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It’s as if I’m watching these trials, the shock unfolding before my very eyes. Amoral military officials, prostitution, drug obsessions with each new path Arklow follows an onslaught of questions raced through my mind. As Arklow delved deeper into his investigation, he finds secret after dirty little secret, almost like a trail of damnation that Smith might as well have intentionally left behind. While I was reading, the book reminded me of the Affair of the Poisons, a time in history where high-ranking nobles were involved in a series of scandals that led to magic, Satanism, and murder.

Yet in a single moment with Smith, Arklow unravels completely, overtaken by the same, sweet temptation that is Smith’s blood. It surprised me, since even with Arklow’s friendships, he’s managed to present himself as calm, cool, collected untouchable almost. Ironically however, perhaps the most enlightening relationship he has is with Thaddeus Smith himself, the man who’s blood is so addictive someone had invested in locating him. Hirsch shows that despite Arklow’s hardened exterior, he is still human these relationships prevent him from becoming too involved with the dark world of private investigating. The eroding acquaintanceship with his colleagues, the distant business connections with the literary world, and the dynamic between himself and his associates, including Bender each of these different aspects add to him as a whole. The character himself is incredibly interesting in his own right. Throughout the story, Arklow acts as the intelligent audience surrogate while he endeavors to locate Smith. However, as he continues investigating Smith’s disappearance, alongside his faithful assistant/intern/friendly stalker James Bender, Arklow uncovers unlikely secrets that involve corruption, sex, and drugs. At first, Arklow is skeptical, but decides to take on the case. The main reason for Maple’s obsession with Smith is because of his blood, which, when injected, was so good that it felt like pure dope. In order to convince James to track him down, Maple offers him a sum of two hundred thousand, one hundred thousand before the investigation, and one hundred thousand after. The novel begins when Arklow is approached by Dan Maple, a drug counselor who is searching for his patient, Thaddeus Smith. Flash Blood by Joseph Hirsch is a crime thriller that, through the eyes of detective James Arklow, introduces a world of blood and decadence hidden away in the cracks of polite society.