In Sandra Brown’s new novel “Bloodlust,” the action is set in the same Louisiana town as her previous novel with “blood” in the title, “Blood Moon.” And while the main characters from “Blood Moon” appear in this novel, it’s not a sequel. The similarities, though, are hard to ignore. In the new novel, it’s Detective Mitch Haskell who sits stage center, with therapist Dylan Reede taking an important, but secondary, role. The main characters from “Blood Moon” are supporting characters, and it definitely helps to have read “Blood Moon” first, but this is certainly a stand alone novel as well.

The Prologue is chilling, taking us back in time to a scene where Mitch’s wife is killed. She’s alone in their home with her infant son when she sees an intruder. We don’t know the details, and we don’t know why, but we can feel the icy demeanor, the pitiless stare of the killer, whom we are destined to meet again. Mitch has vowed to find his wife’s killer. But at the same time, he has a young son, Andrew, to care for.

One of Sandra Brown’s trademarks is the manner in which she is able to combine violent thrillers with sultry, passionate romance. There are no blushing wallflowers here, but rather strong women who know what they want. But at the same time, her characters all are flawed in some manner; they all have something in their past that has hurt them, caused the suffering. And this novel is no different. Mitch Haskell lost his wife in a horrible way leaving behind their young son with no mother. Equally suffering is Dylan, who lost her husband tragically.

But at the start, Mitch is determined to use Dylan as a tool to get to the killer he is sure murdered his wife. She’s a therapist, and he is being required to get therapy. She is unaware of his machinations, but we see the chemistry between the two is immediate and explosive. Dylan struggles to hold on to her professionalism, but Haskell makes it almost impossible.

This is not a murder mystery. We know who the bad guys are, we just don’t know how Mitch will find the evidence that will lead to the top crime boss, the guy who gives the orders. He knows that Roland Malone, ostensibly “just” a restauranteur, is a hired killer who takes commands from the mysterious elusive Oz. But no one except Malone knows who Oz is.

And those who read “Blood Moon” will appreciate the parallelism in the two stories as Mitch knows, with a gut feeling, who Oz is, but he doesn’t have proof, just as Bowie in the previous novel knew who the killer was even though there was no hard proof of the crimes. The gripping execution, the nonstop action, and the impeccable timing are what we expect from Sandra Brown. The dialogue is pitch perfect as is the action, all leading to the very satisfying ending, in which justice is served and a happy-ever-after is clearly on the horizon.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.