Pryor's books are quick, fun reads with good plots, dialogue and settings. Characters are charming, smart, loyal and caring. And a big plus for me is that there is virtually no condescension to women that I find in so many other mystery novels.

The Blood Promise is one of the best books in the Hugo Marston series.

But... Pryor has the case investigated and solved unrealistically quickly. Slow it down.

“History will judge these days, monsieur, it is not for us to do so. We must only live them the best we can.” (Quotation page 3)

Content
An old man in Paris writes a letter and puts it together with something special, he calls “le cadeau”, in a small box, hidden in a wooden chest, a kind of sailor’s chest, but solid, made from walnut, and more ornate. More than two hundred years later, this long forgotten chest is somehow connected to to an American senator’s visit a Paris. A visit at very short notice from Charles Lake, senator and presidential candidate. Hugo Marston has to be a kind of personal bodyguard, he calls it “babysitter”, of the senator, who will attend negotiations and talks about the Guadeloupe Islands, held for two days at Chateau Tourville near Paris. The morning after the first night at the Chateau, Senator Lake declares that he woke up during the night because somebody was in his room and even leaned over him, touching his face. An intruder in his room means clearly a security breach and Senator Lake asks Hugo Marston to begin immediately with his investigations. As this has to be done with discretion, Hugo calls his friend Capitaine Raul Garcia. Everything changes, when one of the prints found is connected o an unsolved murder, a burglary in the old country house of the Bassin family.

Theme and genre
This crime novel is about secrets, hidden deep in the past. There is somebody, who finds out and tries to reveal it and somebody, who just wants to avoid this, at any price.

Characters
Time again to investigate and try to solve a case like a tricky puzzle for Hugo Marston and Paul Greene.

Plot and writing
This book three of the Hugo Marston series begins with a letter in the past, but passes immediately into the present time and develops around Hugo Marston. The investigations and events are told chronologically, without giving to many details too early. Therefore, and together with unforeseeable twists, the guessing of the readers remains interesting and gripping.

Conclusion
An interesting story with some unforeseeable twists, gripping and entertaining to read. ( )

The Hugo Marston series has become one of my favorites, and I hope to read many more books to come. I really enjoy reading about the characters of Hugo and Tom, their mutually competitive nature, and their friendship that is close to a brotherhood. The new character of Camille is fascinating and I hope to learn more of her in future stories. Paris is like a minor character itself in these books, and the city comes to life for me as Hugo walks the streets in the narrative. If you haven't read this series, try the first one, [b:The Bookseller|15795957|The Bookseller|Mark Pryor|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378897464s/15795957.jpg|21518410]. ( )

Third book in the Hugo Marston series. Entertaining read. Provides insiders glimpses of Paris and working of American spy agencies. Credit to the author for maintaining suspense for the entire story. Unfortunately, the outcome was rather far-fetched and not all that interesting. ( )

The best one yet. Concentrated more on characters this time around, and not so much background on Paris. But what a great setting, and always interesting glimpses into Embassy life and protocol. Hugo is a very likable character, though Tom gets all the best lines. I thought the plot and suspense flowed better in this story than in the previous ones, probably because there was less need to set up the characters and situation. A really enjoyable read. ( )