Blood In, Blood Out (Cooper and White Mysteries #1)
Author: Julia Derek
3.5 out of 5 stars
Detectives Wilhelmina Cooper and Larry White are assigned to the murder case of Diego Martinez. Diego was stabbed 16 times and bled to death in Central Park. The only clue is the very unusual knife that was dropped near the body. The detectives suspect he was targeted, but his wife Kate has no idea who would have wanted Diego dead. However, Diego’s parents reveal that he was involved in a violent gang when he was a teenager. Although he’s been out of the gang for a long time, Wil and Larry wonder if his past might have caught up to him.
Overall, this is was a good and interesting book. The plot took some turns that really surprised me and didn’t end how I expected it too at all. There’s a prologue where we get a look into the killer’s thoughts, and the author very skillfully made me think I had figured everything out, but then the twist came. Although, there was a second twist about Kate’s family that could have been done better. The reason that’s given for why it wasn’t revealed earlier doesn’t completely make sense, but it’s a very minor plot hole and easy enough to ignore.
There were some bigger negatives. One, the final big shootout happened while we were following Wil’s point of view, and she wasn’t involved in it, so we found out about what happened later instead of experiencing the intense scene. And everything else came together a little too fast. In general, the writing and the story’s pace and flow were good, but the author sometimes included unnecessary details, like what the characters were eating or every single step Wil did before she left her apartment.
I liked Wil and Larry. They’ve been partners for a while and have a good friendship. They’re also both very good at their job. On the other hand, I did not like Kate, the other main character. She didn’t bother me at first; she was just the victim’s grieving widow. However, that changed as I got further into the story. There was just something about her thought process and the way she came across to me that I found off-putting,
Given the negatives I mentioned, I can’t give this book 5 stars. Ultimately, I based my rating on the well done plot and how much I liked Wil and Larry. I would definitely be willing to read more books with them. So I’m rating it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
As a warning, there is mentions of childhood sexual abuse that Wil experienced, but it wasn’t graphic. There are also elements of racism.
Current price through Amazon Kindle: $0
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09THJSRR3
(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)