Blood Relations is a 2005 murder mystery novel by Lisa M. Tillman, a veteran television writer and producer. Using her experiences with news organizations such as Fox, Court TV, and The History Channel, Tillman has crafted a plucky reporter heroine whose current investigation must prove that her brother had nothing to do with the heinous murder of which he has been accused. The novel is plot-driven, with many events based on famous actual news stories. Readers praise Tillman’s humor, particularly pointing out her facility for witty dialogue. The novel was nominated for the Agatha Award, given to authors who write in the “cozy mystery” subgenre. Abigail Gardner, known as Abby, has worked her way up to being one of the top reporters for "The Journal," a tabloid TV show that produces segments on everything, from medical manufacturing malpractice to babes in bikinis. Abby is ambitious, always chasing the next big story to break, as she travels around the country, leading an exciting and rootless life. She also squabbles with her often-obtuse bosses and wacky rival reporters. However, when she least expects it, her life is thrown into turmoil when her father, an aging man who is known even to his children as “the Doctor,” suffers a stroke. Ever since Abby’s mother’s death in a horrible car accident, she and her older brother, Bennett, were raised by the cold and withdrawn Doctor, whose main emotional connection was with a dog rather than his children. Bennett, never fully recovered from having been in the car when his mother died, has grown up into a feckless man-child. While the Doctor is in the hospital, partially paralyzed and singing show tunes because of his pain medication, Abby does her best to spend time with him. One day, Bennett shows up with his girlfriend of a few months—Emily Boyle, the black sheep of the beloved American political dynasty, the Boyle family. The Boyles are loosely based on the real-life Kennedy clan; similarly, their status in the nation’s consciousness partly has to do with the mythos that they are destined for greatness but haunted by tragedy. Emily has always been an embarrassment to the rest of the Boyles because she is seen as unstable and unpredictable. The Doctor appears to be on the mend, although his stroke seems to have unmoored his locked away emotions, and for the first time in his life, he treats his children with something approaching affection. Shortly after their visit, Emily is found murdered—apparently beaten to death in Bennett’s bed. When he returns home and finds her body, Bennett is arrested for the murder. Abby is convinced that her brother, ne’er-do-well or no, had nothing to do with this horrible crime. She wants to do everything in her power to exonerate him, but the tabloid press quickly descends on her and her family. As a result, Abby’s editor forbids her to investigate the murder in any way. Suddenly, Abby understands what it is like to be in the public eye—a tabloid newspaper gets embarrassing pictures of the Doctor in the hospital, so Abby takes a leave of absence from her job in order to care for him at home. Luckily, she can also afford nurses and round-the-clock security. Because she can only help from the sidelines, Abby tries to assemble a team to help Bennett. Most important is Sam Smileowitz, a mob attorney who knows how to get the bottom of convoluted organizations. Together, they figure out that along with famously public tragedies, the Boyle family is hiding some shocking skeletons in their closets—including a deadly secret that they have spent decades trying to hide. Sam convinces Abby to investigation the Boyles, going against her former boss. After combing through clues, including strange testimony from Emily’s best friend, and the reappearance of a man claiming to be Emily’s fiancé who gives a TV interview that reveals unflattering secrets about her. Even Emily’s own brother Thomas, who has political aspirations that would be tanked by the truth, makes a series of comments designed to cast an unfavorable light on his dead sister. Eventually, with the help of her father, Abby uncovers the truth. In the process, the Gardners sort through their feelings about each other, growing closer. In the end, the Boyles’ secrets are exposed, their unjustly earned legacy is tarnished forever, Emily’s death is avenged, and Bennett is cleared of all wrongdoing.

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Lisa M. Tillman

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