Bad Blood

By Sarah Hornsley

Book Overview

A woman is on a mission to discover if her high-school sweetheart is guilty of murder in this domestic suspense debut filled with "head-snapping reveals, jaw-dropping twists, and a stunning conclusion." (Samantha M. Bailey)

"I read it in a SINGLE SITTING." --Hayley Scrivenor, nationally bestselling and Lambda Literary Award-winning author of Dirt Creek and Girl Falling

A double murder. A toxic past. A family secret.

When criminal lawyer Justine Stone is handed the lead on her first murder case, she's thrilled at the chance to enter the big leagues--until she discovers that she recognizes the man on the stand. Jake Reynolds, her first love who abruptly disappeared from her life years ago, and who is now facing charges for a grisly double homicide. If she's going to send Jake to prison for murder, she has to be sure, and that means heading back to their hometown to seek answers, a place she's been desperate to leave in the past.

Back home after almost two decades, Justine is haunted by memories, not only of the idyllic love she shared with Jake, but darker recollections of the death of her beloved father and the weight of the small town's expectations. When her older brother Max goes missing, she starts to suspect that everything is connected, and with the date of the trial looming, she's running out of time to put the pieces together.

Riveting and atmospheric, Bad Blood is a story of dark secrets, complicated families, and fraught homecoming, which will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1638932387
• ISBN13: 9781638932383
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Zando
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Dark pasts come back to haunt

Okay, this audiobook did a good job of drawing me with the mystery and intrigue surrounding the death of a couple, with Jake being blamed for their murders and how it might relate to the awful thing that happened 18 years ago that lead to Justine's dad's death, her leaving, and then Jake's disappearance. And while Justine is a barrister, she also has secrets and a darkness in her past and the way she uses her power as a barrister to find out all she could about the reappearance of her ex-boyfriend made me doubt her reliability as a narrator. That definitely kept me listening to see what would be revealed next. And there are a few twists that I did not see coming and while those were good, I ultimately was a bit disappointed by the ending which kinda fell flat for me after all the bombshells of who was a the murderer, who will take the blame, and who will survive the blowout. So, while I did not enjoy the ending, I found no fault with the narrator who did a great job in bringing Justine and the other characters to life in this twisted story with a dark past and an uncertain future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook.