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Connor Fraser #5
Violent Ends
Having the wrong client can be murder...
The voice was smooth, cultured, almost tender as it oozed from the phone into Connor Fraser's ear. "I've heard about you, Mr Fraser, and I'm very impressed by your work. So I've decided to employ you. I am going to kill Father John Donnelly sometime in the next seven days. And you are going to stop me - or die trying. "
The thought it's a sick joke lasts for as long as it takes Connor to find that £70,000 has been deposited into his PayPal account, and for him to receive an email with a picture of his grandmother. With no choice but to make a deal with the devil, Connor races to unmask a killer before he strikes and uncovers a mystery that stretches back decades, threatening the people closest to him.
The voice was smooth, cultured, almost tender as it oozed from the phone into Connor Fraser's ear. "I've heard about you, Mr Fraser, and I'm very impressed by your work. So I've decided to employ you. I am going to kill Father John Donnelly sometime in the next seven days. And you are going to stop me - or die trying. "
The thought it's a sick joke lasts for as long as it takes Connor to find that £70,000 has been deposited into his PayPal account, and for him to receive an email with a picture of his grandmother. With no choice but to make a deal with the devil, Connor races to unmask a killer before he strikes and uncovers a mystery that stretches back decades, threatening the people closest to him.
- GenresCrime
327 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2022
5 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Neil Broadfoot
23 books47 followersNeil Broadfoot worked as a journalist for fifteen years at both national and local newspapers, covering some of the biggest stories of the day. A poacher turned gamekeeper, he has since moved into communications: providing media relations advice for a variety of organisations, from Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Service to high profile sporting clubs in Scotland. He’s now working as a communications officer for the Scottish Government.
Neil is married to Fiona and a father to two girls, meaning he’s completely outnumbered in his own home. He lives in Dunfermline, the setting for his first job as a local reporter.
Neil is married to Fiona and a father to two girls, meaning he’s completely outnumbered in his own home. He lives in Dunfermline, the setting for his first job as a local reporter.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 27, 2022
We begin with fire and pain for an unnamed man, in a chapter that sent chills to my spine, then move swiftly to more pain as Connor and his Belfast cop pal Simon indulge in an MMA sparring session. Connor has plenty of reasons to want to ensure he's in peak physical, fighting shape - and an email that pings in as they finish up gives him another. No-one threatens his family without consequences. So the person who has sent him £70,000 to protect a priest, targeting Connor's girlfriend and grandmother for vengeance if he doesn't take the job, should be looking over their shoulder.
There's a flurry of action, then we settle into a slow-burn section where the tension is palpable while Connor and Simon assess and investigate both the threat and the priest, Father John Donnelly. Mingled throughout the first half of the book are a fair few names and snippets of back story, but never fear, because as our central pair reluctantly bring in series stalwart DCI Malcolm Ford and his team, the unknown figure's threat is made good.
Though one attack is thwarted, it seems inevitable the worst must happen. Connor and Simon have a front-row view when things explode, literally and metaphorically, and get even more dangerous.
As is often the case in Broadfoot's books, behind the immediate threat is a deeper conspiracy involving shady men in suits trying to bend the world to their will. And there's the classic crime fiction device that the secrets of the past will always, eventually, rise again, however carefully you think you buried them.
There's a lot of action and a lot of unfolding plot, but it's an exhilarating ride, and the quiet moments at the end suggest there's change coming that might, in a small way, be for the better. Overall it's another fine read - though with its violent beginnings, middles and ends. Broadfoot's Stirling-set series isn't for the squeamish, so don't say I didn't warn you.
There's a flurry of action, then we settle into a slow-burn section where the tension is palpable while Connor and Simon assess and investigate both the threat and the priest, Father John Donnelly. Mingled throughout the first half of the book are a fair few names and snippets of back story, but never fear, because as our central pair reluctantly bring in series stalwart DCI Malcolm Ford and his team, the unknown figure's threat is made good.
Though one attack is thwarted, it seems inevitable the worst must happen. Connor and Simon have a front-row view when things explode, literally and metaphorically, and get even more dangerous.
As is often the case in Broadfoot's books, behind the immediate threat is a deeper conspiracy involving shady men in suits trying to bend the world to their will. And there's the classic crime fiction device that the secrets of the past will always, eventually, rise again, however carefully you think you buried them.
There's a lot of action and a lot of unfolding plot, but it's an exhilarating ride, and the quiet moments at the end suggest there's change coming that might, in a small way, be for the better. Overall it's another fine read - though with its violent beginnings, middles and ends. Broadfoot's Stirling-set series isn't for the squeamish, so don't say I didn't warn you.
June 14, 2024
There’s a lot more to Tartan Noir than the award-winning series and standalones of modern-day Scottish crime royalty like Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, and Denise Mina. Dig a little and you’ll find some real gems like the terrific Connor Fraser series by journalist-turned-author Neil Broadfoot.
Fraser is a former Belfast policeman who now works close protection from the heart of Scotland – in and around the student city of Stirling where monuments to Rob Roy and William Wallace stand and Robert the Bruce’s castle looms over landscapes made famous by ancient battles and Braveheart. He faces a puzzling job in Violent Ends. An unknown voice on the phone says he’s deposited £70,000 in Fraser’s account, wanting to hire him to protect village priest Father John Donnelly. The hitch? The voice on the phone is the one who’s going to try to kill Donnelly. Fraser must stop him, or die trying. The games begin.
Why would someone want to kill Father Donnelly? As Fraser digs into things while trying to keep the priest alive, he juggles professional and personal relationships with local police, dogged journalists, long-time friends, and loved ones in danger. Broadfoot offers a gritty and twisty, page-whirring tale alongside fascinating characters and a strong evocation of the Scottish setting and underlying issues facing the nation-within-a-nation.
[This is an extract from a review written for Australian magazine, Good Reading]
Fraser is a former Belfast policeman who now works close protection from the heart of Scotland – in and around the student city of Stirling where monuments to Rob Roy and William Wallace stand and Robert the Bruce’s castle looms over landscapes made famous by ancient battles and Braveheart. He faces a puzzling job in Violent Ends. An unknown voice on the phone says he’s deposited £70,000 in Fraser’s account, wanting to hire him to protect village priest Father John Donnelly. The hitch? The voice on the phone is the one who’s going to try to kill Donnelly. Fraser must stop him, or die trying. The games begin.
Why would someone want to kill Father Donnelly? As Fraser digs into things while trying to keep the priest alive, he juggles professional and personal relationships with local police, dogged journalists, long-time friends, and loved ones in danger. Broadfoot offers a gritty and twisty, page-whirring tale alongside fascinating characters and a strong evocation of the Scottish setting and underlying issues facing the nation-within-a-nation.
[This is an extract from a review written for Australian magazine, Good Reading]
April 7, 2025
This is the fifth book in a series (seven books so far) and the fourth book which I have read featuring Connor Fraser, an ex-policeman now working in close protection based in Stirling. Although this is an exciting read I found the plot to be convoluted and unbelievable and it did not really make sense. Fraser is coerced into protecting a priest from an unknown killer who seems to like using fire to kill people. The story also features Doug McGregor, a journalist, who was the main character in an earlier three book series by the author. I do not intend to read any more of the author's books as I think this series is getting a little too silly for me.
August 12, 2024
Interesting starting point for a story and all the usual characters from this series are involved. But this somehow just didn't work for me and became almost implausible by the time we reached the denouement. I seriously doubt whether any police force or fire service would allow any involvement from a private operator such as Connor Fraser & Simon. Suspend your disbelief now....
July 2, 2025
Still really enjoying this series. Didn't find this one quite as complicated as the last.
clever twists, great characters.
clever twists, great characters.
December 22, 2025
Gave up. Too many plot lines. Too many characters. Couldn't be bothered with it.
January 9, 2023
Fasten your seatbelts: Violent Ends is a heart-pounding thriller that's also a brilliantly twisty mystery that keeps you guessing to the last page. Whiplash is a very real possibility.
It’s rare to find a book this far into a series actually outdoing all the ones that have come before it, but Violent Ends feels like a launch into Connor Phase II. The action is harder, the antagonists more psychotic and disturbed than any before, and the twists and turns more fiendish than in any of the earlier books.
The relationships – between Connor and Jen and Donna and Simon are brilliantly drawn and feel richer in this one after the tragedies that befell them in No Quarter Given. They put this book head and shoulders above so many basic Wham Bam Thank you Ma’am thrillers, because they make us care deeply for the characters and therefore feel so much more for the peril Broadfoot has so ruthlessly placed them in.
I can’t wait to see where Connor heads next, and I know I’ll be right there alongside him because these books are my absolute favourites. Long may Connor (and Broadfoot) reign!
It’s rare to find a book this far into a series actually outdoing all the ones that have come before it, but Violent Ends feels like a launch into Connor Phase II. The action is harder, the antagonists more psychotic and disturbed than any before, and the twists and turns more fiendish than in any of the earlier books.
The relationships – between Connor and Jen and Donna and Simon are brilliantly drawn and feel richer in this one after the tragedies that befell them in No Quarter Given. They put this book head and shoulders above so many basic Wham Bam Thank you Ma’am thrillers, because they make us care deeply for the characters and therefore feel so much more for the peril Broadfoot has so ruthlessly placed them in.
I can’t wait to see where Connor heads next, and I know I’ll be right there alongside him because these books are my absolute favourites. Long may Connor (and Broadfoot) reign!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews