I’m delighted to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for gripping thriller Blood Red City by Rod Reynolds. Thank you to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this complex and thought provoking book.
About the book:
A witness with no victim. A crime with no crime scene…
When crusading journalist Lydia Wright is sent a video of an apparent murder on a London train, she thinks she’s found the story to revive her career. But she can’t find a victim, much less the killers, and the only witness has disappeared. Wary she’s fallen for fake news, she begins to doubt her instincts – until a sinister call suggests that she’s not the only one interested in the crime.
Michael Stringer deals in information – and doesn’t care which side of the law he finds himself on. But the murder on the train has left him exposed, and now he’ll stop at nothing to discover what Lydia knows.
When their paths collide, Lydia finds the story leads through a nightmare world, where money, power and politics intersect … and information is the only thing more dangerous than a bullet.
A nerve-shattering and brutally realistic thriller, Blood Red City bursts with energy and grit from the opening page, twisting and feinting to a superb, unexpected ending that will leave you breathless.
About the author:
Rod Reynolds is the author of four novels, including the Charlie Yates series. His 2015 debut, The Dark Inside, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger, and was followed by Black Night Falling (2016) and Cold Desert Sky (2018); the Guardian have called the books ‘Pitch-perfect American noir.’
A lifelong Londoner, in 2020 Orenda Books will publish his first novel set in his hometown, Blood Red City. Rod previously worked in advertising as a media buyer, and holds an MA in novel writing from City University London. Rod lives with his wife and family and spends most of his time trying to keep up with his two young daughters.
Twitter: @Rod_WR email: rodreynoldsauthor@gmail.com
My Review:
Blood Red City by Rod Reynolds is a complex, gritty and gripping thriller that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. It captured my imagination from the very first page, the intrigue and suspense slowly building up to breaking point as the paths of journalist Lydia Wright and enigmatic fixer Michael Stringer dangerously collide.
The story begins as journalist Lydia receives a video showing the murder of an unknown man on a London train. Could this be the story she’s been waiting for to help revive her flagging career? Or is she about to bite off far more than she can chew?
What follows is a tense, superbly plotted tale that delves into the murky underworld of politics, money laundering and property development. This is a book that requires you to keep your wits about you, as the fast moving, multilayered plot takes you on a complex journey that will encompass everything from financial corruption to murder. With twists and turns to keep you on your toes throughout, this is a story that really does stand out from the crowd.
Different to anything I’ve ever read before, Blood Red City brings a darker side of London to life, with the tension rising as Lydia finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into a world she knows nothing about. With Lydia and Stringer searching for the same answers, the story is told from the alternate perspectives of them both, sometimes even within the same chapter, which added an extra dimension to the story that I thought worked incredibly well.
Rod Reynolds has created two fascinating characters in Lydia and Stringer who are as different as chalk from cheese, but who unwittingly find themselves having to work together to get to the truth. I have to admit I couldn’t help but fall in love with this unlikely partnership and am hopeful we will get to see more of them in future books!
Blood Red City is a tightly plotted, complex and tension filled thriller that never ceased to surprise me from beginning to end. A dark and compelling read that I would highly recommend, I look forward to reading more by this talented author in the future.
Blood Red City by Rod Reynolds is available to buy now: Amazon UK
Check out what these other fabulous bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 
Fantastic review! I love the sound of this one and definitely need to get a copy soon. xx
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Huge thanks for the blog tour support xx
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