ugly characters barely holding it together by sloppy and underdeveloped writing. With little to no character development, motives, or even background, it made it extremely difficult to sympathize, or even relate to these poorly drawn, one-dimensional characters.
The excessive monologues, overdone "foreshadowing" and lack of originality really left nothing to the imagination. That said, figuring out the author's agenda/formula for writing, was easier than reading this book, which seemed to drag on FOREVER.
Will not be reading more by this author. Although, I'm seeing a lot of positive reviews for this book so I hope those that are fans of this author, writing style, or whatever it may be... enjoy this book more than I did.
The excessive monologues, overdone "foreshadowing" and lack of originality really left nothing to the imagination. That said, figuring out the author's agenda/formula for writing, was easier than reading this book, which seemed to drag on FOREVER.
Will not be reading more by this author. Although, I'm seeing a lot of positive reviews for this book so I hope those that are fans of this author, writing style, or whatever it may be... enjoy this book more than I did.
May 2, 2022
I’ve been looking forward to BLOOD WILL TELL since I read Heather Chavez's propulsive debut NO BAD DEED, and it was everything I hoped for and more. I love a book that plucks characters from the safety of their everyday lives and piles on the chaos, and this story about the lengths one sister will go to for another delivered. I was totally invested in Frankie and Izzy’s lives, lies, and crimes, and the mystery that connects them. Bring on book three!
June 10, 2022
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2022/06/09/...
Blood Will Tell was a book that snuck up on me, but after her debut thriller No Bad Deed blew my socks off last year, it didn’t take much convincing for me to pick up another book by Heather Chavez!
In this one, we follow Frankie Barrera, a teacher and single mom. There are two people she loves most in the world—her 4-year-old son Julian, as well as her younger sister Izzy. The latter though, who is in her twenties, is understandably unappreciative of Frankie’s attentions, believing her older sister to be overprotective and unnecessarily restrictive. But Frankie has her reasons to be concerned, as trouble always seems to follow Izzy. Five years ago, she went out partying with five of her friends, and at the end of the night, Frankie had to come rescue her from a scene of a car accident. Drunk and confused, Izzy couldn’t remember much, but one of the party goers, her good friend Rachel, disappeared that night and was never seen again.
Now as the story begins in the current time, Frankie is inadvertently caught up in a missing person investigation when the police pulls her truck over for matching. the model and make of the vehicle described in an Amber Alert. Even as she is explaining the misunderstanding, a worried Frankie wonders if her younger sister might have something to do with the abduction, which involves a teenage girl, not to mention the fact Izzy is also the only other person with access to her truck.
After the insanity that was No Bad Deed, this one seemed almost tame in comparison! Not that that’s a bad thing. Just different. Family drama plays a prominent part in Blood Will Tell, and the story has less thrills but more mystery. Over the years, Frankie and Izzy’s parents have had a lot of financial problems and health issues, leaving their girls to fend for themselves. This means Frankie has had to take care of Izzy, who hasn’t made raising her easy, with her wild partying and drug abuse.
But if the family angle was compelling, what of the mystery? This was where the book faltered for me. With two missing persons stories running concurrently, one in the past and one in the future, you would think there was plenty of content to keep the interest high, but I don’t think either really broke the mold and offered anything too different and special. The pool of suspects was small to beginwith, and so the mystery itself also remained limited in scope.
That said, the story was interesting to follow, and the author kept a good hold on all the different threads so the plot was fast-paced and tight. Things didn’t get quite so over-the-top as with No Bad Deed but it did make Blood Will Tell feel more down-to-earth and believable. The relationship between Frankie and Izzy was touching, and realistically complex. The ending was the chef’s kiss on a wonderful narrative between two sisters who might not always get along, but the lengths Frankie goes to protect Izzy should tell you all you need to know. I think anyone with an appreciation for sibling stories will enjoy this one, especially with an added dose of intrigue and light thrills.
Blood Will Tell was a book that snuck up on me, but after her debut thriller No Bad Deed blew my socks off last year, it didn’t take much convincing for me to pick up another book by Heather Chavez!
In this one, we follow Frankie Barrera, a teacher and single mom. There are two people she loves most in the world—her 4-year-old son Julian, as well as her younger sister Izzy. The latter though, who is in her twenties, is understandably unappreciative of Frankie’s attentions, believing her older sister to be overprotective and unnecessarily restrictive. But Frankie has her reasons to be concerned, as trouble always seems to follow Izzy. Five years ago, she went out partying with five of her friends, and at the end of the night, Frankie had to come rescue her from a scene of a car accident. Drunk and confused, Izzy couldn’t remember much, but one of the party goers, her good friend Rachel, disappeared that night and was never seen again.
Now as the story begins in the current time, Frankie is inadvertently caught up in a missing person investigation when the police pulls her truck over for matching. the model and make of the vehicle described in an Amber Alert. Even as she is explaining the misunderstanding, a worried Frankie wonders if her younger sister might have something to do with the abduction, which involves a teenage girl, not to mention the fact Izzy is also the only other person with access to her truck.
After the insanity that was No Bad Deed, this one seemed almost tame in comparison! Not that that’s a bad thing. Just different. Family drama plays a prominent part in Blood Will Tell, and the story has less thrills but more mystery. Over the years, Frankie and Izzy’s parents have had a lot of financial problems and health issues, leaving their girls to fend for themselves. This means Frankie has had to take care of Izzy, who hasn’t made raising her easy, with her wild partying and drug abuse.
But if the family angle was compelling, what of the mystery? This was where the book faltered for me. With two missing persons stories running concurrently, one in the past and one in the future, you would think there was plenty of content to keep the interest high, but I don’t think either really broke the mold and offered anything too different and special. The pool of suspects was small to beginwith, and so the mystery itself also remained limited in scope.
That said, the story was interesting to follow, and the author kept a good hold on all the different threads so the plot was fast-paced and tight. Things didn’t get quite so over-the-top as with No Bad Deed but it did make Blood Will Tell feel more down-to-earth and believable. The relationship between Frankie and Izzy was touching, and realistically complex. The ending was the chef’s kiss on a wonderful narrative between two sisters who might not always get along, but the lengths Frankie goes to protect Izzy should tell you all you need to know. I think anyone with an appreciation for sibling stories will enjoy this one, especially with an added dose of intrigue and light thrills.
December 9, 2021
I knew I had to read Blood Will Tell after reading and loving her first book, No Bad Deed, and it didn’t disappoint!
Frankie is once again being tested on how far she’ll go to protect her sister, Izzy. At a gas station, Frankie’s truck has been identified as one that was used in the kidnapping of a teenage girl. She has a gut feeling right from the beginning that this all has to do with Izzy. Five years ago was the first time Frankie lied to save her sister. And soon she has reasons to believe that this newest mess has something to do with the lies from five years ago.
The suspense, the lies, and the secrets all come together to create another great thriller by Heather Chavez. Pick this one up because it’s as good as it sounds.
Frankie is once again being tested on how far she’ll go to protect her sister, Izzy. At a gas station, Frankie’s truck has been identified as one that was used in the kidnapping of a teenage girl. She has a gut feeling right from the beginning that this all has to do with Izzy. Five years ago was the first time Frankie lied to save her sister. And soon she has reasons to believe that this newest mess has something to do with the lies from five years ago.
The suspense, the lies, and the secrets all come together to create another great thriller by Heather Chavez. Pick this one up because it’s as good as it sounds.
July 11, 2022
The events of 5 years ago catch up to Frankie, when she protected her sister on the night a girl went missing. Now five years later, another girl is missing. And again, she is linked to Izzy, Frankie's sister. How far is Frankie willing to go to protect her sister... again?
This started off slow but started to build up pace quickly once I was about half way through. Once that happened, the book just got better and better. The twist was brilliant, definitely unexpected! The *final* twist was VERY unexpected too!
A fantastic thriller that is so worth the read!
This started off slow but started to build up pace quickly once I was about half way through. Once that happened, the book just got better and better. The twist was brilliant, definitely unexpected! The *final* twist was VERY unexpected too!
A fantastic thriller that is so worth the read!
November 15, 2021
Blood Will Tell by Heather Chavez was a great thriller that demonstrated how far a person would go to protect their family, even if they could have potentially committed a crime. I enjoyed the dynamic between Izzy and Frankie, it felt like a true sister dynamic of wanting to be there for your sibling but also really hating them in moments of arguing. The pacing of this book was fantastic... if I hadn't had work and other obligations in my way, this book would have been devoured in a shorter time. The chapters were just long enough to maintain the reader's attention and keep them on the edge of their seats, while also sprinkling in excerpts from the night five years ago that still haunts the characters in the present.
The ending twist solidified the whole thing for me honestly. It just comes at you in the epilogue and makes you sit and ponder how you as the reader didn't see that coming. While it didn't have any connection to the plot itself, it still felt like something vital that the author wanted to leave us with before concluding the story. What keeps it from being a 5 star read for me was the lack of empathy for the side characters.
Special thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow Books for a digital and physical advanced copy of Blood Will Tell. This was my first book by Heather, but certainly not the last!
The ending twist solidified the whole thing for me honestly. It just comes at you in the epilogue and makes you sit and ponder how you as the reader didn't see that coming. While it didn't have any connection to the plot itself, it still felt like something vital that the author wanted to leave us with before concluding the story. What keeps it from being a 5 star read for me was the lack of empathy for the side characters.
Special thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow Books for a digital and physical advanced copy of Blood Will Tell. This was my first book by Heather, but certainly not the last!
March 24, 2022
Thank you William Morrow, Heather Chavez and Netgalley for my advance copy!
This is not your average thriller folks. This one is deep and pulls at the heart strings. My sister and I are really close. We have gone through a lot together and so this one hit home. The relationship between Frankie and Izzy was so close to ours that I felt it deep down in my soul. I know what it is to feel that extreme sense of loyalty and fierceness when it comes to protecting and raising a sibling. I also know that there are times when I have to remember to step back and be a sister, not a mom. Heather really did a wonderful job with this.
As far as the story line goes, you will be hooked. No one is as they seem and with everyone’s memory foggy you really don’t know if everyone knows what happened. I don’t want to give any spoilers but this has some big and small twists sprinkled throughout which really helps propel the story forward. This is definitely more mystery then thriller so for those scardy cats-this is for you! I think the fact that the story line stuck with one POV (Frankie) throughout really helped add to the mystery of the entire thing.
If you can’t tell, I loved it and Heather Chavez as she will be an auto buy for me forever!
This is not your average thriller folks. This one is deep and pulls at the heart strings. My sister and I are really close. We have gone through a lot together and so this one hit home. The relationship between Frankie and Izzy was so close to ours that I felt it deep down in my soul. I know what it is to feel that extreme sense of loyalty and fierceness when it comes to protecting and raising a sibling. I also know that there are times when I have to remember to step back and be a sister, not a mom. Heather really did a wonderful job with this.
As far as the story line goes, you will be hooked. No one is as they seem and with everyone’s memory foggy you really don’t know if everyone knows what happened. I don’t want to give any spoilers but this has some big and small twists sprinkled throughout which really helps propel the story forward. This is definitely more mystery then thriller so for those scardy cats-this is for you! I think the fact that the story line stuck with one POV (Frankie) throughout really helped add to the mystery of the entire thing.
If you can’t tell, I loved it and Heather Chavez as she will be an auto buy for me forever!
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