Official Review: Blood in the Water by Rick Outzen

[mmm17]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Blood in the Water" by Rick Outzen.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Blood in the Water, written by Rick Outzen, is an entertaining and eventful crime story. At the beginning of the book, a flood and an explosion in a newly renovated jail stir things up in Pensacola, Florida. The book’s protagonist, Walker Holmes, narrates the story using the first person. He is the publisher of a newspaper called the Pensacola Insider and owns a “spoiled seven-year-old chocolate Labrador mix” named Big Boy.

The antagonist, Sheriff Ron Frost, is the most powerful man in the region. An election is coming up, and Alphonse Tyndall is campaigning for sheriff as Frost’s challenger; Tyndall has Holmes’ (and his newspaper’s) support. However, Frost has a lot more money in his war chest, and he is a bully and a thug. The plot thickens when Harden, a private investigator who helps Holmes, gets beaten into a coma. Also, a bomb destroys the protagonist’s Jeep Cherokee and takes his friend Titus “Tiny” Smith’s life. Holmes then decides to seek justice, but no spoilers are allowed!

There are several positives worth mentioning in the book, and what I enjoyed the most were the well-developed and textured characters. Firstly, Walker Holmes is a very interesting protagonist – an all-around good guy who wants to help people and bring criminals to justice. He’s a nonconformist who drinks a lot, and I thought that the author did a great job developing his multilayered personality. For instance, Holmes quotes Ernest Hemingway to say, “Write drunk, edit sober.”

I also liked Dare Evans, the protagonist’s closest friend, whom he met at the University of Mississippi. Dare supported Holmes when he tragically lost his fiancée Mari Gaudet. I also enjoyed the secondary characters, especially the Pensacola Insider’s staff – Jeremy, Mal, Ted, Summer, and Pantoni add color to the investigation.

The plot is also well-constructed; the antagonism between Holmes and Frost is gripping and results in various twists around which the novel orbits. Above all, the difference between their political ideas and moral values gets skillfully and delicately woven into the plot, and the author provides readers not only suspense but also food for thought, which I enjoyed.

Finally, the book seems professionally edited, and I found no negatives worth mentioning. Thus, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I believe it will appeal to readers who enjoy crime stories. Those who are put off by violence might not like it as much, though. It also has a fair share of profanity, so those who are bothered by strong language might want to skip it.

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Blood in the Water
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[shreyagupta]

Sounds an interesting book. I enjoy a good crime novel but I can't stop wondering if naming the protagonist Holmes is just a coincidence. Thanks for the review.

[Ada Ling]

Would like to try a crime story. Nice review!

[Vidhi Vadhar]

Sounds like an interesting plot, would like to give it a read. Thank you for the review.

[NetMassimo]

I expect crime thrillers to include some violence, so I have no problems with that, and this novel seems intriguing. Thank you for your great review!

[Mbrooks2518]

Sounds like a well written story with wonderful characters. Thanks for the great review!

[derialist]

Walker Holmes seems like an entertaining character. I'll get the book just so I can meet him. Thank you!

[Pearl Akpan]

This novel sounds very engaging, looking forward to reading this and exploring the character of Walker as well! Thank you for a wonderful review!