Broken Monsters

I read this one in almost one sitting. It is not a typical horror novel, nor is it the typical police procedural.

OK, I was not "terrified". I can sleep at night after reading this, but it does have that creepy feel to it. I think that if I lived in Detroit or in a city with abandoned buildings, perhaps I would be creeped out even more.

Lauren Beukes is an excellent writer, combining genres and filling out her characters into multidimensional human beings, or actually in this case- a bit of the inhuman as well. There is no mystery here. We know who dun it. We don't know why exactly. This "force" that was brought in was not necessary at all and made no sense to me, but I don't enjoy paranormal twists as a deus ex machima.

The main female characters- the detective and her daughter were well crafted, multifaceted women. The other officers, were for the most part, just stand in roles. The character TK was well written.

Overall, an entertaining read- recommended.

Partway into this book I thought: what genre is this? Although one of the main protagonists is detective Gabriela Versado, this is definitely not your regular crime fiction. I was tempted to put it aside about 25% of the way in because there were all these different characters and perspectives that didn't seem to be related in any discernible way. But then as I kept turning the pages I became engrossed and couldn't put it down. While the detective squad, the detective's daughter Layla, TK the homeless guy, Jonno, the wannabe internet sensation, and Clayton the "artist" seem initially to be wildly different stories they ultimately converge in a shattering finale that requires a suspension of disbelief.

The backdrop is Detroit, the rundown bankrupt city of today. Much of the action takes place in the seamy underbelly of the city. Clayton Bloom is a would be artist/sculptor who while pursuing his ex runs into a young deer. From this with the remains of a young boy he has abducted he creates a so-called work of art which fuses the young boy's upper body to the fawn's rear. They are fused with meat glue. The discovery of this "creature" sets the Detroit homicide division in pursuit of an apparently crazed killer and attracts massive media attention.

There is a subplot involving Detective Versado's daughter Layla who with her friend Cassandra sets out to trap and capture a pedophile by crating a fake online identity. That does not end well for Layla.

A second murder incident occurs involving the lady who runs the place where Clayton gets his pottery "burned". While investigating her clients a young officer Marcus assigned to the homicide squad turns up at Clayton's door, among others, to question him. Marcus disappears.

The apparently disparate parts of this novel come together in a hair raising denoument at the premises of a decaying autobody plant at the end of which you are left wondering: was Clayton just "crazy" or really possessed by demons who escape to make mischief elsewhere?

Definitely not my normal cup of tea, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It reminds me a bit of Stephen King's work. I recommend this roller coaster ride through the dark side of decaying Detroit.

Disclaimer: My advance review copy was provided via Net Galley in return for a review.

Definitely one of the creepiest works that I have ever read,Broken Monsters is meant to challenge the reader on psychological level, opening his eyes to the thin line between reality and something people consider as supernatural.

"The moment when it reveals its miracle boy and all the eyes will look and their seeing will be horror and glory and wonder and it will pierce the skin of the world, collapse dimensions, and open the doors and the work will breathe and dance in his shoes and the dream will be able to escape..."

From the beginning, it felt like a typical story of CSI & trying to unreveal the murders. A young boy found glued together with a deer was sick but with every detail and every explanation, I was in awe of the structure of this book. Written in different POVs, we are able to know what's going on inside of the head of Detroit Monster. The dream that possess over his head, actions, and memories.

It was intense and exactly what I would have considered as one of a kind reads. This is not a book that you can simply skip through. There are so many details, so many things that you have to consider, no wonder it took me awhile to read it. But it wasn't that I didn't like it. It was to actually process all of the information and give my imagination and mind a break from what I read. This is a talent. Broken Monsters was better than I expected and it intrigued me.

ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Detroit Police Detective Gabriela Versado goes to the scene where a murdered boy has been found, and walks into the most nightmarish case of her career.

It's the body of an eleven-year-old boy, or at least the top half is. The bottom half is the back half of a fawn. They're quite effectively joined together by a means which isn't at first obvious to the police or to the medical examiner. It's a potentially explosive case, and looks like it may be the start of a serial killer's spree, and they try very, very hard to keep the more outre aspects of it under wraps.

Meanwhile, Gabi's daughter Layla and her friend Cas, each struggling with their own issues in a new school, use their smartphones to lure a pedophile with unclear ideas of trapping him. Jonno, a social media "citizen journalist," recently relocated from New York and attempting to rebuild his career, latches onto this case as some of the stranger details leak out. Thomas Keen, a.k.a. TK, a homeless man with serious computer skills, a good heart, a prison term in his past, but possibly the most grounded and together character in the book, tries to help a struggling, older artist who clearly has mental and emotional problems.

Clayton Broome, the artist, is struggling to capture his visions in physical form, and sometimes that means clay. Sometimes it doesn't. Meanwhile, he's also struggling with something weird and awful living in his brain.

All these individuals pursue their own threads, sometimes connecting, sometimes not, until new works of the Detroit Monster draw them together.

I did not expect to like this book. There's an element of horror that, normally, I avoid. I was surprised, in the most wonderful way. This is a rich, compelling story with great characters. The mother/daughter relationship is stressed, loving, and strong when they need it to be. TK is interesting and compelling. Jonno and his new girlfriend Jen Q are pursuing a great story, and finding their footing as an effective team, even as they have no idea what the real effect of some of what they do is.

This is a great mystery, a great thriller, and the element of horror enriches it rather than detracting from it.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Detective Gabriella Versado is called to the scene of a brutal murder. A boy who had recently been declared missing is found chopped in half, his lifeless torso sewn to the lower half of a deer carcass. The crime, albeit an exceptionally grizzly one, is yet another statistic within the husk of the once powerful city of Detroit and it’s not long before the person believed to be responsible for the murder kills again. With a serial killer on the loose, can Gabi track down and put an end to the rampage or will the body count continue to rise?

Despite the straightforward description above, Lauren Beukes’ Broken Monsters is so much more. While the murder mystery and the pursuit of a serial killer both form the backbone of the novel, commentaries on the fragility of the American Dream, the permanence of social media and the ever increasing poverty problem flesh it out, giving it certain richness that could have easily been lost in a run of the mill, by-the-book thriller.

Very much like Stephen King’s Carrie and more recently, Nick Cutter’s The Troop, Beukes pulls information from the world outside Gabi’s case in the form of internet culture, slipping it into the story. By injecting posts from fictitious Facebook accounts, a subReddit titled “r/detroitmonster” as well as comments through various YouTube videos, Beukes applies a real world feel to the thrilling tale that extends the story beyond the city limits of Detroit.

From beginning to end, Beukes had me hooked and the pages kept flying by. I can’t wait to see what she does next. With Broken Monsters, Beukes doesn't have to worry about eclipsing her previous effort, The Shining Girls; she outshines it (excuse the terrible pun).

Dear Reader,

This book! I needed a book like this. Not that I didn't love all those other books I've read this year (well some of them anyways) but I feel like a long, lost lover has come back to me (sorry hun). I forgot how much I love a GOOD horror, even if this is borderline. I really needed this to perk me out of that funk, a good murder or two. Okay, so maybe I shouldn't be admitting that... but I'm sorry, someone who likes horror will tell you the same thing... sometimes you have that itch that needs scratching. Lately I've been ignoring it. No longer! Lauren Beukes has invigorated me, not only has she given me a horror novel, but one that is REALLY well written with a great plot. I truly would have given this book 5 stars if it didn't get a little odd at the end there (not going to give that away, just sayin').

Okay, let's get past my gushing on horror and get to what the book is about. Beukes introduces us to a few main characters and quite a few background ones. We have Detective Gabriella Versado, the strong - single mother police figure that thinks she can carry the world on her shoulder. I think what I really liked about this book was how far the Author strayed from mystery/police detective cliches but Detective Versado was the closest she came to making one. I loved hearing all the perspectives from the mind of the killer, the detective, the detective's teen daughter, a homeless guy and a failing journalist. Each character has great depth to them and brings many angles to the main plot, I'm a sucker when this is done well. Telling the story this way also gives the Author ways to drop little hints and clues and possibly explain things that another character would not have caught or noticed.

Another thing I particularly love in books is getting into the mind of a killer. I think it might be that horrible curiosity that begs to ask the question "why? why? why?". After a few of my favorite novels that have featured a serial killer, I may have learned a little of the why (broken homes, tragedy, psychological damage, etc) but I still can't seem to get a real grasp on how that switch gets flipped. I think it's only natural to be curious about something that you could never imagine yourself doing... we, the human race, love questioning why people do the things they do and this is no different. In this particular novel, Art is the desire and motivation behind the killer and this is quite a different take from other books I have read. In a way, I can almost bring myself close enough to have that slight flickering of understanding, obviously not that Art is a reason to end someone's life, because it isn't. However, almost every artist knows that the best art is created during stressful and hurtful situations, and what could be more stressful/hurtful than murder?! I know. Sounds bad, but you have to admit, there is truth to it.

Steering clear of that topic (it makes me uncomfortable to express my feelings about why it fascinates me or why I think there is something to be said about it), the clear reason this book is something to be read is the writing. Beukes has a way with creating real to life characters that come to life a little too much, and the fact that her books center around horrific people make them even more intriguing. I haven't read her previous success "The Shining Girls" but I think I'll be diving into that the next time an itch comes up - I know what to reach for. Be advised readers, this book does have a funky dunky ending and some might not like it BUT the book is worth the trip and I would hardly say that is something to deter anyone from reading this.

Happy Reading,
AmberBug

Broken Monsters is one of those novels that are impossible to pigeon hole. At first glance it's a police procedural thriller but it quickly becomes apparent there is a supernatural, urban fantasy element to the book and the reader is treated to a story that is dark and creepy but also a thought- provoking look at what makes a monster.
Detective Gabrielle Versado is the single mom homicide detective who believes she has seen it all. When a body is discovered that is half boy, half deer somehow fused together Versado realises this is weird even for Detroit. It's worth mentioning here that the city is a central player in the novel, in Beukes' hands it comes alive, the bankrupt city still vibrant despite its dark and dangerous reputation.
Much of Broken Monsters focuses on Versado's teenage daughter, Layla and it is here that the book really shines. As nail-biting as the hunt for the serial killer is, what particularly stood out for me was the light Beukes shines on the murky darkness of the internet. It's not just the paranormal monsters we should be scared of, there are monsters of a different sort sat behind a computer screen who also have the ability to tear lives apart. The power the internet gives people is perhaps more chilling and unsettling than anything.
Broken Monsters is a multilayered, intelligent thriller that will set your heart racing. It's the sort of compelling page turner that will have you reading long into the night - but then you might need to sleep with your light on!

(Note: Review on my blog has links, quotes and more)

Lauren Beukes is pretty much on my auto-buy list (I mean, if I had the means to have an auto-buy list). I own most of her books, including her out-of-print Maverick, and Broken Monsters will soon be added.

Granted, I first read Beukes’ Zoo City because she is a great South African author and because her South African fiction is just out of this world. But just as she crosses the boundaries of genres and mashes together concepts that other authors can’t successfully do, she is crossing the boundaries of description.

The Shining Girls and now Broken Monsters have proven her mettle as a writer. They say “write what you know” – Beukes is from neither Chicago nor Detroit, but in both cases she did her research so well that the places became tangible. Her twitter followers are also pretty familiar with her escapades to the settings of her books – I seem to remember her once tweeting about shadowing a Detroit undertaker for a day. (This BookD podcast with Beukes is totally worth the listen – do it!)

As for the story: I’ll admit that I was unsure at first that I would read it. As I repeatedly say, I’m a major scaredy-cat. Anyway, I read it. After the description of the first victim – right at the beginning of the book – I was a little spooked. I decided then that I would only read the book in the daylight. (That helped.) But then, the book is not really thaaaaaat scary. It is touted as a thriller, but the killer is revealed pretty early on in the plot (and it is done purposefully).

So what you should know about Broken Monsters is that you cannot take it at face value. Beukes is a genius, and everything she writes about has a purpose – and the purpose is not confined to “being thrilling”. As fantastic as her writing is – honest, tangible, raw – it is also a commentary. Commentary on technology, on art and artists, on the evil that can grow from our dreams. Commentary on the power an audience gives to a creation – a hope, a desire.

The disturbing imagery is not confined to bodies (but I will leave you to discover that yourself). Despite that – or perhaps because of it – I think this would be a fantastic book to discuss in an undergrad class. I feel the need to read this again, with guidance from and discussion with other readers. It is incredible reading it for “just reading”, but I get the feeling there is even more waiting beneath the surface.

Of course, I should warn that it might upset sensitive readers – but you’ll know from the full blurb whether you can handle it. What I appreciate is that Beukes approaches the gruesomeness with a lot of respect. You don’t get the sense of some kind of macabre pleasure that one sometimes sees in horror/thriller type books. As somebody who has lost loved ones to violence, that distinction means a lot.

Like many of Beukes’ books, Broken Monsters is told in multiple POVs. Not first-person POVs though, and this “deviation” gives it a distinct atmosphere. The characterisation is great, so there is no confusion, but I must admit that I didn’t feel as attracted to these characters as in previous books. Of course, it is a myth that a good character must be a likable one!

As for the covers… I feel kind of meh about the USA and UK covers. The SA cover (up top) is the best of the lot for me – detailed and artsy and me likey.

Overall, I found this to be a gripping and disturbing read – for more reasons than the obvious.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an honest review. This has not biased my review.

Broken Monsters begins with a grisly murder scene that would be perfectly at home on NBC's Hannibal - a young child cut and a yearling deer cut in half and glued together, like a perverse satyr.

Lauren Beukes unravels her story across multiple characters, each having their own distinct voice, purpose, and point of view, and it becomes clear that the title Broken Monsters is not representative of only the harsh deeds of a serial killer, but emblematic of the people populating these pages, as well as the setting of Detroit itself. Motown ain't what it used to be, saddled instead with the label of most violent city in America. Take any list - worst place to live, highest rates of murder, most depressed, least healthiest - and Detroit is sure to find itself near the top. It's a bent and broken city. So, too, are wanna-be writer Jonno Haim, and lead investigator Detective Gabi Versado. Versado's daughter, Layla and her friend Cas, are mutually derisive of one another in a way that only best friends can be, and they spend their free time trolling the internet for minor instances of vigilante justice against online perverts, while Cas struggles with a dark secret of her own.

When looking back on Broken Monsters, the first word that leaped to mind was "grit." The book is a dark police procedural, and you could almost cut yourself on the shards of broken glass, aka "Detroit diamonds," littering Woodward Avenue just from reading the damn thing. Lauren Beukes doesn't write characters - she plops down real people whole-cloth and shares their lives with you in 3D, the good, the bad, and, most of all, the ugly. All of it, sparing you nothing. Jonno is, by turns, sympathetic, inspiring, and atrocious thanks to the mistakes he's made and effort he puts into making it one more turn. Layla and Cas - I'm sure we all had friends like these two, or know of girls like them. Versado and the remains of her private life, the struggles she has as a female cop in a man's world - it's all eminently relatable. These are flesh-and-blood individuals. They do stupid things, each trying to be the hero in their own messed up lives, and we can root for them one moment and be angry at them the next because, in some ways both small and large, we are them.

Beukes nails the atmosphere of Detroit and it's police. The dirty, sometimes mean-spirited, humor and the ordeal of women on the force. Gabi remembers, for instance, a time when all of the women's bust-sizes were leaked after being fitted for a bulletproof vest. There's the bullpen chatter and daily debriefings over the progress of the murder investigation that ring authentic and accurate, right down to the squad commander nixing the internal nickname of "Bambi" for the slain boy.

The Detroit setting is mined for all its worth and given credibility by mentions of local staples like Belle Isle, Eastern Market, the Packard Plant, Nain Rouge, Fox 2 News broadcaster Charlie LeDuff, a police department that's overworked and so underfunded that even the whiteboard markers are dead, as well as some of the more notorious aspects the city is known for - urban decay, homelessness, a notorious ex-mayor and federal felon Kwame Kilpatrick (currently serving a 28-year prison stint), drug abuse, theft, property abandonment and foreclosures and squatting, and, most of all, murder.

After reading The Shining Girls last year - one of my absolute favorites of 2013 - I immediately bought Zoo City and Moxyland (sadly, I've not gotten to them yet), and kept my ear to the ground for news of her follow-up. I was really excited when she announced the Detroit setting for Broken Monsters. It would have been a must-read regardless of the locale, but being from Michigan this made my need to read more immediate. Beukes has done her research, and it feels almost as if this South African author has written one of the definitive fictional Detroit crime books. If there was ever a perfectly crafted ode to a fallen American city, this is it. She tackles the Motor City with the authentic finesse of The Wire by way of Red Dragon, polished with sublime sheen of noir-cool. Highly, highly recommended.

An exceptional cross between a Horror story, and a crime thriller-set in the decaying city of Detroit, Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes is a huge story constructed from many smaller ones.The spotlight is on Detective Gabriella (Gabi) Versado, a salty divorced single mother who is working around the clock to solve the gruesome murder of an 11-year-old boy. What sets this case apart from the usual cases, is that this child was cut in half and fused with the lower portion of a deer.

The little stories include Gabi's daughter Layla, a typical teenager from a broken home who traverses the usual teen drama, such as trying to fit in with the cool crowd, meeting boys, and doing well in school. She also adds extracurricular activities such as shaming online pedophiles at gunpoint with her mysterious friend Cas. There are little story lines involving characters from a church homeless shelter, a community of artists, and a video-journalist named Jonno who struggles to make his name at all costs. All of these characters are either impacted, or involved with the crazed serial killer who happens to be a tortured artist possessed by an entity that turns dreams into 3D reality with alarming results.

The manner in which the murders take place are chilling, and altogether different from the usual fare, with an ending that is both action-packed and thought-provoking. What I most liked about this book is the attention spent on the problems within a city that is falling apart; issues of race, class, police ineptitude and lack of services are all brought to the forefront of the story. Also of interest is the author's treatment of the modern conundrum of the internet and instant video streaming, which plays a major role in both the causes of many of the murders, as well as the end results.

I would love to see Broken Monsters turned into a film, because if produced correctly, it has the potential to be a blockbuster. I can see Michelle Rodriguez as Gabi Versado. This was a multi-faceted story with enough weight (448 pages) to build up a good level of suspense and an ample plot. Highly recommended for readers of Horror, crime fiction and thrillers.

I normally shy away from darker titles, it’s just not my thing and I really haven’t read a whole “scary book” in about twenty years. I’m a visualizer, so movies, imagery and good descriptions tend to stay with me far longer than the time spent reading or watching, and nightmares are often a problem. That being said – I was constantly stopping and walking away from this book, it was terrifying: lights on, read only when someone else is home, jump at every noise sort of terror. Made worse by the all-too- possible premise, this story was hard to walk away from.

Told in multiple perspectives: the killer, the cop in charge, her teenaged daughter and friend, a man rebuilding his life after career and relationship failure, an artist, and a man working to overcome his own violent past by working with homeless. These people all come together in the notoriously deadened city of Detroit filled with struggling, scavenging and even the ‘gentrifiers’ who are hoping to scrape up the rubble and decay to create a thriving artistic community.

There is so much going on in description and desolation that Beukes imbued into the setting perfectly suited the appearance and utilization of the demon that possesses the artistic muse of a character and creates hauntingly grotesque yet somehow oddly compelling pieces of art highlighted with pieces of people. And then it really got scary, and felt all the more real with the sadly all too modern habit of sensationalizing crime – making it public to ground it further in reality and the public conscience. How often have images and other atrocities been detailed (if not necessarily seen in photos) with painstaking detail that give it the buzz and have the story spread like wildfire, news as entertainment first, information second. Beukes does spear social media and the lack of real information in news and outlets as they take second stage to the actual atrocities and issues. Beautifully mixed in and used to show readers the double-edged sword that is the 24 hour news cycle, and the rush to gain the most ‘votes and views’.

But this is, at the core, a character driven story that allows the flaws and strengths, cares and concerns that each character has that builds them into a fully developed and realized human being, adding depth and creativity and a touch of ‘familiar’ to each character, no matter how broken. Procedurally, her research and details are wonderfully presented as the rush to the capture of the killer heats up. Many of the very ambitious ideas were carried through overtly and covertly to give readers solid conclusions and ones that feel correct. I don’t know that she has convinced me to read more dark-themed stories, they seriously are not for me, but this was a story that I am glad I took a chance on.

I received an eBook copy of the title from the publisher for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

After finishing this book, I can't help but ask myself why I have not read anything by Lauren Beukes before. This book is is just incredible (for lack of a more imaginative word). It is horrific, spell-binding and poetic, a fantastic story that left me both incredibly satisfied and wanting to read more by the author.

"This city is all about the people, who have to burn against the dark. It's the bright against the blight"

The setting is depressing and perfect. Detroit is a shell of a city, with evidence all around of a better life, the life the city used to have before it went bankrupt. The industrial remains of its once thriving economy are a constant reminder of what used to be, of what was lost. The crime rate is high and there are good people who are homeless, unable to find work after the city fell apart. The tone this setting gives the book is incredible.

"Everyone lives three versions of themselves; a public life, a private life and a secret life"

There are multiple POVs, which I wasn't expecting. I'm quite used to this in fantasy, but not so much in horror. This really gives the book a stronger presence than it would have if it were told with the more narrow focus of just one character. The characters all come alive, giving the reader a firm grasp of their personalities, their motivations, desires and fears. It's the type of book where you feel like you can imagine one of the characters walking into the room and you'd feel you already know them. You also get a good glimpse in the disparity between their three lives (public, private and secret). Something that would not be possible with just one perspective.

"Black is the symbol of perfect democracy. All the colors united as one."

And I won't say which anything about who it is, but one of the perspectives is being overtaken by a darkness that controls them. As a reader, I was was incredibly intrigued if it was just mental illness or if there was a fantastical element of the book starting to take shape. I won't say which way it goes, just that I would be pleased either way because either way, it's some scary freaky stuff. And I did love how it turned out.

"Shakespeare would have it wrong these days. It's not the world that's the stage -- it's social media, where you're trying to put on a show."

Another real strength of this book is the integration of social media. It takes what can be nothing and turns it, us, into monsters. It gives fuel to fan fires that would otherwise be nothing more than a flicker. And I'm not just talking major news stories, I'm talking about every day life, normal people that have a bad moment that get captured on social media, becomes sensationalized, goes viral (spreads like a virus). Everyone's lives are subject to social media. And we are all broken in some way. This book shows what that can do to a person. Once again, some scary stuff, even if it's not the type of scary that serial killer brings to the table.

"Everyone is broken"

I absolutely recommend this book, to just about anyone, really. I guess if you are someone who has trouble sleeping after reading scary things, maybe read it in the morning, start your day with a good dose of mystery and fright.

So I was interested in reading Broken Monsters because it's set in Detroit (I lived in the metro area for over 10 years), but I was unsure about a crime novel written about a crime-ridden city and written by someone from South Africa. What I mean is that crime fiction is a bit escapist, and Detroit itself is so riddled with crime that I wasn't sure what kind of approach Beukes would take. Well, the answer is a bit of a sci-fi/horror approach to the central crime (a boy's torso is found attached to a deer's legs), and a large set of characters in the city whose voices feel fresh and real.

Broken Monsters spends a great deal of time with Detective Gabriella Versado and her teenage daughter Layla, but this is not a book that focuses on the police procedural aspect of this hot-button case. Beukes also tells the story of Detroit and investigating the horrific murder through a few homeless characters, some artists, and a journalist new to the city and new to embracing social media to tell the story about the murderer. In the meantime, there are several setpieces involving an Arts and Crafts period pottery studio (inspired by Pewabic Pottery) and huge art parties/ installations in neighborhoods reminiscent a bit of the Heidelberg Project.

Part of the pleasure of the book was the voices of all of these disparate characters, and part of it was because of the bits of Detroit Beukes got right--the urban ruin explorations, the artists, the pottery studio And it was a serial killer story that was so out there that it felt fresh. Finally, I appreciated how good Beukes was at capturing her teenage characters' voices. Layla and her friend Cas feel quite real, and that stood out to me especially after having mixed feelings about the last book I reviewed.

Finally, I want to highlight a couple Detroit items: first is a Reading Detroit list especially for its nonfiction section. The Arc of Justice is a fabulous book that captures Detroit in its boom times and a great legal story about Ossian Sweet, a black doctor accused of murder. And finally, I leave you with a photo of a Pewabic Pottery vase that I've given a few times as a wedding present, proof that there is more to Detroit than crumbling buildings.

http://lynnsbooks.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/broken-monsters-by-lauren-beukes/

I finished reading Broken Monsters a couple of days ago but wanted time to reflect before writing a review. This is a dark and menacing story looking at the lives of a few people and the impact they feel when a young boy is found murdered. Did I enjoy this? No, enjoy would be the wrong word to use here. Was I spellbound? Yes. This is a story that gets under your skin and compels you to read on. Beukes has a very honest way of writing. Her characters are flawed and their dialogue is realistically to the point. There are no rose tinted glasses here, just gritty realism served up with a menacing murder plot.

This is a horror come chiller/thriller with a supernatural take although this is very lightly done.

At the start of the story a young boy is discovered murdered and mutilated in such a horrific way that the press and police immediately label the murderer ‘the monster’. From there it becomes obvious that the murders will continue and the police become embroiled in a race to catch the killer before he continues on his mission.

The creepy thing with this book is the element of uncertainty. The fear that maybe the next character I was reading about might actually become the killer’s latest victim. And there were definitely characters here that I liked.

All the characters have their own personal demons and struggles to cope with and come from all walks of life. Gabi is a divorced mother. A detective struggling to balance a heavy workload and inevitable hard assed cynicism with bringing up her daughter and worrying if she is doing the right thing by her. Her daughter Layla is also struggling to cope with the divorce, the loss of her father from her life who now seems to have a new family who take precedence, and also feeling something of an outcast at school where she appears to have only one real friend, Cas. Cas has her own issues. She is tormented by her past, a past that now leads her into strange and dangerous pursuits. We then have Jonno and his new young girlfriend Jen. Jonno is feeling the onset of middle age. He feels like a failure and he has latched on to Jen , younger and more optimistic with a vibrancy that he almost feeds off. He’s looking for his own fifteen minutes of fame and he has few morals when it comes to grasping that first rung! JK is the homeless hero. A likeable character. Surly and tough. He has a very dark past but his bark is definitely worse than his bite. He helps out at the homeless shelter. He’s also something of a marauder looking for abandoned properties that might still offer up something worth scavenging. And then we also have the chapters from the killer’s pov. But I’m not going to comment on that aspect but leave it to you to read and discover yourself.

Beukes is so good with characters. She manages to invoke such strong feelings. You feel the mother’s fierce love that Gabi has for Layla. You feel the power of feeling that Layla has for her mum who is basically ‘home’. You want to shout at Layla to talk to her mum and trust her and yet at the same time you know, as Layla does, that if she opens up something will surely hit the fan. Similarly with TK. He wants to do the right thing. He wants to help people and in particular he wants to make a home for his family.

This is a perfect story of broken lives that with a bit of communication can be fixed. It’s also a reflection of the current obsession with communicating through social media. It takes a look at Cyber bullying and the consequences for those involved. Harsh lessons for victims and those who victimise.

A horror story with a difference. Fairly small scale in terms of those involved which for me added to the drama in terms of making you think ‘could a killer be living amongst you’? Gives you the chills just thinking it!

Simply drawn yet deep characters. Darkly intense and chilling.

I received a copy of this from the publisher through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

The author of The Shining Girls gives us another story of grisly murders. And again there is a supernatural slant to the killer. Broken Monsters tells the story of Detective Gabriella Varsado who is investigating the murder of a boy whose body is found in an unusually disturbing state. We follow Varsado, her daughter, an ambitious blogger who needs a new story and the killer himself, who needs the world to see his work. The story changes viewpoints frequently throughout but Beukes makes it work. I haven’t turned a books pages this fast since… well, since The Shining Girls. Great for fans of the fiction that disturbs

"A dark, genre-bending masterpiece." (See the full Bookpage review in the link below).