Blood Relation

"Murder isn’t uncommon in a big city, but when young women start turning up dead next to mysterious symbols painted in their blood, the police turn to Alex Lockerby to find the killer. Unfortunately, the bloody symbols aren’t any form of magic Alex knows, leaving him precious little to work with and a nagging feeling that he’d better stop this madman before he finishes whatever spell he’s attempting. Adding to the list of unknown symbols, Alex is called to the murder of a woman who worked with government secrets. She was found with strange coded markings written on a blackboard near her body. To make matters even more confusing, several robberies have been perpetrated by a highly skilled gang of thieves. Among the stolen articles were ingredients used by alchemists. These cases seem random and unconnected, but Alex can’t shake the feeling that they’re part of something bigger. With a brutal killer on the loose, Alex must figure out an unknown magic, catch a group of professional thieves, and learn what government secrets the murdered woman might have passed on...and to whom. With luck, he might even be able to do it before the blood killer completes his dark ritual, and unleashes hell on the city."--Goodreads