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Herança de Sangue
Madeleine encontra numa paciente o espelho do seu passado. Formada em psicoterapia sabe como ligar com os obstáculos da vida. A morte do marido, a tristeza, a perda. Decidida a sobreviver muda-se para as doces paisagens de Bath, na Inglaterra, onde espera reencontrar a paz. Ao iniciar as suas consultas com a perturbada e agressiva Rachel sente-se contudo a regressar ao seu próprio passado, aos negros segredos da infância. Num ambiente de crescente tensão, entre o exotismo e o esplendor da paisagem, misturando feitiçaria e crime, este é um daqueles livros que não vai conseguir pousar. E se de facto existir uma ligação entre Madeleine e a sua paciente? O que as une? Quem as magoou de igual forma? Quem as persegue ainda? Um intenso thriller psicológico assinado por Kitty Sewell.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
11 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
Kitty Sewell
22 books14 followersI was born a Swede and, like many wholesome girls, spent my adolescent years crazed with love of horses.
When I was 13, my parents sold their farm in rural Sweden and on a whim moved to the Canary Islands. From one day to the next the horses were gone and I was living in Franco’s Spain. There was a German school, the only one which offered a reasonable education, so I had no choice but to become an islander and learn both German and Spanish in a hurry.
My parents, ever restless and adventurous, soon decided to start a new life in Canada, and at age 18, I followed them there. I spent a year in Toronto and another year being a hippie, hitchhiking solo around South America, before settling on the west coast. I loved Vancouver and took Canadian citizenship. Marriage and children were followed by divorce.
With a law qualification, I obtained a Seal as Notary Public for a small sub-Arctic community, which later would become the setting for my debut novel ICE TRAP. Like Dafydd in ICE TRAP I wanted to escape, get as far away from civilization as possible.
I stayed, with my two children, Elise and Erik, in this little outpost on the Alaska Highway for two years, when along came another escapist, a handsome English doctor named John, who would shortly become my husband.
He whisked us to England, then Wales. There I re-trained as a psychotherapist and worked for the National Health Service and in private practice. My interest in writing started around this time, with a syndicated newspaper column about mental health, and a biography of a transsexual.
After twelve years of learning a lot about people, I felt burnt-out and was yearning for a change (my fate, I blame my parents). Asking John to feed and water me for a foreseeable future, I embarked on a degree in Applied Sculpture and concurrently did a part-time Masters degree in Creative Writing. Why do things by halves?
I worked very hard at both sculpting and writing, and initially it looked as if I was going to make my future living as a sculptor. My stone-carvings won two awards and I had several solo exhibitions… until ICE TRAP was finally published and took off into the blue yonder.
The kids have flown the nest (Erik lives in Canada, Elise in Wales) and John and I now live almost full-time on our fruit farm in the mountains of Granada, Spain.
It’s a great place to write… Yep! That is what I do now, and forever more.
When I was 13, my parents sold their farm in rural Sweden and on a whim moved to the Canary Islands. From one day to the next the horses were gone and I was living in Franco’s Spain. There was a German school, the only one which offered a reasonable education, so I had no choice but to become an islander and learn both German and Spanish in a hurry.
My parents, ever restless and adventurous, soon decided to start a new life in Canada, and at age 18, I followed them there. I spent a year in Toronto and another year being a hippie, hitchhiking solo around South America, before settling on the west coast. I loved Vancouver and took Canadian citizenship. Marriage and children were followed by divorce.
With a law qualification, I obtained a Seal as Notary Public for a small sub-Arctic community, which later would become the setting for my debut novel ICE TRAP. Like Dafydd in ICE TRAP I wanted to escape, get as far away from civilization as possible.
I stayed, with my two children, Elise and Erik, in this little outpost on the Alaska Highway for two years, when along came another escapist, a handsome English doctor named John, who would shortly become my husband.
He whisked us to England, then Wales. There I re-trained as a psychotherapist and worked for the National Health Service and in private practice. My interest in writing started around this time, with a syndicated newspaper column about mental health, and a biography of a transsexual.
After twelve years of learning a lot about people, I felt burnt-out and was yearning for a change (my fate, I blame my parents). Asking John to feed and water me for a foreseeable future, I embarked on a degree in Applied Sculpture and concurrently did a part-time Masters degree in Creative Writing. Why do things by halves?
I worked very hard at both sculpting and writing, and initially it looked as if I was going to make my future living as a sculptor. My stone-carvings won two awards and I had several solo exhibitions… until ICE TRAP was finally published and took off into the blue yonder.
The kids have flown the nest (Erik lives in Canada, Elise in Wales) and John and I now live almost full-time on our fruit farm in the mountains of Granada, Spain.
It’s a great place to write… Yep! That is what I do now, and forever more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
September 28, 2025
A compelling blend of psychological and suspense thriller!
Madeleine Frank is a psychotherapist and we all know that a psychotherapist's role is to help clients deal with conflicts, inner issues, confusions, mental turmoil and personal inner demons and help them to chart a course to the comforting shores of mental stability. But when the psychotherapist's background is jammed to bursting with a chaotic, bewildering variety of personal psychological baggage, readers will justifiably wonder whether Madeleine Frank is capable of maintaining a solid Chinese wall between her personal and professional lives.
Life has not been easy for Madeleine Frank. She lost her loving husband to the anger of a savage hurricane in Key West Florida. Her mother, a former priestess of Santeria, a dark and mystic Afro-Cuban religion, hovers on the edge of madness in an asylum. Her father, living a Bohemian but wildly successful artist's life in Bath, England, with a younger woman, ignores both Madeleine and her mother. Madeleine's daughter, virtually hi-jacked away from her when Madeleine was only a teenager in a very questionable administrative procedure, was given up for adoption. The daughter has not been seen or heard from since.
As low and weak as it already is, that wall between Madeleine's personal and professional lives threatens to crumble to powder when Frank meets Rachel Locklear, a Russian immigrant telling a story of sexual slavery, prostitution, beatings, murder and threats on her life from her ruthless, controlling partner and his psychopathic brother. As Rachel's terrifying story unfolds in the course of therapy, Madeleine Frank recognizes some chilling coincidences and becomes convinced that Rachel is the long-lost daughter that she had never been able to reach.
BLOODPRINT is a wonderful blend of suspense thriller, psychological thriller and romance with more than a hint of the paranormal thrown in for good measure. The characters are flamboyant, powerful, complex and exceptionally well-crafted. Whether the story is unfolding in the quaint, Georgian countryside of Bath, England, or on the humid, sun-drenched, storm-tossed shores of Key West, Florida, locations are vividly brought to life with deliciously, descriptive prose.
BLOODPRINT is a chilling story with that proverbial ability to glue you to your seat and keep you turning pages until you reach the end. Other reviewers have suggested that BLOODPRINT is a weaker effort than Sewell's first novel, ICE TRAP. If that's true, then I can hardly wait to get my hands on it!
Paul Weiss
Madeleine Frank is a psychotherapist and we all know that a psychotherapist's role is to help clients deal with conflicts, inner issues, confusions, mental turmoil and personal inner demons and help them to chart a course to the comforting shores of mental stability. But when the psychotherapist's background is jammed to bursting with a chaotic, bewildering variety of personal psychological baggage, readers will justifiably wonder whether Madeleine Frank is capable of maintaining a solid Chinese wall between her personal and professional lives.
Life has not been easy for Madeleine Frank. She lost her loving husband to the anger of a savage hurricane in Key West Florida. Her mother, a former priestess of Santeria, a dark and mystic Afro-Cuban religion, hovers on the edge of madness in an asylum. Her father, living a Bohemian but wildly successful artist's life in Bath, England, with a younger woman, ignores both Madeleine and her mother. Madeleine's daughter, virtually hi-jacked away from her when Madeleine was only a teenager in a very questionable administrative procedure, was given up for adoption. The daughter has not been seen or heard from since.
As low and weak as it already is, that wall between Madeleine's personal and professional lives threatens to crumble to powder when Frank meets Rachel Locklear, a Russian immigrant telling a story of sexual slavery, prostitution, beatings, murder and threats on her life from her ruthless, controlling partner and his psychopathic brother. As Rachel's terrifying story unfolds in the course of therapy, Madeleine Frank recognizes some chilling coincidences and becomes convinced that Rachel is the long-lost daughter that she had never been able to reach.
BLOODPRINT is a wonderful blend of suspense thriller, psychological thriller and romance with more than a hint of the paranormal thrown in for good measure. The characters are flamboyant, powerful, complex and exceptionally well-crafted. Whether the story is unfolding in the quaint, Georgian countryside of Bath, England, or on the humid, sun-drenched, storm-tossed shores of Key West, Florida, locations are vividly brought to life with deliciously, descriptive prose.
BLOODPRINT is a chilling story with that proverbial ability to glue you to your seat and keep you turning pages until you reach the end. Other reviewers have suggested that BLOODPRINT is a weaker effort than Sewell's first novel, ICE TRAP. If that's true, then I can hardly wait to get my hands on it!
Paul Weiss
December 20, 2016
Oh dear! Where to even begin?
First off, I had trouble getting behind a character who is too stupid to realise a hurricane is approaching while she is having sex with her husband. And this is in the prologue!
Endless flashbacks. At first they are pertinent. But then they just keep coming....and coming....and coming....
Her mother's dealings with Santeria and the suggestion she can see into the future. Huh? Either make your book supernatural or don't! I hate this s**t!
No plot. Sewell throws in a murder seemingly so she has a way to call it a "psychological" thriller. The identity of the murder victim is really quite arbitrary.
Horrible characters! Rachel is the worst. She has never taken responsibility for a single thing in her miserable life and spends all her time blaming others for it!
This Bloodprint deserves to be out-of-print.
First off, I had trouble getting behind a character who is too stupid to realise a hurricane is approaching while she is having sex with her husband. And this is in the prologue!
Endless flashbacks. At first they are pertinent. But then they just keep coming....and coming....and coming....
Her mother's dealings with Santeria and the suggestion she can see into the future. Huh? Either make your book supernatural or don't! I hate this s**t!
No plot. Sewell throws in a murder seemingly so she has a way to call it a "psychological" thriller. The identity of the murder victim is really quite arbitrary.
Horrible characters! Rachel is the worst. She has never taken responsibility for a single thing in her miserable life and spends all her time blaming others for it!
This Bloodprint deserves to be out-of-print.
October 31, 2021
I rarely like low rated books but damn, did I love reading it.
For some reason it stands out for me. Probably because I had just started with the thriller genre when I read it about 2/3 years ago. Thus I can't necessarily talk about the storyline, which I've practically forgotten by now but I can tell you the MC is a dum-dum who in the face of a literal hurricane thought that making out was a good idea. Need I say more?
For some reason it stands out for me. Probably because I had just started with the thriller genre when I read it about 2/3 years ago. Thus I can't necessarily talk about the storyline, which I've practically forgotten by now but I can tell you the MC is a dum-dum who in the face of a literal hurricane thought that making out was a good idea. Need I say more?
June 22, 2020
Have you ever read a book that had several interesting sub-plots and characters, but when they all come together, they are less interesting as a whole? That is how I feel about this book. It was disjointed. But I did like it, I finished it, I enjoyed getting back to it each day. But disjointed it was—and since it takes place in two very different places-Key West and Bath, England-with a sprinkle of Cuba and Ukraine thrown in, along with gangsters, a Cubo-African religion, adoption, blindness, psychotherapy, mental illness, prostitution, homelessness, magic spells—well, who could skillfully meld all of that together?
May 5, 2018
I didn't love it but it's still pretty good. This book is very convuluted with different relationships.
The lead character, Madaleine is very well written however the secondary lead, Rachel isn't.
I liked the twists and turns the book takes and how it flows.
It does not make me want to read more of the writer
The lead character, Madaleine is very well written however the secondary lead, Rachel isn't.
I liked the twists and turns the book takes and how it flows.
It does not make me want to read more of the writer
July 14, 2018
Tijdens een orkaan verlies de man van Madeleine Frank zijn leven. Madeleine is hier getuige van. Om verder te gaan met haar eigen leven, verhuis ze van Key West naar de Britse badplaats Bath. Daar werkt ze als psychotherapeut en kunstenaar.
Op een dag krijgt ze in haar praktijk bezoek van Rachel. Een jonge vrouw die geholpen wil worden om haar gewelddadige geschiedenis (ze is en wordt regelmatig mishandeld door haar Russische echtgenoot Anton) een plaats te kunnen geven zodat ze haar leven weer op een normale manier kan oppakken. Madeleine adviseert haar naar de politie te gaan, maar daar wil Rachel niets van weten.
Anton heeft gedreigd om Sasha, de zoon van Rachel en hem, mee naar Rusland te nemen. Dat wil Rachel ten koste van alles voorkomen. En die dreiging is in feite de rode draad in het verhaal.
Dat alles maakt van Bloedspoor een aardig verhaal dat nergens spannend wordt. Er zijn een paar momenten die naar spanning neigen, maar dat is pas in het laatste kwart van het boek. Bloedspoor valt in het thrillergenre, maar dat wordt nergens waargemaakt.
Bijzonder verwarrend en onduidelijk zijn de hoofdstukken of delen daarvan waarin teruggesprongen wordt naar eerdere gebeurtenissen. Het zou beter zijn geweest dat dit aangegeven werd. Dit alles zorgt ervoor dat Bloedspoor bepaald geen hoogvlieger is.
Op een dag krijgt ze in haar praktijk bezoek van Rachel. Een jonge vrouw die geholpen wil worden om haar gewelddadige geschiedenis (ze is en wordt regelmatig mishandeld door haar Russische echtgenoot Anton) een plaats te kunnen geven zodat ze haar leven weer op een normale manier kan oppakken. Madeleine adviseert haar naar de politie te gaan, maar daar wil Rachel niets van weten.
Anton heeft gedreigd om Sasha, de zoon van Rachel en hem, mee naar Rusland te nemen. Dat wil Rachel ten koste van alles voorkomen. En die dreiging is in feite de rode draad in het verhaal.
Dat alles maakt van Bloedspoor een aardig verhaal dat nergens spannend wordt. Er zijn een paar momenten die naar spanning neigen, maar dat is pas in het laatste kwart van het boek. Bloedspoor valt in het thrillergenre, maar dat wordt nergens waargemaakt.
Bijzonder verwarrend en onduidelijk zijn de hoofdstukken of delen daarvan waarin teruggesprongen wordt naar eerdere gebeurtenissen. Het zou beter zijn geweest dat dit aangegeven werd. Dit alles zorgt ervoor dat Bloedspoor bepaald geen hoogvlieger is.
January 1, 2025
J'ai lu ce livre en français! Madeleine perd son mari Forrest lors d'une tornade à Key west. 10 ans plus tard on l'a retrouvé à Bath en Angleterre. Elle est devenue psychothérapeute et refait sa vie. Elle prend soin de sa mère Rosario qui est une santera (sorcière) et souffre de schizophrénie. Son père Neville est un artist peintre célèbre. Madeleine rencontre Rachel, une patiente colérique et qui a besoin de se défaire de son amamt violent. Le tout est une histoire de suspense, de secret et ça nous garde intéressé!
September 3, 2023
I read this very early on, I think I was 15. Whatever it was, I was very young and impressionable.
This book was so thrilling. I felt for the main character's emotions even though I had no idea what being a psychotherapist would be like. The protagonist's tragic story was compelling too, making her so wounded and borderline depressed.
I barely remember the story anymore, but it was such a fun read. I recommend it to a lot of people.
This book was so thrilling. I felt for the main character's emotions even though I had no idea what being a psychotherapist would be like. The protagonist's tragic story was compelling too, making her so wounded and borderline depressed.
I barely remember the story anymore, but it was such a fun read. I recommend it to a lot of people.
April 26, 2024
Although I loved Ice Trap, this novel never got off the ground. Couldn't wait for it to end. There just didn't seem to be anything to make the reader want to find out what happened. A lot about the therapist and her past, but getting more into the present would have been more interesting to me. Probably won't read this author again.
January 17, 2019
This book was very different to what I thought it would be when I picked it up. It cleverly switches between the past and present. It has somewhat of a twist as well. Good if your looking for something different
November 12, 2018
It starts out slow moving , but has a terrific ending.
May 19, 2019
Good suspenseful novel. It dragged on a bit much.
October 17, 2021
DNF at 29%
February 5, 2025
The only thing worse than the unbelievable plot was the total awfulness of the audiobook narrator.
March 20, 2017
It took me some time to dive into this book but once I was in it was enjoyable. Many times I was really confused by the stupidity or the guliability ( is that a real word.. ? lol ) of Rachel but still in the end I quite enjoyed this book. The end was good, not what I imagined during my reading, but still good.
July 29, 2013
Madeleine Frank, born and raised in America, is the daughter of a mentally unstable Cuban mother and her father is an internationally prominent English artist. After losing her husband Forrest in a freak accident during a hurricane, Madeleine flees her island home in Key West, Florida and follows her parents to the ancient city of Bath, England to start life anew. Training and practicing as a psychotherapist, Madeleine has finally found a measure of peace through helping others.
Though devastated by her loss, her grief covers another much deeper scar from her past. Madeleine's demons have never truly left her and may, in fact, be closer than ever - in the mad visions of her mother, formerly a priestess of Santeria, the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion. Rachel Locklear appears in Madeleine's office, seeking therapy. A hostile, deeply mistrustful, and severely damaged young woman - Rachel is willing to try anything to break away from her Ukrainian lover, who has subjected her to years of cruelty and brutality and now threatens to kidnap their son.
As Madeleine learns more about her patient's history, she becomes increasingly troubled by the eerie similarities she discovers between Rachel's childhood and her own. Reluctant to act unprofessionally and risk having Rachel walk out of her life forever, Madeleine keeps her suspicions to herself. But she is unaware of the sinister forces gathering strength in her patient's life. Desperate to keep her son safe from his father's ruthless "associates", Rachel eventually has no choice but to involve the only person she can trust in a murderous web of revenge and deception.
From the tropical lushness of Key West to the imposing Georgian streets of Bath, two women with painful pasts collide dangerously with a world of Cuban sorcery, prostitution and cold-blooded murder - culminating in a tale as terrifying as it is compelling.
I have to say that while this book certainly had an exciting plot, I found that it was just a bit too convoluted and slow for my taste. In my opinion, this book was definitely not quick reading, and I had to give it a B+! However, I'm certainly interested in reading Kitty Sewell's debut novel, Ice Trap at some point.
Though devastated by her loss, her grief covers another much deeper scar from her past. Madeleine's demons have never truly left her and may, in fact, be closer than ever - in the mad visions of her mother, formerly a priestess of Santeria, the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion. Rachel Locklear appears in Madeleine's office, seeking therapy. A hostile, deeply mistrustful, and severely damaged young woman - Rachel is willing to try anything to break away from her Ukrainian lover, who has subjected her to years of cruelty and brutality and now threatens to kidnap their son.
As Madeleine learns more about her patient's history, she becomes increasingly troubled by the eerie similarities she discovers between Rachel's childhood and her own. Reluctant to act unprofessionally and risk having Rachel walk out of her life forever, Madeleine keeps her suspicions to herself. But she is unaware of the sinister forces gathering strength in her patient's life. Desperate to keep her son safe from his father's ruthless "associates", Rachel eventually has no choice but to involve the only person she can trust in a murderous web of revenge and deception.
From the tropical lushness of Key West to the imposing Georgian streets of Bath, two women with painful pasts collide dangerously with a world of Cuban sorcery, prostitution and cold-blooded murder - culminating in a tale as terrifying as it is compelling.
I have to say that while this book certainly had an exciting plot, I found that it was just a bit too convoluted and slow for my taste. In my opinion, this book was definitely not quick reading, and I had to give it a B+! However, I'm certainly interested in reading Kitty Sewell's debut novel, Ice Trap at some point.
February 2, 2011
Kitty Sewell made it on the mystery scene with he bestselling novel, "Ice Trap". She has followed it with another novel that is actually better than her first novel.
"Bloodprint" will have you psychoanalyzing just about everyone in the book, of course, it is a book of psycological suspense.
Madeline Frank"s mother, Rosaria, was born in Cuba and a former priestess of Santeria, a mysterious Afro-Cuban religion. Madeline, who does not practice Santeria, does take heed of her mother's warnings and predictions.
Madeline, who has a child out of wedlock, is coerced by her mother and father to give up the child.
Madeline, who has degree in psychology, has been trying to connect with her lost daughter. She has been stymied in all her efforts and has basically given up of ever finding her daughter.
Rachel Locklear comes to Madeline for help in overcoming the problems of her life. Rachel is married to a thug who not only physcially, but mentally abuses her. She has had to debase herself to prostitution in order to provide for her family. She has a young boy, Sasha, who she tries to protect from the atrocities of her life. She is able to get away from her husband and start a new life of her own, however, she finds him back in her life and threatening to take Sasha away from her.
Rachel, finding no other way out of he dilemma, murders her husband and asks Madeline to help her cover-up the crime.
A great read, with some very interesting characters that add substance to the story.
Edmund Furie is a serial killer in a Florida prison that Madeline visits and gives Madeline some much needed help.
Rachel's husband, Un, provides a chilling aspect to this story.
A word of caution in that the book contains some sexual content and rough language that may not be suitable for all readers.
"Bloodprint" will have you psychoanalyzing just about everyone in the book, of course, it is a book of psycological suspense.
Madeline Frank"s mother, Rosaria, was born in Cuba and a former priestess of Santeria, a mysterious Afro-Cuban religion. Madeline, who does not practice Santeria, does take heed of her mother's warnings and predictions.
Madeline, who has a child out of wedlock, is coerced by her mother and father to give up the child.
Madeline, who has degree in psychology, has been trying to connect with her lost daughter. She has been stymied in all her efforts and has basically given up of ever finding her daughter.
Rachel Locklear comes to Madeline for help in overcoming the problems of her life. Rachel is married to a thug who not only physcially, but mentally abuses her. She has had to debase herself to prostitution in order to provide for her family. She has a young boy, Sasha, who she tries to protect from the atrocities of her life. She is able to get away from her husband and start a new life of her own, however, she finds him back in her life and threatening to take Sasha away from her.
Rachel, finding no other way out of he dilemma, murders her husband and asks Madeline to help her cover-up the crime.
A great read, with some very interesting characters that add substance to the story.
Edmund Furie is a serial killer in a Florida prison that Madeline visits and gives Madeline some much needed help.
Rachel's husband, Un, provides a chilling aspect to this story.
A word of caution in that the book contains some sexual content and rough language that may not be suitable for all readers.
December 28, 2008
Madeleine Frank moved to the town of Bath, after the death of her husband. In bath, Madeleine has a very ludicrous career as a psychiatrist. It is here; where Madeleine first meets Rachel Locklear. Rachel is in fear for her life and the life of her son, Sasha.
Anton is a powerful man. He comes from the Ukraine, where he has some very deadly connections and one of them being his brother, Uri. Rachel tells Madeline that she is finally through with Anton. At first their relationship was great but then he would beat her, used her as a hooker and all the while he would say or do something nice that would have Rachel running back to him, but not this time. Rachel has Sasha to care and watch out for now.
Madeleine wants to help Rachel but doesn’t know how; in addition to the fact that Madeleine has her hands full with her mother, who used to be an ancient high priestess that practiced the voodoo arts. Before Madeleine knows it, she gets sucked in between Rachel and Anton. Madeleine will have to watch her step as her life depends on it.
I didn’t realize how much I was going to enjoy this book till I started reading it. Bloodprint is the first book I have read by Kitty Sewell, even though I have her first novel, Ice Trap on my shelf to read. After finishing this book, I am going to jump right into reading Ice Trap. Ms. Sewell is one of the freshest new authors; I have come across in a long time. From the first moment I picked up this book and started reading it, the storyline grabbed my attention and I didn’t once wavered away till the last sentence. Bloodprint is a must read for any fan of psychological suspense thrillers.
Anton is a powerful man. He comes from the Ukraine, where he has some very deadly connections and one of them being his brother, Uri. Rachel tells Madeline that she is finally through with Anton. At first their relationship was great but then he would beat her, used her as a hooker and all the while he would say or do something nice that would have Rachel running back to him, but not this time. Rachel has Sasha to care and watch out for now.
Madeleine wants to help Rachel but doesn’t know how; in addition to the fact that Madeleine has her hands full with her mother, who used to be an ancient high priestess that practiced the voodoo arts. Before Madeleine knows it, she gets sucked in between Rachel and Anton. Madeleine will have to watch her step as her life depends on it.
I didn’t realize how much I was going to enjoy this book till I started reading it. Bloodprint is the first book I have read by Kitty Sewell, even though I have her first novel, Ice Trap on my shelf to read. After finishing this book, I am going to jump right into reading Ice Trap. Ms. Sewell is one of the freshest new authors; I have come across in a long time. From the first moment I picked up this book and started reading it, the storyline grabbed my attention and I didn’t once wavered away till the last sentence. Bloodprint is a must read for any fan of psychological suspense thrillers.
March 24, 2014
While some aspects of this book were a bit confusing and far-fetched, especially the parts about the Santera (priestesses of the Afro-Cuban religion), overall it caught and held my attention. Madeleine, as the main character, is a very human woman with flaws like all of us. The difference is that she is psychotherapist in the business of helping people solving their problems while she seems to have let too many of her own problems fester instead of dealing with them. As her background is slowly revealed, the reader discovers how complicated things really are and wonders how everything will resolve. While the ending left me cheering at the justice that was served it seemed a little easily wrapped up given everything that had happened previously.
My favorite character was Rachel. She was an emotional train-wreck who had been through hell and didn't want anyone to get close to her now, and yet I just couldn't help but yearn for her to have a happy ending. As the layers of her life were revealed, why she acted like she did made more and more sense. I didn't quite understand the relationship between Rachel and Madeleine at the end of the book though. It was something that I wanted to know and understand that the writer didn't explain very well, especially after making their relationship a pivotal turning point of the book.
My favorite character was Rachel. She was an emotional train-wreck who had been through hell and didn't want anyone to get close to her now, and yet I just couldn't help but yearn for her to have a happy ending. As the layers of her life were revealed, why she acted like she did made more and more sense. I didn't quite understand the relationship between Rachel and Madeleine at the end of the book though. It was something that I wanted to know and understand that the writer didn't explain very well, especially after making their relationship a pivotal turning point of the book.
May 1, 2021
Madeleine Frank has effectively put her past behind her, but that doesn’t mean that she’s forgotten or that she’s even gotten over it. The death of her husband in a Florida hurricane left her devastated. Madeleine picked herself up, however, and relocated to Bath where she now practices as a psychotherapist. Her mother, a priestess of Santeria, has been institutionalized but is doing well enough and her father, a famous artist, is still going strong. Then one day Madeleine is approached by a new patient: Rachel Locklear, a woman with a dark past who is trying to free herself from an evil and domineering lover. After so long, Madeleine believes that in Rachel she may have found the daughter that she gave up for adoption so many years ago. Is it true or is Madeleine making connections where in fact none exist? Regardless, it is clear that Rachel is in some serious trouble and Madeleine may be the only one who can help her. Kitty Sewell does it again. Her debut novel, Ice Trap, was absolutely amazing and Bloodprint is equally so. Sewell builds the suspense in this tale slowly, weaving Madeleine’s own tragic past throughout, and creating an intense psychological story that’s as rich and entrancing as its settings.
May 24, 2009
Bloodprint tells the story of Madeline. She had led an interesting life that spans the world. At age of 15, while living in Key West, she meets & falls in love with an older man, Forrest. After one night of passion, Forrest leaves her after learning her true age, but before learning that she is pregnant.
I am struggling with how much information to share with you without giving away too much of the story. Many years have passed & Bloodprint takes Madeline from Key West to Bath, England. Where Madeline is trying to put her life back together after much heartbreak.
Her new career as a Psychotherapist has introduced her to some unsavory people, but when a new client walks in, her life is turned upside down. And the secrets of the past are threatened to be revealed. Can Madeline help her new client & solve the secrets of the past at the same time? Or is she better off going back to Key West?
Bloodprint is a well written page turner. And with each page you turn, a bit more of the mystery is revealed. I was pleased with the way the story came together & was very pleased with the way the book ended. Like I said, the perfect thriller for a cold winter day
I am struggling with how much information to share with you without giving away too much of the story. Many years have passed & Bloodprint takes Madeline from Key West to Bath, England. Where Madeline is trying to put her life back together after much heartbreak.
Her new career as a Psychotherapist has introduced her to some unsavory people, but when a new client walks in, her life is turned upside down. And the secrets of the past are threatened to be revealed. Can Madeline help her new client & solve the secrets of the past at the same time? Or is she better off going back to Key West?
Bloodprint is a well written page turner. And with each page you turn, a bit more of the mystery is revealed. I was pleased with the way the story came together & was very pleased with the way the book ended. Like I said, the perfect thriller for a cold winter day
August 27, 2012
After reading the blurb on this title, via the inside flap of a copy, it sounded interesting enough to read. I've just finished reading the book, and I feel almost like I missed something.
Madeleine Frank is our main character and we see a short glimpse of her persona within the first few pages. She is a strong woman, fiercely in love and perhaps somewhat lazy in love, if you will. Perhaps this is part of the downfall that will slowly shape her heart as we read on.
Having moved to Bath, and now practicing psychotherapy, Madeleine meets a new patient, Rachel Locklear who tells her of some terrible experiences she's gone thru and thus Madeleine begins to feel like she and this Rachel are somehow connected.
There are a lot of things that are written in the book that tell us more about Madeleine as a person and her life, but I almost wonder if some of it was just to fill up space.
This is a very critical review, I really felt like I lost out on this book. Again based on the blurb, it had real potential to be an awesome telling. But again, maybe I just missed it.
Madeleine Frank is our main character and we see a short glimpse of her persona within the first few pages. She is a strong woman, fiercely in love and perhaps somewhat lazy in love, if you will. Perhaps this is part of the downfall that will slowly shape her heart as we read on.
Having moved to Bath, and now practicing psychotherapy, Madeleine meets a new patient, Rachel Locklear who tells her of some terrible experiences she's gone thru and thus Madeleine begins to feel like she and this Rachel are somehow connected.
There are a lot of things that are written in the book that tell us more about Madeleine as a person and her life, but I almost wonder if some of it was just to fill up space.
This is a very critical review, I really felt like I lost out on this book. Again based on the blurb, it had real potential to be an awesome telling. But again, maybe I just missed it.
October 25, 2009
This novel is equal parts psychological thriller, mystery, and study of relationships, Kitty Sewell seems to weave them all together to create an interesting story with a few truly weird elements. Although the central character Madeleine Frank has made herself into a hard-headed psychologist, she's actually not so confident that psychology is all there is. Her own personality is divided against itself on the color of reality. Her mother is a Cuban who believes in voodoo and practices it seemingly successfully. Although Madeleine tries hard to resist it, she finds she also has the gift of bending the rules of nature with some help from the "saints." This helps her as she becomes embroiled in a situation with a client who looks suspiciously familiar, but who seems like she is from another universe. The story seems like it is bouncing all over the place, but this author tucks in every little loose end in the conclusion, to the delight of the reader.
December 28, 2008
I liked this book. I didn't love it but it's still pretty good. This book is very convuluted with different relationships. The lead character, Madaleine is very well written however the secondary lead, Rachel isn't. Most of the minor characters are shallow except for Rachel's boyfriend, Anton. Santeria is its own minor character throughout the book. I did like the psychological therapy aspect of this novel and thought it gave the book an interesting twist. I liked the twists and turns the book takes and how it flows. It has the same pace pretty much throughout. The ending was left hanging, so that Ms. Sewell could continue if she wanted to revisit the characters again. I haven't read her first novel yet but I would definitely read it or her next novel. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a psychological suspense novel.
Read
January 26, 2016Following a devastating tragedy that claimed the life of her husband, Madeleine Frank has fled the Florida Keys for the safe surroundings of Bath. But as a psychotherapist trying to help patients heal after traumatic events, she knows only too well that it's impossible to recover from some losses.
Just as she's starting to forget the scars of her past, Madeleine is thrown off-balance by the arrival of a new patient. Sensing something familiar in this damaged and hostile woman, Madeleine is disturbed to discover that strains of her patient's childhood eerily echo her own darkest secret.
The increasingly complex relationship between Madeleine and her client, Rachel, will unleash a terrifying series of events which neither could have predicted - and which neither can control.
And at the heart of the terror lies the fate of a child.
Just as she's starting to forget the scars of her past, Madeleine is thrown off-balance by the arrival of a new patient. Sensing something familiar in this damaged and hostile woman, Madeleine is disturbed to discover that strains of her patient's childhood eerily echo her own darkest secret.
The increasingly complex relationship between Madeleine and her client, Rachel, will unleash a terrifying series of events which neither could have predicted - and which neither can control.
And at the heart of the terror lies the fate of a child.
November 29, 2008
There are so many plot twists, especially in the last hundred pages or so, you might fell like you are on a roller coaster ride. This is the story of two women: Madeleine Frank, artist and psychologist, and the secrets that have formed her and her family's lives; and Rachel Locklear, former prostitute and now devoted mother trying desperately to escape the clutches of a crime family that has owned her for too long. These women meet by chance (that might not be chance) and their stories slowly come together into a hurricane of intrigue and fear that changes who they are forever. The characters in this book are very vivid, even the most minor, which makes an already interesting story rich with depth and color. In short, this is a fantastic read!
Read
February 17, 2009There are so many plot twists, especially in the last hundred pages or so, you might fell like you are on a roller coaster ride. This is the story of two women: Madeleine Frank, artist and psychologist, and the secrets that have formed her and her family's lives; and Rachel Locklear, former prostitute and now devoted mother trying desperately to escape the clutches of a crime family that has owned her for too long. These women meet by chance (that might not be chance) and their stories slowly come together into a hurricane of intrigue and fear that changes who they are forever. The characters in this book are very vivid, even the most minor, which makes an already interesting story rich with depth and color. In short, this is a fantastic read!
Jackie
Jackie
September 28, 2015
THIS BOOK. I was expecting it to be good, and I wasn't disappointed.
To be completely honest from the get go, I picked up this book because of the author's last name. Anna Sewell wrote my favourite book when I was growing up, and I got it into my head that her and Kitty were related. (they're not, as far as I know, and though I was a little let down by that, her writing more than made up for how I felt).
This book is quite the rollercoaster ride. Just when you think things are set out in front of you and moderately hunky dory, you get whacked round the face with a twist. I can't begin to explain how this book made me feel day after day. It's such a page turner, and if you're into this kind of writing, you definitely need to read this book.
It's friggin' awesome!
To be completely honest from the get go, I picked up this book because of the author's last name. Anna Sewell wrote my favourite book when I was growing up, and I got it into my head that her and Kitty were related. (they're not, as far as I know, and though I was a little let down by that, her writing more than made up for how I felt).
This book is quite the rollercoaster ride. Just when you think things are set out in front of you and moderately hunky dory, you get whacked round the face with a twist. I can't begin to explain how this book made me feel day after day. It's such a page turner, and if you're into this kind of writing, you definitely need to read this book.
It's friggin' awesome!
December 30, 2008
Psychotherapist Madeleine Frank moves from Key West to Bath, England after the death of her husband. Dealing with her own heartbreak, she becomes too involved in the personal life of a young woman client who reminds her of a daughter she gave up for adoption.
Very intricately plotted and psychologically suspensful. Recommended.
Very intricately plotted and psychologically suspensful. Recommended.
November 2, 2015
This was a good book, a good story. The only fault I found with it was that some of the characters lacked depth.For example, I would have loved to seen Rosaria, Madeline's mother have a bit more involvement in the story. She was always hovering around the fringe, but she was good character and I think needed to be in the story more. Nonetheless, a recommended read.
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