Broken Girls, by Nicky Downes

 

Broken Girls, 

Written by Nicky Downes

About:

When teenager Leia Thompson drops dead in a shopping mall of apparent natural causes, Detective Jacqueline ‘Jack’ Kent is the only one convinced something isn’t right. Why was Leia at the mall alone? Why are there scars – old and new – all over her body?

Visiting Leia’s mother, Jack quickly realises that she controlled every aspect of her daughter’s short life, home-schooling her and moving town every few months. At their house, Jack finds a room crammed with records detailing the teenager’s complex medical history right from the moment of her birth. A sinister picture starts to emerge in Jack’s mind – of a mother capable of hurting her own child.

When another girl dies in similar circumstances, the only thing that seems to connect the victims is their youth and frail health – and Leia’s estranged father. He emerges as their prime suspect until the girls’ autopsy reports come back with sinister similarities, and Jack’s attention turns to the doctors who treated them.

Then somebody close to the case is found dead, and Jack starts to feel like she’s losing control. More will die if she doesn’t catch the person responsible soon. Can she work her way through this web of dark secrets and chilling motives before the killer strikes again?

My Review:

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It did take me a short while to get into initially, which I felt was due to the fact that this plot introduced quite a few characters, - especially in comparison to my previous read, which only centred around a few, - but once it drew me in; as the plot progressed, and I became more familiar with the characters, it was such a compelling read, I found it really hard to put down! 

I liked how within this main crime thriller plot there was also some sub-character plot too, focusing mainly around the main character, Jack, her on-off relationships, her personal and professional relationships, and her passion for climbing. This combined really well as a whole, building Jack Kent’s character, and making her character come across as believable. 

The pace was good throughout, and there were some twists along the way.

Note: This book does focus around some sensitive topics, such as references to child abuse, neglect, mental health, suicide, and a short scene of teenage self-harm, which may be triggering for some.

 

Based on a rating of 1-10, where 10 is the highest, I would give this book a rating of 8 out of 10. Another very worthy read, in my opinion! 

This book is available to purchase & download from 6th Feb 2024!