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3no7's review against another edition
4.0
Magnolia James, Maggie, age twenty-three, had her worsts fear come to fruition. She has traveled to Seaside Beaumont Cove, a slightly rundown yet picturesque town, a place almost at the edge of the world, and a place with secrets. She is there to identify the body of her twin sister Lilly, and she is positive Lilly was killed by her husband, Mike. To most people, Lilly’s relationship with Mike seemed “fine,” but from the start, it never felt right to Maggie; Lilly’s death confirmed her worst fears.
The story unfolds in Maggie’s first-person narrative. She is on an emotional roller coaster and shares her despair and guilt with readers. Maggie had abandoned Lilly when her sister needed her the most; none of this was Lilly’s fault; Lilly was her best friend; she was broken, Supporting characters sometimes help and sometimes hinder Maggie’s quest to obtain justice for Lilly, but this is Maggie’s mission alone, her search for redemption for Lilly and her pursuit of peace for herself. She needs to find answers to complex questions surrounding Lilly’s murder, and people are not telling the truth. Details of the past come to light in unusual ways as Maggie searches for both physical and emotional links to Lilly.
“Broken” reveals the devastating consequences of serial abuse. I received a review copy of “Broken” from John Rector and Thomas & Mercer Publishing. It was both poignant and chilling.
The story unfolds in Maggie’s first-person narrative. She is on an emotional roller coaster and shares her despair and guilt with readers. Maggie had abandoned Lilly when her sister needed her the most; none of this was Lilly’s fault; Lilly was her best friend; she was broken, Supporting characters sometimes help and sometimes hinder Maggie’s quest to obtain justice for Lilly, but this is Maggie’s mission alone, her search for redemption for Lilly and her pursuit of peace for herself. She needs to find answers to complex questions surrounding Lilly’s murder, and people are not telling the truth. Details of the past come to light in unusual ways as Maggie searches for both physical and emotional links to Lilly.
“Broken” reveals the devastating consequences of serial abuse. I received a review copy of “Broken” from John Rector and Thomas & Mercer Publishing. It was both poignant and chilling.
thegracefulbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own. The cover of this book totally drew me in and the description sounded really good as well. However, it was super predictable and wasn’t a “keep you on the edge of your seat” thriller like I was hoping to find. It wasn’t an awful read, just a quick, predictable mystery that could have benefited greatly from some additional development on the characters’ stories.
deearr's review against another edition
5.0
Author John Rector describes the entire story by breaking it into pieces and assigning them to the characters. Readers are provided the backstory from Lilly and Thomas yet remained grounded in the present when Magnolia takes over. The past events move quickly, racing to catch up to Magnolia’s tale. When the stories collide, the suspense takes over, adding fuel to the fast pace of this entire novel.
I liked the characters in the story. You can see the pain in Thomas yet there is not enough warmth to make him likable. Magnolia – Maggie for short – stays true to who she is. Even when it is her turn to guide us through the action, her thoughts seem guarded. Ava and Clay are interesting, and definitely part of the local color in Beaumont Cove.
Separating this book from others is that Mr. Rector does not trumpet it as the first in a series. He relates a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. There is enough to allow us to begin liking the characters, but not so much that we feel inundated from much knowledge. There is plenty more to learn from the people of Beaumont Cove, and we can only wait patiently to see if the author will take us there once again. I hope he does. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.
I liked the characters in the story. You can see the pain in Thomas yet there is not enough warmth to make him likable. Magnolia – Maggie for short – stays true to who she is. Even when it is her turn to guide us through the action, her thoughts seem guarded. Ava and Clay are interesting, and definitely part of the local color in Beaumont Cove.
Separating this book from others is that Mr. Rector does not trumpet it as the first in a series. He relates a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. There is enough to allow us to begin liking the characters, but not so much that we feel inundated from much knowledge. There is plenty more to learn from the people of Beaumont Cove, and we can only wait patiently to see if the author will take us there once again. I hope he does. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.
nietzschesghost's review against another edition
3.0
In Rector's latest standalone thriller he delivers realism, a plethora of quirky small-town characters and raises awareness of domestic abuse issues, especially in relation to women. When first arriving in Beaumont Cove, Lilly and her husband, Mike, feel as though it is the perfect place to settle in close proximity to the seaside and the move to the village resort looks to be paying off. She hopes the move will mark a fresh start to their tumultuous relationship but that is little more than optimism on her part. With many an hour spent watching the waves lapping at the shoreline from the safety of the Starlight Pier, Lilly seemed to enjoy her time in Beaumont. Now it's a year down the line and Lilly's identical twin sister, Magnolia, aka Maggie, has arrived to identify and claim her estranged 23-year-old sister's battered and asphyxiated body. When she comes upon the once-bustling tourist destination filled with crumbling buildings, neglected infrastructure with an all-around dilapidated feel to it she wonders what her sister fell in love with about the place.
The sisters grew up close-knit but Maggie began to cut ties when Lilly refused to leave her abusive marriage unable to bear the upset after her sister was repeatedly beaten to a pulp by her drunken husband. She believes Mike, who has been arrested for Lilly’s murder, is responsible and decides to confront him before she leaves to head back home to Manitou Springs and her job as a private investigator. But after talking to Mike and seeing her sister's body she suspects there's more to this than meets the eye. Told in dual timelines with a combination of protagonist Maggie's first-person perspective and third-person flashbacks, we know from the beginning who the perpetrator is although there are plenty of interesting developments throughout. It's a quick, easy, entertaining and graphically violent read but ultimately ends up being rather forgettable. Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.
The sisters grew up close-knit but Maggie began to cut ties when Lilly refused to leave her abusive marriage unable to bear the upset after her sister was repeatedly beaten to a pulp by her drunken husband. She believes Mike, who has been arrested for Lilly’s murder, is responsible and decides to confront him before she leaves to head back home to Manitou Springs and her job as a private investigator. But after talking to Mike and seeing her sister's body she suspects there's more to this than meets the eye. Told in dual timelines with a combination of protagonist Maggie's first-person perspective and third-person flashbacks, we know from the beginning who the perpetrator is although there are plenty of interesting developments throughout. It's a quick, easy, entertaining and graphically violent read but ultimately ends up being rather forgettable. Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.
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