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A Will Harris Novel #2
The Unbroken Line
The violence of the past casts a long shadow - a dark legacy with lethal consequences. When defence lawyer Will Harris is attacked by masked men with a clear message to back off, he has no choice but to listen. If only he knew what they were talking about. Under siege as his fledgling law firm struggles to get off the ground, Will agrees to defend the troubled son of a family friend. But the case is far from clear - cut, and the ethical boundaries murky. Instead of clawing his way out of trouble, Will finds he's sinking ever deeper. At the same time, his search for his attackers unearths an unexpected source that points him towards Melbourne's corridors of power. But motives, let alone proofs, are hard to find. It is only when those close to him are threatened that Will realises how near he is to the deadly truth. Gripping, sophisticated and strikingly atmospheric, The Unbroken Line creates a remarkable portrait of power, revenge and corruption, rooted in a vivid and unmistakably Australian setting.
476 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2015
112 people want to read
About the author
Alex Hammond
10 books17 followersAlex Hammond was born in South Africa and emigrated to Australia with his family as a child. He currently lives in Melbourne with his wife and two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 21, 2015
The Unbroken Line is the second novel in the Will Harris series by Australian author, Alex Hammond. Life for lawyer Will Harris seems to be back on an even keel: he is recovering from stab wounds heroically acquired; his new law practice is getting off the ground (if only his new partner wasn’t quite so absent); and he has the lovely Eva Mercuri at his side. While his involvement with the Ivanic family is an irritation that needs to be sorted, and he is less than popular with the Police, Will is confident things are looking up. Then a shocking attack by two masked men with a warning to “back off” leaves Eva scarred and Will beaten and confused. And things start to get complicated, again.
Investigation into the attack turns up little; Will finds himself pressured by the Ivanics to take on a case; his mum, Justice Maeve Sheehan, asks him to consider defending the son of her colleague; the OPP is considering looking at ethics breaches in his previous case; his new partner’s association with a certain footballer is a worry, and his interest in First Fleet Officers is puzzling.
Hammond gives the reader a fast-paced legal thriller that also touches on a myriad of topical issues: bullying, torture, internet posting of covertly filmed sexual assault, off-field behaviour of sporting celebrities, sexual slavery, high level corruption and teenage suicide all feature. Certain elements of the story appear, at first, to be a distraction to the main plot, but Hammond cleverly ties all the loose ends together in a heart-stopping climax at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day. Will Harris is a hero who, at times, seems to blur the line between legal and illegal, between right and wrong, but ultimately, it seems his heart is in the right place. A riveting read.
With thanks to GoodReads FirstReads for this copy to read and review
4.5★s
Investigation into the attack turns up little; Will finds himself pressured by the Ivanics to take on a case; his mum, Justice Maeve Sheehan, asks him to consider defending the son of her colleague; the OPP is considering looking at ethics breaches in his previous case; his new partner’s association with a certain footballer is a worry, and his interest in First Fleet Officers is puzzling.
Hammond gives the reader a fast-paced legal thriller that also touches on a myriad of topical issues: bullying, torture, internet posting of covertly filmed sexual assault, off-field behaviour of sporting celebrities, sexual slavery, high level corruption and teenage suicide all feature. Certain elements of the story appear, at first, to be a distraction to the main plot, but Hammond cleverly ties all the loose ends together in a heart-stopping climax at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day. Will Harris is a hero who, at times, seems to blur the line between legal and illegal, between right and wrong, but ultimately, it seems his heart is in the right place. A riveting read.
With thanks to GoodReads FirstReads for this copy to read and review
4.5★s
July 23, 2015
4.5★s
The attack on their way home from dinner was violent and unprovoked – when they disfigured Eva it was immediately personal. Defence lawyer Will Harris and his partner Chris Miller had only had their small law firm operating for a few weeks, and already they were struggling. But Will had no idea why he was attacked, or what the masked men were talking about when they told him to “back off”…
As a favour to his mother who was a judge, Will agreed to defend seventeen year old Saxon, son of a friend in a case that was far from straight-forward. But as Will dug into Saxon’s life and somewhat murky past, he began to wish he hadn’t agreed. And when a person close to him was arrested, he was overwhelmed; suddenly it seemed that things were “falling into place” just a little too easily for the police. What was happening in the echelons of Melbourne’s society?
With danger closing in around Will, he had no idea whom he could trust. The corruption was obvious; the thugs apparent. The secrets that had been buried deeply into the long ago past appeared to be surfacing, but was it all about power? Or was it much deeper than Will could fathom? Would he cross the unbroken line in his search for the truth?
I thoroughly enjoyed Aussie author Alex Hammond’s second in the Will Harris series; The Unbroken Line. Filled with action and intrigue, the pace was fast with twists and unexpected reveals – the last third of the book was impossible to put down. I have no hesitation in highly recommending The Unbroken Line and look forward to book #3 in the series.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
The attack on their way home from dinner was violent and unprovoked – when they disfigured Eva it was immediately personal. Defence lawyer Will Harris and his partner Chris Miller had only had their small law firm operating for a few weeks, and already they were struggling. But Will had no idea why he was attacked, or what the masked men were talking about when they told him to “back off”…
As a favour to his mother who was a judge, Will agreed to defend seventeen year old Saxon, son of a friend in a case that was far from straight-forward. But as Will dug into Saxon’s life and somewhat murky past, he began to wish he hadn’t agreed. And when a person close to him was arrested, he was overwhelmed; suddenly it seemed that things were “falling into place” just a little too easily for the police. What was happening in the echelons of Melbourne’s society?
With danger closing in around Will, he had no idea whom he could trust. The corruption was obvious; the thugs apparent. The secrets that had been buried deeply into the long ago past appeared to be surfacing, but was it all about power? Or was it much deeper than Will could fathom? Would he cross the unbroken line in his search for the truth?
I thoroughly enjoyed Aussie author Alex Hammond’s second in the Will Harris series; The Unbroken Line. Filled with action and intrigue, the pace was fast with twists and unexpected reveals – the last third of the book was impossible to put down. I have no hesitation in highly recommending The Unbroken Line and look forward to book #3 in the series.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
June 25, 2015
The Unbroken Line is Alex Hammond’s second legal thriller featuring defence lawyer Will Harris, following on from his Ned Kelly Award nominated debut, Blood Witness.
Will is still dealing with both the personal and professional consequences of the events in Blood Witness, when he and girlfriend Eva are brutally attacked by two masked men. They have a message for Will from their anonymous employer - back off. Angry and confused, Will has no idea what the men are referring to, but now he is determined to find out, and unwittingly becomes the target of a deadly conspiracy, headed by Melbourne's elite.
With a well crafted and complex plot, The Unbroken Line is a fast paced story of corruption, violence, conspiracy and vengeance. As Will searches for answers to the attack on he and Eva, he must also defend his new law firm partner, barrister Chris Miller, when he is arrested for negligent homicide, prevent a judge's teenage son from being charged with manslaughter, and repay his debt to the Ivanics family, all whilst under investigation by the Legal Commissioner for ethics breaches related to his actions in Blood Witness. With some surprising twists, Hammond reveals the links between these seemingly unrelated threads developing an exciting multi-layered storyline.
Will is an appealing protagoinist, flawed but intelligent, with a strong sense of justice. Under siege professionally, Will is faring no better in his personal life. He is still struggling to recover from the debilitating physical effects of the vicious stabbing that left him near dead in Blood Witness, and Eva, traumatised and scarred by the masked men's attack, flee's to New York. Though The Unbroken Line could be read as a stand alone, I'd recommend readers begin with Blood Witness, which establishes his relationships with Eva, Chris and several of the other other characters that appear in both novels.
I enjoyed The Unbroken Line, it is a well crafted and gripping legal thriller. Perfect for fans of John Grisham and Michael Connelly.
November 8, 2017
Not as good as the first in the series - it felt a bit more disjointed and hard to keep track of what was happening, or perhaps I shouldn’t have left it over a year after reading the first one before picking this one up… Or perhaps not the right book at the right time for me. Still loved the flashes of recognisable Melbourne locations.
June 24, 2015
There’s action galore right from the opening scenes of The Unbroken Line. Will, our hero who is a Melbourne based lawyer, is out with his girlfriend, Eva, when they are attacked. One of their masked assailants warns Will to back off. Will Will (sorry, I just had to do that once) work out who sent the men and which case he has to solve before they attack again?
I received this book via net-galley, and in retrospect I wish I would have known it was a sequel. My advice to everyone will be to do what I didn’t and read the first in the series, Blood Witness, before this novel because I think it took a lot away from my overall enjoyment of The Unbroken Line.
Okay, I did get a handle on who was who in the zoo eventually, but I wonder if would have had more of a vested interest in the characters if I’d ‘known’ them from the previous installment, especially Eva and Miller, Will’s partner. I was particularly apathetic towards Eva, which I doubt Hammond intended!
There were lots and lots of supporting characters (perhaps again, too many for me to form any type of attachment). I did adore the professor and his English lady friend. They were a hoot, and I’d quite happily read a book just of them! I also wanted more of Will’s mother, Will’s secretary, and the female police officer investigating Will and Eva’s attack. I think the brevity of these three older ladies’ scenese was a shame.
And this is where I will say that, perhaps after reading several thrillers written by women for the female market, that I found Hammond’s writing to be very… Male… I know it’s wrong for me to feel this way, but I think there was a lot of stuff in here that made me just think, ‘oh, typical male’ and roll my eyes. For example, there was the obligatory female strippers and a visit to their club. There was also a lot of emphasis on the action and the main plot, whereas the romantic subplot was extremely underdone… A little rushed maybe?… There was no sexual tension or lead up to it anyway, that would make me cheer it on.
Melbourne was a great part of the story, with the author using such things as the Melbourne Cup to great effect, and it was a joy to read a book revolving around the Australian legal system instead of the usual American one.
The tension in the climactic scenes was well done, and I did like that there might be several characters that could be used again in a third book (I hope to see Saxon again).
The characters touched on Australia’s history, and this was an enjoyable read. It could have turned into something akin to reading a textbook on the First Fleet, but instead it flowed nicely and fit into the plot well.
I also liked how Hammond weaved everything together towards the end, so that there wasn’t any annoying red herrings/smoking guns remaining.
Overall, I’d rec this, especially to those who like writers such as Grisham, Patterson or Clancy.
4/5
(I found this book with the title of Hawk’s Covenant on another social media site.)
I received this book via net-galley, and in retrospect I wish I would have known it was a sequel. My advice to everyone will be to do what I didn’t and read the first in the series, Blood Witness, before this novel because I think it took a lot away from my overall enjoyment of The Unbroken Line.
Okay, I did get a handle on who was who in the zoo eventually, but I wonder if would have had more of a vested interest in the characters if I’d ‘known’ them from the previous installment, especially Eva and Miller, Will’s partner. I was particularly apathetic towards Eva, which I doubt Hammond intended!
There were lots and lots of supporting characters (perhaps again, too many for me to form any type of attachment). I did adore the professor and his English lady friend. They were a hoot, and I’d quite happily read a book just of them! I also wanted more of Will’s mother, Will’s secretary, and the female police officer investigating Will and Eva’s attack. I think the brevity of these three older ladies’ scenese was a shame.
And this is where I will say that, perhaps after reading several thrillers written by women for the female market, that I found Hammond’s writing to be very… Male… I know it’s wrong for me to feel this way, but I think there was a lot of stuff in here that made me just think, ‘oh, typical male’ and roll my eyes. For example, there was the obligatory female strippers and a visit to their club. There was also a lot of emphasis on the action and the main plot, whereas the romantic subplot was extremely underdone… A little rushed maybe?… There was no sexual tension or lead up to it anyway, that would make me cheer it on.
Melbourne was a great part of the story, with the author using such things as the Melbourne Cup to great effect, and it was a joy to read a book revolving around the Australian legal system instead of the usual American one.
The tension in the climactic scenes was well done, and I did like that there might be several characters that could be used again in a third book (I hope to see Saxon again).
The characters touched on Australia’s history, and this was an enjoyable read. It could have turned into something akin to reading a textbook on the First Fleet, but instead it flowed nicely and fit into the plot well.
I also liked how Hammond weaved everything together towards the end, so that there wasn’t any annoying red herrings/smoking guns remaining.
Overall, I’d rec this, especially to those who like writers such as Grisham, Patterson or Clancy.
4/5
(I found this book with the title of Hawk’s Covenant on another social media site.)
June 20, 2015
I received an electronic advance copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I must admit that I read this without having read the first Will Harris novel by the author, I recommend against doing this. Read Blood Witness first as it will clarify a few things that I was unsure of in the beginning.
If I hadn’t already been drawn into this book by its Australian setting and the genre I was hooked by the mystery surrounding the opening scenes. Although I predicted couple of the plot points as I read I was still hugely intrigued by all the plot lines and how they tied into the overall story arc. As there is a number of plotlines the pace of the story is quite even, not too fast or too slow. This was not only helped by the plot but also by the absence of mundane everyday tasks that no one wants to read over and over again.
I was that into the storyline, and because of the pace of it I was able to read over 200 pages in half a day; which for me is a feat for a paperback novel let alone an eBook. If that doesn’t say ‘I recommend this book’ then I don’t know what will, but, if you’re a mystery/thriller fan the Unbroken Line is a must add to your to be read list!
I must admit that I read this without having read the first Will Harris novel by the author, I recommend against doing this. Read Blood Witness first as it will clarify a few things that I was unsure of in the beginning.
If I hadn’t already been drawn into this book by its Australian setting and the genre I was hooked by the mystery surrounding the opening scenes. Although I predicted couple of the plot points as I read I was still hugely intrigued by all the plot lines and how they tied into the overall story arc. As there is a number of plotlines the pace of the story is quite even, not too fast or too slow. This was not only helped by the plot but also by the absence of mundane everyday tasks that no one wants to read over and over again.
I was that into the storyline, and because of the pace of it I was able to read over 200 pages in half a day; which for me is a feat for a paperback novel let alone an eBook. If that doesn’t say ‘I recommend this book’ then I don’t know what will, but, if you’re a mystery/thriller fan the Unbroken Line is a must add to your to be read list!
November 29, 2017
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
When defence lawyer Will Harris is attacked by masked men with a clear message to back off, he has no choice but to listen. If only he knew what they were talking about.
Under siege as his fledgling law firm struggles to get off the ground, Will agrees to defend the troubled son of a family friend. But the case is far from clear-cut, and the ethical boundaries murky. Instead of clawing his way out of trouble, Will finds he's sinking ever deeper.
At the same time, his search for his attackers unearths an unexpected source that points him towards Melbourne's corridors of power. But motives, let alone proofs, are hard to find. It is only when those close to him are threatened that Will realises how near he is to the deadly truth.
This is the second book in the Will Harris thriller series.
This is a novel that ticks a number of boxes for me when it comes to a thriller: corruption and conspiracy, violence, vengeance and action a-plenty. Legal thrillers can be a little bland but this book does not suffer from that at all. Add to this, the fact that it was set in Melbourne was a nice change, and the links to Australia's history was also a surprise. I liked all of these things. Certainly made this an enjoyable read.
There were a few things that cost this a star - minor things but worth mentioning: be sure to read the first story, Blood Witness - might make things a little clearer from the start. Also, there were seemingly a LOT of minor characters to try and get your head around.
Paul
ARH
When defence lawyer Will Harris is attacked by masked men with a clear message to back off, he has no choice but to listen. If only he knew what they were talking about.
Under siege as his fledgling law firm struggles to get off the ground, Will agrees to defend the troubled son of a family friend. But the case is far from clear-cut, and the ethical boundaries murky. Instead of clawing his way out of trouble, Will finds he's sinking ever deeper.
At the same time, his search for his attackers unearths an unexpected source that points him towards Melbourne's corridors of power. But motives, let alone proofs, are hard to find. It is only when those close to him are threatened that Will realises how near he is to the deadly truth.
This is the second book in the Will Harris thriller series.
This is a novel that ticks a number of boxes for me when it comes to a thriller: corruption and conspiracy, violence, vengeance and action a-plenty. Legal thrillers can be a little bland but this book does not suffer from that at all. Add to this, the fact that it was set in Melbourne was a nice change, and the links to Australia's history was also a surprise. I liked all of these things. Certainly made this an enjoyable read.
There were a few things that cost this a star - minor things but worth mentioning: be sure to read the first story, Blood Witness - might make things a little clearer from the start. Also, there were seemingly a LOT of minor characters to try and get your head around.
Paul
ARH
August 29, 2017
Alex Hammond is a Melbourne-based writer and this is his second book in the Will Harris series. It is a legal thriller based in Melbourne. The Unbroken Line captures a mafia element, corruption among those of extreme power, and twists and turns that all thriller readers seek.
Will Harris is a young lawyer on a self-obsessed path to destruction. Although a lawyer, he does a lot of his own investigating and is not afraid of confrontation, violence and pain. There is some romantic interest captured in the plot but the main storyline is based around his legal cases that seem to bring him, as a defence attorney, in close contact with both corrupt and undesirable characters.
Alex Hammond’s first novel, Blood Witness was shortlisted for the 2014 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Crime Fiction. His second novel is bound to get some attention with its gripping storyline too.
Will Harris is a young lawyer on a self-obsessed path to destruction. Although a lawyer, he does a lot of his own investigating and is not afraid of confrontation, violence and pain. There is some romantic interest captured in the plot but the main storyline is based around his legal cases that seem to bring him, as a defence attorney, in close contact with both corrupt and undesirable characters.
Alex Hammond’s first novel, Blood Witness was shortlisted for the 2014 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Crime Fiction. His second novel is bound to get some attention with its gripping storyline too.
July 26, 2017
Memorable Quotes
"What really remained was for Levitt and Huynh to run the calculation of career minus charging a judge's son times the strength of their evidence."
"Really, the law is the worst career for you. You should have been a social worker. You don't have that emotional distance that lawyers require, that protects them from the worst side of it - those blows that hurt the spirit, not the body."
February 12, 2022
I thought of this as a good 'filler' between more serious books and so it proved. It was exciting in parts but somehow the story became more and more unlikely as it reached the end. Perhaps 2.5 from me.
February 20, 2016
The book and the style of writing seems all very familiar. Written in the 3rdPerson but diverting to the currently fashionable little few-word "thoughts" of the 1stPerson in italics(example: page 20) it's tacky, but authors of popular fiction seem determined to write in this way. It doesn't add to their literary credo.
After seeing the publisher's advertising-hype cover note - if you believe publishers' gimmicks claim the same claims with new books, "Australia's answer to John Grisham...Harlen Cohen...Lee Child: (and others) before a book hits the shelves, and "runaway Best seller" before a book's available, you're bound to be disappointed. There's so much action suspense and complication "a wild ride!!!", it couldn't get any busier.
Disappointingly, it failed to hold interest.
After seeing the publisher's advertising-hype cover note - if you believe publishers' gimmicks claim the same claims with new books, "Australia's answer to John Grisham...Harlen Cohen...Lee Child: (and others) before a book hits the shelves, and "runaway Best seller" before a book's available, you're bound to be disappointed. There's so much action suspense and complication "a wild ride!!!", it couldn't get any busier.
Disappointingly, it failed to hold interest.
May 19, 2016
This was one of a ten book prize pack, won through The Age newspaper earlier this year. Being the second in a series, certain aspects of the story line had carried over from the first. There wasn't much of a recap up front, so I was treading water for the first few pages, but soon after the absence of prior knowledge didn't matter and I enjoyed it for what was; a rollicking legal thriller, set in the familiar streets of Melbourne.
July 5, 2015
Utterly and pleasantly exhausted after another furiously paced thriller read.
I suspect the author likes to see how much torture he can put his characters through before they disintegrate. Will Harris is not a suave sophisticated James Bond style hero. He ends up in the most murky of situations, just by trying to do the right thing.
The road to hell truly is paved with his good intentions.
I suspect the author likes to see how much torture he can put his characters through before they disintegrate. Will Harris is not a suave sophisticated James Bond style hero. He ends up in the most murky of situations, just by trying to do the right thing.
The road to hell truly is paved with his good intentions.
January 8, 2016
Good story with many layers and fast paced writing so it was an easy and enjoyable read. There were lots of characters though (perhaps too many) so I had to pause a few times to refresh on who we were reading about. Loved all the mentions and descriptions of Melbourne - the city became a character in its own right.
July 12, 2015
I received this book after winning a giveaway and I am really glad I did. The pace is bang on and the intrigue Hammond spins throughout has just enough left out to keep you guessing. I will now go back and read the first book and look forward to the next in the Will Harris novels.
July 11, 2015
A gritty, intelligent, Australian legal thriller. Hammond's second in the Will Harris series. Sharp, tense, terrifically paced novel. I always like Hammond's urban noir elements, which remind me of the Scandinavian noir wave, including such TV series as The Killing. Really very good.
January 17, 2023
I just kept thinking "Peter Temple" as I read this about gritty Melbourne, and police and law corruption, so it was fun to read but hard to compete with the master. The crux of the mystery - the covenant - was not plausible enough.
June 25, 2015
Full review at: http://newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/20...
July 17, 2015
4.5 stars
September 18, 2015
Even better than the last. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews