Blood Sisters
[d-h12794]

5 of 5 Stars Jim O’Shea brings readers an intense thriller with plenty of chills and mystery to keep you reading no matter how late it gets.

Jim O’Shea is a new author for me to read but I will definitely be reading more by him. This book had so much good creepiness to it while also having a great plot that I was able to read it in one, albeit long, sitting. The story begins with a young woman named Libby Meeker who is struggling to find re-balance in her life after the death of her twin sister almost a year ago. Melissa was so much a part of her that the loss of her has thrown Libby’s world into a spin that has engulfed her parents and best friend too. But things have been getting better recently until she begins “seeing” her sister on nearly a daily basis. How can that be possible since Melissa was killed in an explosion? Could it be that she is not really dead or is all this only going on in Libby’s mind? There is a history of mental illness in her family but Libby thought she had a handle on any mental issues by seeing her therapist and being honest. Maybe there is more to what she is seeing than it being a “trick” of the mind. Add to all this trouble the appearance of a serial killer who is killing red-headed women and Libby (also a redhead) is about at the end of her rope. Thank the Lord for her best friend, Aisha, who is determined to help Libby get through all these trying happenings. Aisha is convinced that there is more going on in Libby’s history that even she knows and will do whatever it takes to ensure her friend figure everything out before she loses her mind. Detective Troy Hunter is assigned the “Ginger Killer” case and his investigation leads him right to Libby’s door. They both find themselves unexpectedly attracted to one another but neither are looking for a relationship at this moment. As Hunter digs deeper into the killings and their possible connections, he discovers that they all have some type of connection to Libby and her family. So begins a non-stop race to figure out who is responsible for the killings and why they are “haunting” Libby. What they will find boggles the mind and brings the past into terrifying clarity. Will Hunter be able to stop the killer in time to save Libby’s life or will she become the next and final victim of this vicious killer? My, oh my, was this a good story! From the very beginning it drew me in and held me riveted to the pages until the last one. I loved the complexity of the case and how it was tied to so many people. There were many threads of the story added within the the first few chapters but all of them were tied together by the end of the story, something that either makes or breaks a story for me. You almost felt that you were the one being mentally taxed alongside Libby and alternately angry and frustrated at the lack of evidence to back up her claims of seeing her sister. I also loved that Mr. O’Shea made the characters real, rough and raw throughout. There was no attempt to keep things clean and shiny, rather he showed the darkest parts of such a horrifying case while also not going down the path of “too much gore”. Crime and violence are ugly and Mr. O’Shea made that very clear in this story. The inclusion of Faith was well done in the story as well, making it normally present and not “preachy”. It really helped give further depth to the story and I was very pleased with it’s inclusion. Overall, I really loved the way all the components of the story were woven together to give a deep plot and also give readers a good connection to the characters. I will certainly be recommending this gripping story to others with the knowledge that they will be as intrigued as I was by the writing and conclusion. I will also be adding this and Mr O’Shea’s other books to my shelves very soon.

Jerrye - PBG Booklover