A Matter Of Blood: The Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy [Paperback]

The world is in the grip of a terrible recession that has wrought havoc on society. Cuts in public services have been ruthless, unemployment is at record levels; crime endemic, and the remaining economy is in thrall to a secretive company known as The Bank. Despite the soaring crime stats even the police have not been spared a cut in their resources, and officers have improvised new ways to manage the crime lords.

D.I. Cass Jones is one such officer, and regardless of the difficult times he's a good copper - that is, he's good at his job. His moral character is far more questionable: he's a drug user, an adulterer, and he's carrying a huge burden of guilt from a past incident that went wrong whilst working deep undercover. If all this wasn't bad enough, he's currently investigating the murder of two school kids gunned down in an apparent gang related mishap, and a serial killer dubbed the Man of Flies is leaving a trail of dead women across London. Then to top it all off Cass learns that his brother is dead along with his brother's wife and child, and Cass himself is somehow implicated in their murder. All of these events are seemingly related, and they all point to the mysterious Bank.

This is a gritty thriller, that is part crime novel and part supernatural thriller, mixed with a dash of conspiracy. When I first started reading this book I had difficulties with it. It took me a while to care about what was happening, and I didn't immediately warm to D.I. Cass Jones. As an ex Met Police Officer and born Londoner, I found the depiction of London and the police at times clichéd and unconvincing. There were slight errors in the terminology that niggled as well. SO10? The unit has been called SCD10 for several years, Medical Examiner visiting a crime scene? What happened to The Coroner's Officer? Then there's unconvincing dialogue such as a criminal profiler calling the D.I. a "fed" - really?

Just when was I ready to give this up as the work of someone who'd watched too many episodes of The Bill, Cass is informed about the death of his brother, and the story springs to life. At this point (around page 80) Pinborough seems to find her feet, and her evident storytelling ability kicks in. In fact from this point until the conclusion, the book is a great read. I read all of the remaining book, a little over 300 pages, straight through in one sitting. I then enjoyed the deepening intrigue, and the sense of mystery that pervades the story. In many ways this is a really well plotted book, and the pacing is perfect for the last two-thirds.

There are several threads in this story, which is the first of a trilogy. As these threads began to unravel, I found them captivating and I really wanted to know what linked them together. The supernatural elements in the story, although sometimes creepy, are mostly understated. This first book of The Dog Faced Gods is definitely more crime than horror. Despite this, I really enjoyed the supernatural elements that were present, and for me Pinborough's prose appears to show more confidence in these elements than in some of the crime aspects.

After a slow start and aside from a few quibbles, which I mostly forgot when the story got going, I found this be a really good read. I don't recall ever changing my opinion on a book quite so decisively in recent times as I did with this. Perhaps it's because I'm someone intimately familiar with many of the settings in this book, that my initial reaction was to be somewhat unconvinced. As the story progressed I not only reversed my opinion, I was hooked. I also warmed to D.I. Cass Jones despite his flaws. The book really is enjoyable, and the conclusion is both satisfying and a great teaser for the next volume in the trilogy. With some excellent ideas running through it, A Matter of Blood is definitely worth checking out for fans of both horror and crime fiction, and those who just enjoy a great story.

In a Matter of Blood debut author Sarah Pinborough has written a very good police procedural with some urban fantasy overtones. It is a shame she spoils it with some ill-judged science fiction.

Our anti-hero is Cass Jones, murder squad detective, drug user, adulterer (with his brother's wife, no less) and with a HIDDEN DARK SECRET relating to a undercover job early in his career. So far, so cliched. But actually the cases he is involved in, the accidental murder of two children in a gangland shooting, a serial killer leaving fly eggs in the eyes of his victims and a familial murder-suicide, are all gripping and well thought out. Peripheral characters are also generally well judged and rounded. As the novel progresses, and things go from bad to worse for Cass, the cases appear connected, and come to satisfying conclusion.

This could have a been a straight up crime novel, but Pinborough includes allusions to Paradise Lost in the text, a Man of Flies and characters implicated in the killings appear to be far more than they appear. And Cass keeps on seeing a dead relative, and a funny glow coming from people's eyes....

And so we delve into urban fantasy (this is NOT horror). Darker than Dresden and more English than American Gods, the supernatural element here does look like it has a lot of milage, although one of the key mystery figures, "Mr Bright", does seem too obviously named. What spoiled the book for me was the unnecessary setting in the near future, making this a bizarre sci-fi hybrid. The world economy has collapsed, the welfare state has been dismantled, HIV has a new strain and the police are paid bonuses by gangsters not to catch them.

Oh,and the world finances are now run by The Bank, created by Bill Gates and Richard Branson.

Yes, that Richard Branson. It even has a branch called Virginity.

Why? The book did not need this. Even now, a few months after writing, it looks hopelessly out of date, and all the major plot elements function perfectly well without the near future described: policemen still take bribes, major banks still exert undue influence and people still get ill. For me, this spoilt an otherwise excellent book, and hence the 4 stars.

I would still recommend A Matter of Blood, and I'll certainly read the rest of the series, but hopefully Pinborough will be able to resist that kitchen sink impulse in the future...

DI Cass Jones is caught in the middle of two horrific murder cases: the shooting of two young boys in what appears to be a botched gangland shooting, and a serial killer who 'puts down' women as though they are animals. When Cass' brother Christian is suspected of the murder-suicide of his family, Cass cannot believe it, and things look even worse when evidence that implicates him is found at the scene. The further Cass delves into the three cases, the more he is convinced they are part of a conspiracy involving The Bank, a major company that arose from the ashes of a global economic meltdown. Can Cass find out the truth whilst also dealing with his own personal demons?

This is billed as a supernatural crime thriller, which is what most appealed to me about it, however the supernatural element is very minor and mostly implied. Cass repeatedly sees the ghost of his brother, but the main supernatural element involves Mr Solomon and Mr Bright, two men who may have something to do with both The Bank and the murders. It is never stated exactly what these men are (gods of some kind seems an option), but they seem to have certain powers - Solomon the ability to control flies (!!) - and are connected to Cass' family. Cass' family all claimed to have been able to see a mysterious golden light in people's eyes 'The Glow', but this too is not fully explained. I understand this book is the first in a trilogy, so perhaps these ideas will be further explored then, because otherwise they were a bit of a waste of time.

Cass is a strong central character for a thriller series, with all the usual personal problems: crumbling marriage, affair with a colleague, troubled past as an undercover officer, dead family. As 'The Glow' implies, there may also be more to him, and I would be interested to learn a bit more about it.

There are plenty of plot threads here, many of which tie together nicely, and although I didn't find this a page-turner, it was still a pretty solid thriller.