Book Review: Blood Ties by Kay Hooper

Blood Ties
Author: Kay Hooper
Series: A Bishop/SCU Novel Book 12
Publication: Bantam (January 22, 2010)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper takes us to the outer reaches of fear in Blood Ties, as the Special Crimes Unit is targeted by a monster intent on destroying both Noah Bishop and his people.

A series of grisly murders has left a trail of blood across three states, bringing the Special Crimes Unit to a small Tennessee town. There, two more brutal killings lure Noah Bishop and the SCU into what may be the ultimate trap, and lead Special Agent Hollis Templeton into a dangerous attraction—and a serial murder investigation that turns very, very personal. In her time with the SCU, Hollis has shown an uncanny ability to survive even the deadliest attacks. But what she can’t know is that this killer intends to destroy the team from within. As the body count climbs, and Bishop and his agents race to uncover the true identity of their enemy, not even their special senses can warn them just how bloody, and how terrifyingly close, the truth will be.

My Thoughts: This is the 12th book in the Bishop/SCU series and drops the reader right in the middle of the action. SCU Agents Miranda Bishop, Quentin Hayes, Hollis Templeton, Diana Brisco and Reese DeMarco are called in when a tortured body is discovered on a running trail. They were already in the area looking at some other victims of a serial killer.

While investigating they discover still another body. This one is a young woman who was tortured and then hidden quite a ways off the trail. While investigating this second body, a sniper takes aim at them and barely misses Hollis. 

More of the SCU and other FBI officers are called in along with local sheriff departments and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the bodies keep piling up. The torturer and the sniper both kill again and again. The SCU team begins to feel that they were lured to this location but they aren't sure why. They know that SCU has a powerful and secret enemy who is finally uncovered in this episode.

What is most intriguing to me in this story is that all of the members of SCU have various psychic abilities and that some of their psychic abilities are growing and changing because of events in a previous book in this long-running series. In fact, the villains in this series are also disciples of a villain dealt with in an earlier book. 

This story also has some romance but that certainly isn't the focus of the book. Hollis is developing a relationship with Reese and Quentin and Diana are taking their romance to a new level. The focus seems to be on uncovering this hidden enemy and learning more about their own psychic powers.

I enjoyed this story which had been sitting on my TBR mountain for more than ten years. I know that I read some of the other books in this series before 2008 but certainly didn't remember any details about them. Yet I didn't feel lost or confused while reading this book. I was swept into the action and intrigued by the various psychic powers and relationships among the characters. 

Favorite Quote:

Diana interrupted the speculation to say wryly, "Guys? Sniper? Possible bomb? I mean, I know I'm new at this sort of thing, but doesn't a bad guy in the flesh take precedence over a helpful spirit? If we're speculating?"

I bought this one April, 16, 2010. You can buy your copy here.