NCIS: Blood Lines, by Mel Odom, is the third installment in the NCIS series by Tyndale Publishing.
On Father’s Day, Shel McHenry finds himself in a bad mood, thinking about the difficult relationship he has with his own father. So, when he is asked to help investigate the whereabouts of Bobby Lee Gant, a suspected carjacker, he readily agrees to the distraction. But Bobby Lee Gant is no ordinary thug. His father is a known felon and suspected drug dealer. And when Bobby Lee’s arrest goes down badly, Victor decides to take his revenge out on Shel.
Unlike the previous installments, this story focuses more on a Marine and his family rather than characters in the NCIS team. Though, the investigation does come from the NCIS. The McHenry family and their relationships are at the heart of it. Shel and his brother were always held at arms length from their father. Shel is more than a little resentful. And his brother is the peacemaker, family man, and minister. But Tyrel McHenry is a tortured soul. An incident in Vietnam changed him forever, and affected his relationship with his sons.
As Shel and the NCIS team slowly begin to learn about a dark secret that ties the McHenry’s to the Gant’s, they must also deal with Victor’s ruthlessness. The main characters are extremely vivid and gripping. And any time Victor is on the page, there is overlying suspense and a feeling of dread. I always enjoy Mel Odom’s writing, but he outdoes himself with the villain in Blood Lines.
This is published as Christian fiction, but besides occasional references to Shel’s brother being a pastor, there aren’t many other instances where faith is mentioned. Blood Lines is just like watching an episode of any crime drama, with all of the intensity and mystery. The characters are flawed and realistic. I sincerely hope Tyndale has Odom continue this series or something similar. These NCIS novels are entirely gripping and thought provoking.