King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: Blood of My Brother

author: James LePore


genre: crime thriller

pages: 313

published: 2010

first line: In July of 1967, Jay Cassio, who would be turning five in September, started a prekindergarten program at St. Lucy's School on Sheffield Street in Newark, New Jersey's oldest, largest, and about to be most turbulent city.

source: ARC from author

rated: 3 out of 5 stars

When Jay Cassio’s best friend Dan is murdered in a job clearly done by professionals, the walls that he has built to protect himself from the world of others begin to shatter. Now Jay, a successful lawyer, must find out why Dan died and find a way to seek justice for his murder. Isabel Perez has lived a life both tainted and charmed since she was a teenager in Mexico. She holds powerful sway over men and has even more powerful alliances with people no one should ever try to cross. When Jay catapults into her world, their connection is electric, their alliance is lethal, and their future is anything but certain.

I was very happy when author James LePore contacted me about reading his latest book, Blood of My Brother. I was introduced to his work when I read and very much enjoyed his first novel in 2009, A World I Never Made.






Jay Cassio and Dan Del Colliano grew up together in the mean streets of Newark New Jersey. The two boys were best friends. Jay grew up to be a lawyer, while Danny who was more of a 'bad boy' grew up to become a private eye. Danny however has debts and owes money to a local shark.

Jay's female client turns up dead and her husband is the prime suspect. The husband however, soon turns up dead himself. While Jay is trying to put together pieces of the puzzle, Danny's body is found brutally murdered in Miami.




Isabel Perez is a beautiful woman who has lived the hard knock life. As an orphan living in a nunnery in Mexico, she was adopted by a man who called himself Senor Hermano and who sold her into prostitution at a young age.
Isabel lived this life for many years, not knowing anything else.

Isabel last 'assignment' involved Danny. The people she is working for know she knows too much and plan to kill her off after this final mission.




On the quest to find Danny's killers, Jay tracks down Isabel. After getting to know the truth about her, he slowly begins to fall for this dark beauty. When she meets Jay, Isabel develops genuine feelings for him also. Soon enough, the two work together. Isabel wants to free herself from Hermano's clutches once and for all. Jay wants to avenge Danny's murder.




Blood of My Brother is a suspenseful read and I did enjoy it. There is passion and drama within these pages, and I enjoyed reading about Isabel and Jay as their relationship develops. Being a sucker for romance, that was my favorite aspect to this story, this crazy, on-the-run, dangerous love affair.

Books with a plot twist that can truly shock me are few and far between. There is a shocking revelation in this book that had me saying 'no way!' Secrets are revealed, truths come to light and the plot takes twists and turns as the suspense builds.



I also got a kick out of the setting during the first part of the story. It takes place in my hometown of New Jersey and as I read I would tell my husband about the different familiar locations within the story.
I'd say things like 'Hun, the Newark cops just found a head in the Passaic River.' And he'd say something along the lines of 'That's cool honey.'




I do want to mention that there are flashbacks throughout the book, the story goes from past to present and vice-versa. I know some readers would want to know that. Personally, I don't mind flashbacks and they didn't deter me from enjoying the book nor did I find them confusing.



I do recommend Blood of My Brother to those who enjoy a good crime thriller with plenty of suspense and plot twists. The book was unputdownable toward the end.

Love does not come alone. It brings a host of other feelings with it, feelings that long neglected, assert themselves with a startlingly persistent energy: demons, it might be said, who will have their day in the sun. Perhaps it is to confront these demons that we fall in love in the first place. Perhaps facing them squarely is the price we pay for love.

p.232

Special thanks to James LePore and Lou Aronica.