Blood Atonement

Written by Dan Waddell

Narrated by Colin Mace

A body is discovered with her throat cut and her daughter believed missing. DCI Foster quickly sees parallels with the disappearance of a teenager three years earlier. With hopes fading, he calls on genealogist Nigel Barnes to piece together the links between the families of the two girls. The trail leads back to 1890, and a young couple fleeing a terrible crime in their past...

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd
• Release date: Feb 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781407453699

Reviews for Blood Atonement

[pgchuis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent police procedural with the addition of research into the victims' family tree. I can't imagine it sells many copies in Utah, but I enjoyed the plot, even if it was a bit 'out there'. Gary stole the show for me.

[cathyskye · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having enjoyed the first book in this series, I had to get my hands on this second, which also appears to be the last. Blood Atonement acknowledges the elephant in the room: the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints and the powerhouse position they have in the world of genealogy. Members may not be happy with Waddell's depiction of their religion since it touches on fundamentalist offshoots that practice polygamy as well as the actions the church has taken to erase (or at least cover up) things that have happened in their past that may not show them in a favorable light. It's this subterfuge that makes Barnes' investigation for the police so difficult.The solution is convoluted and laced with a heavy dose of irony, but this isn't really what grabbed most of my attention. The still-healing Foster is brought face-to-face with a young boy-- eleven-year-old Gary-- whose life is in danger, and he takes it upon himself to protect him. Gary has been nothing but trouble most of his short life, but it's heart-warming to see how Foster warms up to him-- and how Gary reacts to him. Protecting Gary brings several of Foster's own shortcomings into sharp focus, and the seasoned copper knows he needs to mend his ways.To be honest, Blood Atonement's mystery had a bit too much religion for my taste, but the characters are what made the book. I like watching how Nigel Barnes sifts through archives to find answers, and DCI Grant Foster is just the sort of homicide detective I like.

[bsquaredinoz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Blood Atonement is the second book in Dan Waddell’s series featuring English genealogist Nigel Barnes, who once again teams up with police who are investigating a current crime which has links to the past. The book opens with police called to Queen’s Park, London where Katie Drake has been gruesomely murdered while her 14-year old daughter appears to be missing. Not sure at first whether she has been taken by the killer or indeed is the killer the team soon find similarities to an earlier case and their investigation then requires they understand more about the family background of Katie Drake, whose past seems something of a closed book.

There will come a point at which the premise of this series, (genealogist working with police) will become unbelievable, but with only two books so far the twist on police procedurals still feels fresh. Waddell weaves the historical element into the present-day story well especially well here, giving a plausible motivation for the killings that doesn’t rely on serial killer-style fetishism. He also does a good job incorporating genealogical aspects of the narrative into the main narrative and (this being one of few subjects I know something about having been an archivist in a former life) gets it all right.

The DCI heading up the case is Grant Foster who was injured rather badly in the events of The Blood Detective and this is his first case back after a long recuperation. He is still feeling the aches and pains (and is meant to be working to a rather stringent return to work plan) of his injuries but is keen to get back into the swing of things. As a way of showing Foster is not quite the full-time curmudgeonly grump he seems in the second half of the novel he meets a young boy who is in potential danger and, in spite of himself, becomes quite attached to the lad. This is a sweet yet quite funny thread. Sergeant, Heather Jenkins continues to work together with Barnes though the personal relationship between the two that appeared to be going somewhere at the end of the first book has gone cold when this one opens. Barnes is not particularly happy about this but he puts it aside to get the job done and the two dart around the country (and the globe) happily enough. There’s a nice tangent in which Barnes is asked to appear in a pseudo-documentary style TV show that adds a bit of levity to the growing body count.

I like the combination of history and genealogical investigation in this series and the particular emphasis of this book (which I’m deliberately saying nothing about to avoid spoilers) is one of those subjects I always enjoy seeing explored. All the elements of a good who (and why) dunnit come together well here with plenty of suspects, a handful of red herrings and even a crazy old lady in an asylum. Jolly good reading.

My rating 3.5

[bookswoman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, this guy can really write! I enjoyed the first book but the "serial killer" theme was a little predictable so was very pleased with the second book. Yes, several people are killed but the tying together of the past (1890's) and the present was fascinating and bringing in the newer methods of tracing people's history (like DNA) was interesting.

Nigel, the genealogist, and Grant, the detective, are both back and so is Grant's partner (and Nigel's love interest). When a woman is found dead in her garden and her 14 year-old daughter is missing the race is on to find the killer before he kills the girl. There are lots of twists and turns and I absolutely didn't figure out "who dunnit".

Waddell makes you think while you read, which makes the reading more challenging but it is worth the effort.

[austcrimefiction · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Okay so I'm a bit of a fan - which after two books is quite an achievement. It's probably a little bit to do with the basic premise of genealogy being used to solve crimes (family tree research being an investigation in its own right after all), but mostly it's because Dan Waddell really can tell a bit of a tale.There is a serial killer theme to BLOOD ATONEMENT, although initially it's only Detective Grant Foster who sees the parallels between the death of Katie Drake, and the disappearance of her 14 year old daughter, and a case 3 years earlier. But do not let that put you off, this isn't your standard mad, bad, feral serial killer. After Foster asks genealogist Nigel Barnes to look into the family history of these girls, the reason for this killer selecting his victims is finally resolved. It's the family tree research that gives Foster the leads he needs.It's a real testament to the writing of Waddell that makes the idea of a consultant genealogist perfectly acceptable, it's the methodology in researching the past that makes for some of the real standouts of BLOOD ATONEMENT. Whilst BLOOD ATONEMENT (and the earlier book THE BLOOD DETECTIVE) are effectively police procedurals, it's undoubtedly the spin of genealogy that creates the interest in these books. Having said that, at no stage does it seem like a trick or shtick or anything designed to make the books that little bit different. Instead the use of Nigel's skills seems seamless, makes sense.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dan Waddell is one of my "finds" for 2010. I reviewed his first novel in the Nigel Barnes series THE BLOOD DETECTIVE just over 5 weeks ago and remarked then what a great read it was. BLOOD ATONEMENT uses a similar plot device, a crime in the past that inspires crimes in the present, and perhaps that is a weakness, despite the fact that this is not really copy-cat killing. The sleuthing trio are an interesting combination: genealogist Nigel Barnes, and detectives DCI Grant Foster, and DS Heather Jenkins. Foster was quite severely injured in THE BLOOD DETECTIVE, and it helps in understanding the relationship between Barnes and Jenkins if you have read the first novel, I think.One of the satisfying elements of this story is the way Waddell lays information before the reader, allows you to draw your own conclusion, just ahead of one of the sleuths voicing the same idea. I found it compelling reading. I'm hoping there is a third in the series. The final pages of the book seem to imply that there is.An interesting feature of this edition of the novel is that the "voice from the past" and current investigation are given different font styles. This may be just a feature of the large print edition. At Amazon where you can read an extract from the first few pages, and, rather oddly, the complete Epilogue. You'll note that in that extract the "voice from the past" is in italics.

[shirley8_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book,the second story revolving around a genealogist from this author.If you are interested in family history as I am then it will appeal to you as it involves digging into the past of people who were murdered.

[milibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Waddell's sequel to The Blood Detective is not as gory, but just as capivating. When a woman is murdered and her daughter kidnapped, Grant Foster is assigned to help solve the case. In an attempt to locate the murdered woman's relatives, he asks genealogist Nigel Barnes to try to locate some of her relatives. Soon it is apparent that someone is trying to erradicate her maternal line. The search leads Nigel to the United States while Foster searches for the last living adult male relative, the missing girl, and tries to protect an 11 year old street-smart boy.