An Island of Quality in an Ocean of Slush
Bloodline Run
Chet Baker’s debut novel, BLOODLINE RUN, is a struggle between light and darkness, both in the world and within the human soul. It’s haunting. It’s powerful, a deeply affecting novel that grapples with weighty psychological and moral questions but also lilts with a literary bent that stands out in the genre and stays with the reader long after the final page. A testament to the enduring power of love and connection to guide us home, even from the darkest of places.
A disturbed man searches for his missing girlfriend in Baker’s Jekyll-and-Hyde–inspired debut crime novel.
Peter Longer, the son of an abusive preacher, has another personality inside him—one he calls Jason, who tells him to do bad things—and he believes the alter ego to be a result of a family curse. The 49-year-old man also believes that he’ll die at 50, the same age that his father did; a spirit woman known as the Wren, he thinks, will come to punish him for the things he’s done. He was committed to a state institution as a teenager after killing a woman, but he managed to escape and was accepted, under a false name, to Columbia University. Later, he pursued a series of blue-collar jobs out West. Eventually, in Colorado, he strolled into a church on a snowy morning, looking for warmth, and met Sarah Montrose, a friendly young woman with a trust fund. The two fell in love and Peter found himself with a luxury apartment, a job polishing resumes, and a good woman in his life. He was convinced, in fact, that Sarah cured him of his family curse. Then, after two years of happiness, Sarah disappeared in 2016. The cops got involved, but the case quickly went cold, leaving only Peter and Richard Redd, a lone Denver police detective, committed to finding her two years later: “I continued to search for Sarah,” Peter narrates. “For without her, I was doomed. She had protected me from the cruelty, the savagery the bloodline bred into the men who carried the seed.” When Redd comes across a name related to a different murder—someone named Jason Bane—it becomes clear that the story that Peter has been telling himself may not be as straightforward as it seems.
Baker’s prose is taut and plainspoken, with shades of dirty realism that go along with the novel’s general sense of psychological unease. Here, for example, Peter stops at a drug store to tend some wounds before going to meet a single mother whom he thinks might be a suitable replacement for Sarah: “In the rearview mirror, I saw my lip had broken open again....I stopped for gauze, antiseptics, and Band-Aids. A fuzzy pink bunny sat on display at the checkout counter. Perfect for the first gift to a little girl who I hoped would grow to adore me.” The novel is mostly narrated from Peter’s perspective, although the introduction of Redd offers some much-needed respite from the protagonist’s unsettling point of view. The book has a sensationalized view of violence, rural poverty, and mental illness, and readers will be likely to spot the plot’s big twist from miles away. Even so, the mystery that unfolds over the course of the novel is somewhat more nuanced than it initially appears, resulting in a reading experience that’s chock full of reversals and complications. The faint of heart should probably stay away, but fans of dark, cerebral horror tales will likely enjoy unraveling this one.
A devious, if occasionally melodramatic, psychological thriller. – Kirkus review
The subject matter in Bloodline Run is intense and chilling. I opened it and began reading with trepidation, but the author’s beautiful writing soon drew me in. The main character, Peter, is handsome, kind, and likable in every way. His alter ego, Jason? Not so much. As the story unfolded, I kept expecting to have to stop reading at some point due to my soft-hearted, sensitive nature. But Baker handles the telling with finesse, not glossing over the more distasteful parts but describing them at arm’s length and in such a way that I was able to read all the way to the end. - Amazon review
Intriguing characters, plot twists, sometimes tender but at the same time brutal, all intertwined with vagaries of the human mind. Chet Baker’s first novel is a well researched and intricately written story that hooked me from the opening pages. It is not for the casual reader as the psychological aspects of it’s characters require some concentration and focus. There are subtle surprises without being gratuitous. Overall I found his first novel to be a good read for those who are looking for an intelligently written psychological thriller. - Amazon review
This book hooked me from the first chapter and got into my head. I sometimes had a hard time deciding what was real and what were hallucinations in the mind of the killer. There were interesting surprises and unanswered questions for me as the book progressed. A good read for those who enjoy an intense psychological thriller. - Amazon review
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The story takes the reader into the life of a split personality with a sex addiction. Baker does a good job of creating sympathy for the main protagonist Pete, who unwillingly transforms into wicked Jason assigned to him by "bad" blood. Yet, at times Pete himself makes unhealthy spontaneous woman to woman choices and towards the end, Jason seems more reasonable than victim Pete. Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride, in the dark, twisting here and there. Underworld street gutter language may not be for everyone. - Amazon review
Bloodline Run is not a horror novel, as I read somewhere. Horrible things happen, yes. But I would classify it more as a psychological thriller, one that becomes harder and harder to put down as you progress into the story. So if you enjoy tense reads that keep you on the edge of your seat, grab this book, folks. You won’t be disappointed. - Amazon review
A true thriller which captures every fiber of your attention from the first paragraph through the final sentence! A must read for anyone who thrives on being on the edge of their seat from start to finish! - Amazon review
This one will get you from the start and hold you to the end as you are led back and forth across thin lines separating insanity from evil, love from lust, faith from despair. But most of all, Jason from Peter. Baker deftly explores the mind of a man convinced he has no power against a fate determined by his near diabolical bloodline, yet who refuses to give up on his search for a worthy life. You will think about this book long after you have put it down. - Amazon review
Something in its psycho-killer sexual nightmare had me totally hooked. Not sure if it was the lust-addicted characters, the evil blood-curse or the schitzophrenic mind-bending plot, but I was all in from the first twisted murder. Just the kind of gripping, fever dream I don’t want to wake from. - Amazon review
Meet Chet
Texas born, raised in a military family, moving from to the Philippines, London, and Biloxi. I was a rolling stone before spending three years in the Army. After that, I landed in Albuquerque and graduated from the University of New Mexico, studying Psychology, Art, and Business. My early careers included real estate, trucking, and operational management positions. I even became a bureaucrat reporting directly to the Governor of New Mexico. But government wasn't for me. So I built a mid-west twelve-year marketing business until the allure of the Southwest called me back.
Landing in Colorado, I became an executive recruiter and wrote hundreds of resumés about people's lives, dreams, and fantasies. It struck a nerve, the writing bug bit. I first dabbled with simple vignettes and short stories. It wasn't long before I wanted to be a Novelist. The idea flourished, and my resumé clients became inspirations for character ideas.
Ten years later, BLOODLINE RUN became a reality, followed by NATALIE'S WAY. Both crime novels with deep psychological intrigue, thought-provoking plots, and unexpected twists on moral dilemmas. With my writings, I aim to challenge reader's assumptions and keep them on the edge of their seats. But dark fiction isn't all I write. I may come up with a twisty love-lost sentimental piece or a convoluted coming-of-age drama.
When I'm not writing, I can be found on the golf course, playing pickleball, or fishing. Or maybe just lying around reading a good book, enjoying the cool, rarified air of Northern Colorado.
