This was a really difficult book to rate. It's well written and, despite it being very obvious who the 'baddies' are, the characters are sufficiently interesting to maintain your focus.

Jay, the protagonist, is a complex soul with a historical drink issue and a sad life. At times he's his own worst enemy, but, overall I liked him and was rooting for him. His ex-wife and son have moved closer to enable Jay to maintain contact. Then, Amy steps into the picture; a drug addict with a missing sister and it all goes a bit to hell.

It's descriptive in it's telling of the tale and you can feel the cold of the New Hampshire Winter come through the pages so clearly I nearly put on a coat. My issue was that it does dip and flow. Parts are excellent, parts seemed to meander with no meaning and the ending is hugely frustrating as there really isn't one.
I get the need to keep us guessing, but, it's really irritating when you're literally left hanging.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview this book.

4 keep me going with a wonderful protagonist stars

Jay Porter is a good guy. He might be a bit on the rough side, a recovering alcoholic, a divorced man, and a bit resourceful in using his fists, but deep down, he is a good man. While at an AA meeting, Jay is approached by a woman Amy, who asks for his help because her sister, Emily is missing. Jay is a man who brokers house possessions (in order words cleans out houses of dead people) but also dabbles in finding people who are missing. Jay is reluctant to pursue Emily but agrees and then the mystery of her disappearance takes on that sinister, bad guys journey through New Hampshire.

This is the fourth book in the series and Jay has had run ins with a powerful family, the Lombardis before and of course this family again seems to be involved in the nefarious goings on and wonder of wonders there is also some political villainy (who knew that could ever happen???) The deeper Jay digs, the more he finds and even sees a connection between his dead junkie brother Chris to the happenings he is so involved in.

Mr Clifford kept the action going and in Jay Porter he has developed a character one can't help but like and hope that if ever needed, Jay would be in your corner.

Thank you to Joe Clifford, Oceanview Publishing, and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

This is the 4th book in the Jay Porter series but the first one I've read. Though I think if I'd read the previous books as well, the story is complete enough in itself for me to follow. Jay isn't what you'd call 'leading man' material. A recovering alcoholic without much going for him, he's nonetheless an appealing character. I couldn't help but like him and that's due to the skillful writing of the author.

The characters in the book are realistic, the story is interesting, and the writing is well-paced to keep the readers' interest. It's a fast-paced and entertaining read.

BROKEN GROUND by Joe Clifford is the 4th book in the Jay Porter series, and picks up with Jay at an AA meeting as he gets up the courage to tell his story to the group, but his attention is distracted by a very attractive woman who seems to be eyeing him as well.

Soon after he’s finished speaking, she approaches him and talks with him as if she knows him, but also tries to b.s. him at the same time. Amy is the name of the woman, and she pleads with Jay to investigate in order to locate her missing sister Emily, who’s allegedly fled a rehab center for substance abuse, and Jay reluctantly agrees to take on the case.

Amy is a girl Jay knew in his high school days, but he doesn’t find this out until later, and he remembers he and every other guy having the hots for her, and his attraction to her grows until the two enter into a physical relationship.

Jay finds out that Amy’s description of her sister doesn’t match up with what he learns from others, and discovers that Emily might be in big trouble for learning about things related to the rehab center, and it’s owned by Jay’s enemies Adam and Michael Lombardi who were instrumental in the murder of Jay’s brother Chris previously.

Several things take place that make Jay aware of the potential dangers to himself, family, and pretty much anyone he communicates with regarding the rehab center, or anything related to the Lombardi family, and once again strains relationships with family, friends & local law enforcement.

Does the missing girl tie in with much more than what’s on the surface, and is Jay seeing things others miss, or is his perception influenced by the apparent mania he seems to be in in the absence of alcohol and proper medication for his condition?

Admittedly I had a hard time rating this one, as it was very good at times, and predictable and depressing at others, as well as not having an ending to the book as if was was the season end of a television series that says “to be continued” with nothing resolved whatsoever.

3 stars.

Great story, with a great thrilling plot!! Look forward to more by this author! Cannot recommend highly enough.

Broken Ground is one of those fast paced well plotted mystery novels that keep you up at night. Jay Porter catches you first page as he does his 9 month anniversary share and receives his chip at an AA meeting, with a fresh re-introduction to high school hottie Amy Lupus. She needs his help finding her younger sister. But Jay isn't an unlicensed private investigator any longer. If he is going to keep his ex-wife Jenny and 6 year old son Aiden safe since their move back home to Ashton, New Hampshire with her new husband Stephen, he will abide by the advice of local sheriff Rob Turley and confine his interests to his recent buy out of his long-time boss Tom Gable in their estate clearing business, Everything Under the Sun. And to keep his nose out of the Lombardi brother's business. If he can stand to do that.

Winter and early spring in mountainous New Hampshire is presented very viscerally. Obviously there are people who relish such bone-chilling beauty. Broken Ground was enough of a visual to assure me that I would only want to visit between the covers of Joe Clifford's novels. I am well placed in the mountains of the high plains desert, but I am looking very forward to reading Jay Porter one through three, and hope there will be many more with this interesting, quirky character.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Joe Clifford, and Oceanview Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

This is my first book in this series but I am happy that I did not really feel anything odd ,reading this as a standalone. Good character development , just the right amount of drama , and good humor. The mystery part is not that much spectacular but I am still waiting to read more of this series.

another good entry in the Jay Porter series, this time we find Jay taking stock of his life and in a more settled state of mind or at least trying to be. he is still on his meds, but he is dealing with the death of his close friend and the responsibility of being his own boss in the estate clearing business. part of this settling down also involves AA as he has given up his nightly six packs as part of being a more stabilizing influence for visits with his son. however AA is where he meets an old acquaintance with a request to help find her missing sister. Jay has been down these roads before and knows he shouldn't take this job. and he is right, not much good is found down this road. if you have not read the series before, Clifford does a good job of catching you up with all the trials and tribulations Jay has gone through and his motivations for current actions. if you are looking for a feel good easy breezy action caper book, this is not for you. this is real characters dealing with some of the worst life can offer. there are scenes where Jay is really fighting the elements and others and this was great writing, I felt I was right there with him. looking forward to more and also looking forward to other characters Joe will write about in the future. thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. 4+ stars

Broken Ground is the 4th book in Joe Clifford's Jay Porter series and like its three predecessors, it definitely does not disappoint!
Jay, who never seems to learn from previous experiences, is again caught up in something he shouldn't be while trying to help someone else locate a missing relative.

Clifford's descriptive writing style and in-depth characterization take you to the book's locale and to feel what the characters are feeling. The story is compelling and ends with a cliff hanger that will make you eagerly await book number 5! I so want to know what will happen to Jay!

Please pick up one of these Jay Porter books because once you do, you too will be hooked!

Joe Clifford is an emotional writer and brings you into Jay Porter's world effortlessly
Always a good read

I found this book to be way to slow and boring. It failed to hold my attention.

This book is just not working for me. I have tried to read it several times, but it just hasn't grabbed my interest, so I am abandoning it after reading 75 pages.

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

Broken Ground is Joe Clifford’s fourth book about Jay Porter in one of my favorite current series. With his former boss Tom Gable moving to Florida, Porter is now working on his own buying and selling furniture and other items mostly from estate sales. The good news for him is that he’s able to see his son more since his ex-wife and her husband have returned to the area. He’s also admitting to being an alcoholic -- attending and speaking at AA meetings.

At one of the AA meetings, he meets Amy Lupus, an old high school friend who he doesn’t at first admit to remembering. She’s aware of his part-time investigator skills and asks Jay to help find her sister Emily, a drug addict who is now missing after admitting herself into a new area drug treatment center. Jay at first tries to avoid helping Amy, telling her of his unlicensed investigator status but she pushes, and he reluctantly agrees.

Jay’s investigations lead him into some of his past demons as he realizes that the center was built by the Lombardi brothers. Emily’s part-time job as a newspaper reporter and her excellent recent college grades may be an indication that she wasn’t a drug addict but going under cover to investigate possible unethical work by the brothers. She had found evidence of toxic soil under the new treatment center that may not have been cleaned up properly before constructing the new center.

Jay struggles with his past but most everyone around him believes he’s not thinking clearly since he’s always believed the Lombardis were responsible for his brother’s death and many other problems of his local town.

Broken Ground is an excellent addition to this series although I felt it wasn’t as complete a book as the others and I need more (soon please). I also felt some of the toxic references didn’t quite seem correct to me but that’s more likely because of my experience as an environmental engineer cleaning up contaminated sites. Fortunately, I read Joe Clifford is finishing the fifth book in the series. This is in addition to the new contract he recently signed with Down and Out Books. Now, I’ll be able to read more about Jay Porter as well as other books by one of my new favorite writers.

Compelling!

This is the fourth in Clifford’s Jay Porter series and, in each book, Jay seems to have even lower self-esteem and even more righteous rage!

Jay’s life hasn’t been easy and, based on his experience so far, he holds no hope for a better future; but he is basically a good guy trying to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. The trouble is that trouble follows him like a hungry and stray dog.

When we pick up Jay he has just qualified for his first AA token, having not touched beer for a whole 9 months. He is attending meetings and building up his house clearance business whilst coping with his PTSD following his brother Chris’s death. He is also getting over the death of his only friend, Charlie; life isn’t exactly rosy but he is heading in the right direction.

Then he meets Amy at a meeting who wants him to find her missing sister, Emily. Jay’s forays into private investigation have won him no points with the local sheriff, Turley, and soon he is again stepping on toes.

I actually have a soft spot for Jay, whose problems have not always been of his own making, and who basically wants to make his town a better place. However, his methods are questionable at best and before long his enemies get wind of his enquiries and the death count rises.

Clifford’s novels are always fast moving with well-defined plots, interesting characters, and a style of writing which fits the environment of Lamentation Mountain and Ashton town which are depressing places in themselves. You definitely get the feeling that, as long as Jay stays in this hick town, his fortunes cannot improve, and although he feels this himself he is unable to break free from the virtual velcro which binds him.

No disappointments here; Clifford delivers another satisfying volume on the trials and tribulations of Jay Porter, who is, in fact, his own worst enemy.

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

I'm a big fan of Joe Clifford and the Jay Porter series. This one does not disappoint. The 4th book in the story arc, the breadcrumbs he laid in the first books are coming together (remember that hard drive, I thought you did.) As always, the brooding location is another character. Use the time between now and the drop date to catch up on the first 3 in the series. This is a standalone, but you will have a richer experience and you'll be ready for the last book in the series "Rag and Bone."

Check out my latest interview with Joe on my podcast The Blue Plate Special at: https://tinyurl.com/JoeCliffordJan2018

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read Broken Ground by Joe Clifford. This is part of the Jay Porter series. This was my first read from this author. I did find that I was out of the loop by not reading any of this series prior books and that is because there is a lot of character background for the Porter character.
Very good descriptive locale with a good criminal case. Fans will like it but I suggest you read the others to get a better reader foundation.

Jay Porter doesn’t want to be an investigator. If he did, he’d get a license. But clients keep finding him. In Broken Ground (Oceanview Publishing, 2018), the latest in Joe Clifford’s Porter series, the client and Jay have a history, of sorts. She crashes an AA meeting he’s attending, he an alcoholic and she bearing the tell-tale marks of more serious drug use.
Her sister is missing, and the police are not an avenue she’s willing to pursue. The retainer she hands over goes straight into child support, as his “Sanford and Son” estate cleaning business is in as big a slump as his personal life.
Things aren’t as they seem, right from the onset. Her sister either was or was not a user, dependent upon whomever he asks. She either was or was not accepted, then summarily discharged from a local treatment center. The answer becomes moot when people start dying, and the trail leads all the way back 5 years to a former case, a prominent family, big money and an epidemic of cancer. Jay finds himself embroiled in his own brother’s death a year before, his client’s case, a family with whom he’s crossed paths before and who has engaged local law enforcement to keep him at arm’s length, and a toxic piece of real estate.
The plot takes one through unsuspected twists, much closer to home than even Jay Porter would have wanted, had he been the writer instead of the protagonist. Don’t look for the clues that give the ending away. You’ll only find them after the fact.
Joe Clifford writes with authority and authenticity. His characters’ fatal flaws are not imagined by him – they’ve either been lived by him or observed first-hand by him. Broken Ground, along with the other books in the Jay Porter series are frighteningly real, almost to the point that the reader keeps checking to see whether they are fiction, historical fiction or non-fiction.

#4 in Clifford's outstanding Jay Porter series set in new Hampshire and we see Jay finally starting to put his life back together. He's going to AA, he owns his own company.........but he just can't resist dabbling in another missing persons case, this one a young woman who has gone missing from a drug rehab facility, which makes no sense, since this is a woman everyone swears has never taken drugs. Well, of course, that leads to Jay knocking heads with several unsavory characters while the local sheriff, as well as Jay himself, question his sanity. And all the while, the aura of his nemesis, the Lombardi brothers, looms ominously over everything. Great book ! Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Fourth book in this series, and the best yet. Character developement is on point. Story is superb! Very good installment and hope he continues to bring the books.

Broken Ground
By Joe Clifford

A Jay Porter novel.

Slow, dragged out plot.

A lot of time is invested in character development and rolling out the plot.

While is provides very detailed story background, it does nothing to engage the reader.

At an AA meeting, handyman and part-time investigator Jay Porter meets a recovering addict who needs his help to locate a missing girl. In the process he discovers incriminating evidence to Lombardi Construction, which links sinister secrets. The deeper Jay digs, the more poisoned the ground gets, and the two cases become one, yielding a toxic truth with local fallout—and far-reaching ramifications..

Generally the book description is better than the book.

#BrokenGround #NetGalley

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