Bloodless (Serial Investigations Book 1)

Rhiannon D’Averc is a ‘new to me’ author that I found in the GRR group on Facebook. I’m awful when it comes to starting books by new novelists because I have favorite authors which I tend to compare others to. I know it’s an awful thing to admit doing but as it turns out, it’s the truth. So, after reading the blurb, I had no idea what to expect when I jumped into Bloodless. I knew the general plot and where it took place in the world, aside from that I went into it blind.

First, let me just say that I almost gave this series a miss based on the fact it takes place in London. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a book snob. I’m from America and have found sometimes I have a hard time getting into books that use colloquial terms I’m not familiar with. I’ve noticed a lot of books set in the UK have slang, terminology, or phrases that give me pause, which can pull me out of a good read. I’m happy to say that this series didn’t do that for me. I’m not sure if that’s due to me living in the north of Ireland for eight years or if the author just did a good job of writing those sorts of things into her work. Either way, I was able to read it without being thrown from the story.

The two main characters for this book were a little hit and miss for me. There were moments when Ram and Will came across as the sharp-minded men you’d expect them to be with their training. Then, others made me furrow my brows with consternation due to the naivety coming from the pair. These men were supposed to be top of their class in both their MET training and their training with the FBI, yet I found myself asking how that was possible. Yes, characters need to be flawed. Yes, they need to come across as real. But when the character’s profile calls for a sharp intelligence that isn’t coming across, it’s a bit of a letdown.

Both Will and Ram are incredibly flawed individuals who are relatable if the reader has experience with alcoholism and/or eating disorders. I found these flaws distracting more than character building. It would have been better, in my opinion, if one had an awful issue flaw while the other was a little more put together. Instead, I spent most of my time worrying about what was going to happen to both MC healthwise rather than how they were going to solve these gruesome murders. Another thing I found annoying was the fact that Will was in so much denial about the fact that he was gay. He didn’t even admit it to himself or his best friend who, as luck would have it, happened to be gay as well. I understand being closeted. Perhaps I can’t identify with how Will feels because I’m not a closeted gay man. Who knows? I just found that a little unbelievable. One thing I did like was the humor peeking through here and there. I always enjoy a character that can make jokes to lighten a serious situation as long as they don’t come across as overly childish and the banter between Will and Ram was good.

The plot itself was engaging. Though, I found myself bothered by a few plot points. My first complaint is about the circumcisions performed post mortem. As soon as I read about that tidbit of information I stopped reading, looked at my husband, and fell into a ten-minute rant about the absurdity of that little ‘clue’ which was missed by the medical examiner and officers who saw the body. When you’re dead, your body doesn’t heal. It especially doesn’t heal from a circumcision within three days of death. Hiro’s foreskin being removed would have been obvious to anyone not completely oblivious. I’m usually not a harsh critic, but this was a screaming indicator there wasn’t much thought about this little clue that nobody but Ram seemed to notice. Another thing I found difficult to accept was Alex and his lack of professionalism. He’s a DI who had no qualms with letting Ram and Will jump into the investigation when it had only just begun. It was as if he didn’t have enough faith in the police force to even try solving it themselves. Maybe I’m nitpicking.

I will admit that the secret hanging over their heads was intriguing. It and the expected development of an intimate relationship between Will and Ram kept me interested until the end. Then I was let down on both fronts. There was no relationship between the two except for friendship. It was clear that Will had feelings for Ram, but Ram was too busy getting his rocks off to even notice his friend was gay, let alone into him. The only reason I’m complaining about the lack of relationship is that GoodReads has this book listed as an M/M romance when it is a pseudo-romance at best. There are hints of something to come later on in the series perhaps, but you’ll not find anything overly romantic here. This is more of a suspense/mystery/thriller. Oh, and that secret hanging over their heads? You don’t find out what it is in the end. You get vague hints about something happening in San Francisco which both MCs feel guilty about and that’s it. I was so disappointed there wasn’t more information.

Overall, I’ve given this book three stars based solely on the fact I wanted to read it all the way through to get answers. Without the gripping need to get them, I would have given this a two-star rating at most. It kept me interested. I needed to know ‘who done it’ and I really wanted to know what the aforementioned secret was. I wasn’t in love with the characters. There were plot points that frustrated me. But, in the end, I did finish the book without totally disliking it. I’m hoping that the next book in the series will be better and that we will see the progression of a relationship with the MCs.