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Dead Broken
Psychological Thriller/Horror - 94,000 words
Six months ago, Peter Murphy was brutally attacked by a group of local youths. Obsessed and deeply traumatised by the event, he finds himself struggling to come to terms with family life.
A late night eBay transaction leads him to meet Steven, the brother of a priest currently accused of murder. At first Steven appears to offer Peter salvation from his tortured psyche, but his unhealthy interest in Peter’s attackers takes a sinister turn.
What happens next leads Peter down a spiral of horror, revenge and retribution.
Six months ago, Peter Murphy was brutally attacked by a group of local youths. Obsessed and deeply traumatised by the event, he finds himself struggling to come to terms with family life.
A late night eBay transaction leads him to meet Steven, the brother of a priest currently accused of murder. At first Steven appears to offer Peter salvation from his tortured psyche, but his unhealthy interest in Peter’s attackers takes a sinister turn.
What happens next leads Peter down a spiral of horror, revenge and retribution.
- GenresHorror
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2012
9 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 21, 2013
How often do you the reader get presented with the phrase "brilliant..could not put it down" "had to finish" Dead Broken is one of those books when you pick up, start reading, you will want to continue and not stop until the unpredictable and surprising conclusion. Peter Murphy has suffered a great trauma, he was attacked and badly injured both mentally and physically so he has had to take some time out, rest from work and stay at home with his wife Karen and two children...but he doesn't help out at home instead spending his time playing computer games or buying unwanted items on ebay. One such purchase is a book and with this book comes an introduction to Steven man of evil and the brother of a priest accused of murder. This is much more than a straight forward crime story, it explores the deteriorating relationship of two people Karen & Peter living on the edge, and with the greatest of ease progresses into horror most foul and a scene reminiscent of the horror movie Saw....The style of writing is easy on the eye, the story never lets up, the elements of horror and crime are finely balanced to produce a top notch and highly enjoyable first book by Mr Gray. As we progress into the horror theme there are some great and memorable opinions and conversations...."When you're young the world is your oyster, you're a loose cannon free to roam wherever you choose. You can go around the world, join a band, hang around on a street corner drinking with your mates, anything, you have no ties. Then you get older, find a wife, buy a house, have kids and settle down. All you want to do at the end of the day is come home, close your door and relax with a glass of wine in the firm knowledge that both you and your loved ones are snug, cosy and warm. You're no longer a loose canon; your goals in life have changed. In short, you want stability, but what threatens stability? I'll tell you what. Loose cannons threaten stability. Anything that threatens your family and home threatens stability. The youth haven't changed over the years Peter, you have. You're middle aged, just like the rest of society. The youth are no more a threat to you now than they,ve ever been" I also thought that the interaction between Murphy and his dead father a beautiful addition...here we have a man unable to communicate with his wife but can strike up a conversation with his deceased dad, who was committed to an asylum, and the reader is further left to ponder sometimes on what is reality, what is a dream and could Peter Murphy himself be responsible for the recent murders....a delicious mix and intrigue! I actually downloaded this ebook as a freebie to my kindle and was truly amazed by the ease and quality of the writing all elements in the story coming together creating a memorable and highly enjoyable read....I look forward to future books by this author.
January 25, 2013
I thought it was brilliant, it drags you by the scuff of the neck through every page whether you like it or not. You won't be able to put it down. It's dark, very disturbing and full of twists and turns. Maybe not one for the good catholic's in the family, or cat lovers but if you love a good serial killer novel, this one definitely is for you.
The main character Pete is likable, for all his flaws and believable. The narration regarding Pete's loss of his father and mother gives a refreshing, honest insight, into the care and grief of a close family member.
Gerard captures the torment and torture of Bi Polar disorder that many sufferers and carers in this day and age will relate to, in again a very honest and believable way.
There's also humour in there, times throughout the book that will make you laugh out loud and smile on occasion too.
For a Debut Novel, it's one of the best I have read. I hope Gerard has more to pull out of the bag. I for certain can't wait to read the next one.
The main character Pete is likable, for all his flaws and believable. The narration regarding Pete's loss of his father and mother gives a refreshing, honest insight, into the care and grief of a close family member.
Gerard captures the torment and torture of Bi Polar disorder that many sufferers and carers in this day and age will relate to, in again a very honest and believable way.
There's also humour in there, times throughout the book that will make you laugh out loud and smile on occasion too.
For a Debut Novel, it's one of the best I have read. I hope Gerard has more to pull out of the bag. I for certain can't wait to read the next one.
January 8, 2013
Due to outside influences, it has taken me longer to finish this book than it really deserved - but I do intend to set aside some time to read it again, hopefully before Gerard publishes the sequel.
I did find parts of the book very uncomfortable reading, having been through a similar situation to the one the protagonist went through before the start of the book, although not with the same degree of intensity. I will say though that it was the unflinching realism of that situation that dragged me into the book, if only to see how the character was going to deal with the various pressures upon him.
It's quite difficult to categorise the book, as although it does start out as a psychological thriller, it does dip its toes into the shores of horror... and then has quite a long paddle amongst the serial killers.
The tension does build at a steady pace throughout the book, to the point where it does become quite hard to put it down, and you are dragged, at times unwillingly, through the characters descent into despair and (possible) redemption. The layers of his soul are laid bare for you to see, and there may be times when you wonder just how far things will go, but Gerard also brings enough warmth and light into the story with the family relationships that you find yourself sympathising with him. He also deals realistically with the grieving process, not sugar coating the periods of blame or guilt that one goes through in order to recover. I found myself rooting for Peter Murphy, hoping that he would get the chance to recover before life hit him with another hammer blow - one that we can all see coming.
I will now be very careful about making late night purchases on EBay though, after having an object lesson in just what sort of trouble you can get into.
If you like your reading matter to be very very visceral, and you want to hear from a fresh voice I can heartily recommend this book, and Gerard lives up to the promise shown by this offering then you will be able to say you were reading him before he was cool!
My cat also recommends this book - but then again, he does like serial killers...
I did find parts of the book very uncomfortable reading, having been through a similar situation to the one the protagonist went through before the start of the book, although not with the same degree of intensity. I will say though that it was the unflinching realism of that situation that dragged me into the book, if only to see how the character was going to deal with the various pressures upon him.
It's quite difficult to categorise the book, as although it does start out as a psychological thriller, it does dip its toes into the shores of horror... and then has quite a long paddle amongst the serial killers.
The tension does build at a steady pace throughout the book, to the point where it does become quite hard to put it down, and you are dragged, at times unwillingly, through the characters descent into despair and (possible) redemption. The layers of his soul are laid bare for you to see, and there may be times when you wonder just how far things will go, but Gerard also brings enough warmth and light into the story with the family relationships that you find yourself sympathising with him. He also deals realistically with the grieving process, not sugar coating the periods of blame or guilt that one goes through in order to recover. I found myself rooting for Peter Murphy, hoping that he would get the chance to recover before life hit him with another hammer blow - one that we can all see coming.
I will now be very careful about making late night purchases on EBay though, after having an object lesson in just what sort of trouble you can get into.
If you like your reading matter to be very very visceral, and you want to hear from a fresh voice I can heartily recommend this book, and Gerard lives up to the promise shown by this offering then you will be able to say you were reading him before he was cool!
My cat also recommends this book - but then again, he does like serial killers...
February 24, 2013
Wow, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Deeply disturbing, at times too close to the bone but undeniably brilliant from start to finish.
April 25, 2013
Just finished reading Dead Broken and highly recommend it. If you enjoy reading
murder/thriller/suspense then this book is for you. Gerard has managed to write a book that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The main character tugs at your heart strings with his love for his family yet you also want to shake him to stop him going down a route that will lead him astray. There are some dark disturbing moments throughout the book as well as some light moments. Be prepared to be drawn into a world that keeps you wanting more yet having you checking shadows in the dead of night.
murder/thriller/suspense then this book is for you. Gerard has managed to write a book that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The main character tugs at your heart strings with his love for his family yet you also want to shake him to stop him going down a route that will lead him astray. There are some dark disturbing moments throughout the book as well as some light moments. Be prepared to be drawn into a world that keeps you wanting more yet having you checking shadows in the dead of night.
July 11, 2013
Spoiler Alert!
Peter and Karen Murphy's marriage is falling apart after Peter is attacked and badly injured. The mental and physical suffering only increases after he purchases the unpublished book of the brother of the St. Patrick's Church priest accused of murdering children in Sussex. As he read the book strange things happen. He can talk to his decreased father, his mother gets cancer, and Peter is accursed of being a murderous pedophile. Will it end before he goes totally insane?
The pacing is off and ending is rushed. This falls short of being a good psychological thriller.
Peter and Karen Murphy's marriage is falling apart after Peter is attacked and badly injured. The mental and physical suffering only increases after he purchases the unpublished book of the brother of the St. Patrick's Church priest accused of murdering children in Sussex. As he read the book strange things happen. He can talk to his decreased father, his mother gets cancer, and Peter is accursed of being a murderous pedophile. Will it end before he goes totally insane?
The pacing is off and ending is rushed. This falls short of being a good psychological thriller.
October 7, 2017
I started reading it and thought it was interesting, at about 40% just felt it lost the plot and no longer flowed, didn’t enjoy it at all from that point:
September 17, 2013
This book was recently entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
COVER - Fantastic! Very professional-looking and genre-appropriate.
CONTENTS - Generally, the readers enjoyed your book. Many thought it was 'very exciting' and 'a real thriller with a good dolloping of blood and horror'. In the most, they also thought you were a strong writer and your description of 'ACTION' was particularly good. The only problem they highlighted was the pacing; a little slow particularly at the end.
"A very exciting thriller with a good-sized dollop of blood and horror.' The Wishing Shelf Awards
COVER - Fantastic! Very professional-looking and genre-appropriate.
CONTENTS - Generally, the readers enjoyed your book. Many thought it was 'very exciting' and 'a real thriller with a good dolloping of blood and horror'. In the most, they also thought you were a strong writer and your description of 'ACTION' was particularly good. The only problem they highlighted was the pacing; a little slow particularly at the end.
"A very exciting thriller with a good-sized dollop of blood and horror.' The Wishing Shelf Awards
September 8, 2013
I can't believe so many people gave this 5 stars. This book suffers from a terrible case of "tell, don't show-itis". I found that writing style to be incredibly dull. I suppose it's a personal preference, but I lost interest completely around the 45% mark. I did finish it, but barely. Just not my style.
March 18, 2013
Thriller. You dont know if the main character is crazy or the auther or you. Great book with a good ending.
April 2, 2013
Excellent! This book ensured I got nothing done all day, I was unable to put it down, or turn out the light! Would highly recommend it.
January 6, 2014
Not sure what to make of this book, quite disturbing in parts, others full of suspense is he crazy and doing the murders or is the murderer real? Quite possibly give you weird dreams!
December 31, 2016
Dark and disturbing. What more do you need?
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews