The Weight of Blood
Laura McHugh
9780812995206
March 2014
4 Stars
*I received this uncorrected galley from netgalley*
Sixteen year old Lucy Dane has always felt like an outsider in
the small mountain town of Henbane. Even though she was born there and that the
Dane family has a history there the residents have never fully accepted her
because her mother had been a stranger.
When Lucy starts digging into her friend’s disappearance and death she
discovers that the town and her own family have a lot of skeletons to be
discovered. Lucy didn’t expect her investigation to also uncover secrets about
her mother’s disappearance and how it would change the lives of her loved ones.
I was immediately drawn into the mystery of this story and
didn’t want to stop reading. It could have easily been read in one sitting if I
would have had the time to dedicate to it.
The plot kept the pages turning quickly and kept me on my toes. The
different character perspectives were a nice way to see the story unfold by
keeping it from getting stale. As I have
stated in other reviews, I love a good dysfunctional family and this novel
provides one. I would have to agree with the comparison to Gillian Flynn when
it comes to this novel, especially the family dynamic. My one complaint is the characters. I just
didn’t feel like I was getting enough from them. Even though I was thoroughly
invested in their story I wasn’t invested in them. Overall I really enjoyed it and have already
recommended it and will keep doing so. I will also be checking out this author’s
future work.