A missing person’s case… quaint country inn.
Little do they expect that Serial Investigations London are about to get thrust into a new murder investigation – one that happens right under their noses.
A confession seems to solve the case, but is it genuine? With suspicions running high, the duo still have to find time to sniff out the whereabouts of their client – and avoid getting arrested themselves.
With Ram hitting the bottle harder than ever and Will fighting to stay in control, they might be about to lose more than just the case.
If you’re a fan of BBC’s Luther, Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Continue the action with Blood Evidence, the second book in a series you won’t dare to put down.
Click ‘Buy Now’ to enter the minds of troubled yet brilliant detectives as they take on a mysterious killer, out of their depth in an unfamiliar place.
Praise for Serial Investigations:
“The front cover didn’t lie; Bloodless is exciting and thrilling.”
“Sets up a really great atmosphere right from the start and constantly leaves you wanting to find out what happens next.”
“A punchy storyline makes it difficult to put down and leaves you wanting more.”
“Just the right amount of action, plenty of intriguing deception and detective work.”
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If you’ve read my review for book one of the Serial Investigation series, you will understand when I say that I went into book two expecting to be let down. There were so many things wrong with Bloodless in my opinion. I was thrown by how unbelievable some of the plot points were. Like, yes this is a fictional mystery/mm romance, but you have to keep some realism to the plot to tell a good story. Having said that, I’ll just admit that I’m digressing. This review is about Blood Evidence and my thoughts on the continuation of this series. Which, as it so happens, wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
The plot for Blood Evidence was better than the first book. Will and Ram are hired by a woman to find her missing fiance. His last known location was at the Highcastle Inn in Kent, so Ram and Will head off to investigate. They’re only there for one night when a murder takes place. I won’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil the plot. Let’s just say there is some obvious finger-pointing at poor Ram, a confession from a man they think is innocent, guests at the inn with secrets they’d like kept quiet, an eccentric fellow everyone things is a weirdo, and an eventual conclusion of ‘who done it.’ Oh, and they do finish their paid investigation in the end by finding their missing person.
I liked Will and Ram a little more in Blood Evidence. Their characters seemed to have a little more life to them this time around. Will was still deeply in the closet, still suffering from anorexia, and still writing under the pseudonym of B.J. Wong. One thing I have to say about Will is that he seemed to be getting more of a backbone when it comes to Ram and his behavior. There was one point where he stood up to Ram for doing something stupid while drunk which made me want to applaud him. Ram was still Ram. His drinking was still a problem, making him do something incredibly stupid that made Will snap. I gave him props for not using his little head as often in book two. It also seemed like he was starting to see how his drinking was affecting his relationship with Will. There was also Ram’s sense of humor which was nice.
One part of the plot that did bother me was the Pavlovian conditioning. It was being used on a guest at the inn for a short period of time and yet it was a viable factor for why said guest felt responsible for things he hadn’t done? Now, I’m not an expert when it comes to Pavlovian/classical conditioning. But, I would think, because conditioning is essentially training a person to accept certain circumstances over some time, it would take more than a day or two to take effect. I could be wrong. Yet, I feel it’s unlikely. I think it would have to be a process that, over time, would eventually start to work.
Another thing I found disappointing was the author’s lack of drive when it came to utilizing certain situations in the book to further the progression the Will and Ram’s relationship. This is supposed to be a mystery/romance novel and yet it seemed like the author was more than happy to let them coast along as nothing more than friends until the end. Seriously? These men were forced to share a double bed in the inn not once, but twice, and there wasn’t even an incident with an impromptu boner? Or accidental cuddling? Nothing! I was so sad. It would have been great to see something along those lines.
The secret from book one is, unfortunately, not revealed in book two. We get a little more information about it, but not the full explanation. If you’re expecting answers regarding that, you’ll be left wanting. I expect we’ll be filled in on it eventually, but we’ll just need to be patient. I’m just hoping that the build-up to this secret isn’t a huge letdown when it all comes out.
In conclusion, I thought the book was better than book one. The slow-smolder, I would say slow-burn but that would require some actual flames, of the book, was a little offputting. As I mentioned above there were opportunities for the author to expand on the development of the relationship portion of the story, but she didn’t. The Pavlovian conditioning was questionable. I had an inkling of who the real killer was early on, but it honestly could have been anyone at the inn. It was a fairly decent read. If the series keeps getting progressively better, I’m sure I’ll stick with it just to see where it goes.