Blood Lies

by Daniel Kalla

Book Overview

Ben Dafoe, a young emergency-room doctor and part-time crime-scene consultant for the Seattle Police Department, is haunted by addiction. Two years earlier, a cocaine and crystal-meth habit claimed the life of his identical twin, Aaron. Now Ben walks onto the scene of a savage stabbing to find that the victim is his former fiancee, Emily Kenmore--another loved one who fell prey to drugs. Part of the carnage in Emily's bedroom is a single streak of...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765318326
• ISBN13: 9780765318329
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.7" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

This is another great book by Kalla

I have read both Resistance and Pandemic and this book is as good as both of them are. You are on a constant chase until he concludes the novel at the very end. You may think this person did it or that person did it but you won't know until the very end. I think it's great how he weaved his medical knowledge yet again into a novel to make the story even more fascinating. I sincerely recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed his other books and I look forward to reading Cold Plague.

Fugitive Style

A very good read. The kind you want to stay with because of interesting characters and lingering suspense.

A nonstop read

From the beginning to the end, I was hook. I couldn't wait to turn the next page to see what was going to happen. Never have I been so anxious to find out what's going to happen next. "Blood Lies" is a great suspense book. It's like watching a movie as you read the book. And I would read it all again just for the thrill it brings. This book keeps you reading: A doctor finds out that his ex-fiance and male friend of hers was viciously murdered in her home. Confused as to why someone would want to kill her, he then becomes the prime suspect. Why is he the prime suspect? Because a splatter of blood on the wall matches his. But it couldn't have been his, he did not kill her..or did he? But he has a twin brother who has been "missing" for over 2 years. Could this mean his brother is still alive? If his brother is alive, why would he kill her? He sporadically receives phone calls accusing him of killing his ex-fiance, and the calls are coming from Canada where his brother last resided. Becoming the prime suspect, he flees the US to Canada to unravel the truth to who her true killer is. Also, he hopes to find out whether his brother is still alive, or he actually is dead. Who knows? But with every step he takes in discovering the truth, his world becomes more twisted and complicated....and trust is something he had to choose very carefully, for all he knows someone is framing him and there is a long list of possibilities. I never had a book I was so eager to read. I kept reading faster and faster to see what would happen next, and how the crazy twist of events would unravel themselves, would he ever find the truth. This book gave the perfect recipe for suspense and I love it. You wont be disappointed. Daniel Kalla is now one of my favorite authors.

Forensics and Details

BLOOD LIES Daniel Kalla 9780765318329 Tom Doherty, 2007. This is a twisted book of clues and non-clues, of more than one perpetrator, and lots of misinformation. Dr. Benjamin Dafoe is sometimes called upon to assist the Seattle PD with suspicious deaths involving poisons. He is an ER doctor that would rather ride his bicycle 25 miles at a time than sit in a bar or in front of the TV. In the first part of the book, he is called to a former girlfriend's home where she and a man have been brutally murdered. As we follow the investigation, we can see how the Seattle police begin to suspect Dr. Ben. He lies, he omits information, and he is scared. His twin, Aaron had been killed two years before, but the body had never been recovered. So after finding Dr. Ben's blood type at the scene, investigators conclude he is guilty, but he suspects his brother is still alive and somehow killed these two people. Dr. Ben goes on the run to try to prove his brother is still alive; he escapes to Canada where Aaron had last been known to live. Throw in Alex, a female doctor friend, nothing romantic here, who only wants to help Ben, and a cousin dying of leukemia, a lawyer who may or may not have Ben's best interests in mind, drug dealers, a free clinic with some good people working there to help Ben, midnight whispered calls, relentless detectives, a smattering of clues, a jealous husband, and you have a page-turner that leaves you guessing up to the end. This was a fast-paced book and the combination of forensics, and gumshoe detecting as well, as the likeable hero make this a good read.

"It just keeps getting more complicated."

In Daniel Kalla's "Blood Lies," a Seattle-based emergency room doctor named Ben Dafoe is suspected of butchering his ex-girlfriend, Emily Kenmore, and her drug dealer, Jason DiAngelo. Blood evidence at the scene ties Ben to the killings, even though he insists that he has done nothing wrong. Ben fears that his friend in the Seattle Police Department, Detective Helen Riddell, and her cynical partner, Richard Sutcliffe, are planning to place him under arrest for a crime that he did not commit. Another horrifying thought is that these killings are somehow related to the fate of Ben's identical twin brother, Aaron, who was an addict trying to kick the habit when he disappeared two years earlier. Aaron's body was never found, but everyone assumes that he is dead. Could Aaron have survived or even faked his own death in order to escape from his unsavory acquaintances? Since Aaron knew Emily, and both of them were involved with narcotics, Ben believes that their deaths must be connected. His only chance to clear his name and learn the truth is to conduct his own investigation. Assisting Ben are his cousin, Kyle Dafoe, and his beautiful colleague, Dr. Alex Lindquist, who is unhappily married and secretly attracted to Ben. Kyle and Alex act as Ben's sounding board, confidantes, and support system. Part of Ben's motivation for playing detective and risking his life is guilt, since he was the one who encouraged Aaron to get high in the first place. In addition, although he loved Emily very much, Ben called off their engagement, fearing that she would never be able to break free of her addictions. This novel adheres closely to the typical conventions of the genre: a hunky hero hustles to prove himself blameless by finding a criminal mastermind without the help of the authorities; a number of red herrings are thrown in to confuse the reader; the protagonist finds the love of his life, but inevitably obstacles arise that prevent the couple from being together. Finally, there is the surprise conclusion with its unexpected revelations (some of which are not terribly shocking). Kalla's writing is uneven and often heavy-handed, but the hospital scenes are exciting and the medical details have an air of authenticity. Although "Blood Lies" is far from an outstanding thriller, it has enough energy to provide a few hours of escapist entertainment.