Thin Blood by Vicki Tyley

Thin Blood is the first of Vicki Tyley’s exciting, Australia-set mystery thrillers. Jacinta Deller, is a tenacious, but recently out of work, investigative journalist looking around for a career-enhancing scoop. Set on the trail of a missing, presumed dead, local woman by her newly moved in lover, Jacinta drops herself squarely into the middle of a years old mystery involving sex, infidelity, jealousyand murder. Is it a good idea for her to befriend the chief suspects and invite them into her home? If that wasn’t enough, the Police Officer in charge of the case is a face from her past that Jacinta would rather had stayed hidden. When the danger starts knocking a little closer to home, Jacinta doesn’t know where to turn or who she can trust.

I really enjoyed reading Thin Blood; it strikes an original note in the whodunit genre and has a compelling and well-plotted story. It drew me in straight away with a stunning prologue and kept ratcheting up the tension in every chapter; there is the main, over-arching plot and an equally diverting sub-plot relating to Jacinta’s past. The chapters themselves are short, and jump between multiple character points of view, so the twin tales evolve quickly. The story twists and turns and contains many surprises which are sprung regularly and effectively plus a few lighter-hearted moments along the way. The book has a good and satisfying ending, although one or two ends remained loose. I am pleased to have discovered Vicki Tyley’s work, and very much look forward to reading the rest of her books. Reviewed by Julia for Readers’ Favorite.