Oh my, what a great read! I finished Blood in the Bayou by C. M. Sutter in a matter of days. It held my attention every step of the way. It read much like a CSI or Criminal Minds episode and I loved it!
We start with Jade Monroe, an FBI agent who’s starting a new position with the Serial Crimes Unit. She and her new partner don’t get much time for introductions, though. They’re headed off to Houma, LA to track down a ruthless killer who kills and possibly eats his victims.
What’s cool about it is that we learn right away who the killer is – Robby Williams. It’s told from both Jade’s and Robby’s perspectives, making it a unique read. It’s not a who-done-it. Instead, it’s a can-they-figure-it-out type of book.
And to make it even more interesting, Robby, as Jade and her partner Lorenzo know him as Bob, inserts himself into the investigation. He’s a hunter and a tracker and knows the swamps like the back of his hand. It’s also a great way to stay ahead of them by learning what they know. Plus, he just kills anyone who gets in his way, like the two hunters who found his dumping grounds.
Lorenzo, though, learns too late who he really is. Robby takes Jade and ties her to a tree. She’ll soon be his next victim. But he didn’t count on Sally, the girl who escaped him just the night before. She helped Jade get free. Then saved her once again by clobbering him with a hammer. Robby ended up in the swamp, devoured by alligators.
Jade and Sally walk free but not unscathed. They’re both battered and bruised. But they’re alive!
They fly back home, and Lorenzo finally gets a chance to ask about Jade’s family, all of whom are in law enforcement of some sort. I have a feeling we’ll all be learning a lot more about all of them since this is book 1 in a 13-book series called FBI Agent Jade Monroe Live or Die Series.
I was originally thinking that starting a series like this might not be a good idea. I have so many other books I want to read. But after reading this, I’m ready for another. Or maybe I’ll split them up with other books. But still, I’ll for sure be continuing one way or another.