Lifeblood

The characters in the book are all too human - Rachel is a recovering alcoholic, her father a habitual gambler, with all the attendant problems to which that addiction gives rise. Rachel's friends are also very interesting creations: one is a street person, and elderly woman who for some reason has a cell phone, the other the head of a cleaning service who knows - or can find out - much of what there is to know about the neighborhood. The author has given us a believable, well-plotted mystery people with fascinating characters, including a couple of red herrings. Suspenseful and thoroughly enjoyable, the book is recommended.

Fans will be thrilled to see Rachel Chavez return in Penny Rudolph’s latest book “Lifeblood.” The plot of “Lifeblood” is a rewarding story filled with suspense. I eagerly turned page after page to see what would happen next. The characters are well‑defined. Rachel is sure to be a favorite with all readers. She is an imperfect and invigorating heroine. Hank is lovable and adds dimension to the storyline. The unconventional supporting characters add to the ambience of the tale. Who wouldn’t love Goldie, head of night‑shift cleaning crew? Fans of suspense will love this one.

Things are looking up for recovering alcoholic Rachel Chavez. The pretty Angelino has a steady boyfriend and a steady job managing a downtown parking garage. But her peaceful existence is rattled when she discovers a pair of young Mexican boys locked in an abandoned van. She hurries them to the emergency room of a nearby medical center where one is declared dead, the other barely alive. Twenty-four hours later, she returns to discover that the hospital has no record of admitting either child...Rudolph's heroine, assisted by a good-hearted cleaning lady and a cell-phone-toting homeless person, is a refreshing original addition to the ever-growing list of female sleuths.

Rachel Chavez owns and operates a parking garage in downtown Los Angeles where her only problems are keeping the parking spaces leased and her gambling-addicted father out of trouble. She's a recovering alcoholic and plenty tough, but when she discovers two unconscious kids locked inside a van in her garage, she is horrified. Rushing them to the ER, she's told that one is already dead but the other is to be admitted. When Rachel returns the next day, the hospital says it has no record of either child. She persists and is roughly evicted.

There's a DWI and an arrest for drug possession on her record, so Rachel is wary of police involvement, but she can't let the disappearance of the kids rest. Determined to learn the truth, she investigates and stumbles on a hidden hospital ward and a corrupt money-making scheme that very high-powered people will kill to keep secret.

With help from a gang of unlikely friends, including a homeless fortune-teller, a big- hearted leader of a late night cleaning crew, a pharmacist, and a gangster, Rachel risks her freedom and her life to expose the scandalous business.

Peopled with a fresh, strong protagonist and a cast of fascinating secondary characters, Life Blood pulses with enough thrills and plot twists to keep readers anxiously reading until the final page. Rudolph's research and expertise in the field of medical crime and politics make her book both believable and chilling.