What Matters Blood

By Tom Wallace

     Detective Jack Dantzler is a pro, a homicide detective with a perfect record. But a series of bizarre murders threatens to ruin his reputation. Worse yet, this case has opened a dark door to his past - the murder of his own mother. The killer, who sends long rambling letters to Danzler and signs them as Mike L. Angelo, taunts the increasingly frustrated detective with every murder. All the victims are killed in the same way - a picture of Michelangelo's Pieta and a St. Jude medal are arranged in a specific pattern with each body. What do these symbols mean? And where does the murderer get his personal knowledge of Dantzler? How does he know about his nightmares, his demons, and his fears? And how did he obtain information about the murder of Dantzler's mother that should only be available through protected police files? Dantzler is tortured by the past - and the killer seems to have the answers he has been seeking for many years.

   Detective Laurie Dunn, new to the homicide division, but someone who has already shown great promise, is assigned to the task force searching for the killer. Her respect for Danzler slowly turns into something much deeper. But the killer is intent on two things: destroying young women who resemble the mother and sister he hates - and crushing Jack Danztler. Dunn races to find the killer and save the man she loves from the emotional hell that pummels his bruised psyche.

   Tom Wallace has constructed a masterpiece of murder. Jack Danztler is a complicated man and a unique detective with a long shelf life, reminiscent of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch. I suspect Danztler will be around for quite a while. Wallace is one of several excellent authors to spring forth from Behler Publications, a new publisher with incredible promise. With novels like What Matters Blood, keep your eyes on this small publisher. I expect many good things!

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