When he visits her at the home that now cares for her, he sees she has greatly deteriorated and her Alzheimer's has advanced to the point that there isn't much time left. As he works to deal with this new revelation of his mother's impending death, he fights his own constant demons of alcoholism and gambling addiction, two vices easily enjoyed in copious amounts in New Orleans, even if it is circa early 1970's.
As it so happens, a serial killer is working New Orleans while Nick is in town, one who enjoys butchering clergy in their churches, then taking their hearts and brains and eating them. While Nick would love to offer his expertise in the matter, the local cops don't take too kindly to his advice, and he soon discovers the mob controls more of New Orleans then he remembered from his dark childhood.
While he has trouble connecting with his mother during her all-to-brief moments of lucidity, the nun caring for her provides Nick with an ancient diary detailing his mother's hideous upbringing and the apparent cause for her turn to prostitution at a young age. He also discovers that he has a sibling he never knew about, and it is his mother's dying wish that he find his older brother.
As mysteries of several types swirl around him, and the bodies keep dropping, back in Houston, his wife Sally has some mysteries all her own, and if her drinking and gambling husband keeps shutting her out, he just might have a new mystery to solve - where to live once she gives him the boot.
Thicker Than Blood is a decent mystery, but personally, I didn't like the character of Nick Noelle. He seems like a man from a bygone era, and yes, I know the book takes place in 1971, but I just didn't find him likable, like at all. He is a hard drinker and gambler, he lies to his wife, flirts incessantly (and would probably do more if the lovely young ladies would have him), and seems to be a bit of an ass. I guess I just didn't care about him as a character. I did find the diary entries of his mother to be interesting and they kept me coming back to the book, and it did tie up nicely in the end. However, as someone who was born in New Orleans and lived not far from it for most of my life, there were a couple of things that stuck in my craw. First off, there aren't any basements in NOLA. The city is below sea level and I was pretty sure everybody knew that once Hurricane Katrina took place, yet Nick stays in a basement apartment during his NOLA stay, in one of the grand old houses of New Orleans. Second, there's a mention of chicken andouille (pronounced an-doo-wee) gumbo, then later it is called chicken and ouille gumbo. That one just hurt my head. I am guessing it was a transcription error, but as a native South Louisianian, I just couldn't get past it. A word to the wise - if you are going to write a book that takes place in New Orleans, have someone from the area give it a read first. Just my two cents.
Overall, a decent mystery with some edgy moments, but not one of my favorites.
