The Weight of Blood

A Novel

By: Laura McHugh

Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue, Shannon McManus, Sofia Willingham

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Scott Smith, and Daniel Woodrell comes a gripping, suspenseful novel about two mysterious disappearances a generation apart.

INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS AWARD WINNER AND BARRY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPAGE

The town of Henbane sits deep in the Ozark Mountains. Folks there still whisper about Lucy Dane’s mother, a bewitching stranger who appeared long enough to marry Carl Dane and then vanished when Lucy was just a child. Now on the brink of adulthood, Lucy experiences another loss when her friend Cheri disappears and is then found murdered, her body placed on display for all to see. Lucy’s family has deep roots in the Ozarks, part of a community that is fiercely protective of its own. Yet despite her close ties to the land, and despite her family’s influence, Lucy—darkly beautiful as her mother was—is always thought of by those around her as her mother’s daughter. When Cheri disappears, Lucy is haunted by the two lost girls—the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn’t save—and sets out with the help of a local boy, Daniel, to uncover the mystery behind Cheri’s death.

What Lucy discovers is a secret that pervades the secluded Missouri hills, and beyond that horrific revelation is a more personal one concerning what happened to her mother more than a decade earlier.

The Weight of Blood is an urgent look at the dark side of a bucolic landscape beyond the arm of the law, where a person can easily disappear without a trace. Laura McHugh proves herself a masterly storyteller who has created a harsh and tangled terrain as alive and unforgettable as the characters who inhabit it. Her mesmerizing debut is a compelling exploration of the meaning of family: the sacrifices we make, the secrets we keep, and the lengths to which we will go to protect the ones we love.

©2014 Laura McHugh (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[An] expertly crafted thriller.”—Entertainment Weekly, “The Must List”

“With her riveting debut, The Weight of Blood, Laura McHugh makes a strong bid at cementing a new tradition of regional crime fiction while keeping tourism low in the Ozarks. . . . [A] powerful sense of place is the anchor of The Weight of Blood. The well-drawn townspeople and oppressive, dread-soaked atmosphere sprout from the soil of Henbane. . . . The prose is strong, with evocative paint strokes in all the right places. McHugh is an artful, efficient writer who tells her story in vicious blows. . . . McHugh has crafted a sharp, haunting tale of blood in the Ozarks, as substantial as it is pleasurable to read.”—Los Angeles Times

“Laura McHugh’s atmospheric debut, The Weight of Blood . . . conjures a menacingly beautiful Ozark setting and a nest of poisonous family secrets reminiscent of Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone.”—Vogue

Uncle Creep's Mountain Girls

Ms. McHugh has written an excellent first novel, a story told from the perspective of multiple narrators, but primarily by a mother and a daughter, with related story lines 17 years apart in time. The novel has one of the most despicable villains in all of recent literature.

The eponymous quote:
"You grow up feeling the weight of blood, of family. There's no forsaking kin but you can't help when kin forsakes you or when strangers come to be family."
*****

Using a suspicious mountain town with an incredibly seedy underside as her backdrop, I believe Ms. McHugh accomplished exactly and outstandingly what she intended. Blood versus Heart. Two female protagonists related to ambiguous, weak-spined male thread to villain (one by blood, one by marriage), playing with the variations in between, including the exploitation of young females.

The main characters are pretty well developed, but the story and the structure win the day here.

I'd say 4.5 stars, but I'll give it 5 because I didn't want to stop listening before I finished and I was sorry that it ended.

The narrators were all top notch.

Just WOW.......

I tried to come up with an eyecatching headline but this book has so much it wouldn't fit. First the story, intense and thrilling, it gave me palpitations. Second, the writing, beautiful, descriptive and melodic, I can picture every tree, clapboard on the old houses, gardens and dark areas that I won't give away. Lastly, the narration, primarily told by mother and daughter, I didn't realize this until midway through part one. I already love Sofia Willingham and the others did a great job too. This is the first book in a long time I wanted to relisten to immediately upon finishing it. I highly recommend.

The Narrator Makes the Story

If you could sum up The Weight of Blood in three words, what would they be?

Believable, Predictable, Interesting

Any additional comments?

This book is worth reading but beware the subject matter is very distasteful. The ending was disappointing given the build-up however, the narration was so top-notch and perfectly suited to all the characters that any short-comings were easily overlooked.

Great Horrible Story

Would you listen to The Weight of Blood again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this book again because you always find things you missed first time around.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lucy would probably be my favorite because she exists in the here & now. Lilah would be my second, because the story of her life was such a sad tragedy.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Although I wasn't familiar with these narrators, they did not disappoint.

Any additional comments?

As a Missouri resident, I could relate 100% to this story. It is totally believable!

Good story but not my type of book

The use of "local language" set the tone of the Ozark area I suppose, however it got old.
The story certainly made you evaluate your life and family. How far would you go?

Different Type of Mystery

Would you listen to The Weight of Blood again? Why?

I would listen to it again. Interesting story told by each character. Every word is interesting and worth listening to.

What other book might you compare The Weight of Blood to and why?

It's a little like Gone Girl but mostly because it takes place in rural Missouri.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Intriguing family history and secrets that could be deadly.

Loved it!

Any additional comments?

A wonderfully written story about the dark side of small town life. The author uses multiple points of view to great effect; unfolding a tale that is both horrifying and mesmerizing. The desperation of poverty looms large, but there is kindness as well, and fierce loyalty to family and friends. I loved the narrators' voices, which felt authentic and just right to me. Wonderful story, narration and characters. Highly entertaining. A win on all levels.

Not too bad but you have to pay attention.

This is a good but not great book. There are two major characters and two plot lines so it gets confusing if you do not pay attention. The book jumps back and forth between the two just about every chapter so you have to figure out where you are in time. Since there is one narrator and she does not change her voice that much between the two women characters (mother and daughter) you find yourself trying to figure out what story line you are listening to. They are related but not the same. Most of the other characters are in both so it can be even more confusing. This might be better a better kindle than audible book for that reason.

Poor Man's "Winters Bone"

Based on the reviews I thought this would be good. It's average at best. I don't see the hype about Ozarks as this could have been anywhere. Performance was so-so. I wouldn't recommend unless this was drastically on sale.

Fresh, real, and hopefully just the beginning

Would you consider the audio edition of The Weight of Blood to be better than the print version?

NA

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, excellent format for telling a story which spans several years

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

3 different narrator's all excellent

Any additional comments?

This is Laura McHugh's first novel and I for one will be watching for the next. I have listened to Gardner, Slaughter and Hoag and enjoyed them all, but Ms. McHugh brings a fresh new way to tell a story. Her portrayal of a small town in Missouri was very realistic and the characters more real than I am sure most readers would appreciate. You would have had to be raised in a similar setting to understand the simplicity and complexities of the characters and I hope readers understand just how different this setting is compared to the more familiar ones of the other authors. I certainly hope this is the type of novel Ms. McHugh continues to write as I for one will read every single one. One P.S….Narrator, Shannon McManus has a voice which pulls you into a book, I will be looking for her books regardless of the author!