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

I am a fan of Gillian Flynn and now a fan of Laura

I know I'm not right in the head sometimes because I really enjoy the dark twisty stuff in this novel and the mystery that unfolds. I like the back and forth story telling that eventually comes together. I am a big fan of Gillian Flynns and though this novel isn't as dark as Dark Places or Sharp Objects - It is definitely a good story.

J

Intriguing

This story is fascinating and suspenseful, and I enjoyed it, but the end left me feeling a little unsatisfied. The plot resolves about 3/4 of the way through, but it takes a while to realize, "Oh, that's it then." The last quarter feels like another major revelation should occur - instead, things simply wind down and the book ends.

This is still a good read, with well-drawn characters, a compelling plot, and lovely writing. Happy I took a chance on this.

A page turning mystery...

A good story with deeply embedded characters. The narrators (all of them) did a beautiful job of personalizing each character and the transition from one character to the next was perfectly timed. The story flowed quickly without getting bogged down and the writing style was easy to listen to. The only down side...the ending was a little abrupt. I wanted more flourish!

A wonderful storyteller!

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the Authors ability to tell a story. Her descriptions made me feel as though I were present to witness the story unfold. I found myself a bit frustrated every time someone didn't say something about what they saw or what they knew... but that was kind of the point!

Good story

Very interesting mystery of a family told from a mother daughter perspective . I listened to it all in 1 day

Same secrets are not to be discover

What made the experience of listening to The Weight of Blood the most enjoyable?

Lucy's pursue of the truth.

What did you like best about this story?

the way the characters are interralated

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

N/A

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

If I tell i would spoil the moment to others.

Any additional comments?

Great book!

Great Narration/Good Story

A nice departure from the usual murder mysteries. Interesting characters and well executed narration /storytelling.

Slow - boring - but I stuck to the end

The isolation of Henbane in the Ozarks, the helplessness of the characters, and the evil that leaked there could have been so much more but instead the story line was SLOW to the point of boring. I stuck to the end with high hopes but I would not recommend your wasting your time.

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.