Precious Blood
by Jonathan Hayes

Release Date: 3rd Apr 2008
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 978 0 0995 1754 2
RRP: £6.99

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Hayes is a new voice in crime fiction and one you would be wise to listen out for.

A debutant crime novelist – Hayes would have to throw a hefty punch to knock the existing crime writers off their perch, and I have to say, I think he may succeed if Precious Blood is an indicator of his skill.

Dr Jenner is our new antagonist. A ‘retired’ forensic pathologist who is struggling to come to terms with the events of 9/11 has been called back on the job in a private capacity, much to the annoyance of Whittaker (his nemesis) who still hasn’t forgiven Jenner for enticing away his girlfriend. The job is a particularly nasty one where a killer has nailed a girl upside-down to the wall in her own apartment. There was a witness, Ana de Jong, who subsequently seeks out Jenner and forces him back into the dark underbelly of New York and directly into the path of a psychopathic killer who is set on killing again and again and will eventually come for Ana herself.

Jenner is what we have come to expect from our antagonists. He is brooding, methodical, exceptionally good at his job, well liked and works on the edge of what is acceptable. From all accounts, he also has a way with the ladies, which will no doubt earn him an earnest male following. His relationship with Whittaker is a thing of beauty, allowing for some genuinely comic moments in an otherwise intensely dark book.

The killer himself is adequately drawn – although his dimensions are limited by what little we are told about him – particularly his past. What did Father Martin create in him? What happened to those boys in his care? How did the killer make the transitional leap from killing rabbits in the woods to setting his parents’ home on fire – with them inside? Perhaps these questions are rhetorical, or superfluous to the actual story... the unanswered questions are only a minor niggle at what is otherwise a welcome new voice in crime fiction.

This is a bold and quality debut that sets the precedence for future novels featuring Dr Jenner. If Hayes can keep this standard, he will be a new treasure chest for crime fans in the UK.

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