A murdered girl. A missing girl. An escaped abduction victim. DC Morgan Brookes has had a busy morning where the crimes keep stacking up. Could there be a connection?
Two Broken Girls is the 13th book in the Morgan Brookes series of crime thriller/police procedurals set in the Lake District.
The day begins badly with the discovery of a murdered college student. Then another student arrives at the police station to report her best friend missing. On the way to investigate, Morgan is in a car crash swerving to avoid a third student who runs into the road begging for help. The police are stretched as they attempt to solve three crimes simultaneously.
I absolutely raced through this book, couldn’t put it down (my only complaint is that it was over too soon). The plot is fast paced, chapters short and the characters felt authentic and real. Developments happen quickly and there were some great twists which kept me guessing. Most of the book is written to show the police investigation but there are also some chapters from the killer’s perspective to increase tension and mystery.
The dynamic between the police characters sparkles and fizzes with humour, respect and compassion. There are several references (but no spoilers) to previous victims to show the continuing emotional effect on the police characters. Morgan is a great detective and her fearless attitude to policing gets her into the thick of the action and puts her frequently in danger!
Two Broken Girls is a very enjoyable police procedural and crime thriller with fab lead characters.
Sweat trickles down the girl’s spine as she dances around her bedroom. The curtains blow open and a gust of hot, humid air comes through the window. She has no idea she is being watched from the street below. The dainty chain around her neck will soon be his. Another keepsake. His second broken girl.
On the banks of the River Rothay, as the first rays of sunshine hit the fast-flowing water, Melody Carrick’s body lies lifeless, red strangulation marks where her gold cross necklace used to hang. Detective Morgan Brookes is certain the killer was surprised by early-morning dog walkers, and she won’t rest until she unearths the evidence she needs to stop his next attack.
But before Morgan has a chance to attend the post-mortem, seventeen-year-old Paige Evans rushes into the police station claiming her stepfather Alan kidnapped her best friend. He has an old wooden box full of jewellery that she believes are trophies. Morgan’s blood runs cold: Melody’s necklace is tangled up in the chains.
Morgan races to Alan’s home, but on the way, she spots a young woman stumbling out of a nearby forest. She’s not Paige’s missing friend. Disorientated, with ropes cutting into her wrists and tears running down her face, the girl claims to have been abducted and then suddenly set free. By a man who looks nothing like Alan.
Chasing the most twisted killer of her career, can Morgan discover the connection between these terrible crimes? With two girl’s lives already in ruins, can she find the latest innocent victim this monster has hidden in time?
Author Bio
Helen Phifer is the Bestselling writer of the hugely popular Annie Graham, Lucy Harwin, Beth Adams and her current series featuring Detective Constable Morgan Brooks published by the fabulous Bookouture.
She lives in the busy town of Barrow-in-Furness surrounded by miles of coastline and a short drive from the glorious English Lake District.
Helen loves reading books that scare the heck out of her and is eternally grateful to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Graham Masterton for scaring her senseless in her teenage years. Unable to find enough scary stories she decided to write her own and her debut novel The Ghost House released in October 2013 became a #1 Global Bestseller.
