Broken Arrow

by Matthew Pritchard

The discovery of a disinterred corpse at one of Andalusia's Spaghetti Western theme parks begins Danny Sanchez on an investigation that will put all that he holds dearest on the line, as he brings to light an act of unimaginable selfishness that will have ramifications for thousands...Danny begins the story on the trail on a brutal killer who burns his first victim alive, but as the plot unfolds, he begins to realise the true motives behind the killer's actions and to question whether the man he is tracking is the true villain. The story draws on Pritchard's own journalistic experience to present a vivid and realistic portrayal of the way in which Danny draws together the documents and interviews he needs to prove his story. Meanwhile, Danny's obsessive quest to uncover the truth causes him to place not only his own life at risk, but also those of Marsha, his girlfriend, and his photographer friend, Paco Pino. This leads to a breakdown in all the relationships which Danny most values. Broken Arrow is Pritchard's third novel and combines his fast-paced prose style and subtle characterisation with a meticulously researched plot. The book is based around a real life accident in 1966, in which the American air force dropped three H-bombs onto southern Spain and contaminated hundreds of acres of arable land with plutonium dust. The narrative moves with a Chandleresque efficiency and there are many twists to the plot, but all are credible. Matthew Pritchard keeps his readers guessing until the end.

368 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2015

About the author

Matthew Pritchard worked as a journalist in Spain for ten years.
He has currently written four books: three in the Danny Sanchez crime series, and Werewolf, a standalone historical thriller set in post-war WWII Germany. Two of his Danny Sanchez novels have been published in Germany.
He now lives in Hampshire, UK, and writes full-time, as well as playing guitar in rock group, The 109s.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Stolen Lives, Broken Arrow combines a real event with a murder mystery. "The military uses the term 'broken arrow' to describe any incident in which a nuclear weapon is lost, stolen or inadvertently detonated." (source)

Drawing again from his journalistic experiences in Spain, Pritchard includes the unemployment and the corruption that plague many countries, but the crux of the plot goes back to an incident in 1966 when a US Air Force accident dropped 3 H bombs on southern Spain. I doubt many Americans remember the Palomares incident, not only because it was so long ago, but also because it happened elsewhere.

"The first weapon to be discovered was found nearly intact. However, the conventional explosives from the other two bombs that fell on land detonated without setting off a nuclear explosion (akin to a dirty bomb explosion). This ignited the pyrophoric plutonium, producing a cloud that was dispersed by a 30-knot (56 km/h; 35 mph) wind. A total of 260 ha (2.6 square kilometres (1.0 sq mi)) was contaminated with radioactive material. This included residential areas, farmland (especially tomato farms) and woods.[22]" (Source)

The mystery plot involves a cover-up attempt involving a residential area with an unusually high rate of cancer. Once again, Pritchard integrates fact and fiction in a compelling adventure that keeps Danny Sanchez attempting to stay a step ahead of disaster.

Corporate greed trumps humane policy. Now that doesn't sound like fiction, does it? Health and safety are disregarded more often than we like to admit when profit is at stake.

NeGalley/Endeavor Press

Mystery/Suspense. March 17, 2017. Print length: 368 pages.

[Jorma Buckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third in the Danny Sanchez series, and my personal favourite. Pritchard takes a fascinating real life event (Did you know the American Airforce dropped 4 H-bombs on southern Spain in 1966? I sure didn't?) and uses it to weave a fantastic fictional story. The ending is a cracker and highly original.

[Ignacio Loyola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody remember that the stupid Americans drop 4 H bombs on Spain in 1966. Now, Mathew Pritchard has reminded us all and tell a very good story around it, too.

[Priya Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the book. Became a fan of Pritchard after reading the second in the series. Fast paced and gives a glimpse of Spanish culture that I find riveting

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the point where Varela got involved on the ransom handover I felt the story began to go downhill with key characters acting out of character - Aez & Paco etc . Whilst the money & leaflet release was clever it all felt a little forced. Also although book was about Danny if anything Gabriel was the more sympathetic character more than Danny.

[Ms Caroline Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken Arrow

I've bought and read all three Danny Sanchez books to date. This is a good read but for some reason I preferred the first two. This one got a bit bogged down with all the scientific stuff that while important to the storyline it took u p too many pages imo. I like the way he writes so look forward to more.