Bloodlines~ The Gauntlet Runner Book IV ~ S. Thomas Bailey

• File Size: 1809 KB
• Print Length: 404 pages
• Publisher: FriesenPress; 1 edition (September 11, 2014)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00NI96KZO

Purchase a copy of Blood Lines here.

It is late autumn 1756, Jacob Murray and a band of rangers are locked in desperate pursuit of a Delaware raiding party that overran and massacred the garrison at Fort Stevens. Among the women and children taken prisoner is Jacob’s wife, Maggie. Driven by guilt and anger, Jacob sets a furious pace that leads his men into dangerous unknown territory. 

Meanwhile the fate of the prisoners is made all the more tenuous when raiding party scouts report the death of Chief Tewea at Kittanning, and Maggie will soon be forced to reconsider everything she has ever thought about the ‘savages’ that have inflicted such havoc on her life. 

In a world at war where blood debts are constantly paid and incurred, decisions made can change the course of lives forever. For Maggie, Jacob and their son James, the pull of their blood will draw them into a winter none of them could foresee. 

The fourth book in the award-winning Gauntlet Runner series, Blood Lines once again transports readers to colonial America during the French and Indian War and offers a clear unsentimental glimpse into the history of the period through the eyes of its characters.

My take on this book:

I have been anxiously awaiting this book because the last book left me needing to know the fate of Maggie Murray. Well Bloodlines,the latest installment in S. Thomas Bailey's  Gauntlet Runner Series certainly didn't disappoint. I found myself drawn right back into the danger and drama that was taking place where the last book left off!  Even though Maggie is a captive of the Delaware Indians she never lets her guard down and is always looking for her next chance to escape. Meanwhile Jacob feels the guilt of not being there when the fort was raided so that he could protect his wife. He will do whatever it takes to get her back whether his men decide to follow him or not. As he tracks her he learns that his trek will take him into unknown territory. With danger at every twist on the trail, along with the approaching winter one is left to wonder whether the Murray family will ever be reunited! 

Bloodlines the fourth book in the Gauntlet Runner series by S. Thomas Bailey is a very well researched book. Mr. Bailey has a knack for blending just the right amount of detail and action along with the characters personal insight and feelings to provide for a page turning read! The day to day stress that the characters feel permeates the pages,allowing me to feel on guard just as the characters do, wondering what might lurk around the next bend in the trail.   I always find myself caught up in drama that plays out as Jacob faces the next enemy, or the determination that Maggie always feels to survive! I love that Mr. Bailey allows Maggie to be such a strong character,allowing her to be resourceful, able to survive independently, but he also allows the reader to feel her longing of wanting to be with her family. Mr. Bailey actually does an outstanding job of capturing the emotions and feelings of Jacob as well, allowing me to visualise him as a real man with doubts and fears. It's the emotional insight into his characters that makes this entire series shine.  Vivid descriptions allows the various scenes of the story to literally jump from the pages, from a pox ridden Indian village to the arduous trek that the characters make thru the vast wilderness,  it is so easy to be drawn into each scene because of the descriptive writing. A story that effortlessly transports the reader back in time allowing them to feel as if they are stepping right into frontier life and the dangers that it entails. Even though Bloodlines is a work of fiction Mr.Bailey knows how to bring history alive with smooth easy to read writing. He makes this timeperiod interesting and actually reading this series has rekindled my interest in this important time in our countries history.  On a scale of one to five this entire series deserves a six because it's just that good.

Reviewed for Readersfavorite.com