Publication Date: April 16, 2013
In The Blake Mistake by I.C. Camilleri, Ben Blake is a secret agent with a special gift. When women start dying, all signs seem to point to Ben’s brilliant brother-in-law, the cardiac surgeon Jake Snell. How can they stem the flow of blood before it destroys them all?
The Blake Mistake is the third novel in the Blake series.
The author, I.C. Camilleri, gave me a copy of this novel in exchange for my review.
I previously reviewed the first novel in the Blake series, The Blake Soul. Click here to read my review. The Blake Mistake is quite a different novel from The Blake Soul. The first novel chronicles the romance of Ben’s parents, and he enters into the story as a child. In The Blake Mistake, Ben is a grown man as are the other child players from the first novel. Like his parents, he’s written as being the complete package to the point of being too awesome. He uses his gift of foresight in a sympathetic way, knowing when to use it to soothe his relatives.
Jake Snell is Ben’s brother-in-law and married to his sister, Emma. Jake is talented, rich, titled and someone from whom any thinking woman should walk away. His life becomes a series of poor choices and destructive behaviors. Emma is beautiful, smart, fun and has given up her career as a rising starlet to stay home and birth babies for a husband who is happy to keep her pregnant. The couple has six children. Camilleri tells us that when Emma starts to look too sexy or alluring, her husband gets her pregnant again. Her mother feels that the relationship is too controlling but Emma is clearly quite happy with her role as the little woman. These are not characters with whom I can identify, but I appreciate the work that Camilleri puts into them. There is an evolution of the characters that belies the start. I won’t give it away but only want to say that the characters we meet at the beginning are not the same that leave us at the end. Though they have evolved, as a reader I don’t think that I liked them any better at the end of the story.
The story mostly revolves around misunderstandings, red herrings and clichés. While better put together than The Blake Soul, I liked The Blake Mistake less. The Blake Mistake has a high-star rating on Amazon proving that this novel simply isn’t my thing. I normally enjoy romantic thrillers quite a lot but The Blake Mistake is not one that I would read again. If you like romantic suspense, start with The Blake Soul and read through this series. Let me know what you think.
While I did not enjoy this novel, I do appreciate that it was well crafted. The author tied up all loose ends and gave the reader a cohesive story that flowed well and reads fast.
Read an excerpt and buy The Blake Mistake by I.C. Camilleri on