Salty Like Blood by Harry Kraus

Reviewed by Deena Peterson

"...Dr. Kraus' best work to date..."

If you want a good novel about law, you want a lawyer to write it. If you want a good novel about crime, you want a detective to be the author. For a good medical thriller, you'd want a doctor...

...but if you want a great mystery with twist and turns that keep your head spinning, and an ending that literally begs for a sequel, you want Harry Kraus, M.D.

"Salty Like Blood" is Dr. Kraus' best work to date, and I've read them all! It was not what I expected, and I'm pleased that it wasn't. The surface story is simple and all too common...

...a seven year old girl goes missing, and her father believes foul play is involved. You watch to see what lengths he's willing to go in order to discover the truth about her disappearance, and just how far he'll stretch the bonds of his marriage before they snap.

Or before he does.

But the underlying story is about obsession. The power of it, the danger of it, and what an obsession can ultimately lead to. Every character, with the exception of the daughter, has an obsession that drives him or her.

For Dr. David Connors, it's finding his daughter or the truth about her disappearance. For Joanne Connors, it's convincing her husband of the truth as she sees it...or tells it. For Blake, it's Joanne.

What about the others in the story? You'll have to read "Salty Like Blood" to see. Be warned: Dr. Kraus loves to keep you guessing! Which is why I love his novels so much.

On an even deeper level, it's a story of forgiveness. Forgiveness for those who've done us wrong, for those we've done wrong...and forgiveness for us. Ultimately, Dr. David Connors obsession becomes about forgiveness--or does it??

As I said with Dr. Kraus' novels...you just never know :-)

My one issue with the book is the changing point of view. I'll give you a head's up on this; whenever you're reading 'I went' or 'I did'--that's David Connors, the dad. I found that a bit confusing, but ultimately it worked.

So, I'm rating "Salty Like Blood" four out of five bookmarks with a bonus tassel and a bottle of corn oil as a charm.

Deena Peterson is the mom of 8, with an active two-year-old grandson! She's also a pastor's wife, worship leader, Bible study leader, and homeschool mom. She stays so busy she meets herself coming and going! Visit her at her blog A Peek At My Bookshelf.