Sandy M’s review of Blood Moon by Sandra Brown
Romantic Suspense published by Grand Central Publishing 4 Mar 25
What I love about Sandra Brown’s books is, of course, the unexpected romance between characters who would otherwise never come together, but the next best thing in her stories? The unexpected endings, something the reader would never guess and be surprised ten-fold when all is finally revealed. Blood Moon is no exception when all is said and done, so don’t even try to figure it all out as you read. You’ll never come close to guessing what actually takes place.
So instead let’s talk about those characters who would be unlikely to meet in any other circumstances. Beth Collins works for a true-crime television series, and she’s not totally convinced they have all the information necessary for their next broadcast concerning the unsolved case of a missing young woman, Crissy Mellin. She decides to talk to the detective who worked on the case years before, despite the fact the man has been told to keep his mouth shut by his higher-ups.
Which is a good way to get John Bowie to do the opposite. He’s always had his doubts about how that case was handled and has carried guilt with him ever since. Due to his near belligerent behavior and his capacity for drink, John isn’t having any of the “woo-woo” Beth tries to deliver. But when things finally come together to convince him maybe she’s not that far off the mark, they join forces to figure out what truly happened in the Mellin investigation, along with several others that now seem to be connected.
It’s a terrific buildup throughout the story as John and Beth collect more and more information to drive them toward that unexpected ending. Their romantic buildup is just as terrific, driving them toward an unexpected and steamy beginning together. I always love Ms. Brown’s heroes, flawed and somewhat unattainable, until that strong and independent heroine gets under their skin. In this case, John Bowie almost misses what hits him, but getting the girl and solving his case is what keeps Ms. Brown’s fans coming back for more year after year.
Grade: A
Summary:
Detective John Bowie is one misstep away from being fired from the Auclair Police Department in coastal Louisiana. Recently divorced and slightly heavy-handed with his liquor, Bowie does all that he can to cope with the actions taken (or not taken) during the investigation of Crissy Mellin, a teenage girl who disappeared more than three years prior. But now, Crisis Point, a long-running true crime television series, is soon to air an episode documenting the unsolved Mellin case. Bowie has been instructed by his unscrupulous boss to keep to his grievances and criticisms over the mishandling of the investigation to himself.
Beth Collins, a senior producer on Crisis Point, knows what classifies as a great story and when there’s something more to be told. After working on the show for seven years, Collins is convinced that Crissy Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: They took place on the night of a blood moon. In a last-ditch effort to find out the truth, Beth enlists Detective Bowie to help her figure out what happened to Crissy and find the true culprit before he acts on the next blood moon—in four days’ time.
With their jobs and their lives at risk, Bowie and Collins band together to identify and capture a perpetrator, while fighting an irresistible spark between them that threatens to upend everything.
No excerpt available.
