A Matter of Blood: The Forgotten Gods: Book One (Forgotten Gods Trilogy, #1) (Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy)

by Sarah Pinborough

In a world steeped in darkness, a new breed of evil has fallen…

London’s ruined economy has pushed everyone to the breaking point, and even the police rely on bribes and deals with criminals to survive. Detective Inspector Cass Jones struggles to keep integrity in the police force, but now, two gory cases will test his mettle. A gang hit goes wrong, leaving two schoolboys dead, and a serial killer calling himself the Man of Flies leaves a message on his victims saying “nothing is sacred.”

Then Cass’ brother murders his own family before committing suicide. Cass doesn’t believe his gentle brother did it. Yet when evidence emerges suggesting someone killed all three of them, a prime suspect is found—Cass himself.

Common links emerge in all three cases, but while Cass is finding more questions than answers, the Man of Flies continues to kill...

• ISBN10: 0425258467
• ISBN13: 9780425258460
• Publish Date: 2 April 2013 (first published 25 March 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Ace Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425258460

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

This year's PCon introduced me to a new person, Sarah, who was funny and witty and is going to be next year's guest of honour. After meeting her and talking to her I had to read something by her, I was glad I did.
Set in a near future England, or possibly an England just a little different from now, the NHS is available to a select few, corruption is rife and Detective Inspector Cass Jones is a man whose life is crumbling around him. He's reliant on cocaine to keep him going and his marriage is a mess. When his brother is killed he's a major suspect. However his brother's death appears to be linked to other mysterious deaths and all paths are leading to The Bank, a shadowy organisation who control most of the world.

Oh man, this is messed up, Cass is a mess, there's all sorts of stuff that's hinted at here but will probably make more sense as the series goes on and I love the Bank as mysterious overlord, how true is that. Sarah extrapolates some of what's going on in the world and plays an interesting what-if game. Looking forward to the next book in the series.