I raced through this book, a hybrid mixture of crime and genealogy mystery. Author Dan Waddell is also a journalist and genealogist, having written The Genealogy Handbook [below] to accompany the Who Do You Think You Are? television series. So, he knows his stuff and it shows. Usually a crime novel features a lead detective and team, here we have two lead characters: Detective Chief Inspector Grant Foster, and genealogist Nigel Barnes.

Waddell’s plotting is ingenious. The past really does come back to haunt the present. There is a serial killer in West London who leaves a clue carved into the skin of his victims. This clue prompts DCI Foster to call on the specialist help of researcher Barnes. The murder hunt takes parallel paths: Foster chases living suspects, Barnes searches the archives for the true 1879 story of a serial killer, his victims and their descendants. What is the link? The final chapters are a thrilling race against time.

I really enjoyed this. The linking of historical and present-day crime was clever, and the characterization was convincing and not of the stereotypical detective form. An enjoyable mixture of fast-moving crime novel with genealogical research and historical gems about this particular part of London, its transformation from Victorian times to the 21^st century, and its dark history of crime. There is a second novel featuring the same characters, Blood Atonement. If you like ‘The Blood Detective’, try these:-
‘In the Blood’ by Steve Robinson
‘Secrets, Spies and Spotted Dogs’ by Jane Eales
‘Seeking John Campbell’ by John Daffurn

‘The Blood Detective’ by Dan Waddell, #1 Nigel Barnes [UK: D Waddell] Buy here

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
THE BLOOD DETECTIVE by @danwaddell #bookreview via @SandraDanby http://wp.me/p5gEM4-1Tp