Book Review: Blood Ties by Peter Taylor-Gooby

Is blood really thicker than water? It is for Ritchie in my latest review.

Goodreads Blurb

Blood Ties by Peter Taylor-Gooby

Blood Ties is about love and conflict, set in the Britain of mounting inequality, populism, Brexit ideology and people-trafficking. Ritchie, a successful advertising executive, is blackmailed into leading a campaign to make modern slavery acceptable to the public. His children, activists in the struggle against people-trafficking, are horrified. The novel tells how he uses all his skills to turn the tables on an ambitious Home Secretary, and finds that it is only through self-sacrifice that he can reunite his family.

Review

Blood Ties deals with the hugely important issue of human trafficking. While the story is set some years in the future and a number of the policies discussed are not actually in place in real life, it is a start reminder of the path the world one day could follow. That’s not to say that everything mentioned around human trafficking is fictional. This something that does happen in western Europe, whether we want to believe it or not, and an issue that should be taken more seriously.

What stood out for me in Blood Ties was how the people on top really don’t want to know about those at the bottom of the rung. Not all people in power, of course, but enough that keeps us away from equality. I also enjoyed the softer topic of fatherhood. Ritchie was prepared to do anything for his children. However, he wasn’t a superhero figure. His flaws were also pretty apparent to the reader, making him a more realistic and likeable character.

While I enjoyed the commentary in Blood Ties on such important issues, I did feel that it jumped into the story too quickly. I would have liked more context in the beginning, and it would have helped me to get more excited about the book. Nevertheless, if you enjoy hard hitting books, Blood Ties is a great choice.

Blood Ties was published on August 28th 2020 by Troubador Publishing.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.