Fractured Lives

A Netgalley Read Now!

Charlotte Roddy is one of my favorite new authors. Her debut book, A Sorrow Called Sarah, was an absolute page-turner and Fractured Lives is another solid thriller that left me wanting more books from this author. Her characters are the drivers of the story and maneuver some nice twists and turns along the way. If you enjoyed the first two Alex Finlay books then read this author!

Thank you to the author for sending me an advanced reading copy which was feedback-fun!

Fractured Lives is another solid thriller that left me wanting more books from this author. I was completely engrossed in the story, unable to put the book down. The characters were well-developed, each with their own unique personality and motivations that kept me guessing until the very end.

The author expertly weaved together a complex plot, full of suspense and unexpected twists and turns. I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning the pages to see what would happen next.

I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thrilling and suspenseful read. I can’t wait to see what this talented author has in store for us next.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read and review this book.

Brilliant writing combined with an exceptional story of past and present relationships that keeps you glued to the pages. Twist and turns that excite and lead to a surprising explosive finale. Highly recommended read and well worthy of five stars.

I was given this by NetGalley for an honest review-
Because she feels she owes him Mara, an investigative journalist agrees to help Liam clear him of his wife’s murder.
But the more she digs the more she wonders of Liam’s honesty etc. She also discovers more young women who have been murdered. Who is murdering them? Why? The scariest part is everyone who seems to get. Close to the answers dies. Can Mara stay safe and find the answers? Will she be able to clear Liam?

With a cover like that how could I possibly resist?💁🏻‍♀️

Mara was a successful investigative reporter. She’s left that world behind to return to her childhood home and run a much smaller neighborhood paper.

After receiving a phone call from a friend from the past asking for help, Mara is quickly drawn into more than she bargained for. Her friend Liam is the prime suspect for the murder of his wife. But that's not all... there are young teen girls being found murdered all across town.

She grew up with Liam! He couldn't possibly be a murderer?! A serial killer?

Charlotte Roddy did a brilliant job of drawing me into the storyline, keeping me guessing throughout! I seriously thought I had this one figured out! Silly me!

This is the second release by this very talented author. And now I need to go back to read her debut. It’s always exciting to discover new authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial

Charlotte Roddy is no ‘one-hit-wonder’ and she proves it in her second thriller FRACTURED LIVES. If you missed her first, order it now!

Mara Brenner returns to her hometown in south Florida after helping solve a murder and then suffering a breakdown and separating from her husband. She returns to her deceased mother’s home and a job at the local paper. There she has a great assistant and two wonderfully crazy reporters in her charge; one with an axe to grind and the other who doesn’t really NEED to work but ‘hears’ things around town and is investigating Juan the Ripper who has thus far killed eight young women.

Then Mara is contacted by an old high school friend asking for her help in clearing his name when his wife, Oriana, goes missing, and she feels like she owes him from a long ago kindness that he showed her on one of the worst nights of her young life. But as she investigates, and then his wife’s body is found, she seriously begins to question his innocence and motives. What is Liam hiding? An affair, money troubles? What?

As she is drawn into each investigation she wonders about her feelings regarding Detective Sinclair and his partner and her grudging dependency upon her mother’s neighbor who really acted like her mother while she was growing up when her own mother couldn’t/wouldn’t.

As in her last thriller, Ms. Roddy sprinkles clues throughout and only later does the ‘AHA’ moment come with a twist. Then, just when you think that you know where she is going, here comes the turn and she’s going another way. To me? That’s the best kind of book! I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. AND I learned so much about GMO products that is seriously making me rethink my original position on the subject. What better way to learn something new than by not even realizing it? I guess you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! Her writing style is so smooth and easy, you’re too far into the book before you realize it, then you might just want to clear your calendar and hunker down for the rest. “Beyond the mountains, more mountains.” I’m not sure if that’s an old saying or if she came up with it, but that’s exactly what this book is.

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and I am leaving them voluntarily.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

I loved A Sorrow Called Sarah so was super excited at the chance to read Charlottes second novel. A slow burner that builds with every glorious chapter, giving you all the pieces that slot perfectly into place at the end. The narrative and characterisation are sublime delivering a great story. But it’s the authors ability to deliver an absolute killer ending - as she did in her first book - that truly sets her apart. Loved this book and loving this author. An excellent 4.5 ⭐️ read

This made a very long airport delay, feel like mere minutes! I don't think I lofted my head from my kindle until I'd gotten to the last page it's engaging and well written. I loved the split storyline and how it all came together so perfectly towards the end. The characters are well written and although they're not stand out/ original I actually liked that these were written as quite normal women which made it all the easier to relate to and to really get lost in. It felt a bit predictable but turns out I was completely wrong and the twists and turns actually went in a completely different direction. Really enjoyable and highly recommended

4.5 stars, rounded up

Fractured Lives is Charlotte Roddy’s new novel and solidifies her position as a talented writer of psychological suspense!
The setting is South Florida, near Miami, and Mara Brenner is living in her childhood home while trying to resurrect her once successful career as a journalist. Time, tragedy and alcohol—characterized as “a pungent aroma of bad decisions”—have damaged her career, her marriage and her self-esteem. Now, nearly 20 years after high school graduation, a call from old friend Liam plunges her into troubled remembrances of her school days and the death of her best friend, Annabella, on graduation night.
While not strictly written in dual timelines, there are many flashbacks to the events of the earlier high school time period. It is fascinating to compare Mara’s present, fractured self with her 17 year-old persona already damaged in other ways.
There is a lot going on in this book—Mara’s issues, past and present; Liam’s wife’s disappearance; a serial killer who has savagely murdered at least 8 women in the area; and a ruthless tech company that develops and markets GMO seeds to developing nations. These elements all come together in a surprisingly cohesive manner.
Roddy really knows how to get into the heads and hearts of characters damaged by life experiences, whether by choice or not. The characters are well-developed with depth and sometimes a quirky charisma, like Miss Matty. Their range across age groups and cultures further enriches the story. The author’s skillful descriptive prose elevates this mystery and makes it, for me, more engaging and enjoyable to read.
I highly recommend this psychological thriller, with creative plotting and complex characters that make it a compelling read!

Thank you to Charles Fort Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This book was so good!! So many twists and turns and I had no idea where the plot was heading! I loved that this book was so action packed and fast paced! Easy to binge read! There was a one analogy I didn’t understand, but other than that it was so good

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a read of this fabulous book. I haven’t heard of the author before but the cover and the blurb had me intrigued.

Former investigative journalist Mara receives a call asking her to help a friend from her past prove that he didn’t kill his wife. As she probes into the deep and murky depths of secrets hidden within a multimillion dollar company and with a serial killer loose , can Mara solve things before there are anymore deaths?

This book had me hooked. I was thrown every which way trying to figure out the ultimate question, "who did it?" I was first drawn in by the cover and the tagline "Everyone has secrets." It has twists and turns that draw you in. It was a very quick read and I would love to read more by the author.

such a gripping and fast paced thriller! I really liked the writing and the plot twists that happened in the story. the way the characters were described helped to understand the story and to be super invested!
The only little thing that I didn't love is that because of the many many plot twists I saw one or two coming, which isn't really a problem for me and didn't make me like it less!
I would recommend it to everyone who loves thrillers!
Charlotte Roddy is one of my new favourite thriller authors and I will buy her future books!!

A bit of a slow starter, but then I couldn't put it down. Interesting plot with crossing storylines. The female main character is likeable and relatable. Overall a fun read.

This book is a wild ride from start to finish!!!

There’s a few different storylines happening that are all centered around Mara’s past and present. I couldn’t put the book down because I kept wanting know what was going to happen next. The twist and turns didn’t stop the whole book.

Definitely worth a read!

Charlotte Roddy continues to prove that she is nothing short of amazing!

This story took me on a wild ride that I was not prepared for. There were so many twist and turns and just when you think you have it all figured out, you are dead wrong.

I was sucked in and couldn’t stop turning the pages. Charlotte weaves an incredible and thought provoking plot and the storyline was amazing.

If you are a fan of thrillers this is the one for you!!