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Donna Harp #1
Shattered
A DARK THRILLER BY ONE OF THE AUTHORS OF THE BESTSELLING EROTIC DRAMA, 10 NIGHTS
WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND DISTURBING DEATH SCENES
A VILLAGE IN TERROR, A KILLER ON THE LOOSE, AN AUTHOR LOOKING FOR HIS NEXT BESTSELLER. IS THERE A CONNECTION?
After the grisly discovery of a mutilated body, the small community of Greenville is held in the terrifying grip of a serial killer.
Author Jason Denton immediately falls under suspicion, and while Sergeant Underwood is determined to prove his guilt, no matter what how he has to do it, the relatives of those being killed aren't so keen to wait for justice.
Caught in the middle is Donna Harp, a young constable partnered with the sergeant. She isn't convinced the author is guilty, and is determined to catch the killer, whoever he may be, but is she being swayed by Denton's charm?
A VILLAGE IN TERROR, A KILLER ON THE LOOSE, AN AUTHOR LOOKING FOR HIS NEXT BESTSELLER. IS THERE A CONNECTION?
Includes the bonus short, Lauren's Nightmare, and a preview of my scifi adventure, A Brother's Debt.
WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND DISTURBING DEATH SCENES
A VILLAGE IN TERROR, A KILLER ON THE LOOSE, AN AUTHOR LOOKING FOR HIS NEXT BESTSELLER. IS THERE A CONNECTION?
After the grisly discovery of a mutilated body, the small community of Greenville is held in the terrifying grip of a serial killer.
Author Jason Denton immediately falls under suspicion, and while Sergeant Underwood is determined to prove his guilt, no matter what how he has to do it, the relatives of those being killed aren't so keen to wait for justice.
Caught in the middle is Donna Harp, a young constable partnered with the sergeant. She isn't convinced the author is guilty, and is determined to catch the killer, whoever he may be, but is she being swayed by Denton's charm?
A VILLAGE IN TERROR, A KILLER ON THE LOOSE, AN AUTHOR LOOKING FOR HIS NEXT BESTSELLER. IS THERE A CONNECTION?
Includes the bonus short, Lauren's Nightmare, and a preview of my scifi adventure, A Brother's Debt.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2011
18 people are currently reading
465 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 25, 2012
I read this book in two sitting. When I first started, I stopped halfway due to the demands of my life as a writer. When I had the time to continue it, I just couldn't drop it until the end.
When I finished it, I said 'phew!' I looked up and around. Everything was so different. It was like a welcome-back to my own world.
I've read lots of detective thrillers and I have to admit that Karl Jones is one hell of a writer. The story is very engaging with a surprising twist! The suspense is strong too. At one point I was so with Sergeant Underwood with his convictions that I was very angry at Constable Donna Harp for her actions! Although it was initially part of my guesses, I didn't expect the story to turn out the way it did.
There was one thing I found strange though. It even got me angry because I feel the culprit could've been caught long ago without all the loss of lives. Don't the Police at Greenville have firearms? Or are they banned from using guns? Even the new detective that was sent from town, in all his cleverness, was foolish enough to lay ambush for an armed suspect without a gun! Or did they hope to catch him with their bare hands? Even look at when, in the final stage, they went with police cars to the house of the culprit to arrest him. They went without guns! I fumed at that part. I felt very sorry for those that were killed because I feel that their deaths could have been avoided.
But despite it all, there is something wonderful about this book - it's real! So real that it's disturbing. There were scenes that bothered my mind but I am glad it's just a book. If you are squeamish, I won't advise you to read this book.
I'll be looking forward to read more from this author.
When I finished it, I said 'phew!' I looked up and around. Everything was so different. It was like a welcome-back to my own world.
I've read lots of detective thrillers and I have to admit that Karl Jones is one hell of a writer. The story is very engaging with a surprising twist! The suspense is strong too. At one point I was so with Sergeant Underwood with his convictions that I was very angry at Constable Donna Harp for her actions! Although it was initially part of my guesses, I didn't expect the story to turn out the way it did.
There was one thing I found strange though. It even got me angry because I feel the culprit could've been caught long ago without all the loss of lives. Don't the Police at Greenville have firearms? Or are they banned from using guns? Even the new detective that was sent from town, in all his cleverness, was foolish enough to lay ambush for an armed suspect without a gun! Or did they hope to catch him with their bare hands? Even look at when, in the final stage, they went with police cars to the house of the culprit to arrest him. They went without guns! I fumed at that part. I felt very sorry for those that were killed because I feel that their deaths could have been avoided.
But despite it all, there is something wonderful about this book - it's real! So real that it's disturbing. There were scenes that bothered my mind but I am glad it's just a book. If you are squeamish, I won't advise you to read this book.
I'll be looking forward to read more from this author.
March 20, 2012
Karl Jones is a tease of an author, this is a gripping book that keeps you guessing the whole way through. Everytime I thought I knew who the bad guy was, something happened to make me doubt it. The characters were really well formed, they were (almost) all lovely, but none of them were perfect. Instead it was very realistic in having weaknesses and faults even for the sexy Jason (the thought of whom is making me swoon) and heroine (IMO) Donna.
Karl told me I would want more.... he was right!
Karl told me I would want more.... he was right!
June 1, 2015
review removed
April 24, 2012
Karl Jones’ debut novel, Shattered, takes place in the small English village, Greenville. Typically a lazy, slow-paced environment, all hell breaks loose when girls are suddenly abducted, violently raped and murdered. With an inept police sergeant and a clueless inspector in charge, it doesn’t take long before things get out of control, the village falls into an uproar and the unknown killer is still roaming free. The new resident in town finds himself the sole suspect as the lopsided investigation drags on. But with the bull-headed sergeant in charge, will the truth ever come out? You won’t know who the killer is until the very exciting, climactic ending!
Shattered is very well written and is not for the squeamish. The graphic details in both the murders and the scenes around us paint a real life picture as we follow the story. The book will make you laugh and it make you angry; you find yourself wanting justice in the end and Jones doesn’t disappoint. Any fans of James Patterson’s Kiss the Girls or Along Came a Spider won’t go wrong by adding Shattered to their book shelves. I’m looking forward Karl Jones’ sequel where some loose ends will probably get tied up and we will get a further peek into what happens in Greenville. Simply put, the book was great, buy it!
Shattered is very well written and is not for the squeamish. The graphic details in both the murders and the scenes around us paint a real life picture as we follow the story. The book will make you laugh and it make you angry; you find yourself wanting justice in the end and Jones doesn’t disappoint. Any fans of James Patterson’s Kiss the Girls or Along Came a Spider won’t go wrong by adding Shattered to their book shelves. I’m looking forward Karl Jones’ sequel where some loose ends will probably get tied up and we will get a further peek into what happens in Greenville. Simply put, the book was great, buy it!
December 24, 2012
Ok, I will be as honest as I can be. I am not normally a crime novel fan and it is NEVER my first choice when grabbing a book. I decided to give this one a shot simply because I am fan of the novel that Mr. Jones wrote with Michelle Hughes, 10 Nights.
This is a very clever whodunit and I have to admit it intrigued me. It takes place in the sleepy English town of Greenville. Two teens are brutally murdered and the town is furious and confused. Like most places the first person they look at is the one person that was known to have seen one of the victims last. Jason Denton is an author and a former detective. He also just happened to find one of the bodies and it puts him right in the path of law enforcement looking into the case.
This is one of those books that you can not put down. The characters are well written and have a life of their own. I read this late one night and scared myself to death! That DOES not happen so that tells you how awesome this book is. This book is a murder story and very graphic. Love the change of pace from my romance novels and look forward to more Donna Harp.
This is a very clever whodunit and I have to admit it intrigued me. It takes place in the sleepy English town of Greenville. Two teens are brutally murdered and the town is furious and confused. Like most places the first person they look at is the one person that was known to have seen one of the victims last. Jason Denton is an author and a former detective. He also just happened to find one of the bodies and it puts him right in the path of law enforcement looking into the case.
This is one of those books that you can not put down. The characters are well written and have a life of their own. I read this late one night and scared myself to death! That DOES not happen so that tells you how awesome this book is. This book is a murder story and very graphic. Love the change of pace from my romance novels and look forward to more Donna Harp.
August 13, 2012
If you don’t like reading very graphic scenes of an upsetting nature, and don’t like reading lots of profanity, then I would suggest you avoid this book. If you can read past it (I found the first 5% to be worse), then I would recommend it, as the story is quite good – a sleepy village shaken by a series of brutal murders, and prejudices against a newcomer - will they be able to find the killer? There is no shortage of suspects, and it does keep you guessing till the end. There are definitely characters you love and hate in this book, and there are certain characters you want to shake and shout at!!
I did rate it down due to the fact I found it hard going due to the graphic scenes and profanity, but that is a personal opinion, and I’m sure others wouldn’t find that an issue. Despite finding it hard to get into, the last 30% had me hooked and I read the ending in a short space of time.
I did rate it down due to the fact I found it hard going due to the graphic scenes and profanity, but that is a personal opinion, and I’m sure others wouldn’t find that an issue. Despite finding it hard to get into, the last 30% had me hooked and I read the ending in a short space of time.
October 1, 2017
Good book
An easy read, story moves well and keeps the readers attention. Several convenient developments in the story make it hard to take it too seriously. Overall a good read, good flow and often compelling.
An easy read, story moves well and keeps the readers attention. Several convenient developments in the story make it hard to take it too seriously. Overall a good read, good flow and often compelling.
November 10, 2016
This was such a gripping book I read it in just 4 days. I couldn't wait to read book #2 of his Donna Harp series but can't find The Reckoning anywhere. Don't understand but am so glad I read #1
January 8, 2012
I read and enjoyed two short stories by this author and felt his work showed enough potential for me to anticipate liking 'Shattered’, which is his debut novel.
Jason Denton recently moved to the village of Greenville. Formerly a police Detective Inspector in Bournemouth, he is now a writer of crime books, both fictional and true crime.
Shortly after he arrives in the village, teenage girls go missing. They are found raped and murdered. Rather strangely, the investigations are left to Sergeant Underwood who leads a small, somewhat inept, village police force. Sergeant Underwood’s colleague, PC Donna Harp, is about the only person who doesn’t immediately suspect Denton.
The first few chapters are particularly graphic and explicit. In fact, when I was about 10 per cent of the way into the story, it became so overly explicit I almost stopped reading it. I’m not prudish or easily offended but I felt the message could be conveyed without the necessity to be quite so distasteful.
The pace of the story was generally good - but for me, it seemed to have insufficient character development.
The sentence structure often made it hard to read and, as this was coupled with incorrect use of commas, I found I often had to re-read paragraphs. This did spoil the flow of the narrative for me.
I was going to rate this three stars but I do feel Karl Jones has the imagination and ability to create an excellent tale. With a little bit more polish and refinement, the potential is definitely there, so I increased it to four.
Jason Denton recently moved to the village of Greenville. Formerly a police Detective Inspector in Bournemouth, he is now a writer of crime books, both fictional and true crime.
Shortly after he arrives in the village, teenage girls go missing. They are found raped and murdered. Rather strangely, the investigations are left to Sergeant Underwood who leads a small, somewhat inept, village police force. Sergeant Underwood’s colleague, PC Donna Harp, is about the only person who doesn’t immediately suspect Denton.
The first few chapters are particularly graphic and explicit. In fact, when I was about 10 per cent of the way into the story, it became so overly explicit I almost stopped reading it. I’m not prudish or easily offended but I felt the message could be conveyed without the necessity to be quite so distasteful.
The pace of the story was generally good - but for me, it seemed to have insufficient character development.
The sentence structure often made it hard to read and, as this was coupled with incorrect use of commas, I found I often had to re-read paragraphs. This did spoil the flow of the narrative for me.
I was going to rate this three stars but I do feel Karl Jones has the imagination and ability to create an excellent tale. With a little bit more polish and refinement, the potential is definitely there, so I increased it to four.
August 6, 2012
Where to start? First of all I have to say it was a brilliant crime/murder story, especially for a debut novel. However I also have to say that there is not only explicit language, but also detailed graphic violence. To the point where I think this book will become like a pot of marmite, because you have readers that will not read anything with bad language and/or violence. So it will probably fall into a niche, when it comes to genre. There is def. a market with readers that enjoy their material a little more realistic, violent and gritty. For me that is the problem, despite the fact I know this is the reality of those crimes, I do think the writer has taken it to a specific level, that I actually question where this specific creativity, descriptive fantasy or which deep depths of inner torment this has come from. It will make you uncomfortable, ok not everyone, because it is as if the writer is inside the mind of a predator. The realism almost sucks the story into a deep crevice, which detracts from the excellent mystery. I would just like to pat myself on the back for figuring out who the killer was after a third of the book. Not sure whether it was intentional, perhaps it was because the writer become so connected to the killer, but there were certain clues in there. It also brushed on an important message of vigilantism and how even police officers will sometimes use the public to punish the offenders, because their hands are tied. I just want to say again that I really enjoyed the book, despite the wincing and gasps while I was reading and I do highly recommend it.
November 11, 2013
I quite liked this story and would definitely give the sequel a go if there's one done. There were a few too many mistakes in it for my liking, though. And it's touted as the Donna Harp series but it didn't especially concentrate on her nor tell us very much about her at all. She was featured no more or less than others in the story including her most unpleasant superior Sergeant Underwood.
There were odd missing words in sentences like lot or a and then odd words like to repeated twice in one sentence for no reason.
There were also apostrophe errors and most annoyingly (which made for tricky reading at times) was the author's habit of throwing in speechmarks at the start of every paragraph when someone is speaking even when it's a continuation of one person's words. I found that irritating beyond belief. He also capitalises odd words like Detective which don't need to be and not others like Snickers or Dairy Milk. Michael suddenly turned into Michal on one page as well.
Another great annoyance for me were all the Americanisms. Things like ass and not arse and summarize not summarise and tires not tyres.
He could have used a few extra commas, too. As you can see, quite careless and things a good proofreading exercise might've picked up. It finishes rather abruptly at 93% in and the remainder are adverts for the author's other books. I don't like this but that's just me.
As I said earlier, I will give a sequel a go if there is one but no more if it turns out to be quite as sloppy as this one editing-wise.
There were odd missing words in sentences like lot or a and then odd words like to repeated twice in one sentence for no reason.
There were also apostrophe errors and most annoyingly (which made for tricky reading at times) was the author's habit of throwing in speechmarks at the start of every paragraph when someone is speaking even when it's a continuation of one person's words. I found that irritating beyond belief. He also capitalises odd words like Detective which don't need to be and not others like Snickers or Dairy Milk. Michael suddenly turned into Michal on one page as well.
Another great annoyance for me were all the Americanisms. Things like ass and not arse and summarize not summarise and tires not tyres.
He could have used a few extra commas, too. As you can see, quite careless and things a good proofreading exercise might've picked up. It finishes rather abruptly at 93% in and the remainder are adverts for the author's other books. I don't like this but that's just me.
As I said earlier, I will give a sequel a go if there is one but no more if it turns out to be quite as sloppy as this one editing-wise.
January 29, 2012
Reminded me of crime author Karen Rose and will appeal to her market. This was a story I wanted to return to when I should have been doing other things - always the sign of a good book! Yes, there are some graphic scenes but the first line was a great hook. I'm not sure that the rest of the book lived up to the first scene, though, and that may be both a good and a bad thing: those who think the sample is too violent - persevere as there is a great story further in; those who buy because they like reading dark thrillers - it lightens up as you read on. Having said that, the last scene went at a cracking pace! As a law enforcement officer myself in a previous life, I'd have liked a little more substance to the police details - a passing mention of arrest procedures, PACE and cautions, and I'm not sure a small village would even have such a large police presence.
But I'll give this 4 stars because it was a good story that kept me reading. Nit-picks aside, I enjoyed this very much!
But I'll give this 4 stars because it was a good story that kept me reading. Nit-picks aside, I enjoyed this very much!
May 7, 2013
This was a very good story. Well written, well told. I was worried up until the very end, I was not sure who the bad guy was. It kept me guessing. This has all the hallmarks of a good thriller. The person under suspicion for the murders is the new guy in a small town in England. A writer and retired police officer, his approach to the murders is very professional. The small town cop who is heading up the investigation decides early on that he has the murderer. The characters are as well woven as the story. A series of events leads the townsfolk to decide the murdered is the new guy in town but the deputy Donna is not so sure. The small town people are written very well. They have the usual narrow mindedness of small town people along with the quirks and prejudices that make up folks who live in a small town. And the ending is... surprising. I highly recommend this book for those who like thrillers.
June 30, 2013
Author Jason Denton discovers a body while on his morning run, and puts himself in the crosshairs of a policeman bent on proving him guilty of the crime. A newcomer to the small village, he makes a convenient target. As more bodies pile up, the excessive savagery of the murders convinces the policeman he must stop Denton at any cost. This account is also a treatise on the fallibility of the justice system and how easy it is to destroy an innocent person.
The story is well-written, but the murders are very violent and described in an extremely graphic manner (which may disturb some people). Cleverly plotted and executed, with fully developed characters and believable dialog, fast-paced and engrossing, it will keep you turning pages to see what happens next. A suspenseful, shocking story - read it with the lights on.
The story is well-written, but the murders are very violent and described in an extremely graphic manner (which may disturb some people). Cleverly plotted and executed, with fully developed characters and believable dialog, fast-paced and engrossing, it will keep you turning pages to see what happens next. A suspenseful, shocking story - read it with the lights on.
May 10, 2014
This was a nice, easy to read, murder mystery. Set in a small English village; young girls are being raped and murdered. The local police sergeant seems to think it's the new guy in town, an outsider to the village, and lets everyone know who he suspects knowing they will take the law into their own hands.Despite what the sergeant thinks, a young wpc, Donna Harp, is open to the idea that there may be another suspect and has to go above her boss and then hatch a plan to catch the real killer.
I did enjoy reading this ,but it was written very simply and i knew who the culprit was from a very early stage.I would recommend it if your looking for a quick, easy to understand 'Midsummer Murder' like read.
I did enjoy reading this ,but it was written very simply and i knew who the culprit was from a very early stage.I would recommend it if your looking for a quick, easy to understand 'Midsummer Murder' like read.
September 2, 2012
I started this book and couldn't put it down. The author did a wonderful job trying to keep you in suspense in who the real killer was. The reason why I didn't give the book a 5 star rating was the ending it was abrupt and I didn't feel it was complete. I would have like to have known if Mr.Denton fell in love with the constable since the author port-raid she had interest in him.There was also some loose ends in the book to like about Mr.Denton and his ex wife and child they were in 1 chapter and seemed to have just disappeared leaving you wonder why she put the characters in the book in the 1st place. But over all the suspense was great.
February 19, 2013
Jason Underwood is a retired Detective Sergeant who decides to write books about crimes rather than take the initial reports. However life in a new town proves to be a little more than he wanted when he is accused of brutal murders. This story pulls you in from the very beginning with gruesome murder scenes. I loved it! The only downside is the abrupt ending that leaves you wondering about the fate of half the characters in the book! Amazing read, I will be looking for more work by this author. WaAR
May 7, 2012
This is a great read. I found the character of DI Underwood to be totally annoying and whilst i know the author wanted to show how inept he was, some of the lines written also were a tad annoying.
After reading reviews here, many people had no idea who 'done it' but i thought it was pretty obvious from early on and for me the books because about Underwoods obsession with Jason Denton.
The book got better and better and had me gripped till the end.
Cracking debut novel.
After reading reviews here, many people had no idea who 'done it' but i thought it was pretty obvious from early on and for me the books because about Underwoods obsession with Jason Denton.
The book got better and better and had me gripped till the end.
Cracking debut novel.
September 8, 2012
Good book. Nicely paced, believable characters. The ending was pretty easy to figure out half way through the book but it's not predictable which is a plus. This book is not for the squeamish or for women (or men) who don't like violence. If you're okay with that stuff, it's definitely worth a read.
March 2, 2012
Shattered is a thriller with elements of the classic British police procedural who-done-it mystery. Fast-paced and action packed with well-developed and engaging characters, it is a highly enjoyable page-turner.
August 21, 2014
The book itself was actually pretty good. But then you get to the last page and find out you HAVE to buy the next "episode" (i.e., book) to find out what happens. Screw that. It's a shame too, because it was really well written.
February 16, 2015
A week plotted crime novel with some interesting characters. Some of the dialogue was a bit stilted, and I found the very detailed description of the crimes a bit disturbing.
August 1, 2012
The premise of the story was good but the ending was too predictable.
October 8, 2012
I love mysteries and Karl's book was very entertaining. It kept my attention to the end. I recommend it to anyone who loves to read mystery.
February 5, 2014
I liked it very much. I could not put it down until I knew who the killer was!! Great book, will recommend to friends for sure.
November 7, 2013
Very engaging story, but I did feel that the ending let down the book somewhat. I will buy the second book in the series though, and I will search out the author's other works
February 23, 2014
I enjoyed reading shattered, it has everything a great crime thriller needs. I hope there will be more in the series and we get to know Donna Harp a little better.
April 29, 2014
couldn't really get into it..
February 1, 2015
Good book, but I found the mystery to be a little predictable. I figured out who was the killer very quickly but I will admit that I could not be completely sure until the end.
August 22, 2016
Gripping
Very nice read, quite suspenseful. Just wish that the ending was a tad bit more dramatic and not so hanging. Otherwise it was enjoyable.
Very nice read, quite suspenseful. Just wish that the ending was a tad bit more dramatic and not so hanging. Otherwise it was enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews