#BlogTour: Blood Song by Johanna Gustawsson @JoGustawsson @OrendaBooks @annecater #BloodSong #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

The action swings from London to Sweden, and then back into the past, to Franco’s Spain, as Roy & Castells hunt a monstrous killer … in the lastest instalment of Johana Gustawsson’s award-winning series

Spain, 1938: The country is wracked by civil war, and as Valencia falls to Franco’s brutal dictatorship, Republican Therese witnesses the murders of her family. Captured and sent to the notorious Las Ventas women’s prison, Therese gives birth to a daughter who is forcibly taken from her.

Falkenberg, Sweden, 2016: A wealthy family is found savagely murdered in their luxurious home. Discovering that her parents have been slaughtered, Aliénor Lindbergh, a new recruit to the UK’s Scotland Yard, rushes back to Sweden and finds her hometown rocked by the massacre.

Profiler Emily Roy joins forces with Aliénor and soon finds herself on the trail of a monstrous and prolific killer. Little does she realise that this killer is about to change the life of her colleague, true-crime writer Alexis Castells. Joining forces once again, Roy and Castells’ investigation takes them from the Swedish fertility clinics of the present day back to the terror of Franco’s rule, and the horrifying events that took place in Spanish orphanages under its rule.

Terrifying, vivid and recounted at breakneck speed, Blood Song is not only a riveting thriller and an examination of corruption in the fertility industry, but a shocking reminder of the atrocities of Spain’s dictatorship, in the latest, stunning installment in the award-winning Roy & Castells series.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author and her unique style of gripping, emotional historical fiction. I have to admit that I was a little nervous starting this book as I rarely read books involving children as I find them too emotional. While this was a highly emotional read I’m glad I read it as it’s about a period of history that I knew nothing about.

This book covers a very dark period in Spanish history which obviously makes some parts of the book very hard to read. The author cleverly manages to convey the horrors of what happened both by not shying away from what happened or making it too horrible. This makes it seem very realistic and more hard hitting as I could picture the scenes vividly in my mind.

This story was very gripping and I felt unfolded at a great pace which kept me glued to the page. The emotional side of the story made me want to continue reading as I desperately wanted to find out how everything ends up. This is definitely a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orenda books for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Born in 1978 in Marseille and with a degree in political science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French press and television. She married a Swede and now lives in London. She was the co-author of a bestseller, On se retrouvera, published by Fayard Noir in France, whose television adaptation drew over 7 million viewers in June 2015. Her debut, Block 46, became an international bestseller, with Keeper following suit. She is working on the next book in the Roy & Castells series.
Follow Johana on Twitter @JoGustawsson