I don't often read police procedurals, but Broken Angels had me hooked from the start. It's a gripping story featuring an intriguing protagonist. Dr Harrison Lane is head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime Unit at the Met, and as such is called to some unusual crime scenes.
The case he's dealing with in this story is a particularly difficult one. Not only is the victim a child, but the manner in which the body is discovered is chilling. Harrison must use all his skills to not only find the killer, but to prevent him from claiming his next victim.
I really liked Harrison from the beginning. He's a quiet, thoughtful person with an unusual background. He was taught tracking skills by his Native American stepfather in Arizona, and can pick up clues that even the experienced forensics team miss.
Harrison's not only trying to solve crimes in the present, but he's dealing with the trauma of a crime that was committed in his past. When this comes back to haunt him during his investigation, it takes all his strength to put his feelings aside and focus on the current case. This made for a fascinating subplot which added to the tension of the story.
There is also the hint of a romance and it will be interesting to see if this plotline is developed in future books. This thread was useful in showing us the man behind the mask. Harrison is extremely focused and professional and incredibly driven in his quest to solve the case he's working on. His unexpected feelings towards a female colleague reveal another side to him, and show there's more to him than just work - even if he's fighting it all the way.
I found the book easy to read, and it made me want to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I was quickly drawn into the story, and warmed to the team, which is led by DCI Sandra Barker - a tough but compassionate woman, and how great to find a female boss and over fifty at that! There's also DS Jack Salter, who I didn't like at first but soon changed my opinion when I discovered what he was dealing with in his personal life. And then there's Harrison's assistant, Ryan, who's another intriguing character. I'm looking forward to learning more about them all, and will definitely be reading the next installment of this new series.

Modern Sherlock Holmes/ Police Procedural Blend. Here, we get yet another police procedural set in Great Britain, so the terms and some of the procedures are a bit different than American audiences generally expect, yet are in-line with other similar books I've read. This particular new series has a different bent than most in that its central (series titular) character is a trained tracker/ behaviorist, and his backstory and actions here are reminiscent of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Original Detective. His tracking abilities are also reminiscent of the more modern day author David Wood's Bones Bonebrake, and indeed both Lane and Bonebrake have connections to the same region of the US. This book also features a bit more of a disturbed villain than usual, and some scenes may be a bit much for some readers. Nothing overly graphic, and certainly not "on screen", but the Carrie-type religious abuse is quite heavy handed, while also being necessary to establish the full depravity and insanity of the villain. Overall, a compelling series starter - which is great, since new publisher Storm Publishing is re-releasing almost the entire series under new titles on the same day. Very much recommended.

You know you liked a book when you check, discover other are out in some days, and but a couple of them.
A tense, gripping and entertaining story with an unusual MC and a cult expert as investigator.
I like the story even if I felt that sometimes the subplot were taking too much space. I enjoyed them as well even if I found the main plot excellent.
I look forward to read the next story and to follow Harrison in his investigation..
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you NetGalley & Storm Publishing for the chance to read an advanced copy of Broken Angels! I love a good detective series & I absolutely love Dr. Harrison’s stories because they give me Criminal Minds vibes. 😍 there are 8 books in the series, 1-7 are all being published on May 3rd & the 8th is being published on June 2nd. I loved the introduction of each character throughout the book & the glimpses of background information that help show the hows and whys that shaped the characters personalities and purposes. I also love that the focused case in the book is wrapped up by the end & that there’s an ongoing storyline in the “background” (re: Dr. Lane’s motivation to find his mother’s murderer) that will make readers want to read the next book in the series to keep following it! I can’t wait to keep reading about Dr. Harrison Lane!!

This book had me until the very end. I normally do not read books with a MMC. I am not sure why, but usually is it a FMC. So it was different to see Harrison going through this. I think the author did a good job with weaving from past to present. I think the idea behind the book was thought out and researched. Sometimes there is a rhetoric used when discussing “Satanic,” but I think the author did a responsible job with the topic.

Dr Harrison Lane, from the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime Unit is called to a crime scene where a young boy is laid out in the rotting leaves, with an inside down cross, candles burning and a Latin inscription on his chest. Dr Lane is a an expert in this field and his enquiries take him to a graveyard where he has a flashback to his own unusual childhood. He has been to this graveyard before with his mother shortly before she died. Not long after, another child does missing and Dr Lane needs to battle his own demons while trying to locate the missing child befor the killer strikes again.
A refreshing take on a crime novel, I really enjoyed Dr Lanes character and can see more details unravelling as the series continues. Gritty crimes to keep the readers hooked, desperate to know who the killer is and what made them commit such a heinous crime. 5 stars to Gwyn Bennett.

Wow, I am already a little in love with Dr Harrison Lane and this is only the first of, I hope, a long series. Great plotting and characters, very much enjoying the budding romance too. More please.

🖤✨Broken Angels - Gwyn Bennett✨🖤

I love a good crime thriller series to get stuck into and this one ticked all the boxes for me. Fast paced, likeable characters, just enough policing jargon and a great story line. Short chapters and light weight writing style made this an incredibly easy but hooking read

Synopsis:

In the early hours, Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, Dr Harrison Lane, is called to a woodland to find the lifeless body of a young boy. Scrawled across his chest is a Latin satanic exorcism prayer and scraps of paper covered in quotes from the Old Testament are stuffed in his mouth. Who would want this innocent child dead?

Can Harrison battle the demons of his own past and find the killer before the life of another innocent child is taken?


This book is due for release on the 3rd May and will be the first book of the new Harrison Lane series by Gwyn Bennett. The plot of book one also leaves you hanging for the next instalment so I am looking forward to that which is also due out the same date (bonus!)

Thank you to @gwyngb and @netgalley for allowing me the chance to read before release and share with my fellow bookish friends

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a start to a series! This book is unique in every way, from the main character and his skills to the way its set out as a book.

You actually find out who's behind it all quite early on but then you have to go on to discover the why which was a really original way for a serial killer/ police procedural to be set out.

I loved the ritualistic aspects and was completely fascinated! No idea of they are actually accurate but I was certainly captivated!

A really well told serial killer/ thriller that's turned all the norms on their head and produced a completely original book

I received this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before I start I’m happy to tell you that the first 7 books in this series are all going to realised on the same day 03/05/23 with the 8th following in June.

Also thanks to the publisher Storm Publishing for Auto-Approving me on NetGalley so I can read all your amazing books.

Dr Harrison Lane is part of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime Unit which is part of the Metropolitan Police, he’s been called to the scene of a crime which is the body of deceased 7 year old boy.

The story follows how the character’s investigate and solve the crime, it’s a chilling case that left me with the shivers.

I was mesmerised by Dr Harrison Lane he’s like no other character I’ve read about before, it’s like he’s got super power and can deduce what happened at a crime scene just by looking, he can also tell a person’s personality, job, life etc just from meeting them briefly.

We learn how and why he can do this as the book progresses. It’s absolutely fascinating.

I also loved the other characters that make up the book, with maybe a hint of romance blooming?.

I enjoyed Harrison’s relationship with DCI Sandra Barker and Sandra herself, I’m here for the over 50’s women being brave and bold.

I felt really sorry for DS Jack Salter, he’s dealing with lots of heartbreaking issues at home but he’s still a great detective.

Ryan is Harrison’s assistant, he’s so funny and always has Harrison’s back and I’m intrigued to find out more about him as the series progresses.

I can’t wait to read the next books in the series, I’m hooked!.

This is the 1st book of Harrison Lane series, it can be read as stand alone. My first in this series and this book is good. Dr.Harrison Lane is Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit who focus on religion and ocult crime. This book have many pov, story of an ocult. This is amaze me how much Harrison knew only looking at the victim. The story not focus only on case but Harrison past that triger him. I find it sweet Harrison attract to Tanya.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#BrokenAngels #TheHarrisonLane #GwynBennett #StormPublishing #NetGalley #ARC

Broken Angels is the first book in what I assume will be an amazing series. I found the character of Dr Harrison really unique, especially to how most Dr's are presented especially in police procedurals. I also found the ritualistic aspects intriguing and I'm interested to see how this will continue and link to Harrison's past in the later books. Overall a great premise with lots of suspense - I can't wait to see what will happen next.

I loved Broken Angels. Thank you NetGalley and Storm for the opportunity to read the first in this series. From page one, I warmed to Dr Harrison Lane’s quiet moodiness. I liked that he rides a Harley, a biker, like me.

The ritual elements of the novel are gripping. I read the entire book in a couple of sittings. It’s a page turner!

Harrison’s role as a police advisor is a refreshing change to the ‘run of the mill’ police detectives. His dark past will, I’m sure, draw me in to the rest of the series. I want to know more about what’s driven him to this line of work — investigating ritual murders.

The antagonist is identified early on and what follows is a race to discover him and the young boy he has kidnapped, before another killing can occur. This is more of a whydunnit than a whodunnit.

I thought the characters, particularly the protagonist and the antagonist, were well drawn. But I also want to know more about the other detectives and forensic team as they are interesting characters. Will there be more of the budding romance in the next book?

The front cover is stunning and really suits the book. I can’t wait for the next one in the series!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advance copy of Broken Angel, the first novel to feature Dr Harrison Lane, a civilian consultant who runs the Met’s Ritualistic Behavioural Crime Unit.

Dr Harrison Lane is called in when the body of a child is found in a local wood. The boy has a satanic exorcism prayer written on his chest and his mouth is stuffed with Old Testament biblical quotations. They have barely started with their investigation when another young boy goes missing.

I thoroughly enjoyed Broken Angels, which is a novel of two halves with the first half setting the scene and identifying the perpetrator, while the second half is the hunt for the identified perpetrator and the latest victim.

I’m in two minds about this format, because it works, but, on the other hand, I prefer a more unbalanced narrative where the majority of the novel is taken up with identification as it leaves more uncertainty and room for guesswork. In this case it felt that the identification came too easily. Still, as I said, it works. The author isn’t trying to re-invent the wheel, so it’s fairly standard police procedural fare with a sickening death, a touch of the exotic with the ritualistic aspects and the usual frictions between the investigators. It is absorbing and an easy way to pass a few hours.

The novel is very strong on characterisation. The most affecting is the portrayal of the missing boy’s mother, which seems incredibly realistic and heartbreaking. The police detectives, DCI Sandra Barker and DS Jack Salter, are also relatable, her with her failing marriages and he with his depressive wife. Then there’s Dr Harrison Lane and he’s the least realistic of the lot with his strange backstory and uncanny eye for detail. None of it is particularly believable but it’s fiction so anything goes and it is fun to see how far the author pushes it. Throughout the novel he has fragmentary memories of dark deeds in his childhood and he has attracted the attention of an elderly couple who have started taunting him with that past. There is no explanation for this until the final pages of the novel, so until then the whole thread was annoying rather than tantalising. This will be an ongoing thread as nothing was resolved in this one.

Broken Angels is a good read that I can recommend.

Dr Harrison Lane, Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, is called upon to use his excellent skills to help find the killer of a young boy found dead in a woodland. This book grabbed hold of my attention from the first page and didn’t let go until the gripping end. I love Gwyn Bennett’s intriguing protagonist with his mysterious past and was excited to discover on Amazon that this is the first book in an eight-book series. I can’t wait to devour the next book and learn more about Dr Harrison Lane’s past and see what crimes he comes up against next.

Clever, chilling, and compelling. What a treat and such a brilliant start to what promises to be an exceptional series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

This is a great read and a brilliant start to a new series – an imaginative and absorbing police procedural that introduces a host of interesting characters including an Intriguing protagonist in Dr Harrison Lane who comes complete with a fascinating and complex back story that I’ll look forward to unravelling in future books.

I’d like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book, book one in a brand new series. We follow a police team in London who are tracking down a second kidnapped little boy all the while trying to navigate their own personal lives and how they affect their work. When they start piecing the clues together and find a suspect, will they find the little boy in time? Can’t wait for the next one.

Clever and suspenseful!
Harrison Lane and the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit are welcome additions to the crime genre., I loved the interesting premise, and the snarky humour that peppered the narrative. More please.

A breath of sky broke through the canopy of trees in the small clearing. A wooden cross had been pushed into the earth, and four candles surrounded the boy. He looked as if he was sleeping, but the rotting leaves upon which he lay were his grave.

In the early hours, Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, Dr Harrison Lane , is called to a woodland to find the lifeless body of a young boy. Scrawled across his chest is a Latin satanic exorcism prayer and scraps of paper covered in quotes from the Old Testament are stuffed in his mouth. Who would want this innocent child dead?

Harrison is certain the killer has links with a religious group, and the clue lies in the twisted individual’s childhood.

As he delves further, Harrison visits a cemetery and realises he’s been there before, dredging up a chilling memory from his past. When he was a little boy, his mother, dressed in a black cloak, had brought him there just before she died.

While Harrison tries to make sense of his traumatic flashback and how it might be linked to the case, a child goes missing while on his way to a leisure centre on a busy Saturday morning.

Can Harrison battle the demons of his own past and find the killer before the life of another innocent child is taken?

Really enjoyed this story. Could not find it in me to put it down until the last page was finished. Will recommend to others.

Young children are being kidnapped, and the body of a young boy has been found in a graveyard, surrounded by candles and a wooden cross.
Bible verses have been pushed into his mouth.

Harrison Lane has been called in to assist, He is an expert in ritual killings and practices.
He works with DCI Sandra Barker and her team to find a 7 year old who is in the hands of a psychotic religious nut, and the child has to be found before it is too late.

This is the first book in a series featuring Harrison Lane, and I think that it will be a really great series to follow. I can't wait for the next book!
The characters are being developed, and we have insights into their personal lives, which spills over into their professional lives.
In this first book, the characters have not yet settled into a team as such, but I think that they will, in time, become like a family.
I like Harrison, he has a way about him, he is methodical, smart and intuitive, and very observant.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review