Blood Relations [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Parker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1997

When Dade County prosecutor Sam Hagen takes up the case of a teenager who claims she had been raped by three well-known men, he is drawn into a circle of suspicion that leads back to his own shattered family. Reprint. AB. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Once again, Parker (Suspicion of Guilt, Suspicion of Innocence?which was a finalist for the 1995 Edgar for Best First Novel) pushes legal eagles to the edge?here, in a morality tale about the fall from grace of a man, a town and a legal system. Prosecutor Sam Hagan is known for being a straight arrow, so he's the perfect choice to investigate a potentially explosive case and dismiss it for lack of evidence. Or so think both his boss, the Miami DA, who has his eye on national office and doesn't want controversy, and the city manager, who's courting the tourist industry. The plaintiff is a young model who claims that several men, including a well-connected local businessman and a football player turned actor, raped her. Hagen believes the girl and, despite political pressure, pursues the case. The stakes are raised when several of the witnesses and participants are murdered. Meanwhile, the prosecutor's marriage is cracking under the strain of his son's recent death, a situation worsened as he learns devastating details about his son's life in the fast lane. Parker intertwines a number of stories as she spins her complicated tale of sex, power and money in South Miami. Some of the coincidences and liaisons reach soap-opera proportions, but the pace never flags from the opening to the knuckle-whitening finale. 50,000 first printing; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selection; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Parker shouldered her way into the legal thriller arena on the strength of her best-selling Suspicion of Innocence (LJ 12/93), which narrowly missed winning an Edgar Award. Here, a state attorney investigates the rape of a young model.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Signet (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451184734
• ISBN-13: 978-0451184733
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,869,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Non-Stop Action, January 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Blood Relations (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a fan of Mary Higgens Clark and found this novel to rival her best. It was suspensful, fast paced and full of surprises. I loved it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars steamy suspense, characters that stay with you long after, October 28, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Blood Relations: A Novel (Hardcover)

Better than Grisham. Think Scott Turow
meets Sue Grafton. This female attorney author pulls no punches.
Miami, the setting, is as much a character as the likeable and
tormented Sam Hagen, state prosecutor who has recently lost his only
son. I loved this book! Went out and got all the rest of her
novels after this. A must-have if you like lawyer thrillers.
Maybe a must-have if you just like well-written books about
real human beings in trouble.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast moving plot but unlikeable characters, November 20, 2004

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blood Relations (Mass Market Paperback)

I *like* books where I can identify with or like someone, hopefully one of the lead characters. This book was a problem for me in that area. Well, not every character was unlikeable. There was a 14 year old girl who was OK, and a policeman, but other than that? The "good" people were only a bit better than the "bad." If this is South Beach, I'm glad I don't live there!

The plot involves a young model who is gang-raped in a South Beach club. She wants to see these guys go to jail, but there are political and economic forces that would sweep it all under the carpet. The state's attorney, Sam Hagen, is asked to handle the case although he is still grieving the recent death of his 19 year old son, who got caught up in the fast life of South Beach and the clubs himself. He has wife and ex-girlfriend problems as well. And the exgirlfriend has romantic problems of her own. People connected in some way to the rape start getting murdered. Did I mention there are a lot of characters? But this isn't one of those books where you can't keep track of everyone -- although all the subplots get complicated.

In the end, I had a lot of problems with the way that Sam deals with a difficult situation. It's ironic that although he is the "good" guy, he seems morally challenged to me.

But I gave this book 4 stars because it's fairly well written and moves right along.