Summer of Blood by Australian author Dave Warner is a work of fiction in the crime, mystery, and suspense subgenre.
Set in 1967, Sydney detectives John Gordon and Ray Shearer find themselves travelling to San Francisco and Los Angeles in search of a missing minister’s son, Martin Davis. His family and girlfriend had not seen him for days and were in fear of his life.
John and Ray begin their investigation and soon find themselves immersed in American hippie culture and a journey through music festivals. During their search they come across numerous deaths, gathering evidence they wonder if these murders are linked to their case, and will they find Martin dead or alive?
The author has crafted a work that cleverly intertwines crime and 1960 pop culture into the narrative, providing an intriguing and enlightening story. The characters are well-developed, and the dialogue flows seamlessly within the storyline to convey both culture and character whilst also moving the chain of events forward.
Scenes are vividly described, with quirks, and thrilling moments, filled with unexpected twists and turns. Warner’s writing is not only easy to follow but also brimming with a distinctive style that keeps readers engaged and eagerly turning the pages. Fraught with tension, drama, and suspense, delivered with highs and lows of pace to give readers moments of contemplation to piece the case together for themselves.
The characters are quirky and unforgettable, and there is a great deal of dedication to individualism in the dialogue. The author does an excellent job mixing these detective tales with enough twists and noir charm to make them relatable. The dynamic between the two main protagonists is humorous, clever, and fun and effectively draws you into their world.
Rock became such a countercultural movement in the sixties, and I loved how each chapter incorporates a song title and famous musicians’ names were mentioned throughout the book.
The cover has a real retro feel with its intense contrasting colours, pattern, and type. It is not your usual crime book cover, but it is highly effective in making the eye draw attention to the book like a psychedelic sunset.
Summer of Blood is an accomplished piece of work that offers everything the genre should for readers, making it a captivating read for those who enjoy crime fiction.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Summer of Blood by Dave Warner. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Thankyou Beautyandlace and of course Dave Warner for a great read in ‘Summer of Blood’.
The story is set in the late 1960’s, the time of hippies, free love, drugs and all of the 60’s music and bands. There is humour sprinkled throughout as well. Interesting characters of that time are also featured.
Experienced Detective Sergeant John Gordon in Australia finds himself investigating a missing person, actually The Minister of transport’s son. Martin Davis studying at Berkeley University in San Francisco is missing and it appears his girlfriend ‘Spring’ is also missing.
On hearing the news of missing Martin Davis, John Gordon leaves for San Francisco promptly accompanied by Informant Ray Shearer.
They arrive in San Francisco where the Hippie Culture is to the fore, finding help (by being good samaritans) from people who know both Martin and Spring.
It appears that Spring has been concerned about someone from her past trying to contact her, someone she doesn’t want to see. Meanwhile Martin remains missing!
A great story that will take you back to the music and the lifestyle of 1960’s America.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Summer Of Blood by Dave Warner.
I absolutely loved this murder mystery.
Two Aussie detectives from Sydney travel to San Francisco to find a missing man. But end up hunting a serial killer.
I loved the characters in this book, they are all very different.
A story filled with drugs, strangers and twist and turns.
An interesting mystery that will keep you turning those pages quickly!!
Highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love this novel. Thank you so much Beauty for allowing me to review Summer of Blood by Dave Warner.
I liked the characters immediately and the fact that the characters are Australian but the novel is set in America.
I found the book easy to read because I was invested in it.
I loved it and I highly recommend it to others.
I really enjoyed “Summer of Blood” by Dave Warner.
The main characters are the two Australian detectives Ray and John who are looking for Martin Davis, the Transport Minister’s son and his girlfriend Spring in San Francisco in the 1960s.
Rock music is everything at the time and they become involved with different rock stars and hippies while trying to find them.
The outcome is a surprise for all.
What a great story this was. There were so many twists and turns that it certainly kept me on my feet. Each time I thought the mystery was solved I found there was still more work to be done.
The discovery of so many murdered girls and trying to work out how they were all linked and who could have possibly committed the murders was an awesome journey.
I loved all the awesome bands and music festivals that were mentioned. If you are into music then you will smile and nod with each mention of these as the memories flow back. Excellent that included in the book is a link to a playlist so if you dont know the music you can experience it for the first time and if you do know the music you can delight in listening to it all again.
This would make a great stocking filler this Christmas for anyone that loves a mystery.