Book 7 of the FBI Agent Jade Monrow Live or Die Series by C.M. Sutter is Blood Rules. Agents Jade Monroe and Lorenzo DeLeon are sent to Wisconsin after two unidentified men were found nailed to trees in the national forest. Will they solve this case?
This one starts differently. It’s been four months since Blood Stream, and Renz, Jade, and countless others must testify against Chris Mills. Jade is also thinking about the upcoming New Year’s Eve party as well as reminiscing about the Christmas party they had not long ago. I found it interesting that Jade said her mom and step-dad complained about everything – the food, the bourbon, all of it. Just a tidbit of real life I love to hear!
Then it jumps right into the killer couple. Literally. They kill together. Diana lures the men, and Marty, her husband, kills them. Or, Marty lures an innocent woman to her death – at the hands of Diana.
Then we’re introduced to Robert, who also seems to be in the killing business. When we first meet him, he’s hoisting a dead man to a tree. What is happening here!
Well, the killer couple also runs into Robert, spikes his drin,k and ties him up. In his own cabin! But they don’t know that. Robert ends up getting free and rescues Stan, who had been kidnapped, too. Stan goes to the police, but Robert runs off. He’s going to settle this score on his own. Police show up at the cabin only to be gunned down by Marty. The killer couple is gone, and Robert knows he has to disappear, too.
I love when Jade and Renz meet with the Reservation Police. The chief there gave great insight into why the men were hung in the tree. He believes the person responsible was righting a wrong. He’s doing it to show what happens when nature and the rule of law are disrespected. He also believed the killer of the cops is not the same person.
After finding a victim’s car, Jade starts to ponder what really happened. And she’s on the right track. They believe that the mystery man who rescued the snowplow driver was the killer of the hanging men. And that the couple killed the cops as well as the guy from the bar, Kevin. It’s starting to come together. But where are they?
Robert has been tailing the killer couple while the agents and the police department try to piece things together. What I found funny was that Robert was constantly thinking about how stupid the couple was. They weren’t playing it smart, and he knew they’d be caught soon. Robert clearly knew the area well. The couple did not. And when they stopped, he took the opportunity to steal their packs. And when they spent the night in the hotel, Robert’s plan to get the police involved worked. He also had a chance to take and kill Diana. Marty was next. He finds him and kills him, too.
It’s interesting that while Robert is talking to himself, he mentions that his Dad would be proud that he’s continuing what he started. This comes back up later.
The FBI team has the pieces in place. They know which murders belong to Robert and which belong to Marty and Diana. Now, all they need to do is find them. But Robert returned to his own childhood home, though it’s a burnt-out shell of what it once was. And the best part? Robert is the Reservation Chief’s son. I did not see that coming. The Chief made Robert clean up after the people who visited the national forest. Robert resented that and started fights with people. They found out where they lived and tried to burn their house down, killing his mom and grandparents. He kills to continue that tradition of righting the wrongs.
The agents find Robert, but he fights back and they’re forced to shoot him. It seems the wrongs are still being righted since Robert broke the laws of men.