Here's a good mystery with African American protagonists and shifting points of view. Former model Dominique Monaghan, now a stylist, is very peeved with her married boyfriend Gary for selling their condo out from under her. Her revenge plan backfires and her pilot half-brother Desmond is left to clean up, solve, and resolve.

Dominique and Desmond are thoughtful and well-drawn, with secrets of their own. The only weak character here is Trin, Gary's wife, a celebrity fashion skeleton who is not believable.

This is a convincing, twisty, enjoyable read. ( )

I have enjoyed Hilary Davidson's series centered on Lily Moore, which are not only mysteries, but, since the main character is a travel writer (as the author is) take me on a journey to a new location, as well. When I heard that a new novel was out, I snagged a copy, not even noting at all what it was about. In this case, the novel is a stand alone, but carries with it the same crafting of a mystery that hooked me with earlier writing.

A beautiful woman wants revenge on her charming but deceitful boyfriend and plots for blackmail. That she's a model, and he's a washed up boxer, married to an heiress, makes the situation more interesting. Then the blackmail plot gets complicated by a kidnapping, but it becomes even more daunting. What starts off as blackmail ends up looking like murder, with twists and turns along the way. The story is told from three points of view, each character with their own motivations and drives. There was one bit that didn't hold for me, but once I decided not to worry about a character's decision making process, I did fine. Keep writing, Hilary Davidson, and I'll keep reading. ( )

"I only know what the newspapers said. But I also know that blood always tells. Your mother was a murderer. You're capable of killing a man just like she did."

I am a big fan of Hilary Davidson's Lily Moore mystery series so when I heard that she had a stand-alone novel out I knew that I had to read it. Blood Always Tells had everything that I love about the Lily Moore mystery series, interesting characters, rich plots that hook you in, and great twists and turns that leave you guessing throughout. I kept thinking that I had things all figured out but really I had no idea.

This book is split up in three parts, one that follows Dominique (a model turned stylist who just wants to get revenge on her married ex-boyfriend), one that follows Desmond (Dominique's brother), and the other one I won't say who it follows as I don't want to give any spoilers.

I really loved reading about Dominique and Desmond. They both have dealt with some hardships in their past and I was really interested in reading about what had happened with their mother and father. In the beginning you always sense there is more to the story about their parents that you are first told. Quite frankly you get that feeling all the time while reading this book, there is always more to the story.

With Hilary Davidson's novels there always so many twists and turns that I am left on the edge of my seat constantly trying to guess at what really happened. That is one thing that I really love about this book and her other novels, it isn't easy to guess what happened everything is really messy.

I have one tiny bone to pick with this novel. Desmond mentions that he lives in Hammond, Indiana but he calls it "the Chicago suburb of Hammond, Indiana." I live in the suburbs of Chicago and I do not consider Hammond, Indiana to be a Chicago suburb. It is northwest Indiana to me and not the Chicago suburbs. I guess it probably differs depending on who you ask but it really irks me when people lump northwest Indiana into the suburbs of Chicago. Clearly this is an issue that I get irrationally annoyed at.

As with all of Hilary Davidson's novels I would recommend this if you are looking for a mystery with some great twists and turns. ( )