Heather’s Bookshelf: When Things Fall Apart
Author: Alan Brenham
Released: 10/17/23
Genre: Adult Crime Thriller
“Kit kept walking, not bothering to look back. Along the way, she sketched the scene, noting yellow evidence markers by faint footprints indicating the maker walked off the pier. On the far right side at the end of the pier, six yellow evidence markers surrounded a three-foot square area of a dark stain. It began about four feet from the end of the pier. A smear of blood extended from the large stain, continuing to the edge.”
“When Things Fall Apart” (Book 1 of the Kit Hanover Series) introduces Kit Hanover, a young detective newly assigned to the homicide unit.
When a man is murdered in a jealous rage, Kit is assigned to investigate, along with the lead on the case, Detective Wade Shepard. Unfortunately for Kit, Shepard is a racist, sexist, jerk hell-bent on getting her transferred to another squad. Pulled to vice to work undercover, Kit’s reluctant to give up on her first homicide case. She makes it through the autopsy before a devastating discovery sends her reeling.
Unwilling to give up the case, regardless of the consequences, Kit continues to investigate. But when there’s another attack on her family, she can’t help but feel they are being targeted. Will Kit be able to find out the truth before it’s too late?
Trigger Warning: violence, murder, prostitution, sexual situations, racist/discriminatory/adult language, rape, adultery
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The story is told mostly through Kit’s POV with snippets also from the POV of the attacker. Kit’s main POV is a good one and she makes a great protagonist. She’s smart, driven, with clear goals, and she loves her family. The events in the story continually force her to make challenging choices about her career and the safety of her and her loved ones. The POV also gives great insight into some of the ancillary characters including her mother, Ann, Frank Coffey, and members of her precinct. The second POV adds a lot of context as to why things are happening while also adding to the pacing and tension of the story. You can feel the rage, envy, and utter disregard for all things decent in the antagonist’s portions. The author does a great job in getting the reader to really not like that guy. Speaking of unlikable, Shepard, is also a piece of work. He has a bit of a character arch throughout the story, but his whole attitude and approach to being a cop is abhorrent. As this is a book 1, I hope his character continues to develop and grow. There’s a twist/reveal at the end of the book that’s a little obvious, but still ties together everything. The ending felt complete and though it’s a start of a series, felt like a standalone book. I’d love to see more cases involving Kit Hanover.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A crime thriller and start of a series with a great protagonist, an evil bad guy and memorable ancillary characters.
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