Solo Musings

I just finished a book by Lori G. Armstrong titled Blood Ties and I suspect I’ve found a new author to follow. Love it when that happens, don’t you?

Part of the draw is definitely the setting. This story takes place out in western South Dakota in (roughly) the Rapid City greater metro complex (such as it is…). While the style isn’t quite as “I lived that life” as the feeling that John Sandford’s books tend to elicit, it’s still definitely a strong factor.

The plot itself is more or less a standard whodunnit but has a ton of characters and some great twists. You also have your tension between Julie, our main character, and Kevin, an old friend and PI that she sometimes works with. They remind me a bit of Patrick and Angela from Dennis Lehane’s great series (Gone Baby Gone is the first in that series and now a movie). Come to think on it, some of the other “larger than life” supporting characters in Blood Ties are a bit reminiscent of a Lehane book. In particular, Jimmer is a slightly toned down Bubba.

Side note: seriously, read the Lehane Patrick and Angie series if you haven’t yet

If you like a good detective tale, and/or watching some new characters come to life as you turn pages then give this one a shot.

I see Armstrong has two more books and I sure hope they feature the same two lead characters.

Next in the queue is a big pile of library books:

• John Grisham The Appeal
• Miller’s Sin City volumes 5, 6 and 7
• Alan Moore’s V For Vendetta and Watchmen
• 30 Days of Night by Niles and Templesmith

Thanks for the comments and suggestions of books to try

Leave a Reply