Blood Lines

On Father’s Day, Shel McHenry finds himself in a bad mood, thinking about the difficult relationship he has with his own father. So, when he is asked to help investigate the whereabouts of Bobby Lee Gant, a suspected carjacker, he readily agrees to the distraction. But Bobby Lee Gant is no ordinary thug. His father is a known felon and suspected drug dealer. And when Bobby Lee’s arrest goes down badly, Victor decides to take his revenge out on Shel.
Unlike the previous installments, this story focuses more on a Marine and his family rather than characters in the NCIS team. Though, the investigation does come from the NCIS. The McHenry family and their relationships are at the heart of it. Shel and his brother were always held at arms show more length from their father. Shel is more than a little resentful. And his brother is the peacemaker, family man, and minister. But Tyrel McHenry is a tortured soul. An incident in Vietnam changed him forever, and affected his relationship with his sons.
As Shel and the NCIS team slowly begin to learn about a dark secret that ties the McHenry’s to the Gant’s, they must also deal with Victor’s ruthlessness. The main characters are extremely vivid and gripping. And any time Victor is on the page, there is overlying suspense and a feeling of dread. I always enjoy Mel Odom’s writing, but he outdoes himself with the villain in Blood Lines.
This is published as Christian fiction, but besides occasional references to Shel’s brother being a pastor, there aren’t many other instances where faith is mentioned. Blood Lines is just like watching an episode of any crime drama, with all of the intensity and mystery. The characters are flawed and realistic. I sincerely hope Tyndale has Odom continue this series or something similar. These NCIS novels are entirely gripping and thought provoking. show less

This was the first book of the series that I had read (seems to be a pattern for me lately), but I really wanted to review this because I wanted to try something new. I was not disappointed and I was never lost! Mel Odom does an incredible job making his characters and their motivations come to life. The main character is Shel McHenry is wounded during an arrest gone horribly bad. This thrusts the entire crew into action as they must rally behind their friend who now had a very vengeful father with Shel in his cross hairs.

It is an incredible suspense and action story woven with relationships. The story lines blend seamlessly. We see a strained father son relationship, and find out reasons behind Shel's father's closed off nature. The show more most important thing to me was this was a believable and very engrossing story. I absolutely loved it and though the series has now come to a close, I will be reading the first two, Paid in Blood and Blood Evidence. show less

Although this is the third book in the series, the others don't have to be read in order to understand this one. It's a stand-alone book. From page one, I did not want to put this military thriller down. If it were made into a movie, my husband would salivate to see it as soon as it was released; it's so full of action.

Written in omniscient voice, the reader easily grasps the forward motion of the story from several different character's viewpoints.

There's a theme of male family love. Shel, the tough Marine, refuses to get in touch with his father on Father's Day, yet we notice that he can't stop thinking of "Daddy." Victor, the evil criminal, loves his son enough to die for him. Don, the gentle preacher, is strong enough to withstand show more verbal abuse from his father, yet takes a firm stand and tells his father some hurtful things when pushed too far.

Twists and turns make for an interesting ending. Even though I hate blood and fighting, this is a book I liked. A good bit of violence is included. show less

Perfect for : Personal reading, Adventure/Suspense fans, Fans of NCIS and CSI should really enjoy this book

In a nutshell: This is a great book for action and suspense fans. The story will keep your interest from start to finish. This is the last book in the NCIS series (dare we hope for another similar series?). The main character is Shel McHenry, who is investigating a carjacking and assault. He becomes the target of Victor Gant, a hardened criminal, when an arrest goes bad and Victor's son is killed. Throughout the story, Shel discovers that there are some skeleton's in the family closet, and his relationship with his father may never be the same! While it is listed as Fiction/Christian/General, the Christian values are not preached show more or forced on the reader, rather they are very subtle and help to support the storyline. Loved it!

Extended Review:
Characters: I did not want this story to end. The characters come to life, and Shel and his father develop very nicely through the course of the book. I thought Tyrel was very rough around the edges and strange for a father, but it made the story that much better! My only pet peeve is that I don't know too many adults who still call their parents Mommy or Daddy - it's either Mom or Dad, so occasionally it bothered me that Shel called is father Daddy pretty consistently, but hey - ultimately it added to the charm of the family.

Story-Line: Fast-paced with a few twists at key moments. I found myself holding my breath in a few places.

Readability: The 62 chapters (don't let that scare you!) and epilogue help to create an easy transition between scenes in the book. The book was easy to read, and the author did a good job of explaining technical things throughout the book.

Overall: A great book to keep your attention - I loved the change of pace and the resolution of the story! show less

Really enjoyed this series! Frankly, I wish there were more of them!

DVD 320 Epi