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Signed copies from: Block Shop Books
Ari Sullivan is alive – for the time being.
She wakes at the bottom of a cistern, confused, injured and alone, with only the shadowy recollection of a low-pitched voice and a gloved hand. No one can hear her screams. And the person who put her there is coming back. The killer is planning a gruesome masterpiece, a fairytale tableau of innocence and blood, meticulously designed.
Until now, Ari was happy to spend her days pining for handsome, recent-arrival Stroud Bellows, fantasizing about their two-point-four-kids together. Safe in her small hometown of Dempsey Hollow. But her community has turned very dangerous – and Ari may not be the only intended victim.
Told in alternating perspectives of predator and prey, Blood Will Out is a gripping and terrifying read.
*OLA (Ontario Library Association), Honourable mention, Best Bets 2018
“…A heart-pounding psychological drama…this book slowly, steadily works its way towards its climactic-and surprising- conclusion. Alternating perspectives between Ari and the antagonist build tension and allow the reader to see inside the dark and twisted mind of Ari’s attacker. While Ari’s chapters are set entirely in the present and highlight her mind-numbing fear and desperation, the unknown villain’s chapters tell his story from childhood to the present day, giving readers the chance to see the sad circumstances that shaped this person, and challenging us to remember his humanity and vulnerability even in the face of his horrific deeds. This book succeeds as a suspense-filled thriller but also as an invitation to think about how often we fail to look beyond the surface of the people in our lives, how easy it is to see only what we want and/or expect to see, and what a tragedy that can ultimately be. While the book is necessarily very graphic in its description of violence and cruelty, it is equally vivid in its depiction of friendship, making it a thriller that provides much room for thought.”
“Blood Will Out provides a striking young adult thriller that reads like adult fiction with its complex and involving story. Ari Sullivan wakens at the bottom of a cistern injured and alone, placed in a trap by an assailant who will surely return to kill her. Until this moment, Ari has held the singular focus of a teen fantasizing about her first romance. Now she’s becoming aware that not just she, but her entire community is being threatened, and that Ari’s situation may be only the first in a series of deadly encounters. Recommended for mature teens with a special interest in murder mystery/thrillers, Blood Will Out is involving, well-constructed, and hard to put down.”