Cold Blood (A Marriage of Blood and Teeth, #1) (2025)

Gee

407 reviews45 followers

"Cold Blood", Andrew James King's debut novel, revisits Victorian England with a dark, supernatural twist. When a trail of bodies starts littering the streets of London, the police department knows they can't leave a single paving stone unturned in their search for the serial killer. What they aren't counting on, though, is the possibility that one of them may know more than he's letting on.

Although CB is mister King's first release, it definitely reads like a penny dreadful as good as any classic. The supernatural twists and turns add to the thrilling race to catch the murderer, and the main character's double morale takes the cliché detective noir figures, and gives them a really interesting twist. Highly recommended for anyone in search of a thrilling read!

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Misty Knoxwall

3 reviews

It was a pleasure being a beta reader for this book. Cold Blood is unique not only in its premise but in the way the story unfolds. It's filled to the brim with all kinds of twists and turns that keep you wanting more. The characters are complex, especially when it comes to Arthur and Mary in particular —and I enjoyed their interactions the most. I felt like I was actually there alongside Arthur and the rest of the characters in the streets of Victorian London, and he captures the atmosphere of the setting in a way of that makes the world of the story feel lived in and real.

All in all, Cold Blood is a twisted tale for sure, but that's what makes it so fun to read. It's an unpredictable, morbidly entertaining ride that'll leave an impact long after you've read it.See AlsoCold Blood (Detective Erika Foster, #5)In Cold Blood (Beatrix Rose, #1)Cold Blood (Dirty Blood, #2)Cold Blood (Lorraine Page, #2)

Becky

64 reviews6 followers

4 ⭐ - 8/10

A thriller set in Victorian London? definitely my cup of tea

From the first chapter the author did an amazing job at hooking you right into the story that I immediately immersed myself into the plot wanting to know more. The thriller atmosphere was set up very nicely, though I did feel like it lacked world building, as a big fan of the Victorian Era, I didn't get the full Aura of Victorian London that I was expecting but it was still there which was nice. As for the characters, I loved the fact that they weren't completely good people, they had their dark sides, some of their morals out of wack which made them more human, but I do wish we had gotten more information/backstory from them because I felt like I didn't really know who they were, except for Mary Edwards and Arthur Edwards who´s point of view we follow throughout the story. BUT even though I knew very little about certain characters I did get attached to a few, and they were badass. so I´d say this is more of a plot driven book than it is character driven.

That said, I did really enjoy reading this book, such a page turner with All those twist🙌🏼 and that endiiing which I'm very satisfied with, It left me feeling many emotions. I had such a fun time annotating it too, some of the dialog was👌🏼 also I may have a tiny crush on Arthur, Idk blame the way my brain imagined him. Id also like to mention that the Authors way of storytelling was just so easy to consume I had trouble putting the book down, If I hadn't started reading it so late at night I would've most likely finished it in one sitting. and I would probably reread this too because I kinda miss it already. So, If you enjoy a nice thriller with twist and turns, some supernatural elements, and morally grey characters, I very much recommend.

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Morgan

5 reviews

The second I opened this book, I was practically hooked. The mysterious cloud of murder overtaking their city was full of twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. A couple of spelling errors, but it’s nothing to deter a reader from finishing! The plot was heavy and intriguing which made me never want to put it down.

I have a tie between Wilfred and Mary as my favourite characters. They’re so dynamically different but in the best ways. I love them both so much!

There was one chapter where the whole time I couldn’t figure out if it was present time or a dream. A little confusing but it’s okay!

Such a good ending, though! Makes me want some form of prequel to learn more about Mary’s past. I can’t wait to read another one of King’s books!

Julia Vellucci

Author14 books62 followers

This book did not disappoint!!! It leaves you on the edge of your seat, aching for more as every chapter unfolds and has a similar writing style to some of my favoyrite mystery authors. I expect this book to win many awards in the near future as the author has much talent with words, emotion and description. I highly recommend this title and wish the author well on all future endeavors:)

Heidi S

139 reviews1 follower

This book is absolutely astronomical. Not for a second does this story lose pace, although you do have to keep a close eye on if you are reading the present, past, or a dream. Cold Blood has so much more to offer than the Victorian Era and police, there are mysteries and family crimes alongside characters with personalities that you're never sure if you should agree or disagree with. You must read Cold Blood before you try and rate it.

The story starts off with Arthur and his partner in the detective service hovering over a dead body. Although you may question his actions, you are told subtilty a little bit about the entire book that is ahead of you. And from that very first chapter, the pace and action never ceases to continue to make you question your loyalties towards the characters. With exciting twists around so many corners, this book would be an easy one to soak up in one sitting.

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Myria Candies

Author7 books49 followers

I had the privilege of working on this novel as a copy-editor and I have to say it did not disappoint. I was enthralled as I was dragged into the Victorian era once more and thrilled to find that the story was different.Though it starts off as a classic detective novel, there are layers to the story. Ones that personally I found to be horrific and interesting. The constant push and pull between the protagonist and his significant other were entertaining because you were not quite sure what was going to happen at all. Predictability is a huge thing for me and I found this to not be predictable. Each twist to come from 'Cold Blood' was fresh.

Victoria Emslie

Author9 books16 followers

A very easy-to-read book, which is a plus. Interesting take on the classic murder mystery story, with some added elements in there. A few typos here and there, but I can overlook that because the story was interesting.