- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 1800 KB
- Print Length: 322 pages
- Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (March 11 2014)
- Sold by: Random House Canada, Incorp.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00F8FA30E
Book Description
For fans of Gillian Flynn and Daniel Woodrell, a dark, gripping debut novel of literary suspense about two mysterious disappearances, a generation apart, and the meaning of family-the sacrifices we make, the secrets we keep, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love.
The Dane family's roots tangle deep in the Ozark Mountain town of Henbane, but that doesn't keep sixteen-year-old Lucy Dane from being treated like an outsider. Folks still whisper about her mother, a bewitching young stranger who inspired local myths when she vanished years ago. When one of Lucy's few friends, slow-minded Cheri, is found murdered, Lucy feels haunted by the two lost girls-the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn't protect. Everything changes when Lucy stumbles across Cheri's necklace in an abandoned trailer and finds herself drawn into a search for answers. What Lucy discovers makes it impossible to ignore the suspicion cast on her own kin. More alarming, she suspects Cheri's death could be linked to her mother's disappearance, and the connection between the two puts Lucy at risk of losing everything. In a place where the bonds of blood weigh heavy, Lucy must decide where her allegiances lie.
Praise for The Weight of Blood
“[An] expertly crafted thriller.”—Entertainment Weekly, “The Must List”
“Haunting . . . [a] riveting debut.”—Los Angeles Times
“Laura McHugh’s atmospheric debut . . . conjures a menacingly beautiful Ozark setting and a nest of poisonous family secrets reminiscent of Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone.”—Vogue
“Fantastic . . . a mile-a-minute thriller.”—The Dallas Morning News
“Gripping . . . Her prose will not only keep readers turning the pages but also paints a real and believable portrait of the connections, alliances, and sacrifices that underpin rural, small-town life. . . . Strongly recommended for readers who enjoy thrillers by authors such as Laura Lippman and Tana French.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“The sinister tone builds relentlessly.”—The Plain Dealer
“Rich in character and atmosphere . . . This is one you won’t want to miss.”—Karin Slaughter
“Daniel Woodrell better watch his back. . . . Weight of Blood is a tense, taut novel and a truly remarkable debut. . . . A suspenseful thrill ride that satisfies in all the right ways.”—BookPage
"[An] expertly crafted thriller."--Entertainment Weekly, "The Must List"
"With her riveting debut, The Weight of Blood, Laura McHugh makes a strong bid at cementing a new tradition of regional crime fiction while keeping tourism low in the Ozarks. . . . [A] powerful sense of place is the anchor of The Weight of Blood. The well-drawn townspeople and oppressive, dread-soaked atmosphere sprout from the soil of Henbane. . . . The prose is strong, with evocative paint strokes in all the right places. McHugh is an artful, efficient writer who tells her story in vicious blows. . . . McHugh has crafted a sharp, haunting tale of blood in the Ozarks, as substantial as it is pleasurable to read."--Los Angeles Times
"Laura McHugh's atmospheric debut, The Weight of Blood . . . conjures a menacingly beautiful Ozark setting and a nest of poisonous family secrets reminiscent of Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone."--Vogue
"Fantastic . . . a mile-a-minute thriller."--The Dallas Morning News
"Gripping . . . Her prose will not only keep readers turning the pages but also paints a real and believable portrait of the connections, alliances, and sacrifices that underpin rural, small-town life. . . . Strongly recommended for readers who enjoy thrillers by authors such as Laura Lippman and Tana French."--Library Journal (starred review)
"The sinister tone builds relentlessly."--The Plain Dealer
"A fantastic novel, rich in character and atmosphere . . . This is one you won't want to miss."--Karin Slaughter, author of Unseen
"A suspenseful thrill ride that satisfies in all the right ways . . . Daniel Woodrell had better watch his back. . . . The Weight of Blood is a tense, taut novel and a truly remarkable debut."--BookPage
"Laura McHugh's vivid and enthralling The Weight of Blood centers on a mother and daughter in a seemingly benign yet deeply horrifying small town. It kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last."--Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of The Language of Flowers
"The Weight of Blood pulled me in and wouldn't let go. What starts as Lucy's coming-of-age story becomes a chilling tale about the price of secrets. As the menace deepens, so does the tension. Laura McHugh has written a terrific novel."--Meg Gardiner, Edgar Award–winning author of The Shadow Tracer
"McHugh's debut is as lush and evocative as its Ozark setting, with luminous prose and characters you can't help rooting for, even as the mystery surrounding them intensifies and the odds against them grow more and more harrowing. I couldn't put it down."--Carla Buckley, author of The Deepest Secret
"In this clever, multilayered debut, McHugh deftly explores the past of an Ozark Mountain family . . . with plenty to hide and the ruthlessness to keep their secrets hidden. . . . This is an outstanding first novel, replete with suspense, crisp dialogue, and vivid Ozarks color and atmosphere."--Publishers Weekly
"In this riveting debut, Laura McHugh weaves together the stories of two women, separated by a generation, who each reveal pieces of a story that gains momentum and power as its shape becomes clear. This novel will keep you up all night."--Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train
"Once I picked up Laura McHugh's The Weight of Blood, I couldn't put it down. I kept turning pages long into the night, bewitched by the enchanting Ozark landscape and the haunting murder mystery at its heart. The Weight of Blood is the kind of novel that leaves the reader breathless and wanting more."--Amy Greene, author of Bloodroot
"An elegant time bomb of a novel, a coming-of age story that holds you captive from the first sentence and doesn't let go of you after the last."--Tracy Guzeman, author of The Gravity of Birds
"[A] suspenseful novel, with a barn burner of a plot . . . McHugh shows herself to be a compelling writer intimately familiar with rural poverty and small-town weirdness."--Booklist
About the Author
My Review
The Weight of Blood is an excellent debut novel by Laura McHugh. Blood as in family. Weight as in the heavy burden that they sometimes can be. The Weight of Blood is intense and intriguing. It is always a pleasure to read a well written novel.
The Weight of Blood is set in the Ozarks in the small hamlet of Henbane. McHugh is a great writer in that the reader can feel the dark mood of the Ozark setting. The poverty and the beauty of the Ozarks is vividly portrayed. The characters are fascinating...dark, brooding, mysterious, and poor yet others with hearts of gold. Kind people that only want to help. It is rural setting where the lack of opportunity to make a decent living is prevalent.
The Weight of Blood goes back and forth between the lives of a mother and daughter...Lila and Lucy. Lila who disappeared when Lucy was a baby...haunting her forever. Is her mother out there somewhere..or did something terrible happen...
The Weight of Blood revolves around family. Those ties that bind and suffocate as well as love. It is a spellbinding novel that is hard to put down. Highly recommend. It is easy to see why it is on so many best novels of 2014 lists.
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