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    Broken
    Broken
    Broken
    Audiobook7 hours

    Broken

    Written by CJ Lyons

    Narrated by Amy McFadden

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    All she wants is a normal life.

    Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, Scarlet has come to terms with the fact that she’s going to die. Literally of a broken heart. It could be tomorrow, or it could be next year. But the clock is ticking.…

    All Scarlet asks is for a chance to attend high school—even if just for a week—a chance to be just like everyone else. But Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with each slammed locker and vicious taunt. Is this normal? Really? Yet there’s more going on than she knows. And finding out the truth might just kill Scarlet before her heart does.…

    “Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak meets Kathy Reichs’ Virals.” —bookseller Jill Moore, Square Books, Jr., Oxford, MS

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 5, 2013
    ISBN9781469269931
    Author

    CJ Lyons

    Pediatric ER doctor turned New York Times bestselling thriller writer, CJ Lyons has been a storyteller all her life — something that landed her in many time-outs as a kid. She writes her Thrillers with Heart for the same reason that she became a doctor: because she believes we all have the power to change our world. In the ER she witnessed many acts of courage by her patients and their families, learning that heroes truly are born every day. When not writing, she can be found walking the beaches near her South Carolina Lowcountry home, listening to the voices in her head, and plotting new and devious ways to create mayhem for her characters. To learn more about her Thrillers with Heart go to www.CJLyons.net.

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    Reviews for Broken

    4/5

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    • 2/5
      I think it's going to be hard to judge this book for what it is rather than how it was marketed. The back of the book calls Broken a "riveting suspense and taut drama" a lot of reviews I read previously also talked about it as if it were a fast-paced thriller. This is not the case at all. It was basically your average contemporary romance with a slight mystery that doesn't turn suspenseful until the last few chapters. Had I just been expecting a contemproary romance going into it, I may have enjoyed it more than I did. Unfortunely, I was expecting an edge of your seat medical thriller that wasn't there.The main character, Scarlet, has been diagnosed with Long QT disease, which means her heart beats irregularly and could kill her at any moment. After spending most of her life in the hospital, Scarlet decides she wants to take the time she does have left and go to high school like a normal kid. Her parents are dead set against it, but they decide to let her go on a trial basis.Scarlet immedietly makes friends with Jordan, Nessa, Celina and Tony. The "wrong" crowd according to Scarlets mother. Ugh, her mother drove me nuts! She made all of Scarlet's decisions for her and did things like feed her vitamins in front of all her friends in the middle of the school cafeteria. Seriously?! I can't think of any teenager that would put up with that.The book is divided into five sections set over the course of one school week (Monday - Friday). A lot of the time I was bored with the little details of Scarlet's school day, but I guess we were supposed to be overwhelmed by the experience as much as she was. I was appaled by the bullying that went on at the school and that the students so easily got away with it. I was home schooled, so thankfully I never had to deal with bullying first hand or see it happening to those around me, but I know it's a big issue that is overlooked all too much!With the ending came a big twist and a few fast-paced pages, but it was pretty short lived for a so-called "riveting suspense." If you're a contemporary lover looking for a romance with a little something different I'd check this one out. If you're looking for a fast paced medical thriller, keep looking.
    • 5/5
      Karin Slaughter is the absolute best crime/mystery writer I have come across in this day and age. Her novels will simply astound you with their heart-racing moments and intrigue. Every time I pick one of her novels up I cannot stop reading until I'm done and I still find myself begging for more. She's a writer with no fear! She wields her instruments like a knife ready to dig in deep and take you by surprise at every turn!
    • 3/5
      This is the first book that I have read by Karin Slaughter. I really liked the book, thought it was a great mystery. Sine I have never read anything by Karin I knew nothing about the characters of the book. I found the book really hard to put down. I liked the way the characters and the plot were developed. I would read other books by the author.
    • 2/5
      Broken is a simple story, but it isn't a thriller. This is a story of a girl who struggles through high school during the span of three-four days. During this time, she faces bullies, suicide, broken homes, and a romance or two.

      Which is fine and dandy, but if you went into this hoping for an exciting thriller that will leave you wanting more, then this isn't the book for you. That aspect takes a back seat as Scarlet, the main character, goes through school and deals with her home life. Once things pick up, you're pretty much done the book. Things get solved within pages, the story wraps up in a couple of more, and then that's it.

      By the end of this, I was wondering how it was possible for all of this to happen in such a short amount of time.

      Full review to come.
    • 5/5
      This book was very intense but an excellent read. It's best to read this series in order. This one filled out the characters even more. I am right into the next book in the series, Fallen, as I need to find out more of the story. Karin Slaughter knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat!
    • 3/5
      I wanted to read Broken because anything with illness usually catches my eye. The heart disease aspect is something that I have enjoyed previously in other books, and I know a bit about the long QT which is what is wrong with her. I was also curious where the book would be going with the truth about the school? If its a contemporary I really didn't understand what sort of twist it would be, but wanted to find out. I liked Scarlet and I felt for her. She wanted so badly to go to school and have a shot at normal. We get her background, that homeschooling was boring and that her memories are mostly just of doctor's visits and surgeries and pills. In fact we get that a few more times than I really thought necessary but still. We have the "Set Backs" which I know are when she has been sicker and almost died, but I would have liked a bit more detail early on instead of referencing over and over. Scarlet's mom is very overbearing, and I can understand her point of view as a mother, and can't even imagine if I had a daughter that sick. But they have some sweet moments, talking about her day. It is good to see a mom who is present and trying to be involved in her life, and fighting for her life and health, even though I can also see Scarlet's point of view that she could feel smothered. I enjoyed Scarlet's friendships as well. I do think that there was a bit much going on in their stories, and I think that it should have been pared down a bit or explored more. But still, they were all thrown together in a mentoring group. Jordan is the peer mentor and he's fighting his own sorrow over a suicide completed the year before, and now he has her younger sister in his group. There is also Celina who Scarlet gets pretty close with even though she is quiet and reserved at times, and completely absent others. The romance took the back seat, but it was good and sweet. Scarlet thought some about how kisses and such worked and it was a refreshing inner dialogue. Tony saw Scarlet past the portable AED (a machine that can shock heart back into regular rhythm.) He talked to her like she was completely normal but also accepted her limitations. The ending kind of surprised me, but was the source of the suspense and mystery that the synopsis talked about. I think that it was foreshadowed some, but still I had a little bit of a hard time seeing how it played out that way. But I guess that people in that position have to have some serious sneak skills. Bottom Line: Good story about Scarlet, who's plagued with a bad heart trying to be normal by going back to school.
    • 4/5
      Scarlet Killian has spent most of her life in the hospital. She only attended elementary school for a few years before she was taken out and home-schooled. Scarlet has several "near misses" where she's been on death's door only to be revived to survive another day. Now that she's fifteen, she's asked her parents if she can attend school. She knows that it will be difficult simply because her heart could give out on her at any time, but she wants this chance to be "normal." Her parents agree to allow her a one-week trial and then they will reassess the situation. Scarlet feels as if she's won the lottery, one whole week to experience being a teenager outside of her home or the hospital. Scarlet doesn’t know what she's in for . . . Scarlet's first day at school begins with problems. She immediately makes an enemy of a member of the football team, so (of course) his teammates and others go out of their way to treat her like a freak. If that wasn't bad enough her mother (actually her stepmother), the school nurse, intrudes on Scarlet's lunch on the first day and attempts to take her vitals in the cafeteria in front of other students. The horror! The only plus to the first day is that Scarlet has made some new friends; namely her peer mentor support group consisting of Celina, Nessa and Jordan. She also is befriended by a student in one of her classes after she is set on fire by her lab partner, the aforementioned football player, and she throws up on the kid that tries to help her out. What a first day and talk about first impressions.All of the action in Broken takes place over the span of five days. It is filled with the normal teenage angst and drama, but it is also filled with friendship, budding romance, and a mystery. Ms. Lyons has incorporated a lot of mystery, suspense and thrills into her first foray as a YA author. Of course I haven't been a "Young Adult" for quite a number of years, but I enjoyed reading Broken as much as I've enjoyed her other contemporary suspense thrillers. The action gradually builds, as did my tension while reading, and most of the suspense and thrills take place in the last 20-25% of the book. I was left on tenterhooks while reading because after everything is revealed it is possible to go back and see the small clues left pointing toward a possible ending. Broken is a well-crafted mystery-suspense-thriller that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, so don't be off-put by the YA classification. Read it and you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
    • 4/5
      Broken continues the story of Dr. Sara Linton and Lena, whom Sara holds responsible for her husband's death. Will Trent is the main investigator in the jail suicide of a murder suspect. Nothing is what it seems and crucial evidence is hidden. The reader is drawn into the characters' lives and even you will dislike some characters. The story is complex and dark, full of very human emotion.
    • 5/5
      "When the body of a young woman is discovered deep beneath the icy waters of Lake Grant, a note left under a rock by the shore points to suicide. But within minutes, it become clear that this is no suicide. It's a brutal, cold-blooded murder. All too soon, former Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton - home for Thanksgiving after a long absence - finds herself unwittingly drawn into the case. The chief suspect is desperate to see her, but when she arrives at the local police station she is met with a horrifying sight - he lies dead in his cell, the words 'Not me" scrawled across the walls. Something about his confession doesn't add up and, deeply suspicious of Lena Adams, the detective in charge, Sara immediately calls in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Shortly afterwards, Special Agent Will Trent is brought in from his vacation to investigate. But he is immediately confronted with a wall of silence. Grant County is a close-knit community with loyalties and ties that run deep. And the only person who can tell the truth about what really happened is dead . . ."Small towns are quaint and usually full of secrets. That is glaringly obvious in the characters who are introduced in this book. Such a spider web of connections that makes you think of the old "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game of old. Typical for Ms. Slaughter, the story goes in lots of possible directions, the clues are scattered throughout, the reader thinks it is definitely one person and then, nope, you're wrong. She throws you a fantastic curveball. Love it!
    • 4/5
      I accidentally read the previous book in this series, Undone, thinking it to be the first book in the Grant County/Sara Linton series and finding instead it was the first book in a new series that combined characters from Slaughter's other two mystery series. What I learned in that book makes going all the way back to the beginning impossible at least for now, so I decided to move forward and pick up the next book in the new combined series.In Broken, Sara Linton is back in her Grant County home visiting for Thanksgiving. A murder, a suicide, and her distrust of the local police force lead her to drag Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective Will Trent in to investigate. Together, they find the answer to the contemporary mystery and help Sara find some closure to a past heartache. The characters once again are the stars, though the plot is fully functional.
    • 4/5
      This is not my favorite of the Will Trent series so far, but it is necessary for bringing the stories together and was therefore well done. I should up my rating based on that, but I struggled with the way the story dissolved into petty grudges at times — memory, loss, letting go. Necessary but not my favorite read.
    • 4/5
      This book did keep me turning pages I had no idea who the murderer was until that fact was revealed. The story moves along at a good pace.
    • 4/5
      The fourth book of the Will Trent series opens late one night when a young woman is pulled from the lake. At first it looks like a suicide until the medical examination proves it is most definitely murder. Detective Lena Adams, a central character is Slaughter's Grant county series , along with Police Chief Frank Wallace go to the victim's apartment where they discover a masked intruder holding a knife. Things fall apart immediately and before long, one of the police officers is in the hospital. They take the suspect, Tommy Brahm, to jail and he eventually confesses. Lena and Frank and the entire local police force are convinced of Tommy's guilt, but this is just the beginning of a fascinating story.

      Meanwhile Dr. Sara Linton is back home in Grant County for Thanksgiving. She gets a call from Frank telling her that her former patient, Tommy, desperately wants to see her. When she arrives at the jail, circumstances cause her to place a call to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Will Trent is brought in. He starts investigating the police force, but it slowly turns into an investigation into the murder of the woman pulled out of the lake.

      This is a difficult book to review without adding spoilers. The author has merged two series together and there's a lot of backstory here, especially Sara's hatred of Lena, the woman she blames for her husband's death several years ago. I've read the series before and am currently listening to them in audio. The author dies a wonderful job of portraying both good and bad sides of each character. Her ability to create realistic, three-dimensional characters is what makes this such a standout suspense series.
    • 5/5
      Oh yes, it's a great one by Karin Slaughter. It takes place down in south Georgia, more so than Atlanta, and a bit in Macon. Which are really three different worlds. Lena, Sara, and Faith are all the women in the book, all of whom are whole women who have experienced different levels of shattering. Faith is a voice on the phone, Sara Linton (mother is Catherine Earnshaw Linton - great literary reference!) is the doctor come home for the holidays, and Lena Steele is the cop. And both Sara and Lena have their blind spots towards one another which gives the book a depth that one does not get from a cozy mystery. These could be real women dealing with real life.Will Trent is down to investigate a murder/suicide and a possible cop cover-up and finds himself, with both Lena and Sara, in the midst of something he never imagined. Part of what I enjoyed about this book is that Lena has to work her way through Will: his thought processes, his questioning, and what he really wants to find out. And she knows what it is, but she is loyal to her boss until she realizes where it will get her. Then she does the brave and courageous thing and she and Will and Sara all uncover something truly tragic.So this seems to be a prelude to a love relationship that is examined in further books by Karin Slaughter, as well as the setting for what becomes of Will and Faith later on.
    • 4/5
      Twenty-one year old Allison Spooner is at the end of her rope. She is short of money, her boyfriend has disappointed her, and her rusted-out hulk of a car is on its last legs. She is struggling to keep up with her college classes at Georgia's Grant Tech while earning a pittance as a waitress in a diner. Sadly, her dream of escaping her tedious life is shattered by and unknown assailant. Evidence tells a darker story.

      Karin Slaughter depicts the characters as three-dimensional human beings, warts and all, most of whom would like to fix what is broken in their lives. Unfortunately, not everyone has the courage, honesty, and motivation to face the truth and take the necessary steps to rectify what is wrong.
    • 4/5
      This is another great read in the Georgia Series. I find Will Trent to be an interesting character and I look forward to his story development.
      This novel was set in Grant County so we meet up with Sara Linton and Lena Adams again.

      When Special Agent Will Trent arrives in Grant County, he finds a police department determined to protect its own and far too many unanswered questions about a prisoner’s death. He doesn’t understand why Officer Lena Adams is hiding secrets from him. He doesn’t understand her role in the death of Grant County’s popular police chief. He doesn’t understand why that man’s widow, Dr. Sara Linton, needs him now more than ever to help her crack this case.

      While the police force investigates the murder of a young woman pulled from a frigid lake, Trent investigates the police force, putting pressure on Adams just when she’s already about to crack. Caught between two complicated and determined women, trying to understand Linton’s passionate distrust of Adams, the facts surrounding Chief Tolliver’s death, and the complexities of this insular town, Trent will unleash a case filled with explosive secrets—and encounter a thin blue line that could be murderous if crossed.
    • 4/5
      I continue to really enjoy Will Trent as a unique character in law enforcement fiction.
    • 3/5
      Karin Slaughter’s BROKEN (Will Trent #4) is another compelling crime novel, with more background information into some intriguing characters, corruption, murder, and dirty deeds; while Will teams up with the doctor, (both with a past) for a dynamic duo!

      In Grant County, GA student Allison Spooner has been murdered after her breakup with her boyfriend Jason. Mentally disabled Tommy, is the prime suspect after he runs from what is believed to be the scene of the murder and accidentally stabs police detective. His confession and subsequent suicide seals the deal for arresting officer Senior Detective Lena Adams.

      Lena, has a past which is not always by the law, and she is protecting alcoholic Acting Chief of Police Frank Wallace who has dark secrets and skeletons in his own closet.

      Then you have Dr. Sara Linton (former coroner and Hartsdale Children’s Clinic director), and the widow of Jeffery Tolliver, murdered and she blames Lena for his death.

      Of course, Special Agent Will Trent of the GA Bureau of Investigation is called in to solve the case and begins working closely with Dr. Linton as they begin to unravel the cover-ups. These two are from different walks of life; however, both have a past and inner demons which offer them insights into the crimes.

      There is something which connects these murdered students, each of them need money; what is the driving force behind the plot to kill? There is also the police force which Will is more interested in as something smells fishy. He also is in the middle of two women, trying to figure out how all is connected.

      I started reading the latest versions of Will Trent and working my way back. Broken was helpful to provide me some background on Sara and how these two came to connect. With many characters, each brings a big part to the story line as there are many things broken.

      This was not my favorite of the Will Trent series; however, by starting with the latest and working your way backward, assume this will occur, as the author of course matures with each and every book in the series. However, would highly recommend the series and helpful to read each one to get the background of the characters (not as intense or page-turning, as the others).
      I listened to the audiobook and Natalie Ross did a good job with the performance.
    • 5/5
      Love the Will Trent series! This doesn't disappoint. A must read!
    • 3/5
      This is a short story of a newish D/s pair where the sub had been previously abused by his former Dom. It was a fine story, but the dynamics of the pair (the sub being very timid and childlike) was not my kink so the story left me cold. If that's your thing, this will certainly turn your crank, I've no doubt.
    • 4/5
      Slaughter is a awesome story teller. I loved the diversity of the characters and the twists and turns in the story. Intriguing and suspenseful to the end. A great read. I really enjoyed it.
    • 3/5
      Great story keeps you riveted until the very end.
    • 4/5
      I haven't exactly forgiven Karin Slaughter for her "another damn dead lover" a couple of books back.

      (My tag for authors who kill off a character after the character has become part of a committed (mostly married) couple and both characters have been around for several books.)

      And I don't tend to like authors who have a number of characters used as viewpoint characters, who are so flawed and unhappy and broken as Slaughter's tend to be.

      But she pulls it off - sort of. I still care what happens to these people.

      Sara Linton, a doctor is back in the town where her husband was killed four years ago, and gets some beginnings of being able to move on. Will Trent, from another sequence by this author moves forward a little in his ongoing coping with his demons - a broken childhood and dyslexia.

      Not a book to read if you are looking for a happy read, but well enough done to overcome my strong prejudice against books like this.
    • 4/5
      A Georgia student’s murder is solved all too quickly and violentlyin a way that tears apart her community, fuels the hatred between Det. Lena Adams and former Medical Examiner Sara Linton, and promises still further violence. Dr. Sara Linton reluctantly returns to Grant County, Ga., where her chief of police husband was killed, to spend Thanksgiving with her family. The last thing she wants is to become involved in the apparent murder of a young college student, but with the suicide of the prime suspect, the simple-minded Tommy Braham, Sara is soon deep into an investigation that isn’t only about murder, but coverups and corruption in the police department as well. With the help of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s special agent Will Trent, Sara discovers a tangled web of deception and danger. Summary BPLWith Karin Slaughter, it’s never just a who-done-it, although there is always a twist. It’s how she draws her recurring characters into jeopardy as they are sucked into the danger and drama of their investigations. Double jeopardy, you might say. Graphic, but not gratuitously so. 8 out of 10 For fans of murder investigations and procedural suspense.
    • 4/5
      When Special Agent Will Trent arrives in Grant County, he finds a police department determined to protect its own and far too many unanswered questions about a prisoner’s death. He doesn’t understand why Officer Lena Adams is hiding secrets from him. He doesn’t understand her role in the death of Grant County’s popular police chief. He doesn’t understand why that man’s widow, Dr. Sara Linton, needs him now more than ever to help her crack this case. While the police force investigates the murder of a young woman pulled from a frigid lake, Trent investigates the police force, putting pressure on Adams just when she’s already about to crack. Caught between two complicated and determined women, trying to understand Linton’s passionate distrust of Adams, the facts surrounding Chief Tolliver’s death, and the complexities of this insular town, Trent will unleash a case filled with explosive secrets—and encounter a thin blue line that could be murderous if crossed. (Desc. Amazon.com)Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite suspense authors. Her characters are well-drawn and there are lots of twists and turns to her plots. Many of her novels are part of a series and the characters in the novels often show up in other series. Each book offers a little more back-story of the main characters, which helps the reader understand the characters better. If you are a reader of suspense novels, pick up Karin Slaughter.
    • 1/5
      This book has the great merit of being written in a grammatical correct manner; not much more than that, and I am inclined to think that the merit goes to the dutch translator...In this book the world is divided between two kind of people: the heroes, good, honest, disciplined, loving, suffering, but destined to a bright future and true happiness; and the villain, corrupted, alcoholics, addicted, greedy, enjoying themselves in ways we might all be jealous in our deepest dreams we would never share; those will die in pain, by cancer and in solitude, or killed by the heroes. There is even a third category: people in between, they might go wrong or they might redeem, but they will never join True Happiness.What a waist of ink, and what a waist of talent. I have read a short story from Karin Slaughter, and it was funny and full of irony. This one is not even worth recycling.
    • 4/5
      I would have to agree with most of the reviews below. I thought when one of the main characters back a few books was killed off that the books would never be the same, and that is true but they are still worth reading. This one wasn't my favorite of Karin's, but definitely worth reading if you are into the series. Hopefully Fallen will be better!
    • 5/5
      Truly one of Slaughter's best books! I was so disappointed when a few books back a main charactors was killed off and I thought the books would never be the same. They were still great but this one tops them all.Can be a stand alone read but I think it will be enjoyed much better if you have read the other Grant County books in the series and know the backgrounds of the old characters.Thanks so much First Reads for a chance to read this before it's release. I highly recommend it!!
    • 5/5
      Karin Slaughter is the absolute best crime/mystery writer I have come across in this day and age. Her novels will simply astound you with their heart-racing moments and intrigue. Every time I pick one of her novels up I cannot stop reading until I'm done and I still find myself begging for more. She's a writer with no fear! She wields her instruments like a knife ready to dig in deep and take you by surprise at every turn!
    • 4/5
      A medical doctor, she returns to the town where her husband was killed in the line of duty (a cop). She believes his partner was responsible for his death and she is unable to move on. There are a couple of murders; one is drown in the lake and the other is stabbed. A third is also killed. They find the killer and the partner is exonerated.