Bad Blood: the biggest debut of 2025 - an explosive psychological crime thriller with a triple twist

(Paperback)

Available Formats

---

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A double murder. A toxic past. A family secret.

There's no law against keeping secrets...

My name is Justine Stone.

I left home twelve years ago, never to return.

Now my ex-boyfriend, Jake, has been accused of a double murder in the town where we grew up. It's my job as a barrister to make the case against him.

But to face the courts, I need to know the truth. The real truth about what happened when we were young - not just the story I'll spin the jury.

To reach the heart of it, I must face up to the part my own family played.

Even if it means risking my life.

Reviews

Incredibly gripping. A triumph * Claire Douglas, #1 bestselling author of THE COUPLE AT NO 9 *
A page-turner in every sense of the word, BAD BLOOD is a masterclass in pacing * Anstey Harris, author of WHEN I FIRST HELD YOU *
BAD BLOOD is a twisty, gripping, fresh take on a legal thriller, deftly weaving an intricate plot that keeps you guessing. Criminally good! * Amy McCulloch, author of BREATHLESS *
I thoroughly enjoyed it, a satisfyingly complex twisty and twisted thriller that takes you in all manner of unexpected directions. Sarah draws her characters with great skill and a knack for pacing that would put many a seasoned writer to shame, let alone a debut . . . A plot that delights in defying expectations at every turn * James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series *
BAD BLOOD is a tangled, twisty, thrill-ride of a bookwith a protagonist you won't forget and layers upon layers of secrets and lies. A super-dark thriller that keeps you guessing and gasping until the very last page * Cressida McLaughlin *
A beautifully-written, atmospheric thrillerwith a killer twist - I loved it. Can't wait to see what Sarah writes next" * Catherine Cooper, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE CHALET *
I was immersed in this tale of a small town where everyone has secrets and nothing is quite what it seems. Sarah Hornsley takes us on a well crafted journey full on tension and twists. Claustrophobic and unsettling in the best way- BAD BLOOD is sure to be the thriller of 2025 * Roxie Cooper, author of THE DAY WE MET *
Excellent debut psychological / legal thriller. Flawless structure. Taut intelligent, and shockingly gripping. Loved the mentions of Kintsugi, the epistolary flourishes and the descriptions of barrister life. BRILLIANT * Will Dean, author of THE CHAMBER *
'Once I started, I couldn't stop reading this tautly paced tale of family secrets and betrayal. BAD BLOOD is a perfectly titled page-turner; suspenseful, addictive, twisty, and yes, it delivers that sucker-punch ending too! I LOVED it * Fionnuala Kearney, author of THE BOOK OF LOVE *
A first-rate psychological thriller! * Guy Morpuss, author of FIVE MINDS *
BAD BLOOD is an intricate, clever thriller that delves beautifully into family dynamics and small-town politics. I loved it * Jennie Godfrey, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS *

Author Bio

Sarah Hornsley started her career in publishing in 2012 at Orion Books, followed by a short stint in script development before becoming a literary agent in 2015, joining PFD in 2021. She was selected for The Bookseller Rising Star list in 2019. She lives in Essex with her family, and writes alongside working as an agent. Bad Blood is her first novel. Rights have sold in multiple territories and it has been optioned for television.