"After all, you have your own powers of judgement to rely upon; mine only got me to where I am now"...

Craig Jones-Blood Secrets

Amazing.

Edgar award nominee for best first novel.

Note on book says do NOT reveal ending to ANYONE!

My review:

This was and is sort of a masterpiece. I am in awe. I cannot believe this was the writer's first novel.

So this book is about Irene and Frank and it is narrated by Irene. From the first page we learn that Irene is a college educated wife and mother who is on trial for murder. But whom did she murder and why? That we do not know yet.

Irene and Frank meet in college and more opposites they could not be. Irene is one of life's golden people. She is smart, sassy, confident and beautiful as well as being an English major.

Then there is Frank. Frank is an introvert. Dubbed "The Weirdo" by all who know him, he is a shy somewhat awkward young man who doesn't have alot of experience with women.

Despite..or maybe because..of their differences Frank and Irene fall for each other hard and fast and wind up getting married.

But there are things..small things that do not make much sense. Why does Frank insist on no contact with anybody in his family? Why is he so protective of Regina the daughter he and Irene eventually have? And what happened to Regina two..actually Regina one..Frank's mysterious twin sister who died under heartbreaking circumstances and who Regina the daughter is named for?

I really do not want to say anymore. This one is best gone into not knowing much at all. I found it be incredible and I do not use words like "Masterpiece" all that easily.

I will also warn anyone reading this: you DO NOT want to know the ending. And there are other reviews on here that do not list spoilers that do reveal the ending so just buy the book but know if you look at all the reviews on here, the book will most likely be spoiled for you..or at least it's ending will.

A great book..one of my favorites of all time. ( )

She gets what she wants
he's a secretive weasel
somehow, it gets worse. ( )

4.5 stars!

I cannot remember the last time I read a story this surprising and dark!

Originally published in the 70's and recently brought back by Valancourt Books, this tale stymies my review attempts. I've been sitting here trying to decide what I can say that won't spoil the story.

Blood Secrets is a love story at heart. A love story bent backwards, twisting into itself. I'm near to BURSTING with excitement and more awesome things to say about this book, but I can't, dammit! I can't!

I can say that this story is compulsively readable. If it weren't for the fact that I started this novel on Christmas night, I would have finished it in one sitting. As it stands, I read 200 pages in two sittings and then I was disappointed that it was all over. I knew I was going to feel that way and I tried to slow it down, but I just couldn't. With each twist and turn, I was more bewitched than ever and could not stop. COULD NOT STOP!

This was a fun ride and Mr. Jones manipulates the reader's feelings with skill and style. Bravo, Mr. Jones! Bravo!

Highly recommended for fans of twisted psychological thrillers!

You can purchase this book here: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Secrets-Valancourt-Century-Classics/dp/1943910200/re... secrets

*Thanks to Valancourt Books for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is it!*
( )

This is a book that I literally could not put down. It begins innocently enough with the story of a boy & girl meeting in college. They marry and have their own daughter. As life goes along, the wife finds out things that have been kept secret from her. But who is really telling the truth??
Scary to think that although this is a work of fiction, I am sure it happens and what a horror it is. ( )

Without doubt the wonderful thing about being involved in discussion forums on the internet is the amount of books, authors and literature you are introduced to, novels that you would never have read if you had not been made aware of them by fellow reading enthusiasts and Blood Secrets by Craig Jones is a great example. This is a story that was first published in 1978 by a virtual unknown author and it is probably true to say he was never able to better this short and shocking piece of writing.

It is always a pleasure to read a book from many years ago and to appreciate how relevant, good and enjoyable it is today as it was on first publication. As I read the cover “blurb” on this corgi edition I notice with some amusement a warning highlighted in bold red which stated “Request from the Publisher under no circumstances should you reveal the plot of this book to anyone” If you were standing in a bookshop and read this informative and puzzling “red alert” most likely a purchase would follow and I can only surmise and applaud this intelligent piece of marketing by an alert publisher!

So what is the story about? Am I allowed to enlighten you dear reader?.....well to a point but like all those who have gone before me I will only mention the salient facts and outline the plot and leave you to search out and purchase your own copy (please note I am in no way connected to the publisher! but for a few pennies you can enjoy a great novel with a “truly horrendous and yet dazzling climax”)

Irene and Frank are college sweethearts who meet and marry and within that 19 years of marriage they have one daughter Regina. However as the title Blood Secrets implies there is hidden depth to this tale and those secrets are within the relationships of not only Irene and Frank but also their families. For a first novel it is quite astounding how Craig Jones is able to lead and tease the reader and force you to make certain assumptions only to destroy everything you presumed was true. This is best summed up within an article that appeared in Publisher Weekly “.......about three-quarters of the way through you will begin to think that you have arrived at the most frightening “secret” of all. There is more in store for you, however, and it won’t help solve the ultimate puzzle even though you know from the first sentence in the book that the narrator is on trial for murder. The psychological insight here is convincing, the denouement devastating.”

So a great recommendation from me, easy to find a second hand copy on the internet or for those who would prefer a brand new edition the wonderful Valancourt Books have recently republished. ( )