Blood Stains

Author: Sharon Sala
Publisher: Mira Books

At the reading of her father's will, Maria Slade receives shocking news—as a four-year-old, she'd witnessed her prostitute mother's murder and been taken into hiding by the well-meaning preacher who'd raised her as his own.
Maria remembers none of that. But now she's determined to flush her mother's killer out of hiding and discover the identity of her birth father. She heads to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she meets Detective Bodie Scott.

Empathizing with this beautiful woman looking to find out who she really is, he opens the decades-old case file. Their investigation leads them down a dangerous path, where no one is what they seem. Where a father does not want to be found. And a murderer has "like mother, like daughter" in mind for Maria.

Blood Stains (The Searchers #1) is the first book in a new series by Sharon Sala. The premise of the series is that 3 sisters find out at the reading of their father's will that most of their life has been a lie. Each sister leaves home to find out the truth of their real identity. Blood Stains was a pretty quick read. Bodie's character is strong willed and not afraid to go after what he wants, especially when it comes to Maria. I really believed his side of the romance, but I wasn't too sold on Maria's side. While I liked her character, I didn't buy her falling for Brodie.

This is supposed to be a romantic suspense, but the suspense part wasn't really there. You know who the killer is pretty early on and the "twist" at the end was pretty apparent halfway through the book. The peripheral characters were interesting and helped round out the story. I do look forward to reading the other 2 books in the series. There are hints to their plots in this one. If you are a fan of Ms. Sala's work, pick this one up. While it isn't her best work, you will probably enjoy it. 3 out of 5 stars

--Kari

* note: I read an Advanced Reader’s copy of Blood Stains supplied courtesy of Mira Books. I was not approached or compensated in anyway for this review. By receiving a complimentary copy, I am in no way obligated to write a good or bad review. I am an honest reviewer and my reviews are based on my own opinion and only written by me.*