Out For Blood – Deborah Masson

A young man, the son of an influential businessman, is discovered dead in his central Aberdeen apartment.

Hours later, a teenaged girl with no identification is found hanged in a suspected suicide.

As DI Eve Hunter and her team investigate the two cases, they find themselves in a tug-of-war between privilege and poverty; between the elite and those on the fringes of society.

Then an unexpected breakthrough leads them to the shocking conclusion: that those in power have been at the top for too long – and now, someone is going to desperate lengths to bring them down…

Can they stop someone who is dead set on revenge, no matter the cost?

 

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the opportunity to join the Out For Blood Tour.

 

Many years ago I lived and worked in Aberdeen. Just for a couple of years but long enough to form an opinion of the city.  Since that time (after reading more than a few books set in Aberdeen) I think Deborah Mason has come closest to capturing the city I recognise.  Particularly as Out For Blood highlights the divide between those that have and those that have not.

First up is the murder of a young man.  He was the son of a successful businessman, one of the most influential players in the area, and his son had clearly enjoyed the comforts and privilege that came from being part of a successful family.  His early death was shocking but DI Eve Hunter finds the reaction of the boy’s father to be rather strange.

Then we see the other side of the social spectrum.  A young girl is found hanged, spotted by an elderly golfer in the early hours of the morning.  Nobody reports her as missing and she has no identification on her. But her body shows signs of forceful damage which would not be connected to a suicide and there are other suggestions (no spoilers) which indicate a difficult and dangerous lifestyle.

Apologies for being slightly vague at this but I am going to be urging you to read Out For Blood and I don’t want to let too much slip.

Eve Hunter and her colleagues have two very different deaths to investigate but both will present a similar problem – a lack of information.  They don’t know anything about the hanged girl, not even how she got to the spot where she took her life.  The murdered boy is very well known but nobody seems willing to speak to the police about him. Even his family and closest friends seem to be actively avoiding Eve.

Undeterred Eve and her team will chase down any small clues they can find.  Out For Blood is a very good police procedural in this regard and I very much enjoyed the opportunity to read a “proper police story” for the first time in a while.

With a team to command and a boss who has serious reservations about Eve’s temper and her ability to perform her job effectively (again no spoilers) there is a lot of politics for Eve to negotiate too.  The chapters are nicely split between the two investigations, as the majority, and time is well spent further developing the backgrounds of the members of Eve’s team. As a reader it makes a story so much more rewarding when I start to engage with the characters – I felt Deborah Masson got this just right.

The two deaths in the story lead to a fascinating resolution in which the strength of friendships are tested and the limits of love will determine how some of the key characters will fare when the police come calling.  It’s an extremely engaging read and as I am a bit late to the party on the Eve Hunter books I have now picked up the first book, Hold Your Tongue, to read soon too.

I do love a series with recurring characters and I very much hope Eve Hunter will return very soon. Don’t dawdle on these books (yes, like I did) get Deborah Masson on your bookshelves now.

 

Out For Blood is published in paperback on 10th December 2020 and is available in digital format now.  The audiobook is also available and you can order in the format of your choice here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085RBVZ2L/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0