Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
The storyline of this book was good, essentially good people meet bad people. We are given the context of Logan's Traumatic Mutism, and understand the effects on the small family. At the same time we met Rob and Vance, not actually 'friends' in the formal sense of the word and all the events occur over a few days. I thought the author conveyed the world of drugs and violence very well, balancing it with the emotions running within Kenny, Logan and the remainder of the family. The violence is brief but realistic and horrific, beware, but overall this is a very good read.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

When Kenny‘s wife died he thought his biggest problem was the selective mutism his nine-year-old suffered was his biggest problem, but after running across rob Nolan who is desperate to be given a full patch from his motorcycle club it will start a game of hide and seek adult style with weapons. Can Kenny keep them safe? This was such a good book I read this book a few weeks ago and couldn’t stop thinking about it it is a fast pace story of thrills and heartwarming situations they kept me glued to the page I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it a definite five star read. I want to think black RoseWriting Annette galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

<i>Broken Pines</i> is fictional story about a shattered family which manages to hold itself together in the face of severe tragedy and trauma. Kenny has lost his wife Marley in the past few months and now he has to cope with one teenage son who seems to be going through a type of autism brought on by the trauma, <i>Broken</i> Pines is the second novel written by Chris Riley.

Kenny is grieving. He seems to love his children but he himself is really trying to cope with the loss of his wife Marley. He is not been spending as much time as he should with his children. He thinks he’s doing a good job, but his sister-in-law really gets on his case about trying to spend more time with them. He finally finds a common thread with his son who is going through a period of autism, and he starts to do projects with him. Kenny finally reaches a point where he is ready to work. He takes the kids to work on his brothers cabin. Unfortunately, the cabin is located on land is being used for an an illicit operation that someone is trying to keep secret. This conflict of interest puts Kenny and his family directly in the line of fire of two people who will do anything to keep their operation safe and secure. The story really is about what happens when the family and these want-to-be criminals start interact.

The character development is quite interesting. We learn slowly that Kenny is an individual who is lost completely without his wife. We know he loves his children but his children are suffering. His young daughter seems to be the glue that holds him together. Whereas his son has completely shattered by the loss of his mother. As for the criminal element, one individual wants to be in a biker gang is having a difficult time proving himself. His accomplice is just a hippie who loves to grow marijuana in the backfield with the hope of getting rich. The two are an unlikely pair, who Isolate themselves from everyone around them as well as from each other. This whole crew of characters makes for a boiling pot of readability.

This book is meant for people who love thrillers. It’s fast paced once the party gets started. It shows the strength of a family and how sticking together helps them through. I gave it a four on five.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a great thriller. I always enjoyed Chris Riley’s books and this was no exception. This book has been added to my long list of favorite books I read this year.

This seems like a good story…I can kind of predict some possible situations. Ended up not finishing but I enjoyed what I did get thru.

First time I have read anything by Chris Riley and I am very impressed. The main character, Kenny, is a struggling single parent with two kids - a vivacious young daughter and an older son who has developed a traumatic mutism following the death of his mother. Kenny is trying his best but has no idea how to help his son.

Enter two near criminals -- Vance and Rob. One a marijuana smoking/growing hippie entrepreneur and the other a gang member prospect for joining a renown area gang. Just what Kenny and kids need. The reader gets deeply involved in the plot especially one who is a dad or anyone who can empathize with that role.

The literal and figurative trip in the story is fascinating and draws the reader deeply into the plot. It comes to a head when others want to take the growing marijuana. Kenny and his kids are in the cross-hairs and real danger lurks in the background.

Reading will lead to discovery as well and some deep human and parental interactions. I give the book a definite positive recommendation for reading.

I couldn't get into this story. The writing style and wording were jolting and odd and both tense and point in of view were all over the place.