Blood Atonement

By S. M. Freedman

A GLOBE AND MAIL TOP 100 BEST BOOKS OF 2022 • HOWARD ENGEL AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL SET IN CANADA 2023 FINALIST

“Freedman grips right out of the gate with dual timeline narratives that weave together more and more tightly until they meld into a mind-bending twist of a climax.” — LORETH ANNE WHITE, bestselling author of The Patient’s Secret

In a riveting psychological thriller for readers of Lisa Unger and Karin Slaughter, Grace’s healing solitude is shattered when she becomes a suspect in a gruesome series of murders.

Grace DeRoche escaped the fundamentalist Mormon compound of Brigham and worked to prosecute its leaders. But when loyalists, including her own family, commit mass suicide to avoid jail, Grace retreats into solitude. Racked with guilt and suffering from dissociative identity disorder brought on by childhood abuse, Grace’s life is fragmented and full of blind spots. Dissociative triggers are everywhere, and she never knows when an alter personality will take the reins.

When other Brigham escapees die under suspicious circumstances, Grace’s tenuous hold on reality crumbles. Notes left at each scene quote scripture and accuse the deceased of committing sins so grievous that atonement can only be achieved through the spilling of blood. As evidence mounts against her and one of her alter personalities becomes the prime suspect, Grace must determine if she’s a murderer … or the next victim.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Oct 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781459750258

S. M. Freedman

S.M. Freedman studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and has worked as a private investigator and business owner. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband and two children. The Faithful, a quarter finalist for the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, is her debut novel. For more information, please visit www.smfreedman.com.

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Reviews for Blood Atonement

[Star Gater · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for accepting my request to read and review Blood Atonement.

Author: S.M. Freedman
Published: 11/15/22
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Trigger Warning: Warren Jeffs, Fundamentalist Mormons, child & sexual abuse, cult.

There is not a lot left to say after putting the trigger warnings. This is a gut-wrenching story. I found it to be written well, in a fashion that didn't disrespect real life people. The abuse is implied and suggested, not graphic. The emotional and psychological abuse is prevalent throughout.

I think stories like this, while fiction, give enough information to make reasonable people pay attention to their surroundings. This is heartbreaking.

I do think there is a market for this telling; it can start a conversation.