Heather’s Bookshelf: The Broken
Author: JJ Hernandez
Released: 05/18/21
Genre: Crime Thriller
“But when Diana looked in his eyes, she sensed a paradox. The good man trying to do right by the people he loved intermingled with violent, focused aggression. What, or whom, that aggression was focused on was unknown to her, but she wanted to trust the good man would win out in the end.”
“The Broken” introduces Julian Serrano, a man who served time and is now out trying to get his life together. He wants to reconnect with his son, do right by his late wife, and stay out of prison. His PO, Diana Rivera, has her own issues including self doubt and trying to find her way in the world.
Julian gets a job at a cleaning company, is on time to his meetings with Diana, and stays away with his old friends…at least for a little while. Diana meets with her psychiatrist to work through her past and does her best to stay on top of her parolees.
A connection develops between the two very different people. It’s not a friendship and not a relationship, but it’s a sort of understanding that has them each open up to the other in a way that is full of truth, honesty, and candor. When Diana is approached by a sleazy cop asking questions about Julian, she decides to look into it a little more. In doing so, she happens upon much more than she bargained for.
Trigger Warning: violence, murder, adult language, drug use, sexual situations, death related to illness, reference to child death
Overall, I really liked this story. I absolutely loved the interaction between Julian and Diana. The author did a really good job showing how each of their backgrounds and self doubts influenced their communication styles and biases. Their openness to listen to each other, especially in the interactions they found themselves in, was really relatable and endearing. Each of the main characters were well developed and seemed authentic. I also enjoyed the snippets of self talk amidst the dialogue. The sleazy cop was absolutely disgusting and I loathed him- in the best way. There were a couple of places where the other spent some time on details that I felt slowed down the tale. Clearly the author enjoyed those pieces, but I felt they didn’t add a lot and slowed down the pacing a bit. However, the rest of the story moved along really nicely. The ending was believable and fitting. A little more crime and police procedural than thriller, but I still really enjoyed the ride.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A crime story about life, love, decisions, and consequences. Two intriguing lead characters propel the tale forward.
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