Bloodstock by Rod Humphris

 

Welcome to the final day of the Blogtour for Rod Humphris' Bloodstock, the latest in his Simon Ellice series. This series (so far) consists of two novellas and two full size novels (more on that later) 

Simon Ellice is coming home, back to the village where he grew up. He's all for the peace and tranquility of country life but in no time at all old friends are going missing and turning up dead and it's time for Si to do what he does best - mayhem. Hitting London's underworld he uncovers lots of nastiness and a threat that may be bigger than anything he's faced before. 

So, who is Simon Ellice? He's been a soldier (Dead Ground), drug smuggler (Go Fast) and the kind of guy who just attracts trouble and the ladies in equal measure (Starlight). This may seem a predictable choice but this series feels like a movie dream casting for Jason Statham. Ellice is not a bad person but, equally, he's no angel either and I think that's what really makes this series work. 

Must say also, the production quality on these books is top notch. They are a pleasure to hold (very tactile covers) and the illustrations add to the story well. Hats off to Rats Tails for that. 

Thanks, as always, to Anne Cater and Random Things for inviting me onto the tour and Rats Tails for providing the review copies. Please, if you can, have a look at the posts by the other bloggers on this tour. 

Bloodstock can be read as a stand-alone story but when a series is as good as this, really, why would you? 

4/5*