Bloodline

Written by Jess Lourey

Narrated by Whitney Dykhouse

An ITW Thriller Award and Anthony Award winner.

Perfect town. Perfect homes. Perfect families. It’s enough to drive some women mad…

In a tale inspired by real events, pregnant journalist Joan Harken is cautiously excited to follow her fiancé back to his Minnesota hometown. After spending a childhood on the move and chasing the screams and swirls of news-rich city life, she’s eager to settle down. Lilydale’s motto, “Come Home Forever,” couldn’t be more inviting.

And yet, something is off in the picture-perfect village.

The friendliness borders on intrusive. Joan can’t shake the feeling that every move she makes is being tracked. An archaic organization still seems to hold the town in thrall. So does the sinister secret of a little boy who vanished decades ago. And unless Joan is imagining things, a frighteningly familiar figure from her past is on watch in the shadows.

Her fiancé tells her she’s being paranoid. He might be right. Then again, she might have moved to the deadliest small town on earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781799767831

Jess Lourey

Jess Lourey is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Unspeakable Things, The Catalain Book of Secrets, the Salem’s Cipher thrillers, and the Mira James mysteries, among many other works, including young adult, short stories, and nonfiction. An Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award nominee, Jess is a tenured professor of creative writing and sociology and a leader of writing retreats. She is also a recipient of The Loft’s Excellence in Teaching fellowship, a Psychology Today blogger, and a TEDx presenter. Check out her TEDx Talk for the inspiration behind her first published novel. When she’s not leading writing workshops, reading, or spending time with her friends and family, you can find her working on her next story. Discover more at www.jessicalourey.com.

Reviews for Bloodline

[Nina Quartuccio · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Meh. This audiobook offered no real excitement. I thought the dialogs and actions were unrealistic.
There was a twist at the end but it fizzled out as quick as it came, I also thought that twist was so not plausible that it made the book feel amateurish. The narrator kept me going, she was great. Just proves a good narrator could save a book.

[Tonya Marie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Definite x files vibes and a great listen for sure!

[Sarah Varner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great, fast moving story with lots of twists! There were a few occasions where it lots me, but overall, it kept me hooked until the end!

[RichardKevinWilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once again, Lourey has written a thriller unlike any others and let me tell you what.....this is ONE hell of a read!!

The town of Lilydale Minnesota has it's secrets and mysteries, but do you REALLY want to know what they are?
Jounalist Joan Harkin finds out she is pregnant with her finace's child; and when he tells her of the small town where he grew up she thinks this would be the place to raise their child. But when she learns of the town's weird and strange motto "Come home to live forever...." she starts to think maybe she has made the wrong decision.
When they arrive in the town, she notices that the people are kind of weird and strange acting, and especially towards her. Joan brings this up to her partner and he tells her 'oh, you're just being paranoid' or things that have to do with her being suspicious of 'such small town folk'. But when she knows she is right, the 'Mothers and Fathers' of Lilydale start watching her. Is it too late for her to get out of here with her unborn child?

Get ready for the twist and turns of a 'small town horror' feeling of Thomas Tryon's classic "Harvest Home" and the uncomfortable feeling of The Stepford Wives, are you ready to lose sleep in the town of Lilydale?
I would HIGHLY recommend this book or the audiobook as what I did, to anyone who loves a GREAT thriller or a book that is going to make them uncomfortable in the best, fun way! Once again, Lourey basis her novel "BloodLine" on a true Minnesota crime that has still never been solved.

I LOVED this book!
5 stars all the way up!

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was a bit far-fetched. When I first started reading it, I was interested in the missing child mystery. As it went on, the book started feeling a bit like The Stepford Wives with perfection being the norm. Then, when the real story came to light, I thought it was ridiculous. The author based her story on the real-life disappearance of a young boy in her hometown, but the rest of the book was pure fiction. Jean Harken and her boyfriend Deck move to his hometown of Lilydale after Jean is mugged in Minneapolis. Initially, the small town seems ideal, but there are secrets hidden in its beginnings and the secret is very dark.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Bloodline— Jess Lourey
Should be called boring line

This book is a complete mess. I thought for sure it was the authors first, but it’s not. Did anyone bother to edit this? Is Joanie thinking out loud or speaking it loud to herself? most of the time it doesn’t matter because because what is being exposed will bore the reader to death.
Also can you do a little fact checking?
Example
“The radio drama that I flipped on is interrupted with another Vietnam story, this one about American troubles at Kham Duc.
During an evacuation, there wasn’t enough room in the helicopters for Chinese soldiers battling alongside the American boys.”
1. The battle of Kham Duc was in 1970
2. Good to know China was fighting alongside their American Brothers!
What possessed the author to write a fictional book that takes place in 1968 yet she has no grasp of the time period other than to rely on the usual cliches and common knowledge. The author wasn’t even alive then.
The main character Joanie doesn’t behave like any woman I have ever known or read about. She is unmarried in Minnesota and lives with a guy after what six months and gets pregnant. Oh yeah a daily occurrence Her boyfriend Deck is so boring, the story is boring, and way too long. The depiction of the town is impossible
Nothing about this story was believable.

[jynell-71874 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Have you ever taken a DNA test to see where your family comes from?

I haven't, but I'm pretty confident that I already know the answers considering my mother has taken one and my father's side of the family has a family crest from England... lol Think of how far back the Royal family can trace their lineage!!!

In Jess Lourey's newest novel, Bloodline, out Jan 1st, she explores a village that has taken the idea of a bloodline to the far extreme! I was blessed to be able to listen to this book on audio thanks to a gifted copy from @BrillanceAudio and I adored it.

The narrator has a beautiful voice and added much to the story, giving me the chills at all the right moments and making me fall in love (or hate) the characters.

I don't know how much I can say without giving everything away other than saying that this fast-paced thriller is sure to be a quick read and it'll leave you saying "What just happened???". Jess has such an superb way of weaving a story that is both disturbing and yet fascinating that you're unable to stop reading.

Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR. If you're new to thrillers or a seasoned pro, this is one not to be missed

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This dark thriller is based on a true event complete with small town secrets…occult rituals…the disappearance of a child and a community fueled cover-up. The reader will learn the dark secret of a child gone missing and some very weird undercurrents that are everyday life in this small American town of Lilydale, Minnesota. The further you read, the darker the twists. The neighborhood is tight knit and Joan is not quite comfortable with events that play out. In fact, as a reporter, she finds a dark and sinister history that threatens her and her child leaving her to wonder who she can trust.

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this audiobook but I didn't love it. I downloaded this book as a Kindle First Reads pick and decided to add the audio on for just a couple of bucks. The book sounded rather promising and it seemed to everywhere online so I thought it would be a safe bet. I found it to be a rather quick listen and the story did hold my attention quite well. Joan is a reporter hoping to advance her career. She is expecting a child with her boyfriend, Deck. After she is mugged in the city, they decide to move to Deck's hometown of Lilydale. When they arrive, she learns that Deck has told everyone that they are married. This story is set in the 1960s but the residents of Lilydale are more opinionated and controlling than you would expect in any era. Things start getting creepy quite quickly and Joan feels like she is constantly being watched by everyone living in the town. A boy that disappeared from the town 20 years earlier and it appears that he might be back. Joan has just started writing for the local newspaper and is thrilled to get the story. As she looks into the events in the town, she quickly realized that the issues in town might be bigger than she ever imagined. I can't say that I really liked many of the characters in this book. Joan did some things, especially at the beginning of the book, that made her very difficult to fully embrace. The story is told from Joan's point of view but I wasn't sure if I should completely believe everything we learned from her. The only character that I completely liked and trusted didn't show up until later in the book and played a rather small role. I think that the story would have been much more powerful if I liked Joan enough to actually care what happened to her. Whitney Dykhouse did a fabulous job with the narration. I thought that her voice worked perfectly for this story. She did a great job with all of the character voices and I liked the fact that she was able to add emotion into the reading. I thought that her voice was very pleasant and easy to listen to for hours at a time. I believe that her narration added to my enjoyment of the story.I think that a lot of readers might enjoy this one more than I did. I liked the story even though I did have a few issues with it. I wouldn't hesitate to try other books by Jess Lourey in the future.

[carole888fort · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bloodline by Jess Lourey is one of the creepiest books I have read in a very long time and I loved every word of it. Rosemary’s Baby is a prime example of what I consider creepy. Joan Harken, a journalist, leaves the big city for a move with her boyfriend to his Minnesota childhood home in the country. Lilydale is like a picture postcard and is everyone’s dream of life in a small town. But not all is as it seems and Joan soon notices that someone is always watching her. The friendly neighbours are overly-friendly and claustrophobia creeps into Joan’s life. There is something definitely wrong with this place and the journalist in her wants to find out what is going on. Why is everyone so interested in her? I cannot provide more information without spoiling the book for those who have not yet read Bloodline. The fact that this novel is based on real events makes the reader even more invested in the story. And you will not believe the conclusion! Highly recommended for any mystery reader who doesn’t mind a little fear and tension. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.