Burned and Broken: A gripping detective mystery you won't be able to put down (Pearson and Russell)

I like Peter James but not this. I gave it 4stars after reading it, really meant three! It started with a mystery death and from then on up to 45% of the read I really couldn't say it was much of a detective story. Far too much going back in time, talking about children's homes, a girl talking to her dead friend !! Sorry, I nearly gave up. The ending was a bit better but it didn't do anything for me as a detective story.

If you want a book that begins with an horrific scene then this is it .. in at the deep end with a gruesome death in a burning car. To add to the drama it appears the victim is a police officer so all/any investigation will be given the priority the force show when one of their own is involved.This is a debut from this writer and shows considerable promise. The characters all have depth and some of the subject matter is quite difficult to deal with. Donna was raised in care has a traumatic backstory and is desperately trying to prove her friend Alicia didn’t die as a result of an accident.Sean Carragher (victim) is also being investigated for corruption, intimidating witnesses etc so there are a few folk who could be responsible for his demise. His ex-partner DC Cat Russell is trying not to appear guilty by association as she explores the case.Along the way there are several people who could possibly tie this all together. A tale woven fairly cleverly and I liked the interactions between Cat and DS Frank Pearson. They both have their own issues to deal with and that adds a sense of realism to the story.I was intrigued by the start, got a bit confused during some of the overly descriptive lengthy middle parts, got a touch annoyed at the constant mention of mints but it all came together for a satisfying ending. I did appreciate it being set in the UK, no specifics on location really but definitely a gritty background.If you are in the mood for a crime thriller give this a go and I would happily read another by this writer to see how he progresses. Burned and Broken is a very strong title which suits the book perfectly.I was offered an ARC by Clara at Little Brown and read voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a well written debut. I'm not sure why other reviewers thought the language was offensive? In my opinion (and I've read a lot of police procedurals) the writer only used swear words to enhance the dialogue of specific characters and certainly not frivolously. In fact DS Pearson was an unusually polite protagonist and given the stereotypical drunk/maverick detectives you generally find in this genre, it was quite refreshing to read. Perhaps the reviewers are not seasoned crime readers? I'll be interested to read the next chapter in the life of Pearson and Cat. After all, Tom Thorne, Rebus, Jack Caffery (the list is endless) were not shaped in one book.

Interesting

I decided to read this book after seeing an article about the author in a Sunday newspaper. Sadly I was disappointed with what I found. From the outset of the novel there is too much unnecessary description and extraneous detail which halts the book's flow and makes the whole thing hard to read. Pace in a contemporary police procedural is essential and there simply wasn't enough here to keep the pages turning. The different perspectives also slowed the story down and grew irritating. The setting of Southend offered plenty of possibilities too but seemed one-dimensional. As for the two main detective characters, they never really came to life and lacked depth and spice.