Review "Blood Of My Brother" by James LePore

BLOOD OF MY BROTHER by James LePore

Published by The Story Plant

ISBN-13: 978-0-9819568-8-6
At the request of The Story Plant, a TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (borrowed from B&N): “When Jay Cassio’s best friend is murdered in a job clearly done by professionals, the walls that he has built to protect himself from the world of others begin to shatter. Dan Del Colliano had been his confidante and protector since the men were children on the savage streets of Newark, New Jersey. When Dan supports and revives Jay after Jay’s parents die in a plane crash, their bond deepens to something beyond brotherhood, beyond blood. Now Jay, a successful lawyer, must find out why Dan died and find a way to seek justice for his murder.
  Isabel Perez has lived a life both tainted and charmed since she was a teenager in Mexico. She holds powerful sway over men and has even more powerful alliances with people no one should ever try to cross. She desperately wants her freedom from the chains these people have placed on her. When Jay catapults into her world, their connection is electric, their alliance is lethal, and their future is anything but certain.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I was a bit skeptical when I picked up this book to read for a couple of reasons, one being this was my introduction to this author, never having read any of his work and the fact that this book was part of a “Tristate Triology” and not reading the first book of the series, would I be able to give this author justice, if I wasn’t able to follow the story line out of sequence(I do have his latest one, Sons and Princes, also on my requested review shelf). I was proven wrong after reading the prologue, I was hooked. The plot started when the main character, Jay, and his best friend Dan were children in 1967. A story of true friendship, loyalty, betrayal, “street justice”, corruption, murder, trust, love and much more. The cast of characters is quite long and at times, I would have to go back in the book to try and find them to see what their roles were. The beginning of the book hooked me, the middle of the book was a bit confusing, and the end of the book was action packed and page turning with some surprises. And as far as the triology, this book can be read as a “stand alone” novel. I look forward to reading Sons and Princes.