I'm a huge fan of Alex Caan and have read all of his novels. I wasn't sure if he could top the partnership of DI Kate Riley and DS Zain Harris from his first two books but he certainly has with DI Sarah Heaton and DS Moomy Khan. I absolutely loved Moomy. She's a very broken individual who hides her pain with men, alcohol and a lot of attitude. She's turned away from her Muslim family, culture and faith. Sarah does the opposite to Moomy when faced with tragedy in her life. She turns to Islam in an attempt to find peace. So quite different characters but their bond is unbreakable.

The plot is just as good as the characters. Millie Beaumont, newlywed, is found shot dead on Hampstead Heath. The confusing part is she was kidnapped in Turkey. How did she end up back on British soil? Her husband, Oscar Hayat is still missing. The Hayats aren't your usual family as they're mega-rich but Millie had a totally different background. With so many possible motives and perpetrators, Sarah and Moomy have to act fast to find Oscar alive.

The pace of this book is fast. Even when things slow a little so we find out more about Sarah and Moomy's past, the thread there is always compelling. In this current strange times, it's good to have a variety of books to read. This only took me a couple of days to finish and I appreciated the chance to step out of the real world and into Sarah and Moomy's. I hope I'll be able to meet them again sometime soon.

4☆ A Gripping, Highly Compelling, Twisty Crime Thriller!

The Unbroken is a gritty and highly compelling crime thriller.

Millie and Oscar have just gotten married, but you never know what goes on behind closed doors...and in Millie's case nothing is! As Oscar doesn't want Millie it was all a sham. A lavish, rich, sham. But she loved him.

DI Sarah Heaton and DS Moomy Khan are called to investigate a murder, a body, with a gun shot wound to the head.... the body is Millie's!
Millie was on her honeymoon in Istanbul, Someone must of kidnapped her in Istanbul, killed her and dumped her body in London. But where is Oscar? Why go to the extreme lengths to kidnap someone and dump their body in a completely different country?

DI Heaton and her team have to now try and work out exactly what happened, quickly, as it wont be long before the press find out and it could make things a whole lot worse! Especially as Millie was married to a billionaire and with Oscar still missing the clock is ticking!

The Unbroken is the first book in a new crime series and I'm already excited for more.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the cleverly plotted twists and turns that kept me guessing till the end. I thought I had an inkling early on but I was wrong, and I love that!
The characters were really well developed, I'm excited to read more from DI Heaton and DS Khan they certainly make a good team, with a complex past.
The police procedural was well written and believable.

The Unbroken is suspenseful, gritty, very compelling, drama filled, twisty crime thriller that I highly recommend.
I can't wait for the next installment!

Thank you to BOTBS Tours for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I've read enough crime novels to know that it doesn't usually matter too much if a reader doesn't start with the first book in a series but equally, I'm also aware that to really appreciate the development of the characters, it is advisable to read from the beginning if possible and I think this will most definitely be true for Alex Caan's new series featuring DS Moomy Khan and DI Sarah Heaton. As the first book, there is necessarily a certain amount of scene setting but far from detracting from the plot, I found the inclusion of the two main characters' back stories to be absolutely fascinating and written in such a way to give me a clear indication of who these women are while also holding enough back to ensure I'm eager to discover more.
The juxtaposition between Moomy and Sarah is particularly striking; the former having turned her back on her Muslim upbringing while the latter has chosen to convert to Islam - with severe ramifications for their relationships with both their families. Moomy has an unexpected introduction to the storyline which immediately suggests that she is most definitely not a run-of-the-mill detective. Indeed, there are points within the novel where I couldn't help but wonder how she manages to keep her job. She is insubordinate and inappropriate - and I loved her! As the story progresses, we learn more about her background and why she feels such hatred towards her family. It's a familiar enough yet still shocking tale of control and coercion in the name of family and faith and one that reflects the reality for any number of women.
Sarah's experience of Islam is in direct contrast to this, revealing the comfort and succour that faith gives to some people, with the ritual observance of prayers grounding her at the moments where she most needs the support. However, her conversion has also led to personal difficulties and this is something I'm very much looking forward to being expanded upon further in later books, particularly given that her father and half-sister have such wildly differing beliefs. Moomy and Sarah's individual experiences could have divided them but somehow the partnership works with each leaning on the other as the case they are investigating stirs up painful memories for both.
The third woman of the storyline is Millie Beaumont who also found herself at odds with family, although in this case it's the one she marries into which may hold the clues to why she is tragically murdered, shortly after her high profile marriage to Oscar Hayat. As Sarah and Moomy investigate her death they are given a glimpse into the murky underworld of the seriously wealthy. With chapters which give us a tantalising insight into a few of the Hayat family's thoughts, it's never obvious whether any of them are ultimately responsible for Millie's death but it is only too evident that they will do anything possible to protect their way of life, and they have the money, power and influential associates to do just that. There are dark secrets and scandals just waiting to be discovered here but Moomy and Sarah need to figure out which are important to the case and which are just further examples of a corrupt, privileged lifestyle.
The red herrings and cliffhangers at the end of chapters meant I couldn't put the book down and read The Unbroken in just a few hours. I love novels with a strong, well-written character-driven narrative and that's exactly what I was given here, with the various motivations behind the actions of the characters being explored with insight and authenticity throughout. The Unbroken is a compelling police procedural and an excellent introduction to a new series. I am excited to discover what lies in store for Moomy and Sarah next, especially after the intriguing epilogue...

I have read a couple of Alex's books now and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them. When I heard that he was due to release another book, I just knew that I had to read it as soon as I could. The synopsis seemed so intriguing and enticing at the same time. I couldn't wait to start reading so without further ado I grabbed the Kindle, grabbed a cup of tea and then settled down on the couch to read 'The Unbroken'. Oh my word 'The Unbroken' was certainly one hell of a read, which I thoroughly enjoyed but more about that in a bit.
I did like the new detective pairing of Moomy and Sarah. I have to say though that it took me a little while to warm to Moomy as she got on my nerves initially. However as time went on and I got to know her a bit better I felt myself thawing towards her. My favourite one of the pair is Sarah without a doubt. Moomy and Sarah work well as a team and each bounces off the other as it were. Both are no nonsense female police officers, who carry out their jobs to the best of their abilities. I look forward to watching their working partnership develop as each new book in the series is released.
It didn't take me long at all to get into this book. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first page, I knew that I was going to be in for one hell of a read and that reading this book would prove to be extremely addictive. I was right on both counts. I was intrigued by the chain of events that led to Millie's sad death and I had to keep reading to see how the story developed and whether or not the guilty would be found and punished. The pages of the book turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out what happened and how the case concluded grew and grew. I had my own theories as to what was going to happen so of course I had to find out if I was correct or not. I reached the end of the story far quicker than I had intended or wanted to.
'The Unbroken' is really well written but then I think that to be true of all of Alex's books. He captures your attention from the start and he takes you on one hell of a fast paced journey through an investigation with more twists and turns than you would find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. 'The Unbroken' gripped me from start to finish and had me on the edge of my seat throughout.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Unbroken' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Alex's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This is the first instalment in this new series featuring DI Sarah Heaton and DS Moomy Khan and what a cracking debut.

Millie Beaumont and billionaire, Oscar Hayat have just married, however, practically only landed on their honeymoon in Istanbul in Turkey, they are kidnapped at gun point from their car. Sarah & Moonmy are called to the scene of a murder, a young girl with a single gunshot wound to the head and had certainly been tortured beforehand, it is quickly discovered, they have found the body of the missing Millie Beaumont, but if they have found her body, they can expect the body of her new husband, Oscar to turn up also?

Oscar Hayat’s family are mega rich, loaded in fact, could this be one of the reasons the newly-weds were kidnapped? No ransom has been received and the family are acting oddly…with a deep rooted history and plenty of enemies, the race is on to find Oscar before he suffers the same fate, the pressure is on Sarah and Moomy.

A dynamic duo takes us on this journey, I loved the fact that the main detectives were both female which not sure that’s been the case with any others I’ve read so from the outset, it was set aside from other series I’ve read. They each have many issues of their own, both troubled and dealing with personal issues. I look forward to getting to know more of their characters although if Moomy keeps on with that attitude, she may not last the distance!

Overall a great fast paced detective thriller, full of suspense and intrigue, great plot and very well written and weaved together, this one will keep you up well into the night. Have absolutely no qualms in recommending this series.

OVERALL - I liked The Unbroken. The Unbroken kept me interested until the end. The Unbroken was well written and engaging. The Unbroken evoked emotion. The story was beautifully written, with a consistent style and tone, and efficiency of description that didn't slow the pace. The Unbroken was original, and well written. An excellent addition to the genre. The Unbroken had standard tropes delivered with a smooth writing style. The dialogue in The Unbroken was nice and tight. I would recommend The Unbroken to any fan of the genre.

The Unbroken by Alex Caan
A Khan& Heaton Crime Thriller #1

A wedding rushed into
An unhappy couple beginning their honeymoon
Kidnapped
One missing and one dead
Police called in
Will they find the missing before he is dead?
Who is the mastermind behind the crime
and
Why did it happen as it did?

This was a complex complicated character driven twisted terrible tale in which every person seemed to have a secret, past horrible experiences, ulterior motives or just not be 100% normal...but then...what is truly normal?

From the beginning of the story to the end I kept wondering how the author came up with the plot and the characters. I felt horrible for more than one person in the story and especially so for Millie who paid with her life. The team set to solve Millie’s murder were an unusual duo of women that were similar and yet very different. Their partnership at work proved to be excellent as both were skilled in doing their jobs but they also were scarred in ways that created a dependency between them outside of their job that was intriguing and made more and more sense as their pasts were revealed.

There was so much to contemplate in this story...so very much. My mind is struggling to put into words what to say about this book. Hmm…

What I liked:
* It was not a simple tale and made me think
* Learning more about what made each character tick
* Finding out who was behind the tragic events and why what happened did
* That the perpetrator did not achieve all that was planned
* That this was deeper and darker than I thought it might be
* Learning about Sarah and Moomy but not learning everything – there is more I want to know about both of them
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* How twisted it was – and how dark – but also how karma might eventually get the baddie
* Knowing this is not a one and done story

What I did not like:
* The loss of an innocent life
* The darker hidden sides of some of the characters
* Some of the past experiences of more than one character
* The fact that there are so many dysfunctional families in the world
* The reminder of how evil people can be.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley, Hera and BOTBS Publicity for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

Absolutely riveting read for me this! Loved it! We are introduced to two female coppers DS Moomy Khan and DI Sarah Heaton, who are thrown headlong into a murder case...but not just any murder case! This one is a high profile case, from a very rich and powerful family, The Hayats. It is also a kidnapping case, these two officers do nothing by halves! The eldest son Oscar has recently got married to the beautiful, clever Millie,who is not the typical match for the eldest son of money, she is of colour and poor. The problems begin when Millie is found dead on Hampstead Heath and Oscar is missing. Sarah and Moomy have to delve into both families and discover all was not as well as it seemed, the perfect facade cracked but papered over.
The speed of which this story moves is fast, with a gritty plot and raising the question of how much can money protect you, from anything, including the law? Moomy and Sarah are doggedly determined to get to the bottom of it all, but at what cost?
With thanks to Netgalley and Hera books for the ARC which I offered to review.

The Unbroken is the first instalment in the Detective Inspector Sarah Heaton and Detective Superintendent Moomy Khan series both of whom are employed by the Metropolitan Police Force. When the body of Millie Beaumont is discovered on Hampstead Heath in London killed by a single gunshot wound to the head, Sarah and her colleagues know they will be under huge pressure to bring the case to resolution quickly. Born into your average British family she went on to meet and marry billionaire Oscar Hayat in a lavish ceremony others could only dream about. It is then they ventured to Istanbul, Turkey, on their honeymoon where they were both apparently kidnapped, yet Oscar is still nowhere to be found. Is he dead? Or is something else going on? The police start by interviewing the Hayat family to ascertain whether they know anything about what happened or where Oscar may be but they almost immediately pick up that the family is hiding something; they definitely know more than they are letting on as they are bewilderingly calm.

This is an exciting and drama-filled start to a promising series that had me rooted to the spot reading long into the night. It's compulsive and completely absorbing from beginning to end, and there were twists and turns aplenty and the surprises just keep coming. Caan keeps the motive under wraps until the very end and this keeps you glued to the pages. All developments unfold in a linear and logical fashion making it so upincredibly easy to get lost in the story; it's addictive and the mission to uncover the secrets the Hayat family are hiding beneath their perfect facade is engrossing. The plot is gritty and both Moomy and Sarah are both talented and dogged investigators with incredibly painful pasts which I imagine we will hear more about in future books. Moving at a swift pace, The Unbroken leads you to consider whether money andhaving contacts in high places that often go along with that, really can buy you everything, including protection from the law. A highly entertaining and absorbing read. Many thanks to Hera Books for an ARC.

I failed to be thrilled by this book which was promoted as a thriller but seemed much more a police investigation. The first in what is to be a series so a lot of setting the scene and this wore thin as nothing to do with the crime. Perhaps books that follow on won’t be quite so overwhelmed by these back stories.
There are two main lead characters both female detectives which was refreshing. but whilst Sarah seemed authentic I failed to see how Moomy could ever be allowed to function within a police service or in any job that required some discipline.
To sum up I have to say whilst I think it will be a perfect book for some ( and I can even see myself recommending it at book group) it wasn’t for me.

Alex Caan kicks off an action-packed new crime series with The Unbroken, a nail-biting and hair raising thriller featuring intrepid detectives Moomy Khan and Sarah Heaton. Tense, sinister and packed with jaw-dropping shocks and surprises that will make readers jump out of their skin, The Unbroken is high quality crime fiction that grabs readers by the throat from the very first page and keeps them captivated throughout.

Millie Beaumont and Oscar Hayat’s wedding was the event of the year. This high profile and high society wedding was on everyone’s lips and all everyone could talk about, however, nobody could foresee the shocking and catastrophic events that would follow their walk down the aisle. Their romantic dreams turn into a blood-curdling nightmare when they are both abducted with Millie killed in cold blood whilst billionaire playboy Oscar goes missing. Who would want to do such a thing? What secrets did Millie and Oscar have that would drive somebody to commit such a gruesome, despicable and heinous act? Was it somebody driven by money? Or is there something even more sinister and terrifying going on?

DS Moomy Khan and DI Sarah Heaton are on the case and they are both determined to get to the bottom of this gruesome mystery. Both Moomy and Sarah have had their own demons to contend with. Their lives and their pasts have not exactly been free of difficulties and hardships, but their experiences have helped shape them as both human beings and police officers. Finding who killed Millie and tracking down Oscar becomes top priority for the two of them and they both realise that this is going to be anything but easy and straightforward. The Hayats are a family with plenty of enemies which leads Moomy and Sarah to wonder whether this act of violence was the ultimate act of revenge – or whether there is someone even more disturbed and deranged behind the scenes planning something even twisted…

With Oscar’s life in jeopardy, Moomy and Sarah will leave no stone unturned to track him down and save him from a similar fate to his wife, but are they already too late? Or will they save Oscar at the eleventh hour?

A fantastic page-turner that is brilliantly written, wonderfully plotted and so compulsively readable that readers will find themselves unable to get any sleep as they find themselves desperate to find out what happens next, The Unbroken is a high stakes edge of your seat thriller that is definitely not for the faint-hearted. Alex Caan brilliantly and deftly ramps up the tension and suspense from the off and will keep readers on a knife’s edge and chewing their fingers to the bone as they find themselves completely and utterly consumed by this story.

Gutsy, gripping and impossible to put down, judging by The Unbroken, the Khan and Heaton series looks set to be a must-read for crime fiction fans everywhere.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed this book. This is a first from Alex Caan for me. I cant wait to read more from this author. I flew through this book it was so good. I highly recommend to all.

This is the first book in a new series focusing on two police officers. The case in this book involves attempting to find out who abducted a couple on their honeymoon. The family has tons of enemies, so this isn't an easy case to solve. The book was filled with a lot of suspense and action. I will definitely read that next book in the series.

This book is very hard to review. First of all, a woman is tortured and murdered, and two detectives are investigating the crime. They seem to rule out anyone in her life very quickly, and focus on the people in her new husbands' life. Which was all well and good, but they had no proof that it was anyone on his side. Then there was a lot of talk about religion. Again fine, but it had nothing to do with the plot of the book. This book was okay, but could have been much better. 3 stars.

I had more problems with this book than most of the other readers who have posted reviews. The set-up was promising: A newly-married couple is kidnapped in Istanbul, shortly after their social-media event of a wedding. The groom is from a wealthy, famous British family. The bride, not so much. In a matter of days, her corpse turns up in London. He is still missing.

I liked that the detectives assigned to the case are both female, which is rare. I liked that the author gave them complex histories, but they were carried out with mixed success. The lead detective, Sarah, had a backstory so convoluted that her character never quite gelled for me. (The torment over her sister made sense, but what was the deal with her mother, anyway? and why would her father blame her?)

The backstory of her subordinate, Moomy, made more sense. It was heartrending, but Moomy simply wasn't believable to me -- not as a policewoman, at least. We get it: she was a young immigrant with pressure not to assimilate and she got a really, really raw deal. But I can't imagine any 21st-century police force tolerating the way in which Moomy acted out, habitually, repeatedly, almost reflexively. She took anti-social to new heights, and I can't fathom that it would fly in any chain of command.

I also liked the elements of class conflict throughout the story. About halfway into the book (59%, according to my Kindle), I got into flow, and the alternating points of view took on a rhythm, and I enjoyed the rest of the book. This is the first in a series, and I'm in for future books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for an advance readers copy.

I really, really don't know if I can do justice to the book with this review. But I will try my best.

Alex Caan is fucking brilliant!! His writing... Oh my freak... It hit me right between my eyes, a hard round, which stopped my breath. With personal lives and past of the lead detectives slowly being interweaved with the layers of investigation, this master conductor swayed the direction of the story so effortlessly that the winds blew in almost a synchronized way. It was nothing short of brilliant. I read the entire book with bated breath.

Millie and Oscar had a dream destination wedding and honeymoon in Istanbul, but those were only for the photographs. Something was brewing between them. Then came their kidnapping at their honeymoon but Millie's tortured and dead body was found in UK. Go figure... In fact it were the lead Detectives Sarah and Moomy who were given this convoluted case.

My first book by this author, man, had I been living under a rock? I didn't expect it to be so exciting, my due apologies to the author for underestimating him. How do I write about the eagerness that struck me when I started reading? How do I show about the way the book slowly enveloped me within itself, entrancing me? How do I explain the craving that overwhelmed me to know the truth? The book did all that and more.

The police investigation was swift with the brains of the lead detectives working overtime. The pages turned almost by itself, I was lost into the suspense of the story. The author was a master strategist who knew how to make the pieces of subplots fit seamlessly as well lay down the foundation of the main characters for the subsequent books.

That's it, my brain is broken. No more words can spew forth. I am done!!

I freaking loved the book!!

And that's all I am saying!!

It was an enjoyable read. I found the plot interesting and thrilling if not a little bit predictable. I liked the characters did not love them. There was part specific to the case in this book that I thought went unanswered and left me curious for an answer.

Millie Beaumont has just married rich boyfriend, Oscar Hayat, but soon after they both disappear whilst on honeymoon. Within days, Millie's body is found on a heath in London whilst Oscar is still unaccounted for. DI Sarah Heaton and partner, DS Moomy Khan investigate amongst the world of the super rich of the UK's capital.

This book is unusual for having two female police officers as its main partnership, and I think this gave it an interesting dynamic. I'm not convinced a DS would be able to talk to senior officers in the fashion that Moomy Khan does though and I'm unsure whether or not her character would outstay her welcome with me sooner rather than later. That said, I did enjoy reading it, the plot was interesting and didn't sag in the middle like some crime novels do. I enjoyed it enough to read a second one.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Hera Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Alex Caan has returned to the world of crime in his latest novel, The Unbroken and he explores the world of the seriously wealthy and introduces to a new, diverse cast of characters who really make this book feel fresh in the crime fiction genre. It really does make you look closely at the idea that there seems to be one law for a select few and one law for the rest of us.

For me, what made this novel stand out were the two lead detectives, DS Moomy and DI Heaton. While they both practise the Muslim faith, they have very opposing views. I think this is a much more character-driven crime novel than it is plot-driven, but I really liked this. Alex Caan still kept me invested in the main story, and I wanted to know who was behind the crime that takes place.

DS Moomy Khan grew up a Muslim and has spent her life trying to fight back against tradition and what is expected of her by her family and her religion. It does seem that she is still trying to work out if she believes in her faith. DI Sarah Heaton, however, has recently converted, having been brought up in a Christian family in England. I was really intrigued by DI Heaton, and I wondered what it was that had prompted her to make such a decision. Alex Caan fleshes out his characters really well, and he has given them interesting back stories which don’t feel overly familiar as so many back stories often do in crime fiction.

The novel opens with the discovery of the body of a young woman, Millie Beaumont, who has recently got married to the son of a self-made billionaire, Oscar, who is due to inherit his family’s fortune. They had recently left the country to go on their honeymoon to Istanbul, so how has she ended up back in London? Was she murdered in Istanbul and her body later dumped here? Or was she kidnapped and transported alive back to the capital? As DS Moomy and DI Heaton delve into the family she had married into, schemes and dark secrets are uncovered, which prompt the detectives to think someone within the family organised Millie’s murder. But could this be the case when their son has gone missing as well?

I loved how Alex Caan delved into the Hayat family and how he examined every part of their lives as his detectives raced to find an answer to the questions behind Millie’s murder. When I first started reading the book, I felt some level of respect for the head of the family, John Hayat, who escaped persecution during the reign of Sadam Hussain and strived to make his fortune. He seemed to be someone who stood on his morals, and he was the only person who seemed to approve of his eldest son’s choice to marry Millie. Despite how much he is worth and what he has achieved in his life, he seems really down to earth. His wife, who inherited her fortune, certainly isn’t pleased with the choice her son has made, and you can see that she has a very controlling personality.

As this series progresses, I’m going to be really intrigued to find out more about DS Moomy and DI Heaton. I hope Alex Caan takes these books a lot further and I will definitely be looking out for when the next one’s out.

I hate to go against the grain here and say this story didn’t knock my socks off….3 stars.
The story didn’t grab me by the throat and have me at the edge of my seat. I felt underwhelmed as the ending felt rushed crammed in at the end.
This is the first book in the series of DI Sarah Heaton and DS Moomy Khan. Their backstories are very complex and explains the way they are today. The book seemed to focus more on them then it did on the murder/missing person case they were trying to solve. I did enjoy learning about them and kept wanting to know more about their history. The case really didn’t intrigue me. I didn’t like the rich family or their power dynamics.
I would pick up installment number two and give it another chance because I enjoyed DI Heaton and DS Khan and I’d like to know how they’re doing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hera Books, and of course, Alex Caan for an ARC of this book.