Bloodroot

From Strand Bookstore

From the author of 'Fresh Kills' comes another ambitious thriller, filled with secrets and heartbreak. 'Bloodroot' is the story of one man--Kevin Curran--whose plans to unite his family proove to be easier said than done. When his younger brother, Danny, unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep, Kevin is glad to observe that Danny appears to be in much better health after battling a heroin addiction for some three years. But Danny is caught up in an underworld plot involving the Bloodroot Children's Hospital, and soon Kevin finds himself drawn into a world of murder, deceit, and espionage. Bill Loehfelm's 'Bloodroot' is a thrilling, twisted tale of crime, addiction, loyalty, love, and danger.

From the Publisher

Delighted by his younger brother's drug rehabilitation, Kevin Curran reluctantly accepts an offer to participate in an underworld plot revolving around an abandoned juvenile asylum, a task that draws him into a dangerous mafia circle and reveals shattering truths about his family heritage. By the award-winning author of Fresh Kills.

Review

Thomas Gaughan - Booklist
"BLOODROOT deserves to be a breakout bestseller for its talented author....There's plenty of crime, but the book is also an insightful psychological tale of family; loss and love; tragedies, past and imminent; and redemption. Staten Island...becomes a dark, mysterious, and portentous place in Loehfelm's often-elegant prose. All the major characters are strikingly realized and won't be soon forgotten." (starred review)

More about the book

Bill Loehfelm follows up his debut novel FRESH KILLS, winner of the inaugural Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, with this twisted tale of a New York City history teacher who finds himself digging graves due to his serene indulgence of his brother's illicit lifestyle. Kevin Curran has not heard from his brother Danny for three years, and fears that he may have finally succumbed to the violence and addiction which had enslaved him for so long. When Danny miraculously reappears, not only alive, but free from drugs, Kevin is so thrilled that he agrees to help his brother with whatever he needs. Unfortunately, what Danny needs is assistance disposing of some corpses, one of many errands he handles in his new position as a glorified gopher for a local gangster. When Danny calls on Kevin to help him in a much grander endeavor, the demolishment of an abandoned children's hospital named Bloodroot, where Danny was abused as a child, Kevin must decide whether to risk his own life in order to destroy this token of his brother's tortured psyche.