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Broken
Nick Harding has a new case. Actually, two of them.
A very rich old dude is about to kick off and is desperate to make amends with his estranged son. Nick is contacted by the old guy’s lawyer with a task: Find the son, convince him to get in contact with his father, and help mediate the relationship.
Nick hates mediating.
That same day a friend of a friend engages him to track down a serial deadbeat who has bilked a small financial services company out of millions of dollars. The fee is lower, but the job is more up Nick’s alley.
Then the heir’s life is threatened, the deadbeat has a compelling backstory and everything Nick thought he knew was wrong.
A very rich old dude is about to kick off and is desperate to make amends with his estranged son. Nick is contacted by the old guy’s lawyer with a task: Find the son, convince him to get in contact with his father, and help mediate the relationship.
Nick hates mediating.
That same day a friend of a friend engages him to track down a serial deadbeat who has bilked a small financial services company out of millions of dollars. The fee is lower, but the job is more up Nick’s alley.
Then the heir’s life is threatened, the deadbeat has a compelling backstory and everything Nick thought he knew was wrong.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2022
3 people want to read
About the author
Tony McFadden
28 books55 followersI and my wife and kids have lived in many, many places, including cool places like the US Virgin Islands, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and now, Australia.
Lots of interesting places to meet interesting people.
Lots of interesting places to meet interesting people.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 29, 2022
I would like to thank Netgalley and Beach Nut Press for an advance copy of Broken, the second novel to feature Sydney based PI Nick Harding.
Nick gets two cases in the one day, a struggle, but ably aided by Davie, his computer guy, he manages to work them both. The first one is to help the dying Lawrence Goulding find and reconcile with his younger son, Gareth. In the second case a financial company asks him to find a conman, who has been systematically defrauding them for years using a variety of fake names and credit histories.
I thoroughly enjoyed Broken, which is a fun read with some great twists and turns. The plot is a bit silly and that seems to be a feature of the series, so not to be taken too seriously, but the misdirection in the way the author turns what the reader assumes to be truth into falsity is clever and very moreish.
The novel runs at a fast pace with regular developments and a certain amount of fisticuffs with Nick often coming off second best. This is a nice touch that makes him more endearing. It is not a long novel, so there isn’t much wasted, especially as the points of view include the bad guys as well as Nick. It’s interesting and a solid reminder not to believe everything you are told.
Much of the fun in the novel comes from Nick and Davie’s interactions. They are so normal and down to earth that most readers will be able to identify with them, whether it’s Davie’s joy at homemade shortbread or Nick’s frustration at the limits of battery life in his electric car. They’re beer and pizza type guys who are more competent than they present.
Broken is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Nick gets two cases in the one day, a struggle, but ably aided by Davie, his computer guy, he manages to work them both. The first one is to help the dying Lawrence Goulding find and reconcile with his younger son, Gareth. In the second case a financial company asks him to find a conman, who has been systematically defrauding them for years using a variety of fake names and credit histories.
I thoroughly enjoyed Broken, which is a fun read with some great twists and turns. The plot is a bit silly and that seems to be a feature of the series, so not to be taken too seriously, but the misdirection in the way the author turns what the reader assumes to be truth into falsity is clever and very moreish.
The novel runs at a fast pace with regular developments and a certain amount of fisticuffs with Nick often coming off second best. This is a nice touch that makes him more endearing. It is not a long novel, so there isn’t much wasted, especially as the points of view include the bad guys as well as Nick. It’s interesting and a solid reminder not to believe everything you are told.
Much of the fun in the novel comes from Nick and Davie’s interactions. They are so normal and down to earth that most readers will be able to identify with them, whether it’s Davie’s joy at homemade shortbread or Nick’s frustration at the limits of battery life in his electric car. They’re beer and pizza type guys who are more competent than they present.
Broken is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
August 20, 2022
I absolutely loved this superbly written and fast paced book. I hope there’s more stories featuring Private Investigator Nick Harding.
The main character Nick and his hard working side kick Davie, are on top of any investigative work that comes their way.
The complexities woven into the storyline are cleverly revealed but with plenty of intrigue and suspense!
Two cases involving money, greed and family connections will have the reader turning the pages, an extremely clever and fast paced book.
I particularly enjoyed reading the various character interactions, the normality of the situations and real life perspectives from two down to earth investigators! Definitely highly recommended!
Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and author for the opportunity to read this wonderful book, I appreciate it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The main character Nick and his hard working side kick Davie, are on top of any investigative work that comes their way.
The complexities woven into the storyline are cleverly revealed but with plenty of intrigue and suspense!
Two cases involving money, greed and family connections will have the reader turning the pages, an extremely clever and fast paced book.
I particularly enjoyed reading the various character interactions, the normality of the situations and real life perspectives from two down to earth investigators! Definitely highly recommended!
Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and author for the opportunity to read this wonderful book, I appreciate it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 13, 2023
Nick Harding Cases:
Batteries Not Included, #1 - Rather a fun and intriguing read, my first by this author. The warned about profanity was low but the humor, the main characters and story lines were high. One Smartie criminal confessed when a juvenile prank was used, which was a bit too easy. It was an easy read that all the sudden ended on the last page, so kinda hard to put down would fit. 4*
Broken, #2 - This begins six months after a batteries ends. I had a good time reading this book. I probably found humor in the wrong things but there was plenty of drama and some action, too. Good enough to hold my I interest but I took two days to finish it. 4*
Dead Tomorrow, #3 - I read three of these books back to back without putting one down. Interesting story lines, a variety of characters and a good pace. Nick is always doing something off the wall and a lot of unexpected actions that add to the intrigue. 5*
Nick Harding Cases end.
May 31, 2023
Very action packed, on the edge of your seat story. Nick is a cool character. They all were. I loved Ms. Dora though. She was the best. But this was a great story and I'm about to jump into another one to see what else Nick gets up to. I expect it will be just as good!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 31, 2022
For readers that like their detective stories fast paced, this one is for you!
It was so fast paced that sometimes I couldn't tell if the story advanced by one day, one week or one month.
But the story was really entertaining and definitely a page turner.
One piece of advice: Have food handy when you read this story as they talk about food on almost every page. It was crazy! I was starving every time I picked up this book because food was constantly mentioned. Hilarious
It was so fast paced that sometimes I couldn't tell if the story advanced by one day, one week or one month.
But the story was really entertaining and definitely a page turner.
One piece of advice: Have food handy when you read this story as they talk about food on almost every page. It was crazy! I was starving every time I picked up this book because food was constantly mentioned. Hilarious
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews