Fractured Lives

by Charlotte Roddy

One phone call can change everything…

It’s a request I never saw coming. From someone I’ve spent years trying to forget.

“I need you to help me prove that I didn’t kill my wife.”

I haven’t spoken to Liam Hadley since high school. Now, his wife is missing. Presumed dead. And the cops are making no secret of the fact they think he killed her.

As a former investigative journalist, he thinks I can help him. The truth is, I’ve got my own problems. I don’t want to get involved. But I can’t say no. I still owe him for what he did that horrible night all those years ago.

But the deeper I dig, the more I begin to fear his wife’s disappearance could be linked to a series of horrific murders of young women in Miami Beach.

And whoever’s behind the deaths will stop at nothing to silence anyone who gets too close—including me.

Genres: Thriller, Ebooks

363 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a cover like that how could I possibly resist?💁🏻‍♀️

Mara was a successful investigative reporter. She’s left that world behind to return to her childhood home and run a much smaller neighborhood paper.

After receiving a phone call from a friend from the past asking for help, Mara is quickly drawn into more than she bargained for. Her friend Liam is the prime suspect for the murder of his wife. But that's not all... there are young teen girls being found murdered all across town.

She grew up with Liam! He couldn't possibly be a murderer?! A serial killer?

Charlotte Roddy did a brilliant job of drawing me into the storyline, keeping me guessing throughout! I seriously thought I had this one figured out! Silly me!

This is the second release by this very talented author. And now I need to go back to read her debut. It’s always exciting to discover new authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial

[Jannelies · Rating 3 out of 5]

In March this year I read A Sorrow Called Sarah, the debut novel of this author, and gave it five stars. Although there is nothing really wrong with Fractured Lives, it didn't leave a lasting impression. All the ingredients are there: the thirtysomething woman who returns to her birth village after something terrible happened with her (Mara); the childhood friend who brings back all the memories she's been trying to suppress all those years (Liam); the ex-boyfriend that's still very attractive (Ray) and lastly the kindly neighbour who's been more than a mother for her than her own mother (Miss Matty). And then there is her job as editor of a very, very small town paper, where we find the trusty assistant (Theresa), the parttime journalist (Raquel) and last but not least the young intern who desperately wants to become a journalist too (Drew).
Of course Mara drinks too much and of course she makes wrong decisions while drunk.
Before long, it turns out that the favour Liam is asking of Mara and the murders that have recently been taking place in their little town seem to be connected. There is also a strong connection with what happened the last night Mara, Liam and Ray saw each other, which has to do with the terrible loss they suffered all three that evening.
So, Mara goes to investigate, but Raquel and Drew do too, albeit for different reasons. Even Miss Matty finds some interesting clues.
There are, of course, some surprises at the end of the story.

Fractured Lives is a decent thriller and I enjoyed reading it, but it didn't 'wow' me as A Sorrow Called Sarah did. I will keep following Charlotte Roddy's work and looking forward to her next book. She's a solid author so I hope and expect that her next book will again earn her five stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this review copy.

[TheMysteryMO (Mike O) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Kindle US freebie today!

Charlotte Roddy is one of my favorite new authors. Her debut book, A Sorrow Called Sarah, was an absolute page-turner and Fractured Lives is another solid
thriller that left me wanting more books from this author. Her characters are the drivers of the story and maneuver some nice twists and turns along the way. If you enjoyed the first two Alex Finlay books then read this author!

Thank you to the author for sending me an advanced reading copy which was feedback-fun!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wild ride from start to finish!!!

There’s a few different storylines happening that are all centered around Mara’s past and present. I couldn’t put the book down because I kept wanting know what was going to happen next. The twist and turns didn’t stop the whole book.

Definitely worth a read!

[Jody Reads Smut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fractured Lives is another solid thriller that left me wanting more books from this author. I was completely engrossed in the story, unable to put the book down. The characters were well-developed, each with their own unique personality and motivations that kept me guessing until the very end.

The author expertly weaved together a complex plot, full of suspense and unexpected twists and turns. I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning the pages to see what would happen next.

I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thrilling and suspenseful read. I can’t wait to see what this talented author has in store for us next.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Dawn Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this by NetGalley for an honest review-
Because she feels she owes him Mara, an investigative journalist agrees to help Liam clear him of his wife’s murder.
But the more she digs the more she wonders of Liam’s honesty etc. She also discovers more young women who have been murdered. Who is murdering them? Why? The scariest part is everyone who seems to get. Close to the answers dies. Can Mara stay safe and find the answers? Will she be able to clear Liam?

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant writing combined with an exceptional story of past and present relationships that keeps you glued to the pages. Twists and turns that excite and lead to a surprising explosive finale. Highly recommended read and well worthy of five stars.

[Gerrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up

Fractured Lives is Charlotte Roddy’s new novel and solidifies her position as a talented writer of psychological suspense!
The setting is South Florida, near Miami, and Mara Brenner is living in her childhood home while trying to resurrect her once successful career as a journalist. Time, tragedy and alcohol—characterized as “a pungent aroma of bad decisions”—have damaged her career, her marriage and her self-esteem. Now, nearly 20 years after high school graduation, a call from old friend Liam plunges her into troubled remembrances of her school days and the death of her best friend, Annabella, on graduation night.
While not strictly written in dual timelines, there are many flashbacks to the events of the earlier high school time period. It is fascinating to compare Mara’s present, fractured self with her 17 year-old persona already damaged in other ways.
There is a lot going on in this book—Mara’s issues, past and present; Liam’s wife’s disappearance; a serial killer who has savagely murdered at least 8 women in the area; and a ruthless tech company that develops and markets GMO seeds to developing nations. These elements all come together in a surprisingly cohesive manner.
Roddy really knows how to get into the heads and hearts of characters damaged by life experiences, whether by choice or not. The characters are well-developed with depth and sometimes a quirky charisma, like Miss Matty. Their range across age groups and cultures further enriches the story. The author’s skillful descriptive prose elevates this mystery and makes it, for me, more engaging and enjoyable to read.
I highly recommend this psychological thriller, with creative plotting and complex characters that make it a compelling read!

Thank you to Charles Fort Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

I loved A Sorrow Called Sarah so was super excited at the chance to read Charlotte’s second novel. A slow burner that builds with every glorious chapter, giving you all the pieces that slot perfectly into place at the end. The narrative and characterisation are sublime delivering a great story. But it’s the authors ability to deliver an absolute killer ending - as she did in her first book - that truly sets her apart. Loved this book and loving this author. An excellent 4.5 ⭐️ read

[Krys]

This book was like a merry-go-round. Only the controls have malfunctioned so it just keeps going around and around and no one is enjoying it.

Seriously, that's the best analogy I can think of when it comes to this book. Mara learns something, she confronts Liam, he admits to lying to her. Mara meets up with Ray, he make her uncomfortable to the point she passes out or runs off. Sinclair shows up at Mara's house with more questions despite her telling him repeatedly she hasn't seen either Ray nor Liam in years, yet ends up revealing sensitive details of the case to her. And let's not forget Gow who is just a misogynistic ass to her each and every time we see him (up to and including having her put on a psychiatric hold despite her telling him she cut her arm on glass breaking the window of her neighbor's house after realizing her neighbor had been attacked). None of these characters were likable in the least, except maybe Miss Matty.

The plot wasn't any better, dragging on and on by going over the same plot points with the same characters. Yes, Ray and Liam had a falling out years ago. Yes Liam knows more than he's letting on (and yet despite knowing this Mara is surprised each and every time she finds out a new piece of information about him). What really bothered me is how Mara as a former journalist and now editor of a newspaper just goes around interviewing people, and piecing things together on her own. Things she doesn't tell the police if it will make her old pal Liam look guilty. Please.

And that ending. Man I saw one of the "twists" coming from a mile away, which made me even more irritated with Mara that she didn't see it coming. However, while I found the other twist to be more interesting, it wasn't enough to save this story for me.

[briar ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I believe you are meant to start a review with the things you liked about the book, but unfortunately, I cannot say I actively enjoyed any aspect of this. I was intrigued by the plot, and it was indeed tolerable for the first 5%, and then other things began to derail. This is an incredibly short book, and yet it dragged on and on. It had the same three suspects, which was fine—I don't expect an entire roster and that would be far less enjoyable—but it was the same exact reasoning for each of them, throughout the entire book. If x suspect performed the same action three times, it would be reentered as new evidence three different times, and each time, Mara would act like it was brand new information. Very circular and tiring even halfway through. Most of the interesting action occurs in the last 25%, which I sped through, and I do enjoy thrillers with that specific theme/topic, so I do think I would have enjoyed this more if the rest of the book was written in that style.

Something I did actually like was who the secondary killer was. Though I don't know if it counts, as it has more to do with the fact that he was my least favorite character—subsequently validating me in my hatred—than anything to do with the plotline or writing itself. In fact, I think quite a few thriller fans would be disappointed, because his being the killer was obvious since the first page to everyone except Mara, and from what I have seen, most thriller readers prefer more twisty endings. The main killer, however, was much more unpredictable—I genuinely do not know how that came to happen, even with the insane amount of bad movie villain infodumping that went on. I think perhaps many other readers would like that it's more climactic(?) but reading back I can't think of one instance where it was even hinted that they would be the perpetrator, so it just felt jarring to me.

More on things I did not like: Mara's male identified nature. Two different males came out as abusers to her, and she defended the first and painted his victim as a conniving bitch, and immediately believed the second when he pretended his victim actually just stabbed herself. Of course, I don't know why I expected more from a book where the premise is a woman defending a man accused of murdering his wife—the female characters always end up patriarchy princesses. The pro-life propaganda placed throughout immediately turned me off. This is one issue I absolutely cannot take nuance on. Yes, just because a character says something doesn't mean either the book or the character endorse it, but I simply do not care to read about pro-lifery. Combined with Mara's other characteristics, this was very much a jumpscare each of the six times it appeared.

1.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I have read anything by Charlotte Roddy, but after thoroughly enjoying this book, I will definitely be picking up her recent debut! This was an intense mystery thriller packed full of twists and with enough suspense to have your heart pounding as you speed through this book.

There are two different story lines to this book (the mystery surrounding Mara's childhood best friend's death and the disappearance of Oriana), that seem to be completely separate but that slowly begin to become intertwined as the events unravel. Having these two story lines meant that every second was gripping and there was never a dull moment in the plot. There were hints dropped in by the author the whole way through, meaning that your mind is constantly working to try connect all of the puzzle pieces to work out what has happened. I was constantly thinking I had the plot worked out, only for the author to throw another twist in that had me contemplating everything I thought I knew. I was kept on my toes the entire time whilst reading this, and really enjoyed how engrossing this book was.

The characters in this were good too, yet they were nothing special. I think having unique, interesting characters really makes or breaks a mystery/thriller novel, and I can't say that these characters were anything other than normal people with normal problems, not that this is necessarily a bad thing. Mara was a strong, independant and resilient young woman and we see the story through her eyes. She had some good humour at points and the way she was able to use her charming personality to find out information, sometimes even before the police, made me giggle. The neighbour and the intricacies in her relationship with Mara was a clever addition to the story, and I felt personally attached to Mara's neighbour. The author did a very good job at throwing suspicion on to each of the characters throughout by highlighting their possible flaws and shaping the plot to throw doubt on each person at different points. However, I was still surprised by the ending and found it a satisfying resolution to the drama.

Overall I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an enjoyable, easy but enthralling mystery/thriller novel. I will definitely be picking up more from this author and would urge you to do the same. Thank you to Netgalley and Charlotte Roddy for the ARC.

[EarnedIt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fractured Life by Charlotte Roddy

This book starts off interesting, although it isn't particularly captivating. You don't feel attached to any characters.
Liam asks Mara to help him prove his innocence as a suspect in his wife Oriana’s murder. Mara is a journalist who just moved back from a large corporate job to her hometown and into her mother’s house, who has passed away. Mara has her own baggage and trauma, but she tries to help Liam. Did he really kill her, or is she still alive? If she is dead, was she murdered because of her political work at a GMO company, by her husband for being unloyal, or was there a completely different reason, like a serial killer? Who can be trusted—the employees of Salindra or the police? Are the cops involved too?
Something keeps you going. Nothing about the story stood out—like what the motive was. You will have a few guesses and I was pretty close to who it might be.
At some point, it feels like a lot is happening. This is the second book by the author and I have heard the first one is pretty good. Fractured Lives is a well-written story but lacks the wow factor of a thriller. It has some twists, but they didn't make me gasp.
Towards the end, however, there are more twists and turns that earn a star. I rate it 3.8 out of 5.

@charlotteroddy.author
#netgally #thriller #ThrillerBooks #charlotteroddy #bookstagram #Goodreads #reading #fracturedlives #mystery #mysteryreads

[BariLynn Heslin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5- Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It was well written and kept me consistently engaged and invested in the story. While I appreciated the twists and turns in the plot, in my opinion, there was some predictability. Additionally, I felt like there were some loose ends that kept me wondering. For example, what happened in her last job that caused Mara to feel the need to run. I would have also liked to have seen more development and follow up for a few of the characters.

I read this author’s first novel and I loved it. I thought this novel was very enjoyable. I absolutely look forward to reading more by this author! Thank you to NetGalley, Charles Fort Press, and Charolette Roddy for this ARC digital copy!

[Janaya Kabamba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made a very long airport delay, feel like mere minutes! I don't think I lofted my head from my kindle until I'd gotten to the last page it's engaging and well written. I loved the split storyline and how it all came together so perfectly towards the end. The characters are well written and although they're not stand out/ original I actually liked that these were written as quite normal women which made it all the easier to relate to and to really get lost in. It felt a bit predictable but turns out I was completely wrong and the twists and turns actually went in a completely different direction. Really enjoyable and highly recommended

[Andy Krahling · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I think second books are hard to write, particularly after a well-received, successful first book. Having read the author's first novel, I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, I just had a hard time connecting to the characters and the plot. It's well-written, character-driven, but it just didn't click with me. I look forward to reading her next!

I received a copy of the novel from the author and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Collette Mcgaahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m still not sure why someone you haven’t seen since yo7 were both teenagers and that twenty odd years ago would be your go to person when your wife is missing and you are suspected of killing her. . Especially when that said person is a journalist not a detective. However I went with it and the plot thickened with various murdered girls linked or not linked to the missing wife and I had to continue ignoring some obviously unlikely scenarios.
The book is relatively short and there is a fairly satisfactory ending but it didn’t thrill me very much.

[nel.readss · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a gripping and fast paced thriller! I really liked the writing and the plot twists that happened in the story. the way the characters were described helped to understand the story and to be super invested!
The only little thing that I didn't love is that because of the many many plot twists I saw one or two coming, which isn't really a problem for me and didn't make me like it less!
I would recommend it to everyone who loves thrillers!
Charlotte Roddy is one of my new favourite thriller authors and I will buy her future books!!

[Zoe Kindle Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a read of this fabulous book. I haven’t heard of the author before but the cover and the blurb had me intrigued.

Former investigative journalist Mara receives a call asking her to help a friend from her past prove that he didn’t kill his wife. As she probes into the deep and murky depths of secrets hidden within a multimillion dollar company and with a serial killer loose , can Mara solve things before there are anymore deaths?

[Monique Cornelius · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started off quite slow, to the point where I considered not finishing it. However, I'm glad I persevered. The second half picked up the pace dramatically, filled with unexpected twists and turns. Just when I thought I had figured out who the culprit was, another twist would take the story in a completely new direction. The ending felt somewhat rushed, leaving me wanting more, an epilogue would have been a perfect addition to wrap up the story.

[Lisa Petronick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of twists and turns

I really enjoyed this book. I thought I had it figured out about halfway through and nope! Then again I thought I had it figured out 3/4’s of the way through and nope!

Easy read, the author kept me fully engaged. There were times of a flashback and you wonder what is the relevance, but it all becomes clear! Definitely a page turner!

[Shawna McIntire]

This book had me hooked. I was thrown every which way trying to figure out the ultimate question, "who did it?" I was first drawn in by the cover and the tagline "Everyone has secrets." It has twists and turns that draw you in. It was a very quick read and I would love to read more by the author.

[Hollie Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Couldn't put it down - especially toward the end! The story kept moving, and the twists and turns kept me engaged throughout. Can't wait to see what Charlotte Roddy has in store for us next.

[Jennifer Withers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story took a really long time to unfold - it was only around the 50% mark that things actually started to get going. I found the whole thing a bit convoluted, but still enjoyed the story as a whole.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fractured Lives by Charlotte Roddy starts off a bit slow but gets thrilling fast. When Liam calls asking for help proving he didn’t kill his wife, old secrets resurface. As danger closes in, trust becomes impossible. The ending is tense and satisfying.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Five stars all day long the author kept you guess ing through the storyline. I couldn't put it down.definitely recommending to family and friends