Here's what Marilyn Todd's Bad Blood has going for it
• a plot that surprises in places
• secondary characters who become perceived differently as new information appears
• an interesting side exploration of the question of whether policing should focus on preventing crime or capturing criminals after a crime has been committed
• strong central characters

Here's where it falls short—
• those strong central characters all have back stories that are so complicated and depressing that they are haunted in ways that paralyze them become irritating over the course of the book
• anachronisms galore
• relatively few moments that make it un-put-downable

If you like historical mysteries and are tolerant of characters whose ethos seems not wholly appropriate for their time and of fairly familiar plot devices you'll find Bad Blood an enjoyable bit of entertainment. If you're looking for historical mysteries that qualify as "literary fiction," Bad Blood won't suit.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. ( )