Bloodman

Written by Robert Pobi

Narrated by Luke Daniels

FBI contractor Jake Cole deciphers the language of murderers by reconstructing three-dimensional crime scene models in his head, a talent that has left his nerves frayed and his psyche fragile. Jake returns to Montauk, New York, for the first time in a quarter of a century when his father, a renowned painter, lights himself ablaze and crashes through a plate-glass window. Once home, Jake is pulled into a gruesome local homicide investigation that echoes his mother’s murder three decades earlier.

As he sifts through the detritus of his father’s madness, Jake discovers thousands of seemingly meaningless paintings stacked in the studio—a bizarre trail of dust-covered breadcrumbs the painter left as he tumbled down the rabbit hole of dementia. Breadcrumbs that Jake believes lead to the killer.

With the help of Sheriff Dan Hauser—a man scrambling to prepare the seaside community for the arrival of a catastrophic hurricane—Jake Cole sets out to find the seemingly unstoppable force of malevolence known as the Bloodman.

A unique and disquieting thriller that redefines the genre, Bloodman will leave you reeling long after its operatic finale.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: May 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781455842117

Robert Pobi

Robert Pobi is the author of several novels, including the international bestsellers Bloodman and Harvest, as well as the Lucas Page thrillers, which begin with City of Windows. He lives in Canada.

Reviews for Bloodman

[majesdane-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great mystery thriller (with horror undertones). I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

[Meghan Laue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very dark. Trigger warning. No happy endings here. Good read otherwise. I tore through it!

[jjaylynny · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Christ on a cracker. This guy is twisted. I like dark stuff, but this was...really dark. I couldn't, and still can't, decide about the writing. I think it was fine, with moments of brilliance and moments of clunkiness. I do look forward to the next...I think.

[marcejewels · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From my blogThis is categorized as a thriller but I think it should be categorized for the horror genre fans with a psychological thriller feel. I love reading about serial killers - I even started a Serial Killer Reading Challenge so the excitement and expectation is already set high. This is a debut by Robert Pobi that I can see huge potential for his future but not quite there yet. With some more experience I would say he could be in the same category as Dennis Lehane and Stephen King. Even though they are not my cup of tea they have an amazing fan base and Robert Pobi made me think of there works.The beginning was great, edgy with numerous suspense moments to keep you wondering. The serial killer the police are looking for skins his victims so definitely a novel for those that can handle gruesome details. There is a hurricane coming into the town also, so the police are dealing with evacuation but also trying to hunt down the killer. We have those scenarios but Jake initially comes into town to care for his father who has Alzeheimers, so many twist to try and play with your mind but for those that are fans of this genre I think will be able to figure it out. By the time I got half way I was starting to get bored, I felt numerous things were being repeated and not benefiting the investigation so they felt like filler instead of adding to the story. My disclaimer..... I never do this so will feel less guilty stating. I had 100 pages left and decided to read the last 3 chapters, it was what I had expected so I didn't bother to complete, so in the end I probably didn't read 75 pages.Some scenes were amazing in my opinion and can be looked at as for shock value to others. I do enjoy the unorthodox detectives but I don't know if Jake truly passes the test as being as highly respected in the profession as the author wanted us to believe.Overall a good try, I would be willing to try this author again and that is why I finally decided on a 3, it was sitting at 2 1/2 for awhile.

[jadestar31 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book starts off strong. I really liked how Jake's history with his father was described right off the bat. It introduced us to Jake's character and his relationships in a direct manner which I appreciated. I also liked how the novel didn't waste any time in introducing the murder. This book is not for the squeamish! The details of the murder are really graphic so if you're not comfortable with graphic and stomach churning descriptions of murders, this book isn't for you. I definitely found it a little hard to stomach. Fortunately, there's plenty of time to discover from the vivid imagery.The plot moves at a great pace and I liked how Jake wasn't the typical FBI agent. He had unique abilities that were quite interesting to read about. Jake is such a dark protagonist and his relationships are so atypical from any other FBI agent, but I found that to make him compelling. All of the characters were developed quite well and none of them seemed static and one dimensional. The suspense in this novel increases dramatically as the book approaches its climax. I found myself unable to stop reading because I wanted to have all my questions answered. I absolutely loved how the book concluded. The ending is INCREDIBLE.Robert Pobi is an excellent addition to the mystery genre and I think he's going to be extremely successful. Overall, this novel is a dark, chilling, and extremely unforgettable read. You MUST read it.

[senorag163 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book and could not stop reading it. In my opinion, Mr. Pobi is right up there with my all time favorite thriller author, Val McDermid. Maybe even more grisly is that is possible.The book starts with a bang and never stops. I loved Jake and had a great time trying to figure him out as well as what was happening around him. Was he psychic? Is there something other worldly going on? What's up with the sheriff? I am not telling so read the book.I can't say I loved the ending but I won't say why because I don't want to give any spoilers. I will say that i anxiously await this authors next book.If you love suspense with a horror feeling tossed it, Bloodman is a must read. Highly recommended.

[repb_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Terrible. Sick. Wish I never started reading it - and in all honesty I did not finish.

[jimgysin_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of the only series I've ever read hit-or-miss and out of order, and I'm going back to the beginning to read (in order, this time) the ones that I've missed. This was a solid debut, but once again a pretty lame (and completely avoidable) plot move on Higgins's part tarnished the resolution for me. Since I've read more recent titles in the series, I knew that a certain protagonist survived, but I didn't know until now how/why he survived, and the reason was/is ... lame. But it was a fun read, and a reminder of what dominated the news headlines a couple of decades ago.

[deaconbernie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With each volume I read from this gifted author, I am more impressed with how he weaves his stories. In many cases, it's as if he writes the story of the good guys and then adds the bad guys so that the bad guys always seem to be one step ahead at every step. Higgins also very cleverly involves contemporary events into his fiction. Very many of his characters are actively evil or former evil players. Only the occasional ordinary good person pass through his stories and most of them meet early ends as the series progresses. Even so, every work so far has been a rousing performance.

[darrol_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is not my favorite genre, but this was, despite some rough patches in the narrative, a very good read. A very sinister hero. Master of disguise. No ideological motive. Just the game. Failed attempt to machine gun Margaret Thatcher. Failed attempts to mortar John Majors and the war cabinet.