The Broken Ones

by Sarah A. Denzil

Someone was in her house. Someone who knows her.
"You will know me." The hoarse whisper comes from a room in the house during the dead of the night. A stranger's voice recorded by equipment Sophie set up, because Sophie is paranoid that someone is out to get her.
With few people in her life, Sophie spends all of her time either teaching at a primary school or caring for her ailing mother. Suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease, Sophie's mother is a difficult patient, leaving her little time to herself.
But on the day Sophie finally decides to put herself first and go on a first date, strange things begin to happen. She finds a discarded button in the garden. A hand print on the outside of the window. Her confused mother blames new bruises on a 'shadow'. Who is following her and why?
And then the voice...
After years of emotional abuse, Sophie begins to wonder if her cruel mother is faking her illness and playing tricks on her.
But what kind of mother would do that to her daughter? And what about the man she met online?
To uncover her stalker, Sophie must look into her past, but she might not like what she finds.
An unsettling psychological thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of SILENT CHILD.
What readers think of THE BROKEN
"Wow, what a page turner! Filled with mystery and suspense, this psychological thriller is mind-bending."
"Sarah A. Denzil really does know how to create a page turner!"
"A truly great read that kept me absorbed and guessing right to the end."

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

242 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2016

About the author

Sarah A. Denzil is a Wall Street Journal bestselling suspense writer. She is also known as young adult author Sarah Dalton.

Sarah lives in Yorkshire with her partner, enjoying the scenic countryside and rather unpredictable weather.

She is the author of international bestselling psychological thriller SILENT CHILD, which topped the bestseller lists on Amazon in the US, UK and Australia.

You can read now read AIDEN'S STORY, a short story and sequel to SILENT CHILD. It's completely free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/n7lb74chp3

Find out more at: http://www.sarahdenzil.com/

Join the newsletter for updates: http://eepurl.com/cwAmZD

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahadenzil

Check out her Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/sarahadenzil/

Email: sarah@sarahdenzil.com

Reviews

[Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still not sure if I enjoyed this book or not.

The book starts out with what seems to be a fairly straightforward, if sad, tale of a woman who is struggling with life and her increasingly beligerent, Alzhiemiers ridden mother.

At one point it seems to veer towards horror, only to quickly retreat towards chilling thriller.

That's not to say it's not a good story, but it doesn't feel particularly well paced and, without exploring the main character more in the earlier parts of the book, it's hard to fathom some of her decisions. A lot of the reveal in the last third starts to brings things together but, by that point, I'm only really reading to confirm that my guess at what the 'twist' was was correct (it was).

The last third of the book is briskly paced and provides an intriguing end for sure, but by then I'm not reading because I care what happens to our main character and it all falls a bit flat.

Some clever ideas, a few too many leaps of faith (suspension of disbelief) required but perfect for a lazy day with low expectations.

[Shalini Boland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a complex psychological thriller that gets under the skin and unsettles. There is mystery, suspense, and much creepiness - the hallmark of a Denzil novel. So many interesting characters that I ended up suspecting them all, but then the story twists and you're like . . . what?!! Loved it.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good except for the end. I enjoyed the mystery of who was doing all these things to poor Sophie. While I didn't figure out who was doing the stalking, I sort of figured out what memory Sophie was suppressing. And then the plot twist happened and I was like Whoa didn't see that coming. This is getting real good now, But then it was like okay, time to wrap this book and things moved too quickly. Would have liked the book to be longer to give more of an ending. I feel like things were missing. When I turned the page and it was on the epilogue I was like, Wait. What? I think the author wanted the readers to maybe come up with their own conclusion, but I would have rather have had more info as to what happened from the last page to the epilogue.

[Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niczego nie można być pewnym, nikomu nie można ufać – Sarah A. Denzil udowodniła w swoich książkach nie raz i nie dwa, że potrafi zbić czytelnika w iście szalony sposób.

Zawsze jak zaczynam lekturę książek Sary A. Denzil robię sobie osobiste, maluśkie wyzwanie – sprawdzam, czy uda mi się przewidzieć zakończenie, czy potrafię dostrzec sprytne zamysły autorki. W przypadku „Poznasz mnie” znowu mi się nie udało, chociaż po lekturze, analizując fabułę od początku, zorientowałam się, że wskazówek było co niemiara. To jeden z tych thrillerów psychologicznych, które pogrywają nie tylko z bohaterami, ale z czytelnikami również!

Sarah A. Denzil po mistrzowsku poprowadziła również trudną relację między matką a córką, która oscyluje gdzieś na granicy chorobliwego oddania i cichej nienawiści. Między słowami można dostrzec potrzebę akceptacji, niszczące poświęcenie, rozpacz postępującej samotności. „Poznasz mnie” pełne jest toksycznych emocji, wołania o pomoc, niezrozumienia na tym najbardziej podstawowym poziomie.

Warto jednak pamiętać, że to przede wszystkim jest thriller, a na pierwszym miejscu wysuwa się… zagadka. Kto? Dlaczego? Jakim prawem? Na te pytania poszukujemy odpowiedzi, to te pytania dręczą nas od samego początku, by uderzyć z impetem odpowiedziami w druzgoczącym finale. „Poznasz mnie” ma w sobie wszystko, co dobry thriller powinien mieć, no może poza tym, że za szybko się kończy. Denzil w zdecydowanie mocnej formie!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I listened to the audiobook)

This book is a psychological thriller in which we follow Sophie, the daughter of an abusive 55 years-old woman who has Alzheimer. Even though her mom treated her like crap since she's little, she's always there to take care of her. She never really stands up to her and appears a bit weak.

It was easy to figure out that Sophie had a twin but there were some things I for sure didn't expect (their mother selling her for money, and her twin being a psycho)

I didn't really care for any of the characters but I was intrigued to find out the ending of this book. However, the epilogue really confused me . I'm still not sure if she killed her own twin?

[_och_man_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solidna trójka z plusem za przednią rozrywkę i momenty niepokoju, które momentami towarzyszyły mi nawet we śnie 💀

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I did not understand the epilogue at all so if anyone did please let me know!!
Excluding the epilogue, the rest of the story was pretty good. Fast paced and intriguing, but at certain point you could guess what might be happening! It was hard to see the abuse Sophie was receiving from her mother. Another story of cruel mothers!

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got through a third of this book but then packed it in. I wasn't enjoying it. It's all a bit too farfetched for my liking and I'd totally lost patience with Sophie altogether by then.
Her mother is an unpleasant old bitch who has Alzheimer's although it seems she's always been a nasty piece of work. Sophie is a teacher so you'd credit her with some intelligence but she's in her 30s and still takes all this attitude from her. She needs to sprout a backbone.
However, all we hear about is how she HAS to think about her mum all day long, which is cobblers as while she's working her mum has a careworker with her all day. Then she finds a button in her garden and it HAS to mean someone's been intruding there, which, if I were in her position, would be the last thing that sprung to my mind. She leaves work early one day and tells her pal she'll square it with their boss on her way home but then heads into the school to see.......her boss !! I made a note at one point when Sophie tells us how exhausted she is that I'm exhausted too by how often she appears to be. Then we're to believe she's suddenly having to know about how her mother afforded a nice house.......thirty years, mind, after they relocated !! She says her mum is nothing like she used to be but every time she goes back in time her mum is being a perfect cow so that makes no sense whatsoever, either. I reached page 102 and read "Numb, and tired of all this" and realised I was as well.
She got the apostrophe wrong in teacher's lounge followed by teacher's convention but that was it for errors which was good going and to be commended but the story just doesn't ring at all true for me.

[Pamela Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first foray with Denzil, and I was glad I took the chance with her. This psychological thriller moves along with a steady gait as we follow Sophie, a woman broken by her abusive mother who now suffers from Alzheimer's. When strange happenings begin threatening Sophie and convincing her delusional mother to harm herself, Sophie begins wondering who is behind the shadow she keeps seeing.

It reads almost like a ghost story, with dark shadows and a lot of uncertain events, as the plot unfolds. Denzil's writing is simple yet compelling, and the mother is utterly detestable and the daughter someone we can sort of empathize with. After all, it's not so easy to turn one's back on our family, no matter how badly they've hurt you.

Overall, I've added Denzil on my list of authors I'd definitely read again.

[RedRedtheycallmeRed · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS

I feel like I've read this book before, the first part anyway. Sophie is a total doormat, 35 years old and still cowering under her mother's cruelty. Her mother has early onset dementia, but instead of putting her into a home, Sophie feels it's her job to care for her. Again, doormat. Then things start to happen and Sophie starts to wonder if her mom is faking it or she's going crazy. Mostly she deals with this by drinking copious amounts of wine.

Then the story takes a really surprising turn, which makes the book a lot more interesting, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The ending is left intentionally vague, but I thought that was the best part.

[Sonali Dabade · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride this one was! Finally a psychological thriller that actually sent thrills and chills down my spine. It disgusted me, made me angry, kept me on the edge, and just burnt my brain out with how many twists there were! And the Mum in this book is a narcissistic b that you want to wring her scrawny neck!

My goodness gracious! Never had I imagined to enjoy a thriller like this, especially because I'd thought that my luck with thrillers had died a stony death. But this got my faith back on track! Loved it! I'm going to read more my Sarah Denzil soon. That's for sure!

[Renny Barcelos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just meh, really. A story that has been told a lot before, nothing too surprising or even scary/thrilling. It is well written and got me engaged but for anyone who has been reading mysteries for a while this one will feel short and perhaps a bit far fetched.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook.
Actual rating 2.5.
It was a decent story.

[Kenny Bellew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a thriller. It's about a woman, who cares for her 50-something mother who has advanced, early-onset Alzheimer disease. Frankly, I can't say much more without hinting at spoilers. I'd recommend this book, but some will want to know prior to reading that the stress of living with and caring for a family member who has dementia is a central theme of this story, and it doesn't go easy.

[Blagica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Was looking for something suspenseful and snagged this and was delighted to find out not only was it a great thriller, but one of the main characters is a daughter dealing with a challenging mentally unstable mother. I have a background in Psychology so this was an awesome read.

[Michelle Stagg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It's the best thriller I've read in a while. 5 stars all the way. I'm looking forward to reading more books from the author. It was a hard book to put down because I couldn't wait to see how it turned out and who the stalker was. I was surprised though.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars for The Broken Ones (audiobook) by Sarah A. Denzil read by Alison Larkin. What a dark and twisted story. The ending was nicely unexpected. Great narration.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fanką Denzil jestem od momentu przeczytania jej debiutanckiej powieści, bodajże w 2018 roku i od tamtego czasu każdą nową książkę witam z uśmiechem na twarzy i zapoznaję się z nią w okresie premiery. Jednakże już od jakiegoś czasu mam wrażenie, że poziom spadł i historie nie przykuwają mojej uwagi tak, jak powinny.

"Poznasz mnie" mnie wymęczyło i wynudziło. Przynajmniej pierwsza część, która momentami ciągnęła mi się jak flaki z olejem, a Sophie była bohaterką miałką, bez charakteru, która działała mi na nerwy i to na tyle, że co chwilę porzucałam książkę, tracąc nią zainteresowanie. Jej zachowanie nabrało sensu dopiero pod koniec historii, ale czy warto było czekać tak długo, żeby mi to wynagrodzić? Nie jestem pewna...

Mam wrażenie, że wątek toksycznej relacji matka-córka, opiekowanie się chorowitą mamą i porzucanie dla niej całego swojego życia chyba nie jest dla mnie, bo absolutnie nie czerpałam przyjemności ze słuchania. Ostatnie, bo ja wiem, pięćdziesiąt stron uratowało historię, plot twist okazał się warty czekania, ale niestety nic nie zmyło irytacji i niesmaku, które wywołała pozostała część książki. Może gdyby zostało to inaczej poprowadzone, może gdybym czytała to w innym okresie moje odczucia byłyby inne, ale nie zmienia to faktu, że czuję się zwyczajnie zawiedziona i nie mam ochoty rozwodzić się nad tą książką.

[Jessica {Litnoob} · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was such an interesting ride and I’d say a nice intro to a new to me author. While some pacing issues made this a slow start and rapid fire finish I was ultimately left guessing and still was shocked even when I thought I had all the answers.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/3.75 - now THAT was a comeback!!!!

[Jo Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

It seems there’s a theme for today’s books, this one lulled me into such a false sense of security though and then quite frankly pissed me right off. I was actually riveted for the majority of the book, then the twist came along with part 2 and well, I was disappointed! The twist my own brain made up was far better 🤣 I usually really enjoy the authors work but this was a miss.

The narration, however was great!

Currently included with audible 🎧

[Emanuela Bezzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Veramente una delusione il finale messo insieme frettolosamente.

[Agnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie spends her life being a teacher and living with an angry mom who also develops dementia....life is hard and Sophie is angry....every boyfriend is not good enough for her mom, she is constantly yelled at by her mom for not looking good, not making tea correctly etc. Then it starts - the mysterious things like the dead cat, fingerprints, missing keys....is her mom playing tricks or is she going insane? A surprise ending to this delightful story and quick read....

[Erin (from Long Island, NY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. Some "twists" were pretty transparent but this is a case where the writing and ambience drew me in anyway. Sophie was interesting to me.. I was rooting for her. & even though i guessed the "who" pretty early on, i was still intrigued enough to stay tuned in to learn the why's and how's. I'd recommend this to someone looking for a dark domestic thriller, and I'll definitely read another by this author.

[Ilaria Mossa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie Howland, una trentacinquenne insicura e trascurata, vive senza amore ed entusiasmo in una cittadina inglese. Divisa tra il lavoro come maestra elementare e badante della madre malata di Alzheimer, sente di non avere alcuna possibilità di essere felice. Anche se l’insegnamento le dà soddisfazione, non è questa la vita che avrebbe voluto: desiderava dei figli, un marito, una casa tutta sua. Insomma, un’esistenza normale. Ma con la madre di torno “serenità” è una parola inesistente nel suo vocabolario.

La signora Maureen è sempre stata una donna severa, altezzosa, critica e anaffettiva. Sophie, sin da bambina, ha vissuto nella sua ombra e con un’ombra. L’infanzia l’ha passata così, senza amore, in compagnia della sua unica amica. Ma sua madre le priva ogni cosa, di staccarsi dal suo grembo, della sua indipendenza, di essere se stessa. E soprattutto, di essere felice.

La Sophie adulta, nonostante il dolore subito negli anni, si prende cura di sua madre con pazienza e premura. Continua a subire, a ingoiare disprezzo e rifiuto, come una martire in continua ricerca di approvazione. Tuttavia, il passato è sempre dietro l’angolo a ricordarle cosa ha dovuto patire per quella viscida donna.

Allora perché continua a starle accanto? Un’altra persona, al suo posto, l’avrebbe mandata in una struttura. O almeno, è quello che continua a consigliarle la sua amica e collega di lavoro, la cui vita è così perfetta che Sophie ne è invidiosa.

La vita di Sophie è difficile, monotona, priva di relazioni stabili. Le uniche persone a lei più vicine verranno pian piano allontanate per far spazio a una madre sempre più ingombrante che la porterà sulla via dell’esaurimento nervoso. Ma soprattutto verso la pazzia.

Sì, perché la routine di quella vita ormai spenta viene scombussolata di punto in bianco. Un appuntamento al buio che si rivela un buco nell’acqua dà il via a una serie di avvenimenti strani e destabilizzanti. Un’ombra è tornata a seguirla, un po’ come accadeva da bambina. E poi ci sono gli incubi che la svegliano madida di sudore e con un ciuffo di capelli tra le dita. Strane presenze in casa, chiamate anonime, sua madre che tenta il suicidio. Sophie diventa paranoica, installa delle telecamere in casa, sospetta di chiunque. Persino della madre stessa, come se il suo fosse uno scherzo di cattivo gusto. Come se, nonostante la malattia, continuasse a darle il tormento.

Sophie, non solo deve scoprire l’identità del possibile stalker, ma anche se stessa. Avverte una mancanza, non capisce però da cosa derivi. È come se avesse un vuoto che non riesce più a colmare. Sua madre è la risposta, lo sente, e così cerca di scavare nella sua mente offuscata e nel suo cuore velenoso. Ma quando meno se l’aspetta, sarà il passato stesso a mostrarle le carte della verità. Niente rimane sepolto per sempre e quello che scoprirà vi lascerà interdetti.

Un thriller psicologico interessante, una protagonista complessa, una storia dolorosa. Il personaggio di Sophie non l’ho amato a fondo, considerato il suo vittimismo e la sua apatia nei confronti della vita. Ma col proseguire della lettura, ho compreso le sue ragioni e provato compassione. Belli anche i salti temporali nel passato. L’ultima parte del libro mi ha sorpresa e angosciata allo stesso tempo. Un perfetto colpevole è un romanzo scorrevole e coinvolgente che consiglio volentieri.

[Anto Tilio · Rating 4 out of 5]

The broken ones es de esos libros que te encuentran sin saber que los estabas buscando.
Desde que empecé a escuchar audiolibros en Scribd que tenía ganas de probar algún thriller pero no sabía si estaba lista para meterme en este género, uno de mis favoritos, con este formato. Hasta que se me dio por darle una oportunidad a este y me enganchó desde un principio y estuve estos dos últimos días sumamente intrigada con la historia de Sophie y armándome miles de teorías sobre lo que le estaba pasando.

The broken ones es la historia de Sophie, una maestra de primaria de 35 años que debe lidiar con el alzheimer de su madre. La vida de Sophie es casi tan gris como el paisaje del pueblito inglés donde vive, se siente sola, frustrada e incompleta. Y como si eso ya no fuera demasiado en su plato, la madre es flor de arpía que ha pasado toda su vida criticándola, menospreciándola e insultándola. Y ahora tiene demencia, por lo que se la pasa olvidando cosas, confundiendo otras o mencionando algunas cosas curiosas, como una sombra. Esto despierta una sensación de reconocimiento en Sophie, como un deja vu, pero será solo el principio de sus problemas. La madre empieza a hablar de un intruso, reciben llamadas extrañas y Sophie siente como si alguien la estuviera acosando. En un principio piensa que son alucinaciones de la madre, pero a esto se le suman sueños y recuerdos que despiertan su curiosidad y sospechas. Llega un momento en que no cree poder confiar en nadie, ni siquiera en su madre que quizás no está enferma y hace todo esto para volverla loca.

A medida que vamos avanzando en la novela no podemos evitar sentir pena por Sophie, toda esta situación la supera pero se siente estancada y atada a esta mujer odiosa que solo sirve para seguir minando su autoestima. Se termina obsesionando con la sombra, el intruso, un posible acosador y se vuelve paranoica al respecto. Pero también siente que hay algo que forma parte de su pasado y estaría relacionado con este asunto, algo que se le escapa, un terrible secreto que su madre oculta.

Fui barajando diferentes teorías y explicaciones sobre lo que pasaba con Sophie y su madre, estaba casi convencida de que mi teoría inicial era correcta, pero la autora nos termina sorprendiendo con un plot twist bastante turbio que vuelve esta historia algo más compleja. Me sorprendió a pesar de las pequeñas pistas que van sembrando porque me pareció original y terrible a la vez. Me gustó mucho el manejo que hace la autora de algunos trastornos mentales latentes en las protagonistas, los toques de horror y sobre todo esa atmósfera claustrofóbica donde el suspenso va creciendo hasta estallar.

Además, como escuché el audiolibro debo señalar el excelente trabajo de la narradora con la modulación de voces, en un principio me sonaba como una viejita, pero al ser Sophie la narradora de la historia podemos distinguir las diferentes facetas de la protagonista en los distintos tonos de voz. Incluso nos sorprende con la voz tenebrosa que usa en los momentos creepy.

En conclusión, me encantó este thriller. Era justo lo que necesitaba leer/escuchar, pero sobre todo me hizo recordar lo mucho que amo y disfruto el género a pesar de tenerlo abandonado. La autora consiguió una historia sumamente interesante que toca temas cotidianos con una perspectiva de terror latente y un desenlace bastante sorpresivo y totalmente satisfactorio.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie lives with her mum who has Alzheimer’s disease. She has always put her mother first, hence why at 35 she is single and still living at home. You can tell the relationship between both has never been an easy one and have to say I felt very little sympathy for her mother whatsoever.

When it comes to Sophie I had every bit of empathy. Juggling work and her mother is stressful enough as it is. Throw into the mix some strange going on’s that cause Sophie to start becoming unhinged.

There were little niggles that were eating away at me throughout this story. I wasn’t quite sure what to believe, even doubting Sophie herself at times but when she has evidence from recordings and cameras, well it became a whole lot more interesting. One thing I am always guaranteed with this author is a storyline that will have me hooked. I read it over two days and was desperate to get back to it every time I put it down.

The Broken Ones sure makes for a surprising read. I could never have foreseen how the story was going to plan out from how it starts off. It’s quite a sinister and almost claustrophobic read at times with an unexpected ending that has left my head in turmoil. A psychological thriller that really gets under your skin.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bellissimo, ti fa sospirare e dire " ah ah ecco chi è!" E invece dopo alcuni capitoli ti fa rimangiare le parole. A una certa però circa metà o poco più si capisce abbastanza bene però è stato comunque bellissimo perché il finale non è quello che ti aspetti.

[Jennifer Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was just introduced into Sarah Denzil's work and so far I cannot get enough. The story kept you captive, the relationship between mother and daughter had me on needles, as you didnt know what to believe then BAM TWIST. Great listen ill be back for more.