Blood’s Echo (Veranda Cruz Book 1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Linda 
 
22 July 2025
 
 
 Verified 
Great Read This book was so exciting I could hardly put it down and yet human enough to be enjoyable. I have read more of her books.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Walter Harrison 
 
23 May 2025
 
 
 Verified 
A Real Page Turner I really like the way the author tells a story… The book kept my attention all the way through it, which is hard to do with me…Definitely check it out, I am looking forward to the next book in the Veranda Cruz series…
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 D Burley 
 
22 March 2025
 
 
 Verified 
Keeps you guessing until the end. The first book in the series featuring Veranda Cruz, who is investigating cartels that have come to Phoenix. This book is an easy read that has a great storyline and interesting characters.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Amazon Customer 
 
29 September 2023
 
 
 Verified 
An excellent first book I enjoyed this book very much. The only reason I only gave it four stars instead of five was because I read Cipher and the other two books in that series first. They really show this author's growth over time. Those three books are all superior to this, except for one thing, which is that they are much more grim and violent, which is something I have never really enjoyed in my Mysteries. However those plots and characters were also more fleshed out and much more exciting. They had me hanging on by my fingernails through the whole books. This one was good, but not near as good as those three. This is not really a criticism of this book, since it was her first outing, but actually a compliment to this author's continuing growth and excellence.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Boomer 
 
22 October 2022
 
 
 Verified 
Fun. but can't help feeling I've read it all before Isabelle Maldonado is a talented author and I thoroughly enjoyed her Nina Guerrera series, so I wanted to check out her other works. Blood's Echo was pretty much what I expected - an entertaining and realistic procedural set in Phoenix AZ. Veranda Cruz stars as a cop trying to bring down the leader of a vicious drug cartel.I really enjoyed this one but I couldn't help feeling that I was just reading a slightly inferior version of the Guerrera series. Both protagonists are feisty Latina law enforcement women with troubled pasts, there's a big emphasis on family and there's the inklings of a romance happening with a colleague. The supporting cast here is a bit of a letdown as I never really connected with any of them apart from Sam. In fact I had to stop and think for a second whenever Frank or Doc popped up to recall who they actually were.I don't think I'll continue on with this series because it just feels a little too familiar to me - I'll probably just wait for the next Nina Guerrera installment. Still a good read though.
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Carol Nicol 
 
27 October 2021
 
 
 Verified 
Really enjoyable Enjoyed this book, easy to read, but kept you intrigued until the end.Will def read the next in the series
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 Lilypad 
 
3 October 2021
 
 
 Verified 
Phew I love crime fiction I think they bring to light that good people out way the bad things that some people do to others. I read this book in one sitting could not put down highly recommend 🤗
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 david alexander shields 
 
15 August 2021
 
 
 Verified 
Excellent plot Good book
  
 
 
 
 
 
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 LeNoir 
 
13 February 2019
 
 
 Verified 
Excellent, riveting, and authentic police procedural, written with an insider's knowledge Blood’s Echo is an excellent, riveting, and authentic police procedural set in Phoenix, Arizona written by a former law enforcement officer (hence the realism and the insider’s expertise and knowledge). The book also focuses on protagonist Veranda Cruz's family life with just a hint of a budding, yet thwarted romance.It's a battle to the death between an evil drug cartel alpha boss, and Cruz, a brave and determined cop with more than a professional stake in the outcome. Cruz’s confidential informer is tortured and his body left at a secret law enforcement enclave, breaching security. Cruz finds herself the target of an internal police investigation, even as the drug cartel boss zeroes in on her with a vengeance. When her family's restaurant is burned to the ground by the increasingly rogue cartel boss, tensions exponentially spike higher. There's a mole in the police department, and the bad cop puts everyone at added risk. But in-fighting among the top members of the drug cartel might balance out the danger from the mole--or not.Wonderful and authentic depictions of the camaraderie among the homicide team and between Cruz and her new partner, Sam, an aging but still able police officer, add a rich, satisfying layer to the book. Though the action might dominate, the personal relationships are a compelling and moving part of this book. The joking among the team adds not only realism, but a respite from the often-intense danger facing Cruz, and by extension, her family and co-workers.Though Blood's Echo is a stand-alone, it does end with both a twist and a hook. Be prepared to seek out the next entries in the series immediately upon finishing reading the first one.Riveting, fast action, great world-building, the author's attention to detail puts the reader right smack in the middle of the story. Author Isabella Maldonado isn't the first to combine edge-of-your-seat tension and action with intimate family story lines, but she does this wonderfully well.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A highly entertaining police procedural . . . Hang on tight for the ride of a lifetime across Southern Arizona as Maldonado rises to her written challenge to entertain, enthrall and engage readers in this high-octane thriller.
– Suspense Magazine

Maldonado ratchets up the tension with each page, leaving you breathless as you race to the end.
– Robin Burcell

Isabella Maldonado is off to a great start, giving us a tense thriller with a strong sense of place and an insider’s look at some of the most dangerous work in law enforcement. This first Veranda Cruz novel will leave readers eagerly awaiting her next adventure.
– Jan Burke

Taut, tense, and relentlessly authentic. Isabella Maldonado-with her unique personal knowledge of the danger, conflict and emotional toll of law enforcement-is an important new voice in crime fiction.
– Hank Phillippi Ryan