The Broken Places pleasantly surprised me with the level of suspense that was in it. Mia Sheridan has for sure done it again with her well written and well expressed mind.

Decent mystery with some surprising twists. Mia Sheridan is best at writing characters you can connect to and honestly care about what happens to them and this book was no different. While the central mystery was a little farfetched I was still interested in seeing how it was solved and what would happen to the two main characters. Sheridan will continue to be an auto-read author for me. I want to thank NetGalley and Montlake for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Montlake and Mia Sheridan for this digital ARC!

Mia Sheridan has been on my TBR list for so long, and I was excited to finally dive into one of her books. However, it took me a bit longer to get into this story than I expected, likely because I’m not used to reading mystery/thriller romances.

If you want to read this book I highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings first. There are some explicit scenes that might not be suitable for everyone, so be prepare for some dark topics.

The Broken Places is a romantic suspense writting by Mia Sheridan and if you're reading this review, you absolutley should not over look this book! While Archer's Voice is probably what lead you to wanting to read Mia Sheridan, you will want to stick around for Mia Sheridan's other books because they are all worth a read because each one is different, offering a different take on something you never thought you'd want to read. The Broken Places is filled with mystery and twists you would have never expected, but it also has some of that romance you come to expect from Mia Sheridan's writing. 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy of The Broken Places by Mia Sheridan in exchange for my honest review.

When other officers in San Francisco start to transfer to other cities or the small town, inspector Lennon Gray stays and still does her job diligently, even though that makes her hurl everything she ate before visiting the crime scene, but a special occurrence caught her attention—a strange suicide scene that wasn't normal in any sense of the word. Ambrose Mars, the new partner of Inspector Lennon, acts suspicious; he seems different than other officers or agents, but that doesn't make him less attractive, especially when he helps Lennon state her theory about each crime and gives a different perspective to help her. Things got heated when Ambrose saved Lennon from a near-death situation, but Ambrose was hiding something, and that was the start of the mystery.
Being a police officer isn't only managing traffic lights or only calling them to arrest the thieves in your house; the visual Mia Sheridan gave was a roller coaster yet a masterpiece. I loved that the details were arranged so perfectly. Everyone knows about people dealing with their own lives, troubles, or problems; some people want to free themselves, some don't care anymore, and some want to find a way to either succeed or fail. It's so detailed that you could emphasize with them, and you're not drug addicted or selling body, but you have a clear view of their perspective. That alone is a masterpiece of the mentality of different people.
The book has so many strong points: the connection between trauma and the incidents that happened, which results in their current state, how they deal with them, some details that may be ignored but in fact have a massive influence on your life and the decision you make, and the importance of solving those trauma. I especially liked that there is reality. In the sea of people dealing with those issues, some try to save themselves, but some don't want to, or want to but don't have the courage to, like they think it's too late, but deep down they wish they could do something about it. The vivid image of the people in the book is a masterpiece that not many authors could visualize.
I rate the book 5 and the mystery a solid 5. There is not every day that I enjoy something unexpected; I feel all Ambrose and Lennon emotions without knowing who they are. There is this part of the book where I see someone, anonymous, go through the healing process, and I can say I also walk without knowing who they are. There is this part of the book where I see someone, anonymous, go through the healing process, and I can say I also walk with him. The book shows me that even though I live with my memory of something long ago, that doesn't make me always happy, and sometimes I should embrace them, and by embrace I really mean to give a hug to my younger self and tell them it's okay. I say it's not important which genre you prefer to read; all people should read this.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting, and the story sucked me in within the first chapter. However, from there I struggled to connect with the characters which lacked depth, although they were quite likeable. From there, it’s hard to really feel their romantic connection. I felt the pacing for the other plot line was a bit off as well. I appreciate Mia’s willingness to tackle really difficult and complex subjects, but this one just didn’t work for me.

I struggled with this one so had to DNF. I’m so sorry.

The book had some really heavy topics which I just did not expect so it was an unpleasant shock.

As well as this, I had a bit of an issue connecting to the story, even though the mystery was somewhat intriguing.

I love Mia Sheridan and typically she keeps me on my toes and I usually love her books but this one not so much. Not only did i have a hard connecting with this one, but the pace was very slow.

The Broken Places follows investigator Lennon and an
FBI agent Ambrose as they look into a mysterious new drug that is causing deaths among the homeless
.
As they delve into the case, their attraction to each other and personal secrets complicate their working relationship. Lennon must take control of her limits before it starts to get to her on a personal level.

I really struggled connecting with the characters in this one and with the slower pace it just wasn't for me.
The book also deals with steeper and dark themes so definitely read those TW.

This doesn't feel like a typical Sheridan book but that's not to say it's not good. I tried to get invested but something (maybe the characters, maybe the plot) just didn't connect for me. It's an engaging story but wouldn't be my top read from Sheridan.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 • 𝗠𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻
★★★★

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
- Crime/romance/mystery
- Detective meets FBI agent with secrets
- Hunting a serial killer
- Exploration of mental health

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
There were two things that struck me the most about The Broken Places. Firstly, I noticed that the pacing felt off. I found the romance to move quickly whilst the crime subplot moved much more slowly. This meant that I found it quite difficult to enjoy the romance however its soon revealed why it was written that way.

But mostly, this book has an incredible insight into mental health, particularly trauma and its correlation to substance use disorder. The hybrid genre meant that this book served a bit of everything: crime, mystery, romance, and thriller. But it’s fascinating and well researched foray into mental health is where this book shines. I loved it. The minds response to trauma is so multifaceted and complex and this really comes across in this novel.

𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥. 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰, 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘺. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴.”
—𝘌𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘏𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘸𝘢𝘺

The Broken Places is about Lennon, a San Fransisco police inspector who is trying to solve a crime plaguing the vulnerable populations from the Tenderloin District. A mystery drug is being discovered at each murder scene, and while the victims all seemingly come from traumatic, roughened pasts, Lennon works to find the key missing link that connects these murders.

Enter Ambrose Mars -- an FBI agent that is sent to work with her to uncover this murder mystery. Something is different about this agent. Lennon can't help pull feel a connection to him as they struggle through the details of these serial murders. If these murders weren't already mysterious, her draw to Ambrose would be cause for investigation on its own.

----

The premise for this novel really appealed to me when I applied to read this ARC. A murder mystery, with suspense and a sprinkle of romance? AND written by storyteller Mia Sheridan?? Cool cool, sign me up!!!

I really appreciated the unique concept of this story -- tons of potential. And I think the subject matter was deep and hard hitting... The topics of trauma, emotional damage, psychology, healing, intergenerational trauma. The politics of support and mental health care, community, and love -- all things I believe need to be destigmatized and more commonplace in mainstream life/media/content. But for some reason, I just could not get myself invested in this story. Something was missing and I simply cannot put my finger on what. For subjects so heavy and emotional, I just felt so disconnected?

The entire first 30-40% I felt the crime solving to be very slow, and the character building to be lacking in the beginning. This made it hard to immediately get into. I will note that eventually this picks up, and pieces DO fall together... but only after a long while where I felt like the story just wasn't moving anywhere fast enough.

The two MCs are supposed to be connecting and obviously "falling in love", but I just didn't feel the actual story between them to drive this love. The romance parts conversely felt rushed or unnecessary, and honestly I wonder if the book would've been better without them. I was able to get into the book better by the halfway point, but still not as deeply as I had hoped. I found myself missing the drive to keep turning pages for a good chunk of the book.

Despite that, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the inner monologues, the chapters of the podcasts, and the different character perspectives throughout. The scientific content was really cool, and I loved Dr. Sweetons discussions of psychology, trauma, and the art /science behind it. Super interesting perspectives were brought up throughout the book, and I found myself really enjoying some of the points made regarding trauma, innate responses and healing. I finished this book wanting to be a better person for others, and I think it's a great thing when a book can evoke that in people.

Overall, this was an alright read. The subjects and general concept were the big winners here, but the progression of the crime & mystery fell short for me. If it didn't pertain to the romance or directly to details that solved the crime, I really wasn't in it. The last 30% or so really carried the novel, and that portion alone is what left me finishing this book with a final "Good" rating.

In sum: I'm not sure I would recommend this book to a friend off the top of my head... but I don't think I would discourage anyone from reading it either! It added a bit of variety to my romance-heavy bookshelf, so I'm glad I read it :)

Mia Sheridan's The Broken Places is a departure from her usual romantic novels. This gritty thriller takes readers into the underbelly of San Francisco, where homelessness and addiction run rampant. The story follows Lennon, an SFPD investigator, and Ambrose, an FBI agent, as they delve into a series of gruesome murders involving a unique drug.

The romantic suspense element adds a layer of intrigue, but it feels somewhat secondary to the main plot. While the characters have chemistry, their relationship doesn't quite reach the same emotional depth as in Sheridan's previous works like Archer's Voice.

While it may not be her strongest work, it offers a unique and thought-provoking exploration of themes of trauma, healing, and the darker side of human nature.

Overall, The Broken Places is a mixed bag. Fans of Sheridan's work who enjoy a darker tone may find it rewarding. However, those who prefer her lighter, more romantic books may be disappointed.

Thank you for NetGalley, Montlake, and Mia Sheridan for an eARC of this book. I voluntarily read it and gave an honest review.

Wow, this book is a little different than what I've been reading lately and I must confess that I had never read these books by Mia, but I loved it, I loved the story, the suspense in it, but I also liked that it covered the theme of loss that some of us readers can relate to.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!
Interesting concept, but I tend to prefer Mia Sheridan’s romances over her thrillers!
I’ll continue to read her novels though and recommend them!

It's crazy to think the only Mia Sheridan books I've read are her mystery/thrillers, and I honestly can't get enough of them. You'd think she has been writing these kinds of books for years instead of this being her branch from romance because she is stellar in the genre.

When I first started reading The Broken Places, I'll admit it was sloooow. On top of that, I went in blind without even reading the blurb so I really didn't know what to expect other than just good writing.

As the story unfolded, I quickly became invested and ended up not being able to put it down. I thought the romance element was done really well, and I really just liked Lennon and Ambrose. I also thought the story of the homeless victims in San Francisco was depicted accurately.

Now, if you're looking for a story where the ending comes together and is incredibly believable, this isn't it. It's clearly fiction and is intended to be enjoyed as such, but it was fiction that you wanted to be real. You wanted to see people be able to get help like this. It left you hopeful. Mia Sheridan has done a great job branching out of the romance genre, and I can't wait to see what she has for us next.

Mia’s thrillers are fun and while there is a bit of romance, it’s not enough for me! I want more. Either way, this was a fine book, just not my favorite.

Mia Sheridan, you did this, you did well. I adored reading this story. It was beautifully well written and a fantastic read! I would 100% recommend this to other

4.5⭐ 1🌶️

I’m officially in my Mia Sheridan romantic thriller era and I never want to leave. The Broken Places hooked me from start to finish and now I’m heading to Mia’s backlog to read the rest of her thriller novels…catch you in a few weeks when I come up for air.

Let me back up for just a moment and preface the rest of this review by saying if you’re here for the sweet, romantic, heart-wrenching side of Mia we caught in Archer’s Voice and Kyland, head back now because this is not that. However, if you enjoy a good thriller that makes you wonder until the very end and may contain some romantic undertones? Full speed ahead, friends. And honestly, I really think this novel (and all of her others in this genre I’ve read so far) just proves how versatile and talented Mia is in her writing. Two completely different sides and yet equally enthralling.

I really enjoyed the premise of this one–a mystery drug left at the scene of crimes in which the city’s “throways” appear to have attacked one another to a violent, bloody death. Mix this in with the heart-wrenching backstories we get on some of these victims, the social commentary on drug use, homelessness, and abuse, and the mental health treatment currently available for victims of trauma and I simply couldn’t put this one down. Mia went so much further than a simple murder mystery and unpacked a myriad of societal flaws, skewed viewpoints of those that struggle with trauma, and thought provoking “what ifs” regarding how to help and treat these gaping wounds.

The Broken Places brought forth themes of love, loss, downfalls, guilt, redemption, and triumphs. I felt so many emotions while exploring the stories of our MCs, as well as the rich side characters she spared no time developing. I laughed with them, grieved with them, felt my heart shatter a little further every time they seemed resigned to their trauma or woe-filled fate, and choked back tears as some finally found their happy ending, their overcoming. In the end, I left satisfied yet deeply uneasy, as while the overall consequences of a mystery drug such as this may not be 100% plausible…yet…it didn’t seem too far from a reality some day.

The Broken Places is a must read for anyone looking for twists, turns, thrills, and heavy emotions. It will have you gripped in a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish and keep you guessing who the villain truly is and why until the very end.

What a power novel!! If you’re looking for a thriller with huge twist and turns that is going to keep you on the edge of your seat this story won’t be for you. If you want to read a romantic mystery that has a few twist this is definitely a story for you.
But it’s not for the faint of heart. This story will tug at you. The abuse that some of these characters faced is absolutely heartbreaking, disgusting and devastating.
It’s so hard to write a review on this without giving too much away. It’s a bit futuristic and it almost feels like you wish it would happen just to help people. This is my first Mia Sheridan novel and I look forward to reading more from her.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

In this dark thriller set in San Francisco, Inspector Lennon Gray and FBI Agent Ambrose Mars team up to investigate a mysterious hallucinogenic drug affecting the homeless community. As they delve into the case, their mutual attraction and personal secrets complicate their partnership.

“The Broken Places” delves into significant themes such as generational trauma, alternative therapies, and addiction, addressing these dark and important subjects thoughtfully.

I kind of struggled to connect with this one, I felt like the characters lacked depth. The story was intriguing but the ‘twists’ were predictable.