Apologies for not writing this review sooner. I found this story very intriguing and concerning. Leia a teenage girl has her life controlled by her mother until she is found dead in a shopping mall. Detective Jack is suspicious and immediately questions everything. She is as thorough as always in her search for answers. This is well written and as good as the previous book in the new Detective Jack Kennedy series. My interest was held until the end. I look forward to reading more in the series and from Nicky Downes.

This book had a good storyline, I liked the mystery to it. Cleverly thought out and great characters and interactions.

I found a little hard to follow at times but soon got the pace of it.

Nice little twists and turns along the way.

Leia Thompson, an apparently healthy teenager, suddenly drops dead in a shopping mall. There seems to be no obvious reason, so everybody is convinced she died of natural causes, that is, all except for detective Jack (Jacqueline) Kent.
When Jack delves deeper into the life and medical history of Leia she soon discovers that Leia has a long history of all kinds of medical issues and mishaps, even though there is no medical professional that has an overview of all incidents, hospitalisations, etc.
It soon turns out that Leia and her mother have relocated numerous times and that Leia's mother probably had an affliction called munchausen by proxy.
When another girl dies in similar shady circumstances Jack starts looking for other victims and suspects. Will Jack get to the bottom of who is tormenting these girls and why?

I absolutely loved this book. It is well written, full of suspense and describes a very interesting though awful phenomenon where people hurt children to get sympathy or attention for themselves. There are interesting plot twists and I also liked the secondary story lines.

I am definitely going to read the previous book even though Jack's sidekick Nadia was wrapping up the storyline from that one in this volume. Also looking forward to more books in this series.
I got a free copy of this book on Netgalley, all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed the first book of the series so I was excited to read this and it didn't disappoint! The mystery was really intriguing and fast paced. This was really a really unique mystery and I wasn't sure how it was going to end. I would recommend this series and look forward to any future installments in it. Special Thank you to Storm Publishing, Nicky Downes and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

An Action-packed Thriller
Broken Girls by Nicky Downs is the story of a teenage girl named Leia Thompson who drops dead suddenly in a shopping mall of apparent natural causes. Leia was in the mall all alone at the time and she is covered in scars all over her body which are both old and new.
Detective Jack Kent is convinced something is not right after speaking with the coroner during the autopsy and finding out some of the surgery's where not necessary. Leia’s mother was very controlling of her but is her mother capable of hurting and torturing her own child. Then another girl suddenly dies and like Leia she also has had a lot of surgery. Both girls had been treated in hospitals but their where also numerous doctors and hospitals where the pair had been treated over years. Is it one of the family members or a doctor causing these girls deaths.
Jack must chase the leads down with her team as they work their way through a web of dark secrets and chilling motives before the killer strikes again? There are plenty of twists and turns in the plot which is fast paced with great characters. An action-packed thriller that grabbed my attention from the start. A book which I highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A very good thriller, a young girl dies at a shopping mall. Detective Jack Kent investigates her death. Plenty twist in this well plotted novel. Good characters, would recommend this book. Thanks to Storm publishing and Netgalley for this review copy.

This had a great overall concept for the DI Jack Kent series, it had everything that I was hoping for and thought it had that concept perfectly. The characters were everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed about the thriller element overall. It had a great overall use of twists and glad it worked with the story overall.

A young girl who was shopping at the mall suddenly drops dead without any apparent superficial causes until her body is examined and that's when the young detective Jack and her team are called in since the medical findings of Leia Thompson's body are determined that severe past abuse may have been committed but they cannot find an actual cause of death. .Jack and team lean towards the mother whose behavior and reactions are very strange to her daughter's death and it seems the poor girl rarely left her home except for doctor appointments and she had no friends or even a tablet or cell phone. How does a young person socially survive today with only books to read without any outside influences or someone to share their secrets.

The case takes a sudden turn when another body is found dead under similar circumstances. The team works tirelessly trying to put the puzzle pieces together and connect the two cases and a few other people could be possible suspects with some crazy turns that were unexpected but clues continue to fizzle out and leave Jack frustrated and angry. Jack's boss puts pressure on her to just get the case wrapped up and closed without actually solving these murders.


This book was an interesting and entertaining detective mystery with quite a few red herrings and twists that were quite enjoyable. The story itself was a fast read but more dramatic than thrilling. The parts I had problems with were Jack's romantic life and thoughts were present way too much throughout the story and for trying to solve these murder cases she had an awful lot of free time. Weekends off to make romantic plans and shorter work days than I'm used to from reading other detective books instead of working around the clock, it just took away from the realism of the police case and became more an unexpected romantic drama for myself.

So I would still recommend this book to readers who might enjoy a softer detective story with many personal experiences in the storyline. My preference is much darker novels and I know many readers prefer a lighter touch. The storyline was very good and also brought in many failures with the medical community dropping the ball over and over which led to a young person's lifelong suffering from medical professionals that turned a blind eye to this poor victim well-being which eventually led to her death yet none of these cause were what actually killed her.

I want to thank the publisher "Storm Publishing" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital copy and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 3 ENTERTAINING AND SUSPICIOUS 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

This was a tragic story about manipulation by a doctor on the health of young girls. Lots of twists and turns and a very complex case for the police. They wre also coping with sexual injury to young students at University. A conclusion which tied up all the loose ends.

A great story with lots of drama and a plot that keeps you guessing, full of suspense with an “alongside” story also playing out. The author touches on a lot of current issues, social justice, policing, child welfare and possibly gender neutral.

The second in this series, set in the West Midlands . It would read fine as a stand alone though the first book does introduce you to Jack and her team so you have more background information. The plot is about the death of a young girl. She has had long term health problems and one of the lines of enquiry is that her mother has been the cause of both these and her death. In other chapters, the trial of a potential rapist is being followed and Jack's personal life is described, the interaction with friends and love-interests and mountaineering as well as her home life. Perhaps Jack's insecurity about her love-life and friendships felt a little off, but that is a minor issue
I enjoyed the fast pace of this book, the different strands of the plot where there is a lot going on. It all felt very realistic. The medical aspect is also fascinating.

Thanks to Net Galley for a great read in exchange for an honest review

I'm so glad I read this book. I was wanting to read true crime books for research as an author myself trying to expand my writing genres and this book was wonderful, in a true story kind of way. It read like a true story and definitely kept me interested. This was a new author to me and I'm so glad I picked it up.

This is book 2 and it can be read as a standalone. There is a secondary plot of a court case for a rape trial which follows on from book 1 but everything is explained and I was hooked on the result of the trial. I struggle with Jack. Her as a detective doesn’t seem to mesh with her as a climber. They feel like different characters. Her romantic life was frustrating and the way she acted felt really immature. I didn’t connect with any of the characters. Shauna is also a terrible friend.

The actual case was interesting with a few suspects and lots of questions. There is a lot of climbing content that doesn’t add anything to the story and takes you out of the investigation. The twist also didn’t really make sense and I don’t understand how the killer was able to do half of the things he did. I’m not sure I’ll continue with this series.

The second book in the DI Jack Kent series. A good storyline though it took a while to get going as the first quarter of the book was mostly about the main characters love of climbing!

I enjoyed this book. It was good continuation for the first book. If you like thrillers this is a good read for you. Thank you to netgalley giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review. .

This book covers a new case for Jack and her team, the mysterious deaths of a number of young women and also runs alongside the court case of a rape prosecution from the previous novel.
I don't think this prevents the book reading well as a standalone but reading in order certainly would lend more depth to the characters and the background of the rape trial.
The procedural elements of the book were excellently written but I struggled a bit with the disparity between Jack as a professional detective and the way the character is portrayed through her private life- it seems too polar to me to really sit well, particularly as a character development.
That said it is an good book with great pacing and reveals of key information and I look forward to Jack returning with a new case in the future!

When teenager Leia collapses & dies in the street an autopsy is automatically called for. However the autopsy leaves more questions than answers. Leia's body reveals numerous scars from previous surgeries but the reason for them seems far from clear. When Jack Kent meets Leia's mother she is staggered by the amount of medical records she has for her daughter. Leia was premature, did her mother enjoy the attention then & continue to call for more. Leia was home-schooled, they had moved often & she seemed to have no life apart from her mother. When another girl dies in similar circumstances & connected to the same doctor Jack is convinced they are connected.

This was a good police procedural. Along with the secondary story of a rape trial kept the attention. I did find Jack's love life a bit much, not because she's bisexual, but because she seems to behave like a teenager which seems to jar with the rest of her character. Nevertheless I'll be looking out for the next in the series. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Oh what a thrilling, heart breaking, beautifully written book! Loved this one so much. Very highly recommend.

I loved this second book featuring jack and her team.

I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a detective novel

Thanks to net galley and the publishers for this arc

4 stars

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

"Broken Girls"
By Nicky Downes.

The Synopsis:

"When teenager Leia Thompson drops dead in a shopping mall of apparent natural causes, Detective Jacqueline ‘Jack’ Kent is the only one convinced something isn’t right. Why was Leia at the mall alone? Why are there scars – old and new – all over her body?

When another girl dies in similar circumstances, the only thing that seems to connect the victims is their youth and frail health – and Leia’s estranged father. He emerges as their prime suspect until the girls’ autopsy reports come back with sinister similarities, and Jack’s attention turns to the doctors who treated them."

My Review:

I want to send a huge Thank You to @netgalley
and @stormbooks_co for giving me this Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for my honest review.

The book's cover said this book was "A totally gripping and unputdownable crime thriller." And it was a completely accurate description!

I LOVED this book! It was definitely unputdownable -- I read it cover to cover this evening. It kept my interest, the host of characters and interwoven plotlines were all fascinating, and I loved reading a book with a strong, kick-ass female lead detective. It wasn't until the very end that I realized who the villain was -- and I enjoyed all the twists and turns into then. The main storyline gave me Gypsy Rose vibes -- and I loved every minute of it.

This is apparently the second book in a series, but it didn't matter. I was able to dive right in without missing a beat. And now I am excited to go back and read the first book about Detective Jack Kent!

A fantastic read and one I highly recommend! It came out February 6th -- get yourself a copy!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨. (4.5 Stars)

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