Blessed Are Those Who Weep by Kristi Belcamino Published by Witness Impulse on April 7, 2015
Genres: Crime, Fiction/Mystery & Detective/Woman Sleuth
Format: eARC
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San Francisco Bay Area reporter Gabriella Giovanni stumbles onto a horrific crime scene with only one survivor--a baby girl found crawling between the dead bodies of her family members. Reeling from the slaughter, Gabriella clings to the infant. When Social Services pries the little girl from her arms, the enormity of the tragedy hits home. Diving deep into a case that brings her buried past to the forefront, Gabriella is determined to hunt down the killer who left this helpless baby an orphan.
But one by one the clues all lead to a dead end, and Gabriella's obsession with finding justice pulls her into a dark, tortuous spiral that is set to destroy everything she loves
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At first I think she is a doll. Sitting there so still on the floor in her pink dress, chubby legs sticking out from her diaper, big black eyes unblinking, staring at something I can’t see. A ribbon hangs loose in her hair. Something that looks like chocolate is smeared around her mouth and one cheek.
. . .
“Are you in there, Mrs. Martin? It’s Gabriella Giovanni from the Bay Herald. We spoke yesterday.” Silence. As if my voice has flicked a switch, the child moves and talks, babbling. “Mamamama. Maaamamama.” She picks something up. Something floppy and pale and long. Something with short red fingernails. An arm.
With those jump-out-of-your-skin opening paragraphs, author Kristi Belcamino invites us into the world of investigative reporter Gabriella Giovanni. Gabriella is a beautiful woman whose world is not a pretty one. She is a complex character with a past that not only haunts her, but defines much of her present life. I think if I had to choose a single word to describe her character, it would be obsessed. She’s obsessed with finding her sister’s killer, obsessed with becoming pregnant, obsessed with preventing the baby she finds at a murder scene from being returned to her only living parent. Despite the fact that Gabriella has a job she loves and a fiancée who loves her, she seems unable to overcome the obsessive behavior threatening her career, her health and her relationship with Detective Sean Donovan, a man so attractive his image graces the cover of the Sexiest Bay Area Cops calendar.
The first two books in the series are Blessed Are the Dead and Blessed Are the Meek. This third book, Blessed Are Those Who Weep, is a flawlessly written, fast paced book with a plot that is a perfect vehicle for Gabriella’s personality. Readers will find themselves needing to put the book down and walk away occasionally just to catch a break from her intensity. This book will definitely be a treat for those who love detailed murder investigations and intricate plot twists. Even though Gabriella thinks she has the killer nailed from the beginning, I was never sure she had it figured out and kept expecting a surprise perpetrator to pop out of the shadows, but . . . no spoilers! Secrets are revealed . . . even ones with international implications, bodies keep turning up everywhere, and Gabriella proves again and again that she will go to any lengths in pursuit of her obsessions. Blessed Are Those Who Weep is one of those books in which more questions are asked than you, the reader, think the author can ever answer, but with her keen attention to detail, Ms. Belcomino ties up every loose end in a very satisfying manner. The ending will be quite a revelation because you reach a point where you think there can be no good outcome for the characters in this book. Believe me, it will make the fact that you clung to edge of your seat from the opening paragraphs to the very last words worthwhile!
Critical Praise for Ms. Belcamino
“Tense, disturbing and smart….Belcamino is a writer to watch.” — Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls
“Truly first- rate.” — Bruce DeSilva
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