Customer Reviews

Blood Lies

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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.

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.

I am a stressed out 40-year old accountant who lives on the East Coast - far from the medical world of Daniel Kalla's Pacific Northwest. When I selected a book to read after the conclusion of a huge quarterly close, it was Blood Lies by Daniel Kalla. It took me two weeks to read, some reading during workouts, and lots just glued to the book. PROs: It's short, quick, fast, and doesn't take a long time to get to the point. CONs: It's short.

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.

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.

Written in 2007, Blood Lies takes the reader on a fascinating journey of unexpected actions and findings before the real truth is revealed. Ben Dafoe, an ER physician, is the prime suspect in the vicious murder of his ex druggee girlfriend Emily and her dope dealing male friend The blood DNA blood at the scene matches Ben Dafoe but he claims he didn't kill them. Dafoe's lawyer was at one point the lawyer for Aaron-Ben's missing presumed dead identical twin brother, the dead drug dealer and Emily as well as other suspects but claims he has no conflict of interest. In this book, the reader even suspects the lawyer. The lawyer's defense is to blame the crime DNA on the long missing drugee Aaron whose body was never found so he could be alive creating reasonable doubt. Ben acts guilty because he lies about Emily's HIV status and her drug problem and evades the police and his lawyer to solve the case himself. He understandably trusts no one. Jealous husbands, mysterious Canadian calls, mafia, drug dealers, shady lawyers, missing brother and shady relatives are all intertwined. Co-workers and friends and others cooperate with Ben because his character is well-liked and everyone, including the reader, is rooting for him.

The forensic explanation as to whose DNA was at the crime scene was completely unexpected and a testament to the intrigue of this gripping page turner murder mystery.

This is one of those thrillers that's based on a high concept and races along at breakneck speed. In this case, the concept is that a hero with a very rare blood type is accused of murder -- and it's his blood type that's found splattered on the walls of the room where the murder occurred. The accused, Dr. Ben Dafoe, from whose point of view the story is told, thinks that maybe his twin brother, a drug addict, committed the crime, so he sets out in search of his long-lost brother. This takes Ben to Canada, where he ends up working in a clinic for the poor and homeless.

The Pacific Northwest setting is well rendered, and the Canadian scenes are particularly well done. The solution is clever and satisfying, and for this reason alone I will read more novels by Daniel Kalla. The character development isn't as good as it should be. Likewise the pacing. The novel slows down considerably in parts. But the high concept is interesting and I enjoyed the story. Great title, too!

I liked the book, but found it odd that I had figured out the clues before the protagonist. No spoilers, but he should have put it together he is a doctor.
The pacing was good and the dialogue was crisp.

Tightly written and well plotted, Kalla takes a soap opera style storyline and punches it up with real suspense and great characters. Just when the reader thinks he's figured out who the murderer is, Kalla throws another wrench in the works. With it's interesting combination of modern medicine and the evils of the illegal drug trade, Blood Lies is a fast and rewarding read.

Emergency-room physician, Ben Dafoe, is horrified to learn that his former fianceé, Emily, has been brutally murdered. He's still trying to come to terms with his twin brother Aaron's death two years earlier, so Emily's murder is especially devastating. When evidence suggests that the blood found on the walls in Emily's bedroom is likely Ben's, he panics and leaves Seattle for Vancouver, British Columbia, where Aaron was last seen. Is his twin actually alive? Aaron and Emily were both drug users, and she was killed along with a known drug dealer. To make matters worse, an anonymous caller seems two steps ahead of Ben and eager to help the police catch him. As the story unfolds, a simple premise evolves into a much darker, more complex story.

Author Daniel Kalla has written a gripping, intelligent mystery. Given that Kalla's an emergency room physician, the realistic medical scenes and patients Ben encounters isn't a surprise. I disliked the many italicized passages of back story that ran throughout the book, though. Three would have been fine, but there were at least twice that many and several could have been shorter. I also thought that Ben made some dumb choices for a man used to making sound, life-and-death decisions. On the other hand, how many of us would be capable of rational thinking if we were confused, grieving, and running for our lives?