The Weight of Blood: A Novel

· Sold by Random House
4.2
60 reviews
Ebook
336
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Scott Smith, and Daniel Woodrell comes a gripping, suspenseful novel about two mysterious disappearances a generation apart.

INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS AWARD WINNER AND BARRY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPAGE
 
The town of Henbane sits deep in the Ozark Mountains. Folks there still whisper about Lucy Dane’s mother, a bewitching stranger who appeared long enough to marry Carl Dane and then vanished when Lucy was just a child. Now on the brink of adulthood, Lucy experiences another loss when her friend Cheri disappears and is then found murdered, her body placed on display for all to see. Lucy’s family has deep roots in the Ozarks, part of a community that is fiercely protective of its own. Yet despite her close ties to the land, and despite her family’s influence, Lucy—darkly beautiful as her mother was—is always thought of by those around her as her mother’s daughter. When Cheri disappears, Lucy is haunted by the two lost girls—the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn’t save—and sets out with the help of a local boy, Daniel, to uncover the mystery behind Cheri’s death.
 
What Lucy discovers is a secret that pervades the secluded Missouri hills, and beyond that horrific revelation is a more personal one concerning what happened to her mother more than a decade earlier.
 
The Weight of Blood is an urgent look at the dark side of a bucolic landscape beyond the arm of the law, where a person can easily disappear without a trace. Laura McHugh proves herself a masterly storyteller who has created a harsh and tangled terrain as alive and unforgettable as the characters who inhabit it. Her mesmerizing debut is a compelling exploration of the meaning of family: the sacrifices we make, the secrets we keep, and the lengths to which we will go to protect the ones we love.
 
Praise for The Weight of Blood
 
“[An] expertly crafted thriller.”Entertainment Weekly, “The Must List”

“Haunting . . . [a] riveting debut.”Los Angeles Times

“Laura McHugh’s atmospheric debut . . . conjures a menacingly beautiful Ozark setting and a nest of poisonous family secrets reminiscent of Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone.”—Vogue

“Fantastic . . . a mile-a-minute thriller.”The Dallas Morning News

Ratings and reviews

4.2
60 reviews
marisa g
April 2, 2014
There's no twist or feeling like ur on the edge of ur seat, but it's imagery is painted beautifully and you see amongst the deadly secrets what is true for most of us but rarely admitted; we crave love. And when it's not there or when comes up missing, love will have you walking thru Hell,heaven,and all in between to fill the space it left in your heart.
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Liz Joyce
March 8, 2015
I did not want this book to end! Page-turner that I couldn't put down! Definately worth reading. Hope to read more by this author!
1 person found this review helpful
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Gina - 05232014 Stephens
November 5, 2017
Loved how the main character was able to piece together the events that affected her life the most - even though it was unpleasant and unbelievable for her!
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About the author

Laura McHugh lives in Columbia, Missouri, with her husband and children. The Weight of Blood is her first novel.

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