Book Review: In the Blood

In the Blood by Lisa Unger will have you rapidly turning pages. I have read some of her previous books and she is getting better every time.  We meet Lana Granger who’s lived a life of lies. Her father is in prison for murdering her mother. Was Lana involved? And now that she’s graduating from college, her friend Beck goes missing. A few years ago, another friend was found murdered. Is this all tied in to Lana? 

Lana herself still needs counseling, and when she takes a sitter job for a very troubled 11 year old Luke, her fears heighten. She thought she was smart, but Luke is extraordinarily brilliant, manipulative, and possibly a psychopath. Is he involved in Beck’s disappearance? Lana’s college mentor questions her actions in regards to dealing with Luke, Beck, and her future.  

In this social media age, it might be difficult for Lana to “keep her ominous secrets buried.” (cover blurb).  P. 20 “I caught sight of myself in the mirror, a slim black line with folded hands and furrowed brow, an ink stain on cream silk.” 

p. 46 “In my darkest moments, I wonder if it was a cheat, an escape from that cosmic yawning. Maybe there was an angry god somewhere, raging. He wanted us, he almost had us.” 

In the Blood is smart, stylish, and slick. The plot will keep you and the police guessing until the end. It’s satisfying to read a book like this – an entertaining, well written thriller. It is not gory, but don’t slip in the blood.