WOW. I didn’t expect that.

This is a great start for Ren Richards’ dream of breaking into the adult suspense/thriller genre. I’ve not read any of her YA novels.

I read this in 24 hours.... got lots of things to do however I couldn’t put this down. Nell Way and her sister Lindsay are great characters, in fact all of the characters are believable. However, the plot is built around Nell Way and Lindsay.

The first two sentences draw you in straight away.

‘Murderers are human too. That’s the part people forget.’

Born to a mother in jail, who tried to murder her alcoholic father, Nell was brought up by her sister during their time in foster care homes.

Both girls ended up quite wealthy, one through marriage, Lindsay and Nell through being a crime writer. However Nell has a dark secret which you don’t get to find out what happened until the very end.

After getting pregnant at 14 and giving birth to a daughter, Reina, who was a little devil 😈 the father, Ethan and his wealthy family took over her life.

The plot thickens and it takes you from Now to Then, two timelines and explores the lives of the two women. What happened then and what is happening now.

It starts to get personal when Nell takes on a new female criminal who found out about her past which she brought up when Nell interviewed her for her next book.

It makes you think who and why are Nell and Lindsay being targeted? Is it something to do with Lindsay’s past or the new jailbird, Easter, Nell has started to research? Easter is a Russian psychopath, or is she? Ren keeps you guessing until the end.

Sebastian, Nell’s boyfriend, is the stable pin throughout, sounds like my kind of guy, Nell’s rock, however he doesn’t know about her past and is about to learn, does he stay?

Loved this book, easy to read, a poetic style of writing and Ren keeps the suspense going until the end.

Would definitively recommend. 5*

There’s quite a few typos and grammatical errors in my manuscript which will naturally be rectified before it is published.....

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

I wasn't able to put this book down.

"The Broken Ones" begins inconspicuously, introducing Nell Way, a true crime writer who is in a happy relationship, and has a knack for humanising the otherwise infamous in her work. However, as she begins interviewing Easter Hamblin, the murdering half of a formerly conjoined pair of twins, her initially perfect life begins to unravel before the reader's eyes, and we quickly learn that she has a past just as tormented and troubled as that of those whom she interviews. A past that resurfaces and culminates into life threatening.

The aptly titled novel, with its rapid twists and unexpected turns, is one that reflects on our imperfect nature. The protagonist, is in her own way, 'broken', as are some of the other characters (who will remained unnamed for spoiler purposes). Richards' writing is one that any thriller fan will appreciate - fast paced, tense and able to create a mood of desperation that envelopes the reader until the last page. I was torn between sympathising with characters, while disliking them at the same time. The strength of the novel ultimately lies in the moral greyness of its lead : Nell is emotionally scarred, which leads her to make questionable decisions, which are easy to judge as the reader, but at the same time, painfully relevant and relatable.

Recommended to thriller lovers.

4.5 stars - Eloquently haunting debut thriller

"Murderers are human too" are the first words. A captivating and compassionate glimpse into the dark edges of our humanity, and our broken secrets safely tucked away for survival.

Really loved this story. There is a lot to be said. The writing is brilliant. I was hooked instantly.
This author's debut into the thriller scene will not go unnoticed. Ren Richards has a gift for writing edginess and poetry. The atmospheric setup of each scene, and complex character development would be suitable for a TV series.

The writing is so immersive, emotionally tense and suspenseful that the discomfort crawled inside me and made home there as I read. I applaud the author for that ability. One example is in the scenes where Nell is interviewing Widow Thompson in prison, the mental toying felt like she had me under a spell of physical tension. Unbelievable! I didn’t know a book could do that!

It's a tragic story, told from a past and present perspective, and I really felt the depths of this characters pain, as well as from others around her. So broken. So spooky. Nell Way is a true crime writer, in search for honest stories. Her career brings unwanted backlashes, as well as her own unwanted past when someone leaves disturbing clues too close to home.

I love how each character took an edge, mystery, and darkness of their own:
"Her eyelids shimmering with hints of silver. It was a deliberate sort of beauty, meant to prove a point... Silver, the colour of knives."

I also love how the writing made everything feel discretely but carefully orchestrated to make the protagonist seem isolated, fearful and hunted by the ordinary people around her. For example: "Mrs Eddleton floated into Lindsay's apartment like an apparition, her violet crepe skirts rustling and full of whispers... Mr Eddleton was a hunter...and he had the pelts fashioned into presents for his wife."

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It didn't give me a feeling of satisfaction, nor did I dislike it. It just wasn't what I expected. It felt rather easy, ordinary or lacking a counterbalance to the majority of the book. But maybe given the circumstances, it was the perfect choice. I don't want to disqualify the authors intentions, as I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book.

Ultimately a very brave and intoxicatingly moody story. Ren Richards writes deeply into the most wounded parts of humanity. Words blooming flowers out of the ugliness. I have high hopes and will be following closely!

Thank you to Netgalley, Ren Richards and Serpent's Tail for this free arc in exchange for an honest review.

TW: descriptive dead baby references

I love a book that switches narratives between the current day and the past - it is a great way of revealing more and more about the characters but in a subtle and effective way. This book uses this narrative to great effect by switching between the successful crime writer Nell and her as a teenager, when she was called Penelope. The very fact that she has changed her name instantly made me want to know more.

In the current day, Nell and her sister are being harassed and it becomes more and more dangerous, and even threatens their lives. There are many options as to who may be behind it; from one of the subjects of Nell's books to her sister's ex husbands. However, I found that I guessed the outcome of that plot as it seemed obvious to me.

In the past, young Penelope has had a tough upbringing and she has a child at 14. She moves in with the overbearing and wealthy family of the baby's father and her life is not pleasant. She does not bond with her child and it is uncomfortable to read her negative thoughts about her own child. However, it is so well written to evoke such strong feelings in the reader. We know quite quickly that Penelope's child goes missing but we don't know the circumstances until the very end. I was hooked to find out what happened and spent hours rushing through the book. However, I was left a little unsatisfied and frustrated with the reveal.

It felt like the two timelines did not quite tie in together and could have been two separate books in their own right. That said, it was a page turning read and enjoyable - I just didn't feel satisfied with the outcomes in either timeline.

Thanks to Serpent's Tail / Profile Books, Viper and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC - I'll definitely check out more from this author.

This was an incredible thriller that I had a great time reading. Exquisite character development and fast flowing story make this book a success

Nell writes true crime stories, interviewing convicted killers and telling their stories. While investigating a woman convicted of killing her twin, Nell's own story and secrets are uncovered. The story is gripping and the characters are interesting, and the move between past and present allows the story to come together perfectly. Recommended!

I flew through this book and really enjoyed it. For those who enjoy mysteries and crime novels this will keep you wondering right up until the end. There were many different threads, some which I found plausible and others a little less so. I did find some aspects easy enough to guess but others had me wondering right up until the very end. My heart went out to Nell & Lindsey who were like chalk and cheese but united despite their differences, because of their fractured past and because of all that life threw at them. The references to Nell’s previously completed works contributed well to the storyline. I enjoyed this read and am looking forward to more from Ren Richards

Another new author for me, thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish, a truly gripping read and I will definitely be reading more by Ren Richards

A very dark and cold story. It was fantastic though and I literally couldn’t put it down. Well written. I’d definitely read more by this author xx

The Broken Ones had me gripped from the beginning.

Following Nell a true crime writer who has her own dark past this book is full of heartbreak, deception and some juicy twists! Told in the past and present the two storylines work perfectly together drawing together for some shocking conclusions. I loved how gritty and dark The Broken Ones is and can highly recommend!

What an incredibly good read this book turned out to be and while it took me a few chapters to get into it once I did I was gripped in the clever and intriguing story. Nell is an successful author of true crime books and she starts to research her latest one a story of once conjoined twins in which one is convicted of murdering the other but while this is a very strange case Nell has secrets of her own and while researching the story of the twins she soon gets the feeling someone has been looking into her own past and her true identity and from there on in we are thrust into a dark and gripping story that races along.
This is a book that’s exceptionally well written, fabulous characters and full of atmosphere with two storylines running parallel making it one hell of a great read and what more do you ask from a mystery thriller.
So very well recommended and I look forward to reading more from Ren Richards in the future and many thanks for an excellent book.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail / Profile Books, Viper for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.