4.5/5
It was so interesting to see the whole journey of a serial killer from the killers pov instead of the FBI's pov. The characters are so complex and interesting, even the killer is not inherently bad. This was very interesting to me!
The pacing was good, the book kept you wanting to read more, for me it was difficult to put down.
The only thing that took me out of the story were the war flashbacks. They were difficult to read, because they were written so well.
The first chapter from the FBI agent felt intrusive, you were immersed with the killers pov and it felt very out of place. However by the time the next FBI chapters came, it felt better placed.
I am definitely going to read the next book by this author!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ALC!

The Shattered Bones by David Santana

Deep dive into a dark world that saw mental and physical pain suffered by more than one character in the book ~ It was dark, gritty, compelling, and immersive ~ WOW!

What I liked:
* That it took me out of my comfort zone
* It made me think and feel and question “what ifs”
* That characters could not be clumped into only good or evil ~ most were complex
* The plot, pacing, settings, and writing
* The hints about why Rylan started his journey and mission without really knowing 100% the true reasons behind what he is doing ~ Hope they will come out over the rest of the series
* Ryland’s backstory that came out in flashbacks ~ They made me want to know more about him and what set him on the path he chose to follow
* Abigail: The woman Ryland loves, marries, and has a child with ~ want to know more about her, too
* Emily: Ryland’s mother, protective mother, caring, conservative, loving, supportive – want to know more about her
* Jean: Ryland’s little sister, a bit of a pest, enjoyed education and became an educator, won’t tell you more but she may have a bigger part as the series progresses
* The Garbage Route: a list of places Ryland plans to stop on his mission ~ Do wonder how he chose the people he will stop to “spend time with”
* The journal that Ryland is keeping on his journey and the information he chooses to record.
* Helio: FBI agent, from immigrant parents, bright, single, has baggage from the way he was raised, has potential, will probably have a bigger part to play as the story progresses
* Knowing that there is another book to look forward to.

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Not having all of the answers at the end of the book and though not a cliff hanger…definitely left me eager to read what comes next

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to the author, Goodnight Highway Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I absolutely loved this ride!
The wide range of feelings in this book is abysmal, it has been a complete rollercoaster.
You change from pity to hate, to comprehension and love, once and again. You feel the tension and the internal discussions; you doubt alongside the main character (yes, the serial killer!) and sometimes even approve of his choice (yes, *that* choice, even you'd never do it in real life, of course)... Most times, both his doubts and his statements appeal to your core.
The flashbacks are very well intertwined with the "present" (2017), and I especially liked the jumping forward from one period of his youth to another. I felt the warmth of his family, his love for them. I really appreciated the backstories and was eager for those chapters.
I thought of the FBI agent's first chapter as an intrusion, as the novel was quite advanced and felt out-of-the-blue; it had nothing to do with the rest of the story. But next time he reappeared, I was ready and also enjoyed them.
I loved every page, I'll be waiting for the next one. Yes, there will be another one, as the final cliffhanger is spectacular. As a reader who usually gets plot twists easily, I thought I knew when their ways were going to cross but... nope! It was much better and unexpected.
And I loved that it was only hinted at, not explained like the reader is stupid. We are not. Thank youuu and respect!!!

The overall plot and characters were decent. Personally I think I'm just bored of the police/FBI agent stories so I wasn't too compelled by this. However, I did like the author's writing style. I loved the idea of the serial killer's journey and I may pick up the next in the series because I'm curious to know what's going to happen.

This was a strong start to this series, I enjoyed the idea of going on this journey with a serial killer to see where they were shaped. It had that overall concept that I was looking for and had a suspenseful atmosphere. I thought the overall story worked well together with the characters and that it had that realism that I wanted in the genre. David Santana has a great way with words and characters that I cared about. I hope there is more in this series as this was really well done.