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Charlie Cobb #1
Breaker
Meet the world’s baddest good guy.The villain turned vigilante.
Charlie Cobb to you and me.
And ‘Breaker’ to the underworld.
When he comes knocking, even the toughest criminals run for cover.
Yet law-student daughter, Cassie, has given him an ultimatum.
He quits the mob or she quits her degree.
Like her old man, she never bluffs.
Yet Charlie’s promised to silence young murder witness Danny.
Will he really pull the trigger?
Does he dare defy vicious mafia boss, Ivan Rudenko?
And will Charlie and Danny survive the night?
Breaker is the first in a gritty, funny, action thriller series that readers say, “Puts the fast in fast-paced.”
If you like the page-turning twists of James Patterson, you’ll love this ultra-gripping, explosive series.
More and more readers are unleashing Charlie Cobb on their Kindle, so don’t miss out.
Download Breaker and hold on tight.
Contains violence. Not for the faint-hearted.
Charlie Cobb to you and me.
And ‘Breaker’ to the underworld.
When he comes knocking, even the toughest criminals run for cover.
Yet law-student daughter, Cassie, has given him an ultimatum.
He quits the mob or she quits her degree.
Like her old man, she never bluffs.
Yet Charlie’s promised to silence young murder witness Danny.
Will he really pull the trigger?
Does he dare defy vicious mafia boss, Ivan Rudenko?
And will Charlie and Danny survive the night?
Breaker is the first in a gritty, funny, action thriller series that readers say, “Puts the fast in fast-paced.”
If you like the page-turning twists of James Patterson, you’ll love this ultra-gripping, explosive series.
More and more readers are unleashing Charlie Cobb on their Kindle, so don’t miss out.
Download Breaker and hold on tight.
Contains violence. Not for the faint-hearted.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 17, 2017
1359 people are currently reading
759 people want to read
About the author
Rob Aspinall
24 books56 followersRob has never been in a car chase, a gun battle or a fight to the death. But he does come armed with a vivid imagination. And he’s not afraid to use it.
Originally a copywriter in the shadowy world of advertising, Rob went rogue in 2016 and started to publish books under the fiendishly inventive pseudonym of… Rob Aspinall.
He currently lives in Manchester, UK, where he writes fast, funny thrillers with an original twist. Whether it’s spies, mobsters, serial killers or trained killers, Rob loads all of his books with action, humour and heart-thumping thrills.
You can find his novels in ebook, audiobook and paperback formats.
Plus, you can get your fiction fix through his Truly Deadly and Breaker podcasts. (Just check your favourite podcast player to find the shows.)
In the meantime, check out these author FUQs (Frequently Unasked Questions):
What’s it like being an author?
It’s fantastic. I get to make up stories for a living and share them with my wonderful readers. There’s a lot more to it than that, of course, with all the marketing and promotion you need to do. You have to invest a lot of time, money and energy into being an author. And I don’t always feel like writing. But it’s like any other career. There are things you love and things you don’t, but it’s well worth it.
What’s the most important thing to remember when writing a book?
You’re not writing the book for yourself. You’re writing it for someone else. So it has to make sense to the reader. And above all, it has to be entertaining. I challenge myself to make every book more engrossing, entertaining and memorable than the last. I guess this kind of thinking comes from my years working as an advertising copywriter – if I had a slogan, it would be ‘Start with the reader and work backwards’, which is a shameless rip-off of Amazon’s motto.
How would you describe your writing style?
Other than trying to keep my writing style simple and accessible, I’d describe my style more in storytelling terms. The exact way of writing may change depending on the book, the character and who’s doing the narrating. But regardless of genre, series or novel, I make sure I stick to some basic storytelling principles – that is has to be simple, gripping, fun on some level and always moving at a decent pace. My only aim is to entertain or inspire the reader at all times—not to fill the book with flowery prose or get to a certain number of words.
Do you ever get ‘writer’s block’?
I only think you get writer’s block when you start worrying about it. In fact, I would say writer’s block is more like writer’s lag. There’s sometimes a lag time between staring at the screen or page and the answer coming to you. And it’s because the ideas, stories and words don’t come from the conscious mind. The subconscious mind comes up with them and feeds them to you. But when you get uptight and start worrying, it’s easy to block the subconscious mind from serving up the ideas.
The best thing you can do is relax and let the answers come. If I’m really getting nowhere with an idea, a plot or a particular scene or sentence, I’ll skip onto the next one. Or I’ll take a short break and do something totally unrelated to writing.
It's something I've often done while working in creative advertising, coming up with campaign ideas and slogans. But I often repeat the trick when I’m coming up with ideas for books.
Originally a copywriter in the shadowy world of advertising, Rob went rogue in 2016 and started to publish books under the fiendishly inventive pseudonym of… Rob Aspinall.
He currently lives in Manchester, UK, where he writes fast, funny thrillers with an original twist. Whether it’s spies, mobsters, serial killers or trained killers, Rob loads all of his books with action, humour and heart-thumping thrills.
You can find his novels in ebook, audiobook and paperback formats.
Plus, you can get your fiction fix through his Truly Deadly and Breaker podcasts. (Just check your favourite podcast player to find the shows.)
In the meantime, check out these author FUQs (Frequently Unasked Questions):
What’s it like being an author?
It’s fantastic. I get to make up stories for a living and share them with my wonderful readers. There’s a lot more to it than that, of course, with all the marketing and promotion you need to do. You have to invest a lot of time, money and energy into being an author. And I don’t always feel like writing. But it’s like any other career. There are things you love and things you don’t, but it’s well worth it.
What’s the most important thing to remember when writing a book?
You’re not writing the book for yourself. You’re writing it for someone else. So it has to make sense to the reader. And above all, it has to be entertaining. I challenge myself to make every book more engrossing, entertaining and memorable than the last. I guess this kind of thinking comes from my years working as an advertising copywriter – if I had a slogan, it would be ‘Start with the reader and work backwards’, which is a shameless rip-off of Amazon’s motto.
How would you describe your writing style?
Other than trying to keep my writing style simple and accessible, I’d describe my style more in storytelling terms. The exact way of writing may change depending on the book, the character and who’s doing the narrating. But regardless of genre, series or novel, I make sure I stick to some basic storytelling principles – that is has to be simple, gripping, fun on some level and always moving at a decent pace. My only aim is to entertain or inspire the reader at all times—not to fill the book with flowery prose or get to a certain number of words.
Do you ever get ‘writer’s block’?
I only think you get writer’s block when you start worrying about it. In fact, I would say writer’s block is more like writer’s lag. There’s sometimes a lag time between staring at the screen or page and the answer coming to you. And it’s because the ideas, stories and words don’t come from the conscious mind. The subconscious mind comes up with them and feeds them to you. But when you get uptight and start worrying, it’s easy to block the subconscious mind from serving up the ideas.
The best thing you can do is relax and let the answers come. If I’m really getting nowhere with an idea, a plot or a particular scene or sentence, I’ll skip onto the next one. Or I’ll take a short break and do something totally unrelated to writing.
It's something I've often done while working in creative advertising, coming up with campaign ideas and slogans. But I often repeat the trick when I’m coming up with ideas for books.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
April 24, 2021
Shut up and hold on, I say, braking hard ...[]... I lock my arms stiff against the wheel.
I am fucking Jason Bourne.
We fly off the top step and bounce down the rest of the staircase. It doesn’t go well.
3.5 ⭐
Haha, Charlie Cobb is no Jason Bourne! This was a fun and quick read. This novella reminds me of Sin City and Hitman movies. Charlie Cobb is a fixer for Mafia in Manchester, UK. He's a freelance. So if you like Charlie Cobb, you're with the bad guys, maybe.
I probably would have quit if GR friend Jennifer didn't warn me about the audio. YES, the accent was difficult to understand, and NO, I didn't get use to it at all. 😂 Luckily, this first in series is free on Amazon so I got a kindle copy to guide me along. The glossary for slangs is also very helpful.
I am fucking Jason Bourne.
We fly off the top step and bounce down the rest of the staircase. It doesn’t go well.
3.5 ⭐
Haha, Charlie Cobb is no Jason Bourne! This was a fun and quick read. This novella reminds me of Sin City and Hitman movies. Charlie Cobb is a fixer for Mafia in Manchester, UK. He's a freelance. So if you like Charlie Cobb, you're with the bad guys, maybe.
I probably would have quit if GR friend Jennifer didn't warn me about the audio. YES, the accent was difficult to understand, and NO, I didn't get use to it at all. 😂 Luckily, this first in series is free on Amazon so I got a kindle copy to guide me along. The glossary for slangs is also very helpful.
April 3, 2021
This was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed Charlie Cobb. And the narrator was fabulous although it took me a bit to be able to understand his accent. But in this case it was the right accent for the setting. Loved it!! Best line : I AM fucking Jason Bourne! I think I listened to that 3 times. It made me laugh out loud. And the accent was what made it. Fast paced and exciting. Could definitely be a movie.
April 24, 2017
Okay short read..
The main character is a pretty interesting man, a 'hitter' for some bad groups who promises his daughter that he will go straight. A good premise, some action in story, perhaps a longer book would let the author get into more.
The main character is a pretty interesting man, a 'hitter' for some bad groups who promises his daughter that he will go straight. A good premise, some action in story, perhaps a longer book would let the author get into more.
July 29, 2017
*3.5 stars*
A fun, fast and thrilling read.
Also, we get humour from, Breaker/Charlie, our main protagonist who works as a fixer for the mob.
Breaker starts out as a bad guy but when his 19 yr old daughter challenges him to quit crime for the straight and narrow, he does his first good deed by saving his mark- a witness who was set to testify against a mob boss- from sure fire death.
A satisfying read, for sure.
March 15, 2023
this was a surprisingly brisk and darkly funny thriller. sorta like if mike hammer was a violent street enforcer who’s daughter was his only form of a conscience. the brief scenes of the father/daughter relationship brought some true heart to this, which is usually a missing feature in these types of genre stories.
don’t take it too seriously, and you’ll get a fun crime thriller out of it. it reads very fast so i actually had to slow my consumption down, because i like having an entertaining and not-too-heavy book for my last read of the evening — otherwise i would’ve finished it in a day or two.
i wholly recommend you listen to the audiobook on this one. it’s a legit pleasure. the main character of charlie has a street-tough manchester accent in the book, and the narrator of the audiobook does an incredible job with creating an actual performance out of it. he’s charming, funny and hard-boiled to the bone — just like this book.
btw, if the manchester dialect is a little thick for you, just stick with it for a bit and your ear will start to adjust if you let it. trust me you’ll forget all about it once the story takes off and maybe even enjoy the comedy aspect of it. this entertaining little yarn is worth some patience on your part.
stay away if you can’t handle some violence. hit the skip button.
but there’s 3-4 more books in the series, and i’ll be checking out book 2 next. hopefully it’s as breezy and fun as this story.
i shall report back.
don’t take it too seriously, and you’ll get a fun crime thriller out of it. it reads very fast so i actually had to slow my consumption down, because i like having an entertaining and not-too-heavy book for my last read of the evening — otherwise i would’ve finished it in a day or two.
i wholly recommend you listen to the audiobook on this one. it’s a legit pleasure. the main character of charlie has a street-tough manchester accent in the book, and the narrator of the audiobook does an incredible job with creating an actual performance out of it. he’s charming, funny and hard-boiled to the bone — just like this book.
btw, if the manchester dialect is a little thick for you, just stick with it for a bit and your ear will start to adjust if you let it. trust me you’ll forget all about it once the story takes off and maybe even enjoy the comedy aspect of it. this entertaining little yarn is worth some patience on your part.
stay away if you can’t handle some violence. hit the skip button.
but there’s 3-4 more books in the series, and i’ll be checking out book 2 next. hopefully it’s as breezy and fun as this story.
i shall report back.
September 13, 2024
This book takes place in current time . It has the feel of the 1930-50's. Mob wars and Charlie a man who will work for either. Saying he just doing a job . He is just like Switzerland.
Then a advent happened. He realizes that he has to do the right thing. He couldn't live with himself if he finished this job the way they want him to.
Then a advent happened. He realizes that he has to do the right thing. He couldn't live with himself if he finished this job the way they want him to.
February 23, 2017
"Frantic fun"
Everything you need from a non-stop action thriller. Well observed, fast-paced, strong characters and a plausible story line. All you need to do is accept that the main protagonist is like a comic heroes magazine superhero, who whether he's shot, kicked, or involved in a high-speed car crash will be ready to do it all again ten minutes later. If that's you, then this will be terrific fun.
Everything you need from a non-stop action thriller. Well observed, fast-paced, strong characters and a plausible story line. All you need to do is accept that the main protagonist is like a comic heroes magazine superhero, who whether he's shot, kicked, or involved in a high-speed car crash will be ready to do it all again ten minutes later. If that's you, then this will be terrific fun.
February 5, 2017
First time in a long time I've read a story were I wanted the bad guy to win. Definitely a different storytline, couldn't put the book down.
December 31, 2021
Listened to the audiobook - I couldn’t understand the narrator with such a thick accent. The story was boring and sleep inducing.
May 24, 2018
It is a story of a hitman, Charlie Cobb, in Manchester. We first encounter Charlie dangling a Turkish low life over the side of a multi storey car park by his belt, he is known as “Breaker” for his skills at breaking victims bones. The main story revolves around a hit that goes wrong and the hitman is fleeing the cops and the Russian mafia with the intended victim by his side. There is plenty of action but little in the way of character development, the story feels like a video game, the action is over the top and rather unbelievable. It is novella sized . The characters are lacking depth, Frogger “turns his jaw to the ceiling and lowers a strip of meat into his big, cartoon mouth.”
The language can be crude at times, maybe the author is attempting some street authenticity as the story is related in the first person: “It’s cold up here, but I’m sweating like Satan’s bollocks.” Charlie has a remarkable knowledge of the city “I know these streets like the inside of my arsehole.” So he is able to evade his pursuers at many a turn. He also has some unbelievable driving skills “I am fucking Jason Bourne.”
This might appeal to the Grand Theft Auto generation but I’d rather return to something with more believable characters like Murakami.
The language can be crude at times, maybe the author is attempting some street authenticity as the story is related in the first person: “It’s cold up here, but I’m sweating like Satan’s bollocks.” Charlie has a remarkable knowledge of the city “I know these streets like the inside of my arsehole.” So he is able to evade his pursuers at many a turn. He also has some unbelievable driving skills “I am fucking Jason Bourne.”
This might appeal to the Grand Theft Auto generation but I’d rather return to something with more believable characters like Murakami.
November 15, 2020
Frantic fast and hell of a lot of fun Breaker By Rob Aspinall is the introduction to the character Charlie Cobb a hitman general thug for hire.
A nice short read of 100 or so pages a likeable rouge for a lead and action packed story.
The writing is good quick fast punchy chapters the setting of Manchester comes across in the book of the new and the old, action set pieces are well choreographed and you get a real sense of the danger that Breaker is in.
Aspinall wraps up this short little story nicely and gives us a cool introduction to our anti hero.
Overall a very satisfying read and worth your time and it's free as I type from the authors website so go and grab a copy now.
A nice short read of 100 or so pages a likeable rouge for a lead and action packed story.
The writing is good quick fast punchy chapters the setting of Manchester comes across in the book of the new and the old, action set pieces are well choreographed and you get a real sense of the danger that Breaker is in.
Aspinall wraps up this short little story nicely and gives us a cool introduction to our anti hero.
Overall a very satisfying read and worth your time and it's free as I type from the authors website so go and grab a copy now.
November 30, 2023
The start of this book was a bit of a disappointment however I’m not sure if that’s because it was the audiobook version and that might of ruined the tone of how it was read. There was just random aspects of the text I feel could of been better written. For example some descriptions included:
“I thought to myself I’ve gotta get back in the gym then I reliesed I’ve just had to many cake and biscuits” This just seems like a slight childish description.
As you get into it the noval reads better and therefor this is why I have given it a 3. The plot isn’t bad and I did find myself enjoying it towards the end.
“I thought to myself I’ve gotta get back in the gym then I reliesed I’ve just had to many cake and biscuits” This just seems like a slight childish description.
As you get into it the noval reads better and therefor this is why I have given it a 3. The plot isn’t bad and I did find myself enjoying it towards the end.
January 5, 2024
i need the audiobook narrator to say “i am fucking jason bourne” one more time. he carried fr
November 10, 2023
3.5 rounded ip
First in a series, will definitely continue
First in a series, will definitely continue
May 7, 2017
The book follows the life of Charlie Breaker who is frequently getting into scraps and scraped. Named after preference of breaking people limbs (nice,) he has a new job. But it’s not going to be easy. With Rudenko breathing down his neck and his daughter giving him a stern look, he needs to get out of this without a bullet in his chest.
This book was described as ‘frantic fun’ on Goodreads and I have to agree. Charlie is a dirty character who can’t help but like. His rough language and inability to leave anything alone he’s a gem. The book is a non-stop action thriller full of mean characters and gripping gripes. It has a smidge of humour and sarcasm and the use of Manchester as the location allows for a lot of slang. I for one loved this.
In terms of narrative the story is (fairly) plausible. You will need to accept that Charlie is comic-like in terms of character. Whether kicked, shot, smashed into he’ll get up and carry on ten minutes later. But, it’s all part of the fun. The characters are written with depth. Frogger (one of the bad guys) is very well written. Although a secondary character Aspinall gives all of his characters guts. They have quirks that help to give depth to the storyline.
Only gripe would be it’s quite short. I would have like a little more. Maybe Cassie involved more than giving her Dad a stern eye. Although I’m sure this will come with books later in the series.
Final Thoughts
Overall this is a really well written book. It’s got bite, drive and danger. Mix in with the brilliantly written main and secondary characters and you’ve got a winner.
This book was described as ‘frantic fun’ on Goodreads and I have to agree. Charlie is a dirty character who can’t help but like. His rough language and inability to leave anything alone he’s a gem. The book is a non-stop action thriller full of mean characters and gripping gripes. It has a smidge of humour and sarcasm and the use of Manchester as the location allows for a lot of slang. I for one loved this.
In terms of narrative the story is (fairly) plausible. You will need to accept that Charlie is comic-like in terms of character. Whether kicked, shot, smashed into he’ll get up and carry on ten minutes later. But, it’s all part of the fun. The characters are written with depth. Frogger (one of the bad guys) is very well written. Although a secondary character Aspinall gives all of his characters guts. They have quirks that help to give depth to the storyline.
Only gripe would be it’s quite short. I would have like a little more. Maybe Cassie involved more than giving her Dad a stern eye. Although I’m sure this will come with books later in the series.
Final Thoughts
Overall this is a really well written book. It’s got bite, drive and danger. Mix in with the brilliantly written main and secondary characters and you’ve got a winner.
September 11, 2017
. Waste of time.
Apologize for being brutal, but sixth grade vocabulary and choppy writing put me in a foul mood. I was expecting fully constructed sentences with decent command of the English language, but got something I guess an airhead teenager with no education beyond video games would like.
Apologize for being brutal, but sixth grade vocabulary and choppy writing put me in a foul mood. I was expecting fully constructed sentences with decent command of the English language, but got something I guess an airhead teenager with no education beyond video games would like.
August 16, 2019
If you're not okay with reading about characters who aren't remotely associated with the word benevolent, then I request ask you to skip this one.
Charlie Cobb a.k.a Breaker is a ruthless reprobate who has no moral code whatsoever. In fact, the very first scene in the story would give you a clear idea of the kind of person he is. Personally, I was taken aback for a moment, because, to read a story that revolves around a character who has no remorse for his violent actions, was something new. So I found the premise to be promising and I hoped that the rest of the story panned out well.
Provided the callous nature of his profession, conflicts were something he dealt on an everyday basis. The plot wasn't something that was out of the ordinary. It was like a slice of his everyday life. Here, Ivan Rudenko, an underworld don hires him to make sure that the young murder witness, Danny Platt doesn't testify against him in the impending court hearing, by employing any means necessary.
What was supposed to be a walk in the park turns out to be a chaotic affair for Charlie when his only daughter Cassie, tinkers with his moral compass and brings it back to life, which in turn wets his stone-cold heart with conscience.
As the 'enlightened' charlie wrestles with his alter ego, Ivan Rudenko decides to take matters in his own hands and is determined to stop Danny Platt from sealing his fate. The latter half turns out to be very racy as we flip the pages earnestly to find out whether Rudenko and his minions succeed in their attempts to catch hold of Danny.
One aspect that really stood out was the British slang. I've read a lot of stories set in England, but only a very few of them have this connect to the land's culture, language, and people. Even the profanities and cuss words were vernacular. For me, these subtle matters enrich or elevate the reading experience.
I loved the character curve. The Charlie you see on the first page would be very different from the Charlie of the last page. The occasional interactions with his daughter and Danny disrupt his thoughts and it forces him to stop in his tracks, take a seconds breath and mull over his life.
Factoring into account the cost of this book, which is ZERO on Kindle, I've given it a well deserved 4 stars.
Will i read the remnant of the series?
Hell yeah!
Charlie Cobb a.k.a Breaker is a ruthless reprobate who has no moral code whatsoever. In fact, the very first scene in the story would give you a clear idea of the kind of person he is. Personally, I was taken aback for a moment, because, to read a story that revolves around a character who has no remorse for his violent actions, was something new. So I found the premise to be promising and I hoped that the rest of the story panned out well.
Provided the callous nature of his profession, conflicts were something he dealt on an everyday basis. The plot wasn't something that was out of the ordinary. It was like a slice of his everyday life. Here, Ivan Rudenko, an underworld don hires him to make sure that the young murder witness, Danny Platt doesn't testify against him in the impending court hearing, by employing any means necessary.
What was supposed to be a walk in the park turns out to be a chaotic affair for Charlie when his only daughter Cassie, tinkers with his moral compass and brings it back to life, which in turn wets his stone-cold heart with conscience.
As the 'enlightened' charlie wrestles with his alter ego, Ivan Rudenko decides to take matters in his own hands and is determined to stop Danny Platt from sealing his fate. The latter half turns out to be very racy as we flip the pages earnestly to find out whether Rudenko and his minions succeed in their attempts to catch hold of Danny.
One aspect that really stood out was the British slang. I've read a lot of stories set in England, but only a very few of them have this connect to the land's culture, language, and people. Even the profanities and cuss words were vernacular. For me, these subtle matters enrich or elevate the reading experience.
I loved the character curve. The Charlie you see on the first page would be very different from the Charlie of the last page. The occasional interactions with his daughter and Danny disrupt his thoughts and it forces him to stop in his tracks, take a seconds breath and mull over his life.
Factoring into account the cost of this book, which is ZERO on Kindle, I've given it a well deserved 4 stars.
Will i read the remnant of the series?
Hell yeah!
May 6, 2019
Rope Works Victorian warehouse. Charlie “Breaker” Cobb (enforcer, narrator) made Mr. Kavuk (55+, Turkish) an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Dimitri’s Greek restaurant. Ivan Rudenko (mafia boss), Freddie (Ivan's bodyguard), Frogger (Lithuanian), & Charlie were discussing business.
What was Detective Price discussing with Danny Platt (kid)?
What happened to Ivan?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written crime thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great crime thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. It was just OK for me so I will still rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; BookFunnel; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Dimitri’s Greek restaurant. Ivan Rudenko (mafia boss), Freddie (Ivan's bodyguard), Frogger (Lithuanian), & Charlie were discussing business.
What was Detective Price discussing with Danny Platt (kid)?
What happened to Ivan?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written crime thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great crime thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. It was just OK for me so I will still rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; BookFunnel; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
June 29, 2018
Setting: Manchester; present day. This is the first book in a series featuring, and a short introduction to, Charlie Cobb - former criminal but now independent 'fixer for hire' to Manchester's gangland bosses. So, although he commits acts of violence, the reader is supposed to like him as a sort of 'anti-hero' because he usually tries to do the right thing. I wasn't too sure about this and some of the action seemed a little far-fetched. Coupled with some silly editing errors that should have been eliminated at the proofreading stage this led me to only rate the book as 3 stars though it won't deter me from reading others in the series - 6.5/10.
March 13, 2019
Very nice
Loved the book very much, a bit short but still very interesting. The action was nice, a loved a good humor and this one had it, loved the relationship between the main character and his family as well as the villains... yah that's about it.
I will point out that after seeing the book cover and then reading the description of the book, I kind of expected more... darkness with the main character or for the villains to actually do evil stuff rather than just pointing out that the person was an evil bad guy.
Still the book was amazing and I bet anyone who loves action with a little bit of humour will enjoy this.
Loved the book very much, a bit short but still very interesting. The action was nice, a loved a good humor and this one had it, loved the relationship between the main character and his family as well as the villains... yah that's about it.
I will point out that after seeing the book cover and then reading the description of the book, I kind of expected more... darkness with the main character or for the villains to actually do evil stuff rather than just pointing out that the person was an evil bad guy.
Still the book was amazing and I bet anyone who loves action with a little bit of humour will enjoy this.
September 13, 2021
What a great crime novel. This story was one about a hit man who is conflicted with a matter of conscience of whether to do the right thing after years of living on the wrong side of the law. The fateful decision he makes in his most recent assignment changes not only trajectory of his mission but also his life as he knew it. As the story unfolded, I began to like the character know as the Breaker as he narrates the story and gives the reader the chance to get into his head as to what led to his decision and his change of conscience especially after living a life of crime for so long. Great story and recommended.
September 30, 2023
Free audiobook from AppleBooks.
The narrator in this was a little….imagine Rocky thinking he was funny and laughing to himself about his jokes and reading a book out loud. There were several words that he would say that were totally mispronounced, I would think they’d have a run through and would point out the pronunciation of these words?
If you can get past that, this book is more of a mafia clean up man, muscle-head, who discovers that maybe he doesn’t want to hurt people just because…well, yes he does as long as there is something good that comes from it. All in keeping with a promise he makes to his daughter.
Breaker is a relatively short audiobook.
The narrator in this was a little….imagine Rocky thinking he was funny and laughing to himself about his jokes and reading a book out loud. There were several words that he would say that were totally mispronounced, I would think they’d have a run through and would point out the pronunciation of these words?
If you can get past that, this book is more of a mafia clean up man, muscle-head, who discovers that maybe he doesn’t want to hurt people just because…well, yes he does as long as there is something good that comes from it. All in keeping with a promise he makes to his daughter.
Breaker is a relatively short audiobook.
August 23, 2017
Charlie Robb is a mafia enforcer in Manchester, England. He ties up loose ends and scares those who refuse to comply with the mob.
Charlie finds himself in a situation where a young murder witness is involved. Charlie can do "the right thing" or "the wrong thing". While deciding he hears his daughter Cassie's voice in his head begging him to give up his criminal life before he himself is killed. What does Charlie do ?
This is the first Rob Aspinall novel I have read but unfortunately it was not for me.
Charlie finds himself in a situation where a young murder witness is involved. Charlie can do "the right thing" or "the wrong thing". While deciding he hears his daughter Cassie's voice in his head begging him to give up his criminal life before he himself is killed. What does Charlie do ?
This is the first Rob Aspinall novel I have read but unfortunately it was not for me.
July 7, 2017
Gritty
For me the hero is just a bit too bombproof. Writes off cars dodges Uzi machine gun bullets sorts out six professional heavies single handed. Still lots of action and its all well written. Love the detail and the throwaway one liners. Like the dad/daughter relationship yep all in all a good days read. Actually read the second book first and liked that better. Keep going fella you are getting better.
For me the hero is just a bit too bombproof. Writes off cars dodges Uzi machine gun bullets sorts out six professional heavies single handed. Still lots of action and its all well written. Love the detail and the throwaway one liners. Like the dad/daughter relationship yep all in all a good days read. Actually read the second book first and liked that better. Keep going fella you are getting better.
February 19, 2018
This was a very good read!! Charlie Cobb a Mafia fixer They call him “Breaker” he goes after very bad people, difference is he has a conscience. And does the fix his way usually. When he gets involved finding a witness that is hidden He comes to a fork in his Career. But Guess what, as usual that is all you are going to get from me. I will tell you it is a very exciting and tense story, that you will enjoy reading. A great read, Santa Mike
January 10, 2024
To start off with a disclaimer *this is not the typical genre I would read at all…I thought I’d give it a try and see if I would enjoy it but absolutely not! (Personal opinion)
The story line just seemed uninteresting and hard to get into. I was hoping for excitement and a different kind of read for me. I was disappointed. Thankfully, this was an extremely short read because I was excited to end it. I know I could not read another chapter…. really had to push through. Personally, not for me
The story line just seemed uninteresting and hard to get into. I was hoping for excitement and a different kind of read for me. I was disappointed. Thankfully, this was an extremely short read because I was excited to end it. I know I could not read another chapter…. really had to push through. Personally, not for me
February 6, 2017
This was a surprisingly good story. For a novella, the characters came to life, the action was fast paced and well choreographed. The writing was superb and the editing clean. If you're looking for a quick escape into the world of a mob enforcer, this story will take you there. Proceed at your own risk because it will leave you wanting more.
June 11, 2017
Great read,love intense crime books but this book had breaks in it where i laughed at t the great one liners, definately hooked on the series and the author totally loved it would recommend it to anyone who loves reading crime books.
Rated it 5 stars for the humour all the way through it as it gave me a break from the constant feeling of intensity I usually get reading crime
Rated it 5 stars for the humour all the way through it as it gave me a break from the constant feeling of intensity I usually get reading crime
October 18, 2017
high paced
this is action, action and more... pretty Aztec it's a short story.. Well written, wrll developed and Charlies pretty funny... His daughter trying to straighten him out is a great line of starting a series... What defines a hero? does prior bad behavior negate heroic events?
this is action, action and more... pretty Aztec it's a short story.. Well written, wrll developed and Charlies pretty funny... His daughter trying to straighten him out is a great line of starting a series... What defines a hero? does prior bad behavior negate heroic events?
April 30, 2021
Gangster flips to the good side? Some interesting twists and turns, but I didn’t find it to be a hot page turner... Perhaps it’s because it was an Apple audio book and the Australian accent seemed kinda off? Most of the foul language wasn’t really necessary either. My experience with this book was just “Ho-Hum...”
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