When Things Fall Apart

by Alan Brenham

Newly minted homicide detective Kit Hanover is paired with a crusty veteran who makes no bones about his feelings for Native Americans. Their prickly partnership becomes more antagonistic when her first murder case proves devastating and she is reassigned. Determined to work the case in her own time despite the emotional consequences she finds herself and her family the target of an unknown madman. She withstands the inexplicable attacks as she continues her investigation until she finds herself face to face with the murderer. Only one of them can survive.

426 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2023

About the author

Alan Brenham is the pseudonym of Alan Behr, an American author and attorney.
He served as a law enforcement officer before earning a law degree from Baylor University and worked as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney for twenty-two years.
Alan began his writing craft by studying novels by Michael McGarrity, James Hayman, and Michael Connelly.
He has authored ten crime fiction novels. Alan and his wife, Lillian, currently live in the Central Texas area.

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the beginning I was less than thrilled with the manic excessive violence. Immediately it was followed by a loser cop spouting ethnic name calling and baiting of the new detective (it was like getting slapped in the face with a day-old codfish). Interesting that it was confined to newbie status and ethnicity while essentially skipping the customary bias against females in the detective division. Otherwise, the investigation and other aspects of police work was OK and the storyline interesting. I am well aware that these things happen, but I read fiction to get away from the realities I know and loathe. I think that a little less graphic brutality would go a long way to making this a desirable series. Love the character of Homicide Detective Kit Hanover.
I requested and received an EARC from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. Thanks.

[S Tyty · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Things Fall Apart is the first installment in a promising series which, up to now, has kept me entirely hooked. What captivated me the most about this tale is the way in which everything, every event, every character, every twisted detail about the murder is described in such richness of word painting that you really feel as though we have been teleported into the story, and we are sitting in the sidelines watching it all unfold. I really like the way each chapter, although following on each other, can be read as a stand-alone story.
Author Brenham definitely has an artful gift for weaving chapters together in such a way one wants to keep reading the following as soon as the previous one finishes. Loved it!

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading several of Alan Brenham's titles lately when this one popped up on my recommended list. It's definitely as good as his other titles. This one centers on a young rookie police woman who has to work against the prejudices surrounding her at every level. But she will not be detered. She became a police woamn for all the right reasons and is determined to be THAT policeman who makes a difference. An excellent character who Brenham has developed an excellent story around, it could not have worked with a male lead. I'm impressed with his writing skills and his ability to make her human and a hero.

[Ava Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Things Fall Apart,surprised me in the best way.Kit Hanover is a rookie detective you can’t help but root for,tough,vulnerable,and determined even when everything around her is falling apart.The tension between her and her partner feels real, and the prejudice she faces adds another layer of grit to the story.
The mystery itself is intense without ever feeling overdone,and the personal attacks she endures kept me genuinely on edge.By the time Kit finally confronts the killer,I was fully invested in her survival.
A short but powerful crime thriller that feels raw,human,and authentic.If you like character driven mysteries with emotional weight,this one is worth reading.

[Melissa Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to get through this book, the story itself had a good premise, and the fact that the new detective is ending up trying to solve her own father's murder in itself is a hook that got my attention. However, I struggled with the many grammatical errors that I found in the book, and the style of writing didn't offer enough feeling for me, it was very cut and dry and assembly line if you will. I have a couple other books by this author, I'm hoping they might be more interesting to me!

[Witch-at-Heart · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Things Fall Apart is an unpredictable thriller that keeps you guessing. It was an entertaining read and goes down a winding path as a Rookie catching her first homicide is determined to make a difference after watching the autopsy she is temporarily reassigned to vice to later learn the autopsy was her father do badly beaten she found him unrecognizable. Determined to know what happened to him she doggedly exhausts all leads to catch a killer.

[T Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book because the plot is quite unpredictable, and despite the writing being a little stilted at times. I also prefer a main character who doesn't act so stupid.