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Broken Inn
A moonshining hermit
A budding reporter
A $25 million misdirection
The mob, undercover agents, and secret payloads make Broken Inn a dangerous place for a fresh reporter, a newspaper photographer, and a moonshining hermit.
Hailey witnesses a murder at the enigmatic Broken Inn, but when she learns that the hotel manager and her editor are pals, she investigates on her own. When a corrupt guard finds her snooping, she flees into a box canyon, where she is saved by a gin-brewing recluse named Relic. She reports the murder to a deputy, but for some reason, no arrests are made... She enlists help from Ash, the newspaper’s photographer, but they must flee for their lives into the back country with Relic and a four-legged stray with a nose for trouble. They discover mysterious metal drums hidden deep in an abandoned uranium mine, but can’t tell what’s inside. And just when they’re most desperate for help, they learn that not everyone is who they seem…
Can they uncover the secrets of Broken Inn, dodge the syndicate, and head off an environmental disaster?
A budding reporter
A $25 million misdirection
The mob, undercover agents, and secret payloads make Broken Inn a dangerous place for a fresh reporter, a newspaper photographer, and a moonshining hermit.
Hailey witnesses a murder at the enigmatic Broken Inn, but when she learns that the hotel manager and her editor are pals, she investigates on her own. When a corrupt guard finds her snooping, she flees into a box canyon, where she is saved by a gin-brewing recluse named Relic. She reports the murder to a deputy, but for some reason, no arrests are made... She enlists help from Ash, the newspaper’s photographer, but they must flee for their lives into the back country with Relic and a four-legged stray with a nose for trouble. They discover mysterious metal drums hidden deep in an abandoned uranium mine, but can’t tell what’s inside. And just when they’re most desperate for help, they learn that not everyone is who they seem…
Can they uncover the secrets of Broken Inn, dodge the syndicate, and head off an environmental disaster?
- GenresFiction
ebook
Published May 27, 2021
About the author
A.W. Baldwin
10 books61 followersA.W. Baldwin has written seven novels featuring “Relic,” a moonshining hermit living deep in the remote canyons of Utah. The Antidote features a botany student, a couple of "old-timers," and genetically modified seeds that could provide the antidote for climate change. Against the Wind features a teenage pilot with a stolen airplane and a physicist who has developed a breakthrough in quantum computing.
His first novel, Desert Guardian (2017), received a five-star Readers’ Favorite rating. His second novel, Raptor Canyon (2018), received the Grand Master Adventure Writers’ Finalist Award and was a finalist in the 2019-2020 Screencraft Cinematic Book Contest. His third novel, Wings Over Ghost Creek (2019), received the Grand Master Adventure Writers’ Finalist Award and the Global Book Awards Silver Medal. His fourth novel, Diamonds of Devil’s Tail (2020), received a five-star Readers’ Favorite rating. His fifth novel, Broken Inn (2021), received the Grand Master Adventure Writers’ Finalist Award, the Global Book Awards Silver Medal, and the New York City Big Book Award Featured Favorite Award. His sixth "Relic" novel, Moonshine Mesa, won a gold medal in the Reader's Favorite international writing competition and a gold medal from Global Book Awards. Three of his novels have received rave reviews from New York Times Bestselling author Dirk Cussler. His latest release is The Antidote (2022), which Readers' Favorite calls "a gripping novel" and onlinebookclub calls "phenomenal." You can learn more about the author and his novels at awbaldwin.com.
An avid backcountry hiker, canoer, and whitewater enthusiast, the author takes his readers on adventures in ancient lands that shape the motives and spirits of his characters.
A graduate of Wright State University and the University of Idaho School of Law, Baldwin has practiced law for more than 35 years. He began his career with a poverty law fellowship award on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, where he later became a staff attorney and then Executive Director of Wind River Legal Services, a legal aid program serving the Reservation and southeastern Wyoming. After successful civil rights and class action lawsuits, the Northern Arapaho Tribe hired him as in-house counsel from late 1988 to 1992, when he established a private firm that continues to represent the Tribe as well as individuals and other tribes in the Rocky Mountain West. He has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, Ninth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and other Federal, Tribal, and State Courts. He won the right of the Northern Arapaho Tribe to operate (and self-regulate) the full gamut of casino-style gaming without state control. He has successfully litigated First Amendment religious liberties, voting rights, Tribal sovereignty, and for environmental justice. He earned his private pilot’s license in 1997.
His first novel, Desert Guardian (2017), received a five-star Readers’ Favorite rating. His second novel, Raptor Canyon (2018), received the Grand Master Adventure Writers’ Finalist Award and was a finalist in the 2019-2020 Screencraft Cinematic Book Contest. His third novel, Wings Over Ghost Creek (2019), received the Grand Master Adventure Writers’ Finalist Award and the Global Book Awards Silver Medal. His fourth novel, Diamonds of Devil’s Tail (2020), received a five-star Readers’ Favorite rating. His fifth novel, Broken Inn (2021), received the Grand Master Adventure Writers’ Finalist Award, the Global Book Awards Silver Medal, and the New York City Big Book Award Featured Favorite Award. His sixth "Relic" novel, Moonshine Mesa, won a gold medal in the Reader's Favorite international writing competition and a gold medal from Global Book Awards. Three of his novels have received rave reviews from New York Times Bestselling author Dirk Cussler. His latest release is The Antidote (2022), which Readers' Favorite calls "a gripping novel" and onlinebookclub calls "phenomenal." You can learn more about the author and his novels at awbaldwin.com.
An avid backcountry hiker, canoer, and whitewater enthusiast, the author takes his readers on adventures in ancient lands that shape the motives and spirits of his characters.
A graduate of Wright State University and the University of Idaho School of Law, Baldwin has practiced law for more than 35 years. He began his career with a poverty law fellowship award on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, where he later became a staff attorney and then Executive Director of Wind River Legal Services, a legal aid program serving the Reservation and southeastern Wyoming. After successful civil rights and class action lawsuits, the Northern Arapaho Tribe hired him as in-house counsel from late 1988 to 1992, when he established a private firm that continues to represent the Tribe as well as individuals and other tribes in the Rocky Mountain West. He has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, Ninth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and other Federal, Tribal, and State Courts. He won the right of the Northern Arapaho Tribe to operate (and self-regulate) the full gamut of casino-style gaming without state control. He has successfully litigated First Amendment religious liberties, voting rights, Tribal sovereignty, and for environmental justice. He earned his private pilot’s license in 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 5, 2021
Another wonderful, atmospheric read delivered by Baldwin. There is action, adventure, and, of course: Relic. Great series!
December 28, 2021
Broken Inn is an action-packed book by A. W. Baldwin, and overall the characters are quite interesting. Particularly, Relic - one of my favorites. I enjoyed the way Relic was portrayed, and also, it is very important for me the message he brings to the reader and that he fights for what is good in this very materialistic world. Intriguing read!
February 7, 2022
Action and suspense from start to end
This is what every passionate reader looks for in a book - action, adventure, and suspense! Relic is officially my favorite character from any of the recent books I've read and I can't wait to find out more!
This is what every passionate reader looks for in a book - action, adventure, and suspense! Relic is officially my favorite character from any of the recent books I've read and I can't wait to find out more!
August 7, 2021
The best Relic adventure yet! I love the detail and how much I felt like I was in the action!
July 7, 2022
A excellent read lots of fun and adventure all the way. I am looking forward to A. W.'s next book. I took my time reading this book, I did not want it to end.
June 10, 2024
What happens when a journalist intern, from the University of Washington, is forced to take an internship job in Red Rock Utah. instead of close to home in Seattle, and on her first day in town witnesses a murder, or so she thinks while taking in the sites of the canon and the Broken Inn?
Hailey is still reeling from his mother’s passing four months ago from COVID. Needless to says she’s a little pissed off about this and has let her school start to suffer from it. Her advisor, Carolyn is sympathetic, but reminds Hailey she made a promise to her mom to not just graduate, but graduate with honors, and at her current rate of progress, that isn’t going to happen.
Throw in the next character, Relic, who is for a better term a hermit who lives in the Canyon but is a true steward of nature. And anyone who attempts to mess with his home is in for a nasty surprise.
Then you have Burke, who is charge of the apparent renovation of the Broken Inn. However he and his associates have an ulterior motive for setting up shop in Red Rock, think the mob and hazardous waste and you wouldn’t be far off.
The story is fast-paced and exciting to say the least. If you’re a climber you are going to love the chase scenes in the canyons. Especially since Hailey is plagued with a case of vertigo and is forced to stretch his limits to the max when running for the henchman.
Cons
Came across multiple issues that need to be cleaned up.
IE The word is trusses, not tresses, It’s not a dozer at the Spring, it’s a front-end loader. Dozers only have a blade, not a bucket.
CH 34 “plywood, the repaired part of the roof, when a giant behind her, made stop, Need the word, her after made.
“Hailey helped Relic bury the ashes from their fire and scatter the fire rocks, leave no trace.” The sentence is incomplete. Leave no trace behind would sound beet as “Leaving no trace behind.”
I did have a real pet peeve about a person being blamed for not wearing a mask and supposedly infecting her mother with COVID. Nothing stopped the spread of COVID. It swept across the planet with a true fury, but not near as devastating as the 1918 pandemic. Perhaps the author lost someone to COVID and needed to vent. I know I lost a few good friends.
The ending was a bit flat for me
I did find it a very engaging story with believable and well-rounded out characters with a very interesting plot.
If you’re a rock climber and are looking for a great story in regards to that sport of if you are looking for a good whodunnit tale, you’ll love this work.
I will be reading “Diamonds of Devil’s Tale,” next.
Three-and-a-half stars rounded up to four
Hailey is still reeling from his mother’s passing four months ago from COVID. Needless to says she’s a little pissed off about this and has let her school start to suffer from it. Her advisor, Carolyn is sympathetic, but reminds Hailey she made a promise to her mom to not just graduate, but graduate with honors, and at her current rate of progress, that isn’t going to happen.
Throw in the next character, Relic, who is for a better term a hermit who lives in the Canyon but is a true steward of nature. And anyone who attempts to mess with his home is in for a nasty surprise.
Then you have Burke, who is charge of the apparent renovation of the Broken Inn. However he and his associates have an ulterior motive for setting up shop in Red Rock, think the mob and hazardous waste and you wouldn’t be far off.
The story is fast-paced and exciting to say the least. If you’re a climber you are going to love the chase scenes in the canyons. Especially since Hailey is plagued with a case of vertigo and is forced to stretch his limits to the max when running for the henchman.
Cons
Came across multiple issues that need to be cleaned up.
IE The word is trusses, not tresses, It’s not a dozer at the Spring, it’s a front-end loader. Dozers only have a blade, not a bucket.
CH 34 “plywood, the repaired part of the roof, when a giant behind her, made stop, Need the word, her after made.
“Hailey helped Relic bury the ashes from their fire and scatter the fire rocks, leave no trace.” The sentence is incomplete. Leave no trace behind would sound beet as “Leaving no trace behind.”
I did have a real pet peeve about a person being blamed for not wearing a mask and supposedly infecting her mother with COVID. Nothing stopped the spread of COVID. It swept across the planet with a true fury, but not near as devastating as the 1918 pandemic. Perhaps the author lost someone to COVID and needed to vent. I know I lost a few good friends.
The ending was a bit flat for me
I did find it a very engaging story with believable and well-rounded out characters with a very interesting plot.
If you’re a rock climber and are looking for a great story in regards to that sport of if you are looking for a good whodunnit tale, you’ll love this work.
I will be reading “Diamonds of Devil’s Tale,” next.
Three-and-a-half stars rounded up to four
August 23, 2023
WOW !
This story is very different from what I usually se!ect for my evening's entertainment. It is really hard to put down once you get into the story. A young journalism student winds up in an Idaho desert working for the local paper as a way to finish her degree. An assignment for a fluff piece on the refubishment of an old decrepit inn leads to a race for her life. Seeing something that she shouldn't have and wandering about the inn where she shouldn't have gone leads to a harrowing escape in the canyons. The depictions of the rock climbing had me holding my breath. Hailey stumbles onto Relic, a real mountain man, who saves her from the brute chasing her. As Hailey continues to investigate, she and her photographer co-worker,Ash, and Relic get into more dangerous situations. It's exciting up to tbe ending.
This story is very different from what I usually se!ect for my evening's entertainment. It is really hard to put down once you get into the story. A young journalism student winds up in an Idaho desert working for the local paper as a way to finish her degree. An assignment for a fluff piece on the refubishment of an old decrepit inn leads to a race for her life. Seeing something that she shouldn't have and wandering about the inn where she shouldn't have gone leads to a harrowing escape in the canyons. The depictions of the rock climbing had me holding my breath. Hailey stumbles onto Relic, a real mountain man, who saves her from the brute chasing her. As Hailey continues to investigate, she and her photographer co-worker,Ash, and Relic get into more dangerous situations. It's exciting up to tbe ending.
April 1, 2025
interesting who crosses your path in life
Good storyline with Hailey winding up she never wanted to be, living in the past with memories of her mother. Of course, like every good story it starts with a murder. An assignment by her editor send her to Broken Inn where nothing appears as it should and now she is on the run. This is when she meet Relic and then Ash becomes part of the story. Don’t forget the dog! Overall an entertaining story and I recommend reading it
Good storyline with Hailey winding up she never wanted to be, living in the past with memories of her mother. Of course, like every good story it starts with a murder. An assignment by her editor send her to Broken Inn where nothing appears as it should and now she is on the run. This is when she meet Relic and then Ash becomes part of the story. Don’t forget the dog! Overall an entertaining story and I recommend reading it
May 20, 2023
Broken Inn Breaks the Reader in
The characters are well developed. The plot is solid, and they all work together to produce an enjoyable read. I’ve stars? Maybe not, but it was for me! Thoroughly enjoyed this one!
The characters are well developed. The plot is solid, and they all work together to produce an enjoyable read. I’ve stars? Maybe not, but it was for me! Thoroughly enjoyed this one!
December 10, 2025
A tense, fast-moving thriller packed with mystery, danger, and unexpected twists. Hailey, Ash, and Relic make a compelling team as they try to expose corruption, uncover hidden secrets, and survive the threats lurking around Broken Inn. Action-filled, atmospheric, and gripping from start to finish.
June 21, 2023
Excellent characters; wonderful story. Read all 4 books in the series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews