Broken

Casey Bolt #1

by Molly Black

Casey, grappling with synesthesia, has the rare ability to perceive senses in multiple ways, enabling her to view crime scenes, and track down clues, in ways others cannot. Her talent has made her indispensable to the FBI, but while her renown in the FBI grows, Casey remains tormented by the case that haunts her the most: her mother’s brutal, unsolved murder from fifteen years ago.

As Casey strives to uncover the secrets of the past, she must rely on every instinct and insight to make it out of the field alive. But can her own senses lead her astray?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Ebooks, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2023

About the author

Bestselling author Molly Black is author of the MAYA GRAY FBI suspense thriller series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the RYLIE WOLF FBI suspense thriller series, comprising six books; of the TAYLOR SAGE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eight books; of the KATIE WINTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eleven books (and counting); of the RUBY HUNTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting), and of the CAITLIN DARE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting).

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Molly loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.mollyblackauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY MOLLY BLACK

GRACE FORD FBI THRILLER

NEARLY MINE (Book #1)

NEARLY SAFE (Book #2)

NEARLY FREE (Book #3)

NEARLY GONE (Book #4)

NEARLY HIS (Book #5)

CAITLIN DARE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

COME GET ME (Book #1)

COME FIND ME (Book #2)

COME TAKE ME (Book #3)

COME CATCH ME (Book #4)

COME SAVE ME (Book #5)

RUBY HUNTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

IF I RUN (Book #1)

IF I TELL (Book #2)

IF I LIVE (Book #3)

IF I FORGET (Book #4)

IF I RETURN (Book #5)

MAYA GRAY MYSTERY SERIES

GIRL ONE: MURDER (Book #1)

GIRL TWO: TAKEN (Book #2)

GIRL THREE: TRAPPED (Book #3)

GIRL FOUR: LURED (Book #4)

GIRL FIVE: BOUND (Book #5)

GIRL SIX: FORSAKEN (Book #6)

GIRL SEVEN: CRAVED (Book #7)

GIRL EIGHT: HUNTED (Book #8)

GIRL NINE: GONE (Book #9)

RYLIE WOLF FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

FOUND YOU (Book #1)

CAUGHT YOU (Book #2)

SEE YOU (Book #3)

WANT YOU (Book #4)

TAKE YOU (Book #5)

DARE YOU (Book #6)

TAYLOR SAGE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

DON’T LOOK (Book #1)

DON’T BREATHE (Book #2)

DON’T RUN (Book #3)

DON’T FLINCH (Book #4)

DON’T REMEMBER (Book #5)

DON’T TELL (Book #6)

DON’T HIDE (Book #7)

DON’T BLINK (Book #8)

KATIE WINTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SAVE ME (Book #1)

REACH ME (Book #2)

HIDE ME (Book #3)

BELIEVE ME (Book #4)

HELP ME (Book #5)

FORGET ME (Book #6)

HOLD ME (Book #7)

PROTECT ME (Book #8)

REMEMBER ME (Book #9)

CATCH ME (Book #10)

WATCH ME (Book #11)

Reviews

[Colleen M. Moran · Rating 2 out of 5]

synesthesia

I like this author. I’ve read many of the books she has written.
Here, the main character has synesthesia. It is explained numerous times throughout the book. The word was used so many times, it was very distracting. The author referenced it over and over and over again. I got so tired of the overused word and description of it, it was extremely difficult to keep reading. I don’t think I can read the rest of this series if I have to read the word or description again. Much too much.

[Jennifer H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to follow because AI reading it could not pronounce words correctly. It wasn’t just once or twice, it was throughout the book. One part in particular had so many mispronounced words that I had to listen to it again to figure out what was happening.
Storyline: lots of repetitiveness

[Brittany Gingerich · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried reading it twice

I was excited to read this one since I like reading mysteries with people that have extra sense- ESP, can tell the future, things like that. I started it and read it over the course of a few days off and on. I was half way through at one point and realized I had no idea what the book was about. I restarted it and made it to 71% done and was miserable reading it. I only continued to read because I hate to not finish a book. I couldn't do it, I had to skim the last 30 pages just to see who did it even though by that point I didn't even care. I did read who did it but never figured out why. Also she used word "cacophony" 14 times in a 215 page long book....14 times!!!

[Amanda D Watkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Casey Bolt works for the FBI. But she is not like any normal FBI cop. She has a rare neurological disorder that allows her to predict emotions and intentions through an array of colors that surround that particular person. She along with her partner Nathan are pursuing a case involving women that are drowned in vats of wine.

The book starts out with a great premise, but it did not deliver for me. Characters were weak and when that happens, I just kind of turn off. It was a slow read. I never take that long to read so short of a book. But because I wasn't invested I took many breaks and even read other books and finished them before I came back to this one.
I wanted to like this book. I truly did, but many parts of it made no sense to me. Along with so many typographical errors, and repetitive words of synesthesia bombarding the reader all of the time, this book fell flat for me.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. While it was interesting to learn about her abilities to blend the senses. I felt like out of all the books and series the author has done the storyline felt very slow.

[T.H.Bosma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed. Lots of useless information before the hunt for the killer comes to the point. And I hope Casey gets a thorough medical check after this case. Her heart just can't seem to stop racing.

[Jodi Pomerleau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an average book that had lots of promise but a lousy editor. I thought at fist the idea of a person with synesthesia would be an interesting premise, but it was only a distraction. Enough about it already....we get it! So many times it was mentioned and the colours described...I bet a quarter of the words in the book were dedicated to the descriptions. I ended up skimming over those parts. Tons of repetition in the text....that's what an editor is supposed to manage! As far as the plot, how short sighted were the investigators when they saw the tire tracks and attributed them to one and only one car? Seriously every car of that manufacture would have the same tire tread. And why do so many mysteries have the investigators splitting up and the woman confronting the murderer alone? So unrealistic! By the end I still hadn't figure out why the murderer was killing the women...it made very little sense. I think this could have been a decent story but it sure came up short.

[Maryann Hornbaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Waste of My Time

Once I understood Casey’s abilities , one chapter did it for me, I thought I’d get to the story. But NO! We are subjected to her sensory images and aromas all throughout the book. I came so close to just quitting so many times, but I thought it might get better. I ended up reading the first line of a paragraph, sometimes page, and going on. It was absolutely boring and a waste of time to read every word.

As for the story line, more boredom. The link joining the victims is so thin and ridiculous. I finished the book just so I could review it, but to be honest, I zipped through, reading the first line or two per page. That was enough for me to get the plot.

Don’t waste your time.

[Phil Phil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I nearly gave up many times reading this book. Firstly, the repetition of the MC's condition became tedious. Numerous spelling issues and weirdly written in the first person on a couple of occasions.
Not sure how a character who's 'right arm hung limply by his side', (after being shot in the shoulder) managed to have his hands round someone's throat in the very next sentence.
Other than that the story line was poor and there was no real explanation of why the perpetrator did what he did.
A good editor wouldn't go amiss.
Will give the rest of her books a wide berth.

[Helen · Rating 1 out of 5]

First book of 2026 and it was terrible!

The main character has synesthesia, an ability to see the world through more than the usual ways...and the author reminds us of this about every other page. I didn't care about that too much...but then I started noticing misspellings and bad grammar. I suppose that the author didn't have enough money for a proof-reader. Sigh.

I had planned to read the next novel in the series as it was also free, but I think I'll pass.

The story was okay, but the constant discussion of the MC's synesthesia and the bad grammar just were too much for me.

[Lillian Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can't always win

A good read. Casey & her partner Nathan have just caught a new case. A young woman has been found drown in a wine vat. Will they be able to find her killer before they strike again? Casey sees things differently to other people and sometimes she needs to do things along but she puts herself in danger. Nathan tries to have her back but she does always wait for him. Can she find the clues that she needs to save a new victim?

[Leasa G · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Molly Black has done it again!

This author spins a complicated case into an intriguing foray down a path of twist and turns, not for the faint of heart. Her characters are up for the challenge and very diligently work through all the false leads to arrive at the true culprit. This book will have you itching to find who the killer really is! You would never guess! I'm off to grab the next book.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but it could have been a little better. There was a lot of focus on synesthesia, which took away from the book and was annoying at times. The descriptions of colors were annoying. Casey is an FBI agent with synesthesia and is working on a case. The writing was okay but it didn't grab my attention and the descriptions were distracting and took away from what was happening at times. This didn't really work for me.

[Robin Fleegal · Rating 1 out of 5]

couldn’t finish, painful to read

MC has synesthesia, which the author mentions every other paragraph. Poorly developed. Mentions a moonless night, the talks about moon reflections twice. has a very poor understanding of laws. A winding, serpentine road…redundant much? MC is referred to in 1st and 2nd person in the same paragraph. Plot points are poorly defined and limited in details.

[MaryKaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very rare for me to not finish a book! Casey has synesthesia, and sees things in colors and sensations. The names synesthesia is used so often, I started to just skip over it. The colors and sensations are supposed to help her solve wine drownings but continue to lead her astray. I personally was drowning in colors. Same ones over and over. I just could not finish this book!

I received this book free, from Goodreads for a honest opinion.

[Q Cash · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent listen on 1.75x speed in about 4.5 hours. A female fbi agent with a mystery in her past and a special power. Very similar writing to Blake Pierce audiobooks I have listened to this year already. Overall it kept my interest and had some suspense. Still not enough to make me pay for the sequels though.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting main character with her seeing emotions and smells as colors. I could have done without the constant reminder of it since it was obvious after the first mention in everything she was doing. I did like Nathan’s character and am interested to see how her meeting with her father goes.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The MC in this story has synesthesia. VERY IMPORTANT. But fret not, if you should forget, the book tells you what feels like every other sentence. Synesthesia, synesthetic, tendrils, and cacophony are used so much in this book that every time it was used, it was painful to keep going. It really took away from the story.

[janis louthis · Rating 5 out of 5]

surprise advantage!

This book has a lot of suspense all the way through it. I like the characters, too. I didn’t have any idea about who the bad guy was until the very end. The main female character has a physical disorder that I had never heard of and it made her quite unique. This disorder gave her quirky extra abilities to solve the crimes. It brought her many advantages.

[Nicola Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

Interesting character, you kinda feel sorry for her, being bombarded with colours, scents and flavours very intense. It was an enjoyable read, but another FBI agent hated by her superior, it's surprising that anyone wants a career that has such idiots as superior who dismiss talent like Casey's!

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broken is an interesting start to a series. Detectives Casey and Nathan are on the hunt for a murderer after a young woman is found drowned in a wine vat. As they navigate the clues, Casey must also deal with her synesthesia, a rare neurological disorder. It is a good mystery and I will be reading the next one in this series.

[teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner

Excellent plot and the characters had meaning and great action. The story just kept you reading into the wee hours. The only thing I would say is as the book continued I felt the descriptive words got a little over used.
This is a must read and I'm ready to move on to the next book in the series.

[Mary Lou Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

PURPLE PROSE

The phrase purple prose sums up this writer's style completely. Great story idea. However the e execution is repetitive, without providing additional information.
I will not be choosing another book from her.

[Ms Hazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The same words are used numerous times throughout the story - cacophony, tapestry, synesthesia to name but a few. It's so repetitive. There are also a number of errors. I think the proof reader needs to go to Spec Savers!

[diannscollins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Made No sense

Usually I like this author's work. But this story was way too wordy. Maybe it was my skimming towards the end, but I did not understand the reason for killing the women.

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something about books that repeat the word 'palpable' that really bug me. Another book had it 37 times (I can't work out whether that was by Molly Black or another). This book had it 9 times. It may not seem many but it irritates me.

Investigation was okay.

[Michell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this had a lot of potential but something was missing. Can’t quite put my finger on it though. Also, when explaining the protagonist’s ability there was a lot of repetition which made it drag on a bit.

[Carole Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over done

I enjoy detective stories. I thought this slightly different take would be interesting. What I didn't like was the over done descriptions of Casey. That took up most of the book to the point that you could see the flaws and shortcomings of the rest of the book.

[Nadia O'Reilly]

Audiobook

[Jacquelyn V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

slow but readable to the end

This book was good but was definitely not gripping. It was easy to put down. Just very slow and an ok read .