This thriller was so good, I read it all in one sitting!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This was a well written book with a gripping storyline and well developed characters and a tense atmospheric feel all the way through.

The Fitzpatrick's are flying from their home in Ireland to the Florida Keys for a much needed vacation. Mirren hopes this is what her and her husband, Nick, need to rekindle their love for one another after months of drifting apart. Along with them is Mirren's biological daughter, Réa, and their adopted daughter, Alannah.

The peacefulness of this idyllic tropical resort is torn asunder by the loud, piercing scream of Mirren who only just realizes that Alannah is no where to be seen.

Having had a huge argument with Nick only moments before she heads to the beach with the girls in tow and demands that Réa keep an eye on Alannah while she sits and drowns her sorrows at a beach side bar only meters away but when she looks up and doesn't see her daughter she knows what every mother fears: My daughter is gone and never coming back.

Mirren is a tricky character to understand or to like. Having grown up with a cruel mother she vows to do better, to be better and she succeeds. She becomes a world renowned pediatric oncologist all while raising her daughter alone. She became pregnant with Réa while having an affair with a married man. He wants nothing to do with the baby or to leave his wife so he pays her off and it is with that money she puts herself through school. Life is good for the pair and their reliance on one another is evident. The two of them against the world.

Then Nick comes along and breaks into the tight bond the mother and daughter share. They marry and wish to have a child of their own but after several miscarriages they decide to adopt and they are blessed with baby Alannah.

There is one problem though, Mirren struggles to love her adoptive daughter and it is only with therapy that she has been able to admit this to herself.

Obviously the media go crazy. A wealthy Irish family's daughter goes missing while on vacation in the States it is going to make the news but the firestorm really turns into a frenzy when it's discovered that Mirren was drinking at a bar while her daughter vanished. Suddenly everyone has an opinion and that opinion is that Mirren is a terrible mother.

Detective Antonio Rolle is on the case after having fled the Miami police force. His superior wants to nail Mirren with the charges but Rolle doesn't think she'd hurt her child. He thinks something more nefarious occurred and he's determined to get to the bottom of it.

What happened? Who is to blame? Will Alannah ever be found? You'll have to read this to find out.

Wow, sometimes with risk comes reward and this book is a perfect example of that. This was a debut with only two reviews when I started this so I went in blind for a change and oh my goodness was this ever good. My heart broke for Mirren but at the same time I would cringe at the things she would do and say. I was so contradicted in my feelings for her. She could be cold and calculating but her pain and heartache were so palpable that I'd find myself in tears right along with her even though a moment ago I wanted to smack her. The way the media scrutinized and vilified her was maddening. She made a mistake, yes, but to be accused of her own daughters disappearance in the eyes of the world is the type of hell I never ever want to experience first hand.

The writing is assured, the pacing spot on - neither fast nor slow, and the story itself was absolutely riveting but it was the final page that chilled me to my bones. Highly recommend! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for my complimentary copy.

Thank you NetGalley, Canelo and Amanda Cassidy for providing me with a copy of “Breaking” in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a real struggle for me. I was about to just dnf many many times.

Dr Mirren Fitzpatrick, a well known oncologist, is on holidays in Florida, at the same place she was with her husband Nick for their honeymoon. This time she also brings their two daughters Réa and Alannah. Alannah goes missing on the beach, Mirren is supposed to watch her, but had one too many drinks at the beach bar. Mirren is vilified on social media, Nick is harbouring secrets of his own too.

Meanwhile, the police is trying to figure out what happened to Alannah?! Is the girl still alive, did she drown, or did she fall victim to a group of human traffickers?!

Mirren is already made out as cold and unreachable right in the beginning when she confesses to her therapist, that she does not lover her youngest daughter that much, because she is adopted. She seems, throughout the story, very cold and emotionless. The chapters of her past are the most interesting of them all.

What disturbed me the most about the book was the police work. Way too clinical and really not relatable. I love a good investigation, but not this time. Snore. Snore snore snore. I found myself speed-reading the chapters with Rolle and Logan. They were both unlikeable for different reasons. Logan was a **** mad Rolle was boring. Sorry.

The story sounded so interesting but the writing could not suck me in. At all.

It took me over a week if not more to finish because I just could not bring myself to continue. Very slow and painful reading for me.

Due to be published in October, Breaking is a tense, well-written debut that combines psychological thriller with police procedural and explores the lengths women will go to in order to protect their family and their children.

Dr Mirren FitzPatrick is on holidays in Florida with her husband Nick and two daughters Réa and Alannah, when Alannah goes missing on the beach. Mirren is vilified on social media and marked as a suspect when it emerges that she was drinking at a bar when her young daughter disappeared. Nick is harbouring secrets of his own too.

Meanwhile, Florida police are hunting for suspects involved in a human trafficking/drug ring who they suspect may be involved in Alannah’s disappearance. As the net closes in, who is telling the truth about Alannah’s last movements?

This kept me guessing to the very end and I very much enjoyed Mirren’s first person perspective, trying to decide whether or not she was a reliable narrator.

There was a little too much police procedural action for my personal taste but it did lead to heightened tension and a dramatic reveal. Police officer Rolle reminded me of Inspector Gamache, and the author’s elegant, poetic writing brought to mind Louise Penny. I could imagine a follow up with Rolle involved.

I wasn’t crazy about the introduction of a new character (nurse Kate) in the epilogue. It felt a little clumsy - perhaps Nick could have found the notebook Kate finds instead (I won’t say more for fear of spoilers). An enjoyable and promising debut from an author to watch. 3/5 ⭐️

*Breaking will be published in October by Canelo Books. Many thanks to the author, publisher and @netgalley for an advance eARC. As always, this is an honest review.*

This book was rather slow for me. The first part was good, followed by a lot of slow moving development. I skipped to the back to see if they found the girl. I didn't even finish it once I got my answer.