Review of A Matter of Blood by Catherine Maiorisi, Audiobook narrated by Abby Craden
When I was a child I used to devour Agatha Christie novels, there is something appealing in trying to solve a mystery along the way with the detective character. Many years later and hundreds of books after, I’m happy to have found a women-loving-women version of those novels.
After tours in Afghanistan and undercover work to expose a ring of dirty cops, NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli is suffering from PTSD and is ostracised by her colleagues. She is partnered with the only one who doesn’t want her dead, rookie Detective P.J. Parker, the daughter of a senator critic of the NYPD. Will both women be able to solve a brutal murder before Corelli’s enemies act on their threats to kill her family?
This is book one of the Chiara Corelli Mystery series, formed so far by three novels. A Matter of Blood is a typical whodunit, with a brutal murder of a businesswoman and more than a handful of suspects. As Corelli and her partner investigate the circumstances, alibis and the motives of each suspect, the reader can try to solve the mystery too.
It’s really hard to write a mystery as the plot has to be planned thoroughly so there are no loose ends or inconsistencies. Ms. Maiorisi did a great job at keeping the intrigue throughout the story and even misleading the reader a few times. I couldn’t guess the killer but I’m not an avid mystery reader anymore so maybe readers with more experience in this genre will. In any case, it was really entertaining.
The audiobook version was read by Abby Craden who, as usual, did a fantastic job. There are a good number of characters, male and female, and Ms. Craden managed to make them all distinct in their voices and personalities. Her performance of the irascible and irritating Corelli and her inexperienced but supportive partner PJ was perfect. With book 2 of the series, The Blood Runs Cold, being released at the end of the month (September 2021) and book 3, A Message in Blood, in December 2021, both narrated by Ms. Craden, it’s a great time to tackle this series. 4.5 stars.
Length 8 hours, 29 minutes
