Book Review: Blood Father

Reviewed By: Gina Metz - RAM

Blood Father     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Peter Craig
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
Warner Bros. Publications, 2005, 308 pps.

John Link is a former Hell’s Angel, on parole after serving time for murder. He is trying to put his life together with a sponsor to keep him clean and running a tattoo business. He does not have much of a life, forced to remain away from his former friends and living in a dump of a trailer.

John has a daughter, Lydia, whom he has not seen in years. His visitation was revoked while she was still a small child although they continued to correspond while he was in prison until she ran away from home at fourteen.

Ursula is Lydia’s mother who has drug Lydia through various marriages for money to brutal men. Instead of realizing the situations she put Lydia in were causing the problems, she resorted to drugging the child with antidepressants and sedatives, from a young age to try to keep her calm and pretend everything is normal. She also wants to forget her association with John, the biker who fathered Lydia.

From the time John found out about Lydia’s birth, she became the only light in his bleak life. When his visitation was revoked, his life only became worse. When Lydia ran away at fourteen, John contacts police and missing persons associations from prison in an attempt to locate his daughter as Ursula refuses to as she is possibly afraid of what they might find out.

One day out of the blue, John receives a desperate call from Lydia, strung out on methamphetamines, in deep trouble, and in need of help. John answers her call for help and the two try to forge a new relationship as father and daughter while desperately trying to keep Lydia one step ahead of the dangerous men who are after her.

Although at times this was a very sad and depressing book, it is well worth the read. It vividly portrays the fact that you cannot judge a person’s character by their looks or their place in society. I would highly recommend this book and look forward to other Peter Craig works.

Gina Metz - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Gina Metz - RAM