Do I need to read the previous books in The Naturals series before starting this one?

This book serves as the fourth installment in a continuous narrative arc, and the plot relies heavily on character development and unresolved mysteries established in the preceding three novels. Reading the series in order is necessary to understand the complex relationships and the overarching investigation into the organization holding Cassie's mother.

Does this book conclude the series?

While this title was originally intended to serve as the conclusion to the main series, the author later expanded the universe with additional entries, including the novella Twelve and the subsequent novel Dangerous Impulses.

How does the author's background influence the series?

The author holds advanced degrees in psychology and cognitive science, which she utilizes to ground the characters' profiling abilities and the procedural elements of the FBI investigations in actual scientific concepts.

Bad Blood

Mystery Suspense

Pages: 384
Published: 2016
Language: English

Cassie Hobbes thought she knew the truth about her mother's murder when she joined the FBI's Naturals program. Now, she's learned her mother is alive, held captive by a dangerous, long-standing organization. As Cassie and her team race against time to stop a new wave of killings, they realize they're not just hunting killers – they're being hunted.

Prose complexity: 4/10

Tense Dark Mysterious Adventurous

Found Family Survival

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is an American writer of young adult fiction, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1984. She wrote her first novel at nineteen and has since published more than twenty-five books, among them the Inheritance Games series, the Naturals, the Debutantes and the Fixer. Barnes studied cognitive science at Yale University, graduating in 2006, and received her PhD from Yale in 2012. A Fulbright Scholar, she holds graduate degrees in psychology, psychiatry and cognitive science. She was for...

Cassie HobbesProtagonist

Dean ReddingSupporting

Fellow Natural profiler and part of Cassie's core team, drawn closer to her as the group goes from hunters to hunted.

Michael TownsendSupporting

Fellow Natural and emotion reader, part of the core team investigating the organization holding Cassie's mother.

Lia ZhangSupporting

Fellow Natural and human lie detector, part of the team racing to stop a new wave of killings.

Sloane TavishSupporting

The Naturals team's statistician, gifted with an exceptional memory, providing crucial analysis to the investigation.

All characters in Bad Blood

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to read the previous books in The Naturals series before starting this one?
This book serves as the fourth installment in a continuous narrative arc, and the plot relies heavily on character development and unresolved mysteries established in the preceding three novels. Reading the series in order is necessary to understand the complex relationships and the overarching investigation into the organization holding Cassie's mother.
Does this book conclude the series?
While this title was originally intended to serve as the conclusion to the main series, the author later expanded the universe with additional entries, including the novella Twelve and the subsequent novel Dangerous Impulses.
How does the author's background influence the series?
The author holds advanced degrees in psychology and cognitive science, which she utilizes to ground the characters' profiling abilities and the procedural elements of the FBI investigations in actual scientific concepts.