Blood of My Brother [Paperback]

James LePore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2010

When Jay Cassio's best friend is murdered in a job clearly done by professionals, the walls that he has built to protect himself from the world of others begin to shatter. Dan Del Colliano had been his confidante and protector since the men were children on the savage streets of Newark, New Jersey. When Dan supports and revives Jay after Jay's parents die in a plane crash, their bond deepens to something beyond brotherhood, beyond blood. Now Jay, a successful lawyer, must find out why Dan died and find a way to seek justice for his murder. Isabel Perez has lived a life both tainted and charmed since she was a teenager in Mexico. She holds powerful sway over men and has even more powerful alliances with people no one should ever try to cross. She desperately wants her freedom from the chains these people have placed on her. When Jay catapults into her world, their connection is electric, their alliance is lethal, and their future is anything but certain. Once again, James LePore has given us a novel of passions, intense moral complexities, and irresistible thrills. Filled with characters you will embrace and characters you will fear, Blood of My Brother is a story about a quest for revenge and redemption you won't soon forget.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Raves for James LePore's A World I Never Made:

“Jim LePore is a great discovery.” — William Landay

“An outstanding first novel, and a wonderful thriller.” — Blogcritics

“I highly recommend this compelling suspense story filled with vivid characters and haunting storylines. A story that will stay with the reader long after the final page.” — Bella Online

“A compelling page-turner––one of those wonderful books with characters as strong as the story and a story worth read- ing. Don’t miss it.” — M.J. Rose, author of The Memorist

“Nothing could have torn my attention away from this story. A World I Never Made by James LePore is a must read for thriller fans!” — Cheryl’s Book Nook

“The plot of this intriguing, suspenseful novel is taut, moves rather rapidly, and mesmerizes the reader with each new complex, mysterious detail. James LePore knows how to spin an international thriller tale that slowly reveals an inner, fascinating depth to each character and to the developing connections between each and all. Well, well-done, James LePore!” — Crystal Reviews

“Author James LePore has created a remarkable, gripping tale of suspense in his debut novel. A World I Never Made is filled with strong, vividly described international characters to whom the reader will quickly form an attachment, all the while being transported through wonderfully described exotic lands. The combination creates an atmosphere of breathless suspense affording readers a desire to continue reading up until the thrilling, yet tender, conclusion.” — Feathered Quill Book Reviews

“The suspense will keep you white-knuckled as the plot unfolds with plenty of depth and intelligence. In fact, A World I Never Made kept me so enthralled that I simply didn’t want it to end. So if you’re looking for a new author who can knock you breathless with a clever thriller, James LePore is the one to pick.” — Nights and Weekends

“The key to this exciting thriller is the cast, especially the Nolan father and daughter . . . fans will enjoy this one sitting suspense thriller.” — The Mystery Gazette

“James LePore writes in an exciting and most readable style. He is an artist at building the suspense as the story progresses to its ultimate conclusion. There is just enough doubt about the possible outcomes to keep the reader wondering and turning pages. A World I Never Made is a fine tale filled with love, adventure, mystery and suspense.” — Mainly Mysteries

“A carefully crafted, well written book with a rich cast of characters and a plot as complicated and convoluted as the characters themselves.” — Reader Views

“An unputdownable novel.” — Everything Distills into Reading

From the Back Cover

When Jay Cassio’s best friend is murdered in a job clearly done by professionals, the walls that he has built to protect himself from the world of others begin to shatter. Dan Del Colliano had been his confidante and protector since the men were children on the savage streets of Newark, New Jersey. When Dan supports and revives Jay after Jay’s parents die in a plane crash, their bond deepens to something beyond brotherhood, beyond blood. Now Jay, a successful lawyer, must find out why Dan died and find a way to seek justice for his murder.

Isabel Perez has lived a life both tainted and charmed since she was a teenager in Mexico. She holds powerful sway over men and has even more powerful alliances with people no one should ever try to cross. She desperately wants her freedom from the chains these people have placed on her. When Jay catapults into her world, their connection is electric, their alliance is lethal, and their future is anything but certain.

Once again, James LePore has given us a novel of passions, intense moral complexities, and irresistible thrills. Filled with characters you will embrace and characters you will fear, Blood of My Brother is a story about a quest for revenge and redemption you won’t soon forget.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Story Plant, The; 1 edition (December 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981956882
• ISBN-13: 978-0981956886
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #989,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In 1999 I sold my law practice to write full time. In 2008, I signed a four-book contract with The Story Plant, a small, agile publisher in Stamford, Connecticut. My first novel, 'A World I Never Made,' was released in April, 2009. The second, 'Blood of My Brother,' came out on December 25, 2010, and the third, 'Sons and Princes,' on April 5, 2011. I have also written six short stories that stand alone as pieces of short fiction, but that are meant to accompany my first two novels. The first three of these was released in February, 2011, under the title, 'Anyone Can Die.'

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the wait, April 29, 2011

By 

K. Beauchamp (RI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood of My Brother (Paperback)

As a mother of two busy little ones, my patience for slow-to-start novels is not what it used to be. So when I first cracked into Blood of My Brother, I found myself wishing that the pace was a little faster.

But fear not, James LePore is just setting the stage in the early pages for what turns out to be a unique thriller, filled with exciting plot twists up to the very end.

I enjoyed James' matter-of-fact style that somehow, magically, depicts the story in real-life color. The characters still live on in my mind; a true test of great book for me.

Blood of My Brother is a wonderful read that's not to be missed.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I would have followed you my brother. My Captain. My King." Lord of the Rings, January 6, 2011

By 

michael a. draper (Guilford, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blood of My Brother (Paperback)

This is a novel that deals with important issues, friendship, loyalty, integrity and justice.

Attorney Jay Cassio's best friend, Dan Del Colliano, is murdered, apparently by professionals. Jay feels that he owes it to his friend's memory, to find out why Dan was killed and then punish those responsible.

Dan had told Jay that a woman named Donna Kelly was holding money for one of Dan's clients, Bryce Powers. Now Bryce and Bryce's wife, Kate, were dead in what police claim is a murder-suicide. Donna told Dan that she would pay him to bring the $500,000 to her in Florida.

Jay and Dan had grown up in the mean streets of Newark, New Jersey at the time of the race riots of 1967. A time when much of Newark's downtown was burned out and the area began to die out.

There is a parallel story taking place in Mexico City when a girl named Isabel is placed in a convent in 1977 and then removed in 1991 as she grew into a lovely woman. She had been visited by a man named Herman who she thought of as an uncle. However, when Herman removed her from the convent, his goal was to get Isabel to work for him in the worst manner.

Jay is warned by the FBI to stop looking into Bryce Powers' death and any connection to Donna Kelly. Then he looks into the papers he had from Bryce and sees that Powers had illegal activities with a man named Herman Santaria and that Santaria's brother, Lazaro is the attorney general in Mexico.

As Jay arrives in Florida and searches for Donna, the tension mounts. Two gunman are searching for both Jay and Donna and are out to elliminate them for their Mexican superiors.

There is plenty of action and the characters are realistically described and very sympathetic. It is as if Jay and Isable are two innocents and the reader is turning the pages to see if they will be devoured by the hunters.

Well done and recommended.

36 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Blood Of My Brother, April 29, 2011

By 

grumpydan (Andover, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blood of My Brother (Paperback)

Jay Casio's childhood friend Dan Del Colliano is murdered execution style. Since Dan is Jay's best friend he vows vengeance. In another part of the world, Isabel Perez is trained to be a prostitute for Mexico's' elite. Somehow these two chacaters are connected and as we read the story we found out why. Told in flashbacks and present tense, we learn about the individuals and what makes them who there are. This suspenseful novel has corruption, some action and some character development; a little slow at first but picks up.