Title: Bloody Valentine
Author: James Patterson
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Thriller
Dates read: 28th August 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Arrow Books
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I’m her sister-in-law,’ Leila protested.

Killing isn’t murder, when it’s necessary.

Mega-rich restaurant owner Jack Barnes and his second wife Zee are very much in love. However, their plans for Valentine’s Day are about to be torn apart by the most violent murder.

Who is the strange figure plotting this sick crime? Who hates Jack that much? There are plenty of suspects living in Jack’s fnacy block of flats. Is it one of them, or could it be the work of an outsider with a twisted mind?

One thing’s for sure, the police have got their work cut out solving this bloody mess.

This gory murder mystery will make you feel weak at the knees.

I read this in almost one sitting. Not just because it was spine-tinglingly creepy, but also because the writing was so unbelievably fantastic that I just couldn’t look away. Luckily for me, it was an incredibly short read. One that I look forward to picking up again and again in the future. Although, maybe a little further into the future since I like to get a decent nights sleep as often as possible…

Whether it’s on the TV or in one of my books, I do really love a strong murder whodunnit. There is just something so much more fun and lively when you spend every moment of enjoying a story also wondering just who the murderer is. And, sometimes even more importantly, why they did it. this was one of those few stories that I didn’t really have much of an idea who the culprit was until the eleventh hour. Normally there’s a red herring, or some character that just seems skeevy and… well, wrong. There really wasn’t one in this story. There were plenty of interpersonal issues and relationships, but none that made me go “nope, you’re a baddy”.

Patterson manages to perfectly walk the line between graphic information and leaving everything up to the imagination. You don’t spend the entire time reading this story feeling icked out by what is done to the victims, but you also don’t feel safe whilst reading it. The horror is there, but many of those moments are filled in by your own imagination. It’s a perfect balance, and one that is incredibly difficult to find.

Bloody Valentine isn’t the book that you want to read before bed time. Or, maybe even before Valentine’s Day. But it is a story which you should pick up. It’s a great introduction to a new author and a quick read if you’re not entirely sure what you actually want to read at the time… definitely one that I suggest and will be picking up again myself.

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Image source: Goodreads