The problem is that the victim was murdered the same way as another infamous member of Darkside society twelve years ago.

When the murder victim of twelve years ago was revealed to be a hidden Ripper heir, the city erupted in to an uproar.

There, Jonathan learns that his missing mother was a reporter for them, and disappeared around the same time as the infamous murder occurred.

He discovers that Lucien Fox (aka Brother Fleet) is one of the two remaining Rippers.

Jake Pettit, writing for School Library Journal, called Lifeblood "totally cool" and recommended the novel for "readers who love Harry Potter, as well as fans of all things dead and undead".