A woman accused of murdering her husband said she didn’t do it. Okay, but (as the synopsis reveals) she was at the site of three other mysterious deaths, so … is she lying? Is she telling the truth? If you love books with possibly unreliable narrators, you’ll want to try this one. Check out my review of Blood Sugar!
Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild
To be published on April 19 by Putnam.
Synopsis: Though she may be a murderer, Ruby is not a sociopath.
She is an animal-loving therapist with a thriving practice. She’s felt empathy and sympathy. She’s had long-lasting friendships and relationships, and has a husband, Jason, whom she adores.
But the homicide detectives at Miami Beach PD are not convinced of her happy marriage. When we meet Ruby, she is in a police interrogation room, being accused of Jason’s murder. Which, ironically, is one murder that she did not commit, though her vicious mother-in-law and a scandal-obsessed public believe differently.
As she undergoes questioning, Ruby’s mind races back to all the details of her life that led her to this exact moment, and to the three dead bodies in her wake. Because though she may not have killed her husband, Ruby certainly isn’t innocent.
My Review of Blood Sugar
Blood Sugar will be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books for most people.
If you love morally gray characters, unreliable narrators, and just plain unlikeable people, Ruby might be the perfect protagonist for you.
Blood Sugar starts as a sort of frame story, with Ruby sitting in a Miami police interrogation room, answering questions about her husband’s tragic death.
She insists she didn’t do it, but the police have a few questions about the three other mysterious deaths she was connected to. Coincidence?
Ruby’s strong first-person voice will captivate you.
The synopsis says Ruby is not a sociopath. She loves animals, so she can’t be a psychopath. (But isn’t that what a psychopath might say?) Is she a vigilante? Did karma finally catch up with her?
The best thing about Blood Sugar is that it really does keep you guessing.
Can a poor pathological liar catch a break? Or will her lying be her undoing?
Even when the book wrapped things up, I still had some questions about what really did happen to Ruby’s husband.
What are other books like Blood Sugar?
I put this one on my Killer Queens list about female murderers. It reminded me a fair amount of Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian, a thriller about a college student who is also a psychopath and has to solve a murder.
If you’ve read this, tell me what you think!
I do like a book that can keep me guessing.
A book where the MC says they’re a murderer from the start has me intrigued but I always worry with books like this that it’ll go too far, especially with an unreliable narrator are they just going to make me hate them instead?
Yep, that’s always the risk. She justifies her actions but …??? I still enjoyed it but if you need a likable character, this is not the book for you!
I was actually considering this for a future book discussion! I like it when books keep you guessing.