I'm thrilled to be today's stop on the blog tour for Blood Ribbon by Roger Bray. This is the first book I've read by this author and boy what an introduction to his writing it was!
Brooke Adams hasn't had the easiest start in life. With no family she bounces from one foster home to another and she runs away at sixteen and ends up in Salem. That's when her luck starts to change, she meets Nico and makes a few close friends who quickly become the family she never had as a child.
Just as she's settling down and finally finding her feet somewhere that she feels comfortable and appreciated, someone brutally attacks her, leaving her for dead in a sandy grave - but Brooke isn't dead. After telling the local police what little she can remember of the attack, Brooke's approached by Rod Morgan, a retired detective who believes that whoever tried to kill her could be responsible for several other disappearances stretching over at least three decades. Brooke is obviously keen for her attacker to be caught so she agrees to work with Rod to try and piece the clues together but they'll need to tread carefully.
I loved Brooke's character - she's a sassy young woman who is determined not to be labelled a victim and I quickly found myself believing in her and growing attached to her extremely likeable nature. I particularly enjoyed watching her friendships grow but seeing how her decisions impacted on those close to her certainly made for compelling reading. It was a refreshing change for me to read a crime story that wasn't reliant on the police procedural side of things and add to that the timeslip chapters, where I was able to glimpse past events that might give some clues as to the identity of the killer, you've got yourself one happy hippo who couldn't read this book fast enough!
Blood Ribbon is a taut, dark thriller that is full of unexpected twists and turns. Focusing on friendships, relationships and family adds to the reality of the story and Roger Bray has executed this aspect perfectly, bringing a sense of reality to the whole book. I can't believe that I haven't discovered Roger's books until now but I'm so pleased that I've got another two of his books to read at some point in the future.
Author bio
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| Photo courtesy of Roger Bray |
I have always loved writing; putting words onto a
page and bringing characters to life. I can almost feel myself becoming
immersed into their lives, living with their fears and triumphs. Thus, my
writing process becomes an endless series of questions. What would she or he
do, how would they react, is this in keeping with their character? Strange as
it sounds, I don’t like leaving characters in cliffhanging situations without
giving them an ending, whichever way it develops.
My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find our selves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider.
Of course, most novels are autobiographical in some way. You must draw on your own experiences of life and from events you have experienced to get the inspiration. My life has been an endless adventure. Serving in the Navy, fighting in wars, serving as a Police officer and the experiences each one of those have brought have all drawn me to this point, but it was a downside to my police service that was the catalyst for my writing.
Medically retired after being seriously injured while protecting a woman in a domestic violence situation I then experienced the other side of life. Depression and rejection. Giving truth to the oft said saying that when one door closes another opens I pulled myself up and enrolled in college gaining bachelor and master degrees, for my own development rather than any professional need. The process of learning, of getting words down onto the page again relit my passion for writing in a way that I hadn’t felt since high school.
So here we are, two books published and another on track.
Where it will take me I have no idea but I am going to enjoy getting there and if my writing can bring some small pleasure into people’s lives along the way, then I consider that I will have succeeded in life.
My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find our selves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider.
Of course, most novels are autobiographical in some way. You must draw on your own experiences of life and from events you have experienced to get the inspiration. My life has been an endless adventure. Serving in the Navy, fighting in wars, serving as a Police officer and the experiences each one of those have brought have all drawn me to this point, but it was a downside to my police service that was the catalyst for my writing.
Medically retired after being seriously injured while protecting a woman in a domestic violence situation I then experienced the other side of life. Depression and rejection. Giving truth to the oft said saying that when one door closes another opens I pulled myself up and enrolled in college gaining bachelor and master degrees, for my own development rather than any professional need. The process of learning, of getting words down onto the page again relit my passion for writing in a way that I hadn’t felt since high school.
So here we are, two books published and another on track.
Where it will take me I have no idea but I am going to enjoy getting there and if my writing can bring some small pleasure into people’s lives along the way, then I consider that I will have succeeded in life.
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You can find out more about Roger, his books and connect with him using the links below:
Check out the rest of the Blood Ribbon Blog Tour with these fantastic blogs
With kind thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and author Roger Bray for my review copy.
Thank you so much for this fantastic review Neats, I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Also thank you for your support of the blog tour, very much appreciated :)
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome Roger.It was a pleasure to read and I'm looking forward to reading your other books.
DeleteThanks so much for the Blog Tour support Neats x
ReplyDeleteThank you for my spot on the tour Anne. Having seen Roger around on social media it was great to finally get around to reading one of his books x x
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