The Weight of Blood

A fantastic novel rich in character and atmosphere. This is one you won't want to miss.

Karin Slaughter

I was bewitched by the enchanting Ozark landscape and the haunting murder mystery at the heart of McHugh's masterful debut. The Weight of Blood is the kind of novel that leaves the reader wanting more. I can't wait to read what's next from this gifted new writer.

Amy Greene, author of Bloodroot

An elegant time-bomb of a novel, a coming-of-age story that holds you captive from the first sentence as McHugh skillfully tips the scales back and forth in this mesmeric mystery where two generations of women struggle to find a balance between loyalty to family and self preservation, with dire consequences. A thrilling debut!

Tracy Guzeman, author of The Gravity of Birds

an excellent story, told with well-fleshed, warmblooded characters that give colour and authenticity to the Ozark backdrop. It was a compelling read ... Marvellous. There is lip-licking anticipation for more from this first time author.

Mean Streets

The Weight of Blood is a tense, taut novel and a truly remarkable debut ... The Weight of Blood rewards its readers with a suspenseful thrill ride that satisfies in all the right ways.

Book Page

This is an outstanding first novel, replete with suspense, crisp dialogue, and vivid Ozarks color and atmosphere.

Publishers Weekly

The prose is strong, with evocative paint strokes in all the right places. McHugh is an artful, efficient writer who tells her story in vicious blows ... McHugh has crafted a sharp, haunting tale of blood in the Ozarks, as substantial as it is pleasurable to read.

Los Angeles Times

...it’s superb. Sentence after sentence reads like a gem. The dialogue is masterful. The characters are believable. The plotting is gripping ... The Weight of Blood constitutes first-rate literature

Kansas City Star

Very accomplished technically, and a scary psychological study of an introverted rural community

Independent

The Weight of Blood is an outstanding debut

Sunday Times

One of the best thrillers of the summer and one of the best books of the year… Beautifully written and cleverly plotted with memorable, deftly drawn character, The Weight of Blood is an unmissable debut.

Sunday Express

excellent debut

The Times

There's a haunting, hypnotic, quality to this book that gives a splendid tautness as the secrets of a suspicious and inward-looking community isolated in a magnificent but dangerous – even deadly – landscape are uncovered. An accomplished debut.

Guardian

It is a long time since I have read a debut as impressive as Laura McHugh's The Weight of Blood. It is a chilling portrait of a small town in the Ozarks where violent men are protected and young women vanish.

Joan Smith, The Sunday Times

One of my favourite reads of last year, this is a well-written cleverly plotted and chilling story

Daily Express