Laird Barron, Blood Standard review

Reviewed by Paula Limbaugh

If you’re looking for the next great horror story don’t bother reading this. But, if you’re looking for a great crime thriller then this one’s for you. Laird Barron has switched it up a bit with his latest novel. Reading like a pulp fiction paperback Blood Standard (An Isaiah Coleridge Novel) features an anti-hero hitman turned inadvertently good guy.

Isaiah Coleridge of Maori/Caucasian descent has done his fair share of killing while working for the mob but when he witnesses big shot mafioso, Vitale shooting walruses for the hell of it in Alaska something in him snaps. Isaiah crosses the line and lashes out at Vitale sending him to the hospital. Now a marked man Isaiah finds himself holed up on a horse farm outside of New York City.

Here the story gathers momentum. Ruby, the granddaughter of the couple that runs the farm has gone missing. Not one to sit by Isaiah makes it his mission to find the girl while still trying to maintain a low profile.

Mixed up with some petty drug dealing, Ruby’s disappearance may have some involvement with one of the rival gangs that reside in town. Isaiah finds himself peeling back the layers of the local underground while staying one step ahead of his own pursuers. Isaiah may be quick with his witty comebacks and deft with his hands but is it enough to keep him alive?

This is a fast-paced, tightly knit read. Barron has a way with words that brings his story to life. There is so much subterfuge and side stories going on that you are kept at the edge of your seat. You think you finally have things figured out and then BAM, nope, gotta keep on reading!  So, if you’re in the mood for a hard-hitting thriller with plenty of blood and gore thrown in then pre-order your copy of Blood Standard HERE!! I should mention I received an ARC for review purposes.

5/5