Book Review: Blood of My Brother by James LePore

Book Description:  When Jay Cassio's best friend is murdered in a job clearly done by professionals, the walls that he has built to protect himself from the world of others begin to shatter. Dan Del Colliano had been his confidante and protector since the men were children on the savage streets of Newark, New Jersey. When Dan supports and revives Jay after Jay's parents die in a plane crash, their bond deepens to something beyond brotherhood, beyond blood. Now Jay, a successful lawyer, must find out why Dan died and find a way to seek justice for his murder. Isabel Perez has lived a life both tainted and charmed since she was a teenager in Mexico. She holds powerful sway over men and has even more powerful alliances with people no one should ever try to cross. She desperately wants her freedom from the chains these people have placed on her. When Jay catapults into her world, their connection is electric, their alliance is lethal, and their future is anything but certain. Once again, James LePore has given us a novel of passions, intense moral complexities, and irresistible thrills. Filled with characters you will embrace and characters you will fear, Blood of My Brother is a story about a quest for revenge and redemption you won't soon forget.


Pick up James LePore's Blood of My Brother and you will find a book that has unstoppable action,  twists and turns and plenty of suspense.  Fans of Robert Ludlum will enjoy this lighter option. 

Mr. LePore makes liberal use of flashbacks throughout Blood of My Brother and to great benefit.  The flashbacks give us insight into attorney Jay Cassio, private investigator Dan Del Colliano and the mysterious Isabel Perez and how all three tie together.  I felt the flashbacks were the strongest part of the book, along with the action-packed portion of the story that took place in Mexico.

Mr. LePore proves to be a fluid storyteller as well as a master of vivid descriptions.  Reading Blood of My Brother I could hear the Newark neighborhood kids playing ball, feel the humidity of Miami and Mexico, as well as the melodic music and accents.  It's easy to visualize the stories of Jay, Dan and Isabel as a movie, so well developed are both their characterizations as well as the overall storyline.  There were a few places in the book where I felt the storyline may have been a bit slow paced but the action quickly picked up and made up for any drags I perceived. 

Readers of taut action will thrill over Blood of My Brother's chase sequences and rundowns with a Mexican drug cartel, while those readers who enjoy suspense stories with a bit of mystery will find no complaints.  Blood of My Brother whet my appetite for action, excitement and international intrigue and I was left satiated upon the book's conclusion. 

I would recommend Blood of My Brother to any reader looking for a solid story with action, intrigue and mystery.  You won't be disappointed. 

Blood of My Brother is available for preorder now at major booksellers, including Amazon.  It will be released on December 28, 2010.  I am an Amazon affiliate. If you make a purchase through my link, I will receive a small commission.

For more information on author James LePore, please visit his website.

Review copy of this book provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. In no way did the provision of the book affect the outcome of my review.