Broken Dolls tackles a difficult subject, the seedy underworld of human trafficking and prostitution but does it with compassion and insight. The discovery of a dead preterm baby, abandoned with the rubbish, leads the police on a hunt for her mother which ultimately uncovers the prostitution network responsible for bringing innocent, foreign girls to their tragic fate.

I was fascinated by the police procedures involved in tracking down the suspects in this case. the advantages of an author being in the police department herself are obviously staggering. I haven’t read any of the other DC Charlie Stanford books but that wasn’t important as the story flowed independently and gave enough backstory to make it unnecessary.

Thanks as always to #NetGalley for making it possible for me to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Aria and Sarah Flint for the chance to read an ARC of this book.

‘A baby lies abandoned amongst the rubbish, her tiny face as white as alabaster, her body as stiff as a miniature doll.

A young prostitute lies beaten, her figure like a mannequin on the frozen concrete, her blood spilt, her life ebbing away.

.....As further lives hang in the balance Charlie must empower the weak to speak out against those who seek to cause harm.

But can a broken doll ever truly be mended; or will the wounds of the past fashion the events of the future?’

This fast paced book was both gripping and heart breaking from the opening page. The devastating descriptions of the tiny baby’s death and discovery by the police had me in tears. It was the most emotive book opening I can remember reading in a very long time. The book starts out as a tale about the death of a premature baby and sex trafficking and then quickly goes on to include the brutal murder of a local prostitute. Apart from them being part of the sex trade, it is unclear for most of the book how the two deaths are connected. I spend a lot of time puzzling over this knowing their must be some kind of link but was unable to ascertain it.

The plight of the young women forced into the sex trade is handled in a realistic but compassionate way. You understand their desperation and fear as they make impossible choices to survive in their violent world.

Obviously when reading a crime novel you expect violence, and I read a lot of crime and true crime, but the descriptions of what is suffered at the hands of The Punter and the things he fantasises about made me recoil. He is one of the most sadistic characters I’ve read in awhile; his love of degradation, humiliation, pain and fear is unsettling. I couldn’t stop thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it. Right up until the reveal I couldn’t figure out who the mystery Punter was.

While this book offers lots of twists, turns and shocks, none compare to the ending. It wasn’t even close to anything I was thinking or expecting. Sarah Flint has delivered one epic bombshell twist and an ominous ending that has me itching for book 5.

4☆ A Gripping Crime Thriller

Broken Dolls is a crime thriller that left an impression.

Broken Dolls is the 4th book in the series, but my first book.
It was fine reading as a standalone.

The story opens with a young girl who we assume is a prostitute giving birth.
I assume it's her pimp takes the premature baby from her and ties it in a bag like it's rubbish. It made me so angry I was furious to think he disregarded both mother and baby like they was nothing.
The young girl is heartbroken as he refuses to let her see the baby.
He later dumps it behind a dumpster..

DC Charlie Stafford and her team are called to the dumpster where they find the baby.

They now are in a mad rush to find the young mum as they believe she could be in serious danger with her health!

But can they find her before it's too late?

Broken Dolls contains some sensitive subjects such as sex trade, violence, drugs, trafficking, that some readers may find difficult.
However Flint handles them with the right amount of sensitivity to still make an impact.

This is a hard hitting pacy read that draws the reader in. I really liked the police procedural and think it read as authentic.
The characters are well developed, many I really disliked but they wasn't meant to be likeable.
This is my first meeting with DC Stafford and I thought she was strong, not afraid to show her feelings especially when faced with horrific findings of a premature baby.

There are two story lines running side by side which could get confusing so you need time to read this one to appreciate the links.

I am surprised that I haven't read any of the previous books. So I am definitely going to look into getting them.

If you enjoy crime thrillers that are pacy and gripping, then you will want to give Broken Dolls a read!

Could not finish. Did not love, tried hard, but just could not make my self want to finish it.
Will still use in a daily challenge in Chapter Chatter Pub and also letting members know it's out to purchase!

Broken Dolls starts in a devastating way and just went downhill from there. A poor pre mature baby was ripped from her mother in the worst way and thrown out. Baby girl found in the garbage and the mother, dead, is thrown out too. Sarah Flint’s Broken Dolls is a cop thriller where DC Stafford ties to find justice for all the unfortunate souls of the streets. While at times the many changes in who is telling the story makes it a little difficult to keep up Sarah Flint easily keeps her your attention and makes you want to know what will happen next and wonder if DC Stafford can truly help any of these broken dolls put the pieces back. I enjoyed the characters but like other books I start in the middle of I obviously have missed a rather large chunk of these characters story. Sometimes you don’t feel the loss as much but in this case I definitely did. So when you go to read this series start at book one. If the rest of the books are written like this one I think it would be worth it.

This is book 4 in the series featuring DC Charlotte (Charlie) Stafford and her team but can easily be read as a standalone book. This book is not for the faint hearted as it covers child prostitution, human trafficking and murder in gory detail. The book starts with a prostutute giving birth and her pimp dumping the dead baby in the rubbish, Charlie, her boss DI Hunter and her team are given the case of finding the mother. They are also investigating the brutal murder of a prostitute. Is there a connection between the two cases?This book has a gripping plot delving imto the lives of prostitutes and the drugs they rely on. There are so many twists and turns and a big unexpected ending. This was a book I couldn’t put down and I can’t wait for book 5 of the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Broken Dolls starts in a devastating way and just went downhill from there. A poor pre mature baby was ripped from her mother in the worst way and thrown out. Baby girl found in the garbage and the mother, dead, is thrown out too. Sarah Flint's Broken Dolls is a cop thriller where DC Stafford ties to find justice for all the unfortunate souls of the streets. While at times the many changes in who is telling the story makes it a little difficult to keep up Sarah Flint easily keeps her your attention and makes you want to know what will happen next and wonder if DC Stafford can truly help any of these broken dolls put the pieces back. I enjoyed the characters but like other books I start in the middle of I obviously have missed a rather large chunk of these characters story. Sometimes you don't feel the loss as much but in this case I definitely did. So when you go to read this series start at book one. If the rest of the books are written like this one I think it would be worth it.

Thank you to #netgalley for the chance to read this. Have to say from the very start it had me heartbroken. Such a sad story and even sadder to know this happens out there! I did find it a little tricky to keep up as it skips from person to person. Still I recomend it and five it 4 stars!

This is the fourth book in the DC Charlie Stafford series but the first one I have read. It worked fine as a standalone book but there were a few aspects about her history and relationships that I may have appreciated more if I had read her previous books first. However, this did not detract from the power of the story.

And powerful it is. The opening scenes of this book are harrowing and hit you like a punch in the face, which pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book. The author does not hold back on the imagery and some readers may find the opening events a little hard to stomach and upsetting. This is not a crime book for the faint of heart or easily squeamish but if you like your books gritty and in your face, you will be gripped from the start as I was. I read this book in a single four-hour sitting without taking a break, i could not put it down.

There are fascinating and well drawn characters on both sides of the legal divide, some likeable and some despicable but all rounded and believable and some of them are morally ambiguous, which is always interesting to read. The main character on the police side is DC Charlie Stafford, a young detective constable who is strong and feisty but also compassionate. I really liked her and thought she was a great character to carry the story, rather than someone further up the hierarchy. Being on the lowest rung of the CID ladder, she was right at the heart and on the ground of the investigation, so we could see every development of the investigation which allowed for our full immersion in the story.

There are two other central characters telling the story. Caz, a very young prostitute who is caught up in the midst of a series of deaths in the community of working girls in Streatham and ‘The Punter’ a shadowy character whose darker thoughts and acts are peppered throughout the book. There are two separate investigations in the book which may or not be related and you have to concentrate to work out the strands of each. The stories give a fascinating insight into the world of prostitution, pimps, drugs and sex trafficking and, as previously mentioned, is not the most comfortable of reads but it is gripping.

The pace of the book is fast and furious and the plot twisty enough and with sufficient surprises to keep the reader hooked from page to page. The writing felt very authentic as to tone and language which allowed for a very smooth read. I would hesitate to say I enjoyed the book, given the harrowing subject matter, but it definitely held my interest and was a compulsive read and I would definitely look for more by this author. I love finding new authors with a back catalogue to explore and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark, pacy crime novels. Not for the delicate or squeamish.

Sarah Flint - you are a brilliant author! Another unforgettable book.

DC Charlie Stafford and DI Geoffrey Hunter are called when a stillborn, underdeveloped baby is found rotting in a pile of rubbish. Both are shocked, especially Charlie and she vows to catch the person who thought that they could just throw a baby out with the trash.

Charlie Stafford and Geoffrey Hunter are part of the very close-knit Community Support Unit working out of Lambeth Police Headquarters. The team, comprising of Bet, Naz, Sabira and Paul, each has their own specialist area, and as soon as Charlie and Geoffrey return to the office, each member starts working on ways to find out who the dead baby’s mother was. It soon emerges through District Source Unit and Covert Human Intelligence Sources that the baby might be that of a prostitute trafficked into the country, working for a man named Dimitri.

The investigation into the baby and her mother no sooner gets underway when Charlie and the team are called to the scene of another murder. The body of a prostitute nicknamed Redz (Grace Flaherty) has died following a shocking and brutal attack which has left her with chunks of hair missing and so severely beaten up, the body is only recognisable because of Redz distinct hair colour.

Charlie knew Redz. She, Caz and Dutch shared a flat with their pimp Razor. It’s not long after the Redz murder, that Dutch turns up dead as well, from an overdose, leaving Caz as Razor’s only working girl. Caz is happy to finally have Razor all to herself and hopes that this means they can settle down and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, pimps don’t allow their girls to fall in love with them.

Sarah Flint has written a stark and gut-wrenching tale that involves trafficking, prostitution, drugs and gruesome murders. She manages to shock her readers at the same time as giving us a team of dedicated, hardworking and passionate people who will not rest until they’ve solved the crimes and caught the perpetrators. This is the fourth book I’ve read in this series, and I grow closer to each protagonist as the series develops. Sarah Flint uses her own experience as a police officer to write some of the best, no, the best, detective series around at the moment.

The books can be read as a stand-alone, but if you enjoy following an author, then may I suggest you start with the very first book and keep reading until you finish the last page of this book. Hopefully like me, when you do reach the final page, you let out a gasp of shock at the ending. I honestly never saw it coming.

Sarah Flint is also particularly good at leaving her readers with more questions than answers. Mine after this book is why it seems so easy to traffic humans? Why in this day and age are girls not savvier? I imagine these questions are asked every single day by the police and other agencies when someone is found having been trafficked into the country for prostitution or worse, beaten black and blue by their pimp.

This book would be the perfect book for a book club. The subject of prostitution and trafficking is often in the newspapers, but this book will introduce you to the seamier and nastier side that is usually not printed in newspapers.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A gritty, authentic crime thriller, which left me feeling sad at the loss of life and opportunity for the young girls. Everything in this novel is believable, and that makes it compelling and disturbing.

I haven't read the previous books in the series, and although this is a standalone story regarding the crime's committed, there are events in the detectives' pasts that affect their present lives I'm not aware of, which affected my enjoyment of the overall story.

A well-written, contemporary crime thriller which highlights the abuse of young girls and the problems of drug abuse. There are significant twists, especially at the end, enough to make me want to know what the next case will be for these detectives.

DC Charlie Stafford is back with another nail-biting and chilling case guaranteed to keep you up way past your bedtime: Broken Dolls. Compelling, shocking and heart-poundingly good, Broken Dolls is the latest in a long line of first rate crime thrillers from Sarah Flint!

DC Charlie Stafford and her boss DI Hunter have got their work cut out for them. Two bodies have been discovered recently: a premature baby was found dead in a rubbish heap and a young prostitute was found on the frozen concrete beaten to death. Is there a connection between these two bodies? Are the murders connected? And will Stafford and Hunter manage to get to the bottom of this harrowing and shocking mystery? As they struggle to identify the victim from the violator, Stafford and Hunter’s search for the truth will taken them down dark and dangerous alleyways where they will come face to face with damaged people, ruthless criminals and desperate victims caught up in a vicious cycle where there is only one escape route: death…

As this investigation takes Charlie to the crack houses of Lambeth where fear reverberates around every corner, she realises that the only way she can uncover the truth about this case is if she digs even deeper and tries to get the victims to speak out against the oppression and aggression which has become routine for them. But will Charlie be successful in her quest? How can she get these poor damaged people to speak the truth about those who wish them harm?

Will this be the case that Charlie simply cannot solve? Is she ever going to bring to justice these blood-thirsty criminals who have caused so much damage and despair? Or will old wounds and past secrets continue to destroy the lives of those wishing for a way out of the dark abyss they have found themselves trapped in?

Broken Dolls is certainly not a book for the faint-hearted. Sarah Flint, as always, pens a believable, heart-wrenching and nail-biting crime thriller that brilliantly brings to vivid life the desperation, anguish and fear of outsiders living on the sidelines of society, whilst simultaneously penning a creepy, engrossing and spellbinding page-turner that I simply could not put down.

A book that will haunt, shock and captivate readers everywhere, Broken Dolls is another outstanding crime thriller for Sarah Flint!

Broken Dolls by Sarah Flint is book 4 in the DC Charlie Stafford series. I have loved the previous 3 books in this series but this one just wasn't for me. I have read a lot of great reviews of this book from people who loved it but I really did struggle with it. It is a very dark read but that did not bother me, it just seemed to drag on a bit too long and I could not get into it.

This time Charlie and DI Hunter are involved in a case when a premmie baby is found discarded in the rubbish bin. A few days later a prostitute is found beaten to death. They become caught up in the world of prostitution, murder and drugs to try to find the killer.

Thank you to Aria and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

This is the fourth book in a series and I think the best one yet! There were so many undesirable characters that the reader has a lot to consider when attempting to solve the crimes along with the detectives in the book. Great writing!

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

The 4th in the series starring DC Charlie Stafford. A premature baby is found tossed in the trash and then a young prostitute is found beaten to death. Is there a connection?

This is a gritty real and current story of people trafficking, prostitution, drug abuse and pimps. It is a violent and horrific way to live and shows the brutality of this lifestyle. Also how easy life can be taken away without any care or consideration.

Anna is a psychologist who is determined to help Caz a young prostitute escape the clutches of her pimp but she thinks she is in love with him.

Another well researched book by this author.

This is book four in the DC Charlotte Stafford series. This can be read as a stand-alone but I do recommend you read in order to get the most from the series.

DC Charlie Stafford is busy with two investigations- a dead prostitute and a dead baby. She needs to find out the cause of the murders and if they are connected. The subject isn’t an easy subject but one that needs to be written and read about.

Great praise to the author for a well written story with a clever plot. I was pretty much gripped from start to finish. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Broken Dolls by Sarah Flint
DC Charlotte Stafford #4

Baddies aplenty with a twist at the end I was not prepared for! Prostitution, drugs and murder with evil pimps and women struggling to survive is what this book is about. I came away unsettled and wonder how many times in real life issues are settled as they were in this book and fear it may be more often than I think.

Did I like this book? Hard to answer…it did make me think…
Will I read more by this author? Yes

The story was well written but very dark. If you are not into abuse, violence and this type of story I would warn you off. That said, I am curious to find out what will happen in book five and fear for more than one person in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Wow, a page turner of a novel. The twist at the end was very unexpected, cannot wait for the next book

Sarah Flint has tacked the very difficult topic of children being tossed aside into prostitution and many of them ending up taking drugs. The main characters in this very dark novel are not very likeable, but one cannot help but feel sorry for them. Each girl involved in working the streets has a back story that Ms. Flint tells with empathy and detaiils that are heartbreaking. The character that I liked the best was Anna, the psychologist who tries desperately to rescue one young girl, Caz, from her broken life. Anna is a genuinely good person who wants to help, but she has to be allowed to enter into the dark places of Caz’s mind, to find out why she ended up on the streets. Added to the drama is a pimp who is nothing less than cruel, another Russian trafficker in young girls and a “punter” who is full of himself and his ability to go out at night and kill the girls who service him. The Inspectors investigating the murders are dogged and determined, and the author portrays well how hard it is for them to solve the cases without the assistance of the girls being victimized. I can’t say that I enjoyed this book because it was so dark and haunting. Readers of fiction with hauntingly believable descriptions and violence may enjoy this book. What is very sad is to know that although the book is fiction, it could be true.

Honestly, I don't think it would have mattered if I had read the prior novels in this series. There was just nothing interesting about this book. This is a shame. Yet, I will say it didn't start out bad. In fact, the beginning is why I decided to stay with this book as long as I did. I kept hoping for the story to pick up. I was left waiting and waiting. There just seemed to be a lot of talking and not a lot of anything else. Sadly, my heart was "broken" by what I read and did not wish to continue reading on to finish the book.