An intense, psychological thriller; a gripping and absorbing debut from an exciting new British author.
Alex and his son, eleven year old Max, find their next-door neighbour dead in his bathtub. The suspected suicide soon turns into a murder investigation as the police turn their interest towards Millicent, Alex’s wife. How well did Millicent really know the neighbour? And what secrets does Max know about his parents?
Ben McPhersonhas written a fabulous story full of intrigue, tension and dark secrets and longings. Whilst it is, in part a who-dunnit, the story explores the relationships between the various family members, their neighbours and the police. I enjoyed the way Alex and Millicent’s marriage, their connection to each other and the feelings they have, shift and change as the investigation gathers pace. McPherson evokes a chilling sense of menace as he leads us deeper in the nightmare the family find themselves caught up in.
The story is told from Alex’s viewpoint and the author wonderfully conveys Alex’s anguish, fury and despair as his world begins to collapse. The writing is sharp, scenes are vividly portrayed and the characters have depth and, well, “character”. Having read, and enjoyed the story, I’m still undecided if I actually liked any of the central characters; they all had traits that I liked and others that I disliked. My favourite characters were Fab5, Arla and, rather curiously, June, the police woman.
I found this to be a well written and throughly engaging tale. The name Ben McPherson will be one that I keep an eye out for.
The-Mustachioed-Reader
My Rating: 3.5* out of 5.0*
ANTICIPATED PUBLICATION DATE: March 2015
Published by HarperCollins
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Gavin Dimmock. Writer. 
I struggled to like the characters too. The only one I felt drawn to was the son.
Interesting. I wasn’t drawn to any of the major players; it’s not that I disliked them, more that they were each unpleasant in some ways and that prevents me from taking to them. Alex was an intriguing chap, he had qualities I found to be worthwhile. Of the three family members, Max was my least favourite.
I totally loved reading A Line Of Blood. I was amazed it was Ben’s first novel.
Thank you so much for following me on ireadnovels.wordpress.com. I have put a link to your site on my site. I hope that many readers and budding writers like us find you.
I am very glad you enjoyed reading it too. I want to read his next book when it is out.