The Wrong Kind of Blood: An Irish Novel of Betrayal

by Declan Hughes

Book Overview

After twenty years in Los Angeles, Ed Loy has come home to bury his mother. But hers is only the first dead body he encounters after crossing an ocean. The city Loy once knew is an unrecognizable... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060825464
• ISBN13: 9780060825461
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Moving Thriller

Ed Loy returns to his hometown of Dublin, Ireland for his mother's funeral. Loy left home over 20 years ago, following the disappearance of his father, finally ending up in Los Angeles, working as a private investigator. At the funeral, an old friend asks Loy to find her missing husband, and he discovers another old friend brandishing a gun in this mother's garden. Loy soon finds himself tangled in a web of extortion, drugs, and murder, orchestrated by the notorious Halligan brothers. The present is connected to the past in unexpected ways, and Loy's own personal demons are finally laid to rest as he slowly unravels the mystery. Hughes's distinctive voice shines in this moving thriller. http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/H_Authors/Hughes_Declan.html

Absorbing Story of Loss and Redemption

Having left his hometown of Dublin for Los Angeles twenty years ago, P.I. Edward Loy has returned for his mother's funeral. The trip's brought back painful memories, including his father's disappearance before Ed left Dublin. It's also brought back a former schoolmate who wants Ed to find her missing husband, and an old friend who wants Ed to hide a gun for him. As Ed peels back layer after layer of lies and deception, he battles gangsters, lots of people with secrets, and his own past. With a strong theme about things and people gone lost, in a variety of ways, THE WRONG KIND OF BLOOD is a compelling, somewhat melancholy story about coming to terms with what can't be changed. Entwined with Ed's story are the changes Dublin has undergone over two decades. Author, Declan Hughes, does a wonderful job of describing the Dublin that Ed remembers and the sanitized mall-fest he sees now. I almost felt as sorry for Dublin sites as I did for Ed. For a while, the increasing body count seemed a little far-fetched. But the more I learned about the area Ed grew up in, the more believable it was to read about folks solving problems through bloodshed. The gangsters are fairly run-of-the-mill thugs, yet other characters are well-rounded. Hughes takes his time tying up the novel's many threads to create a satisfying ending. THE WRONG KIND OF BLOOD is one heck of an absorbing read. Enjoy.

Hieronymus Bosch He Ain't

In fact, Ed Loy, the "detective" in this tome is a troubled man and not much of a sleuth. However I would still recommend this book. Declan Hughes is a good writer, the sort like Larry McMurtry that can write a lot of words about mostly nothing but you still want to read it. Less gifted writers have to fill their books with fantastic plots to keep the reader from surrendering. I found the 1st 50 or so pages really interesting with the Irish expressions I was not familiar with and the development of the characters. As I went on the author made the common mistake of having Loy do dumb things even though based on his school work many years before one would assume he is quite brilliant. That is the problem, a young man with grades good enough to get into Trinity College medical school wouldn't be stupid later in life. And he wouldn't be broke either. I'm hoping his future books will be better, the writing talent is there, the good ideas are there.

An author worth watching!

Private Investigator Ed Loy has returned home to Dublin after twenty years. The purpose of his trip is not to visit. He's there to bury his mother, and then he intends to return to the United States where he left a former wife and the little girl they buried together. At the height of Loy's grief, Linda Dawson, an old classmate, pleads (while tongue kissing him) with him to find her four-day missing husband, Peter. Loy agrees to investigate Peter's disappearance, and it leads him to secrets better left secret, organized crime, the IRA, numerous corpses (including one in the town hall's foundation) and drug deals. The Wrong Kind of Blood is Irish theater director and playwright, Declan Hughes' debut novel. A number of subplots contribute to the feeling that Hughes had a lot of ideas and wanted to include them all in his first novel. That said, it is a fast-paced, exciting and suspenseful first novel with richly flawed characters, believable dialogue and a touch of Dublin thrown in for good measure. Armchair Interviews recommends The Wrong Kind of Blood. Declan Hughes is worth watching as we suspect he will only mature as a writer. His next thriller is due out in 2007, so watch for it.