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Brodie MacLennan #4
Broken Hearts
When a corpse is found with its heart removed, the media is quick to resurrect the name of one of Scotland’s most infamous murderers. But when the chief suspect claims he is being framed, it’s up to Brodie McLennan to find who is really responsible – and fast…
Evil has arrived in Edinburgh. When a man's corpse is found with its heart expertly removed, the gruesome keepsake prompts police and the media to resurrect the name of one of the country's most infamous killers - Romeo. This twisted modus operandi is identical to a twenty-year-old case, that of Brendan Fallon and Renee Richardson; two ten-year olds found guilty of kidnap, murder and mutilation. But having served their time, the killers were released under new identities and the case was put to rest. Until now…
Are the Romeo killings beginning again or is a copycat on the loose? The authorities hope so - otherwise the evidence points to a cataclysmic error in judgment two decades before.Unorthodox defence lawyer, Brodie McLennan, is drawn into the investigation when she is hired to defend wealthy Dr Graham Marshall, who claims to be being blackmailed and wrongly identified as the Romeo killer. Who would be trying to frame him, and what is their motive?
Brodie soon becomes trapped in a case where dangerous secrets from the past mean that nothing, and nobody, can be taken at face value. Ultimately, she must risk everything she has to defend a client who may be a victim . . . Or a monster.
Evil has arrived in Edinburgh. When a man's corpse is found with its heart expertly removed, the gruesome keepsake prompts police and the media to resurrect the name of one of the country's most infamous killers - Romeo. This twisted modus operandi is identical to a twenty-year-old case, that of Brendan Fallon and Renee Richardson; two ten-year olds found guilty of kidnap, murder and mutilation. But having served their time, the killers were released under new identities and the case was put to rest. Until now…
Are the Romeo killings beginning again or is a copycat on the loose? The authorities hope so - otherwise the evidence points to a cataclysmic error in judgment two decades before.Unorthodox defence lawyer, Brodie McLennan, is drawn into the investigation when she is hired to defend wealthy Dr Graham Marshall, who claims to be being blackmailed and wrongly identified as the Romeo killer. Who would be trying to frame him, and what is their motive?
Brodie soon becomes trapped in a case where dangerous secrets from the past mean that nothing, and nobody, can be taken at face value. Ultimately, she must risk everything she has to defend a client who may be a victim . . . Or a monster.
- GenresCrime
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2009
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Grace Monroe
36 books7 followersGrace Monroe is the pseudonym for the writing team of Maria Thomson and Linda Watson-Brown.
Maria Thomson was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She graduated with a law Grace Monroe (aka Maria Thomson and Linda Watson-Brown) degree in her early 20s, and a year after qualifying, was made a partner in an Edinburgh law firm. She met her husband-to-be, Gordon, already a partner in a rival firm, before the couple formed a law firm together. They were seen as mavericks, due in part to their unique style and progressive marketing techniques. Their reputation as ‘rainmakers’, and as spearheads of the new style which clashed with how things were ‘supposed to be done’, caused considerable controversy within the legal community, leading to discipline actions against them and their company being struck off in 1995 for ‘administrative mistakes’.
In response they raised a defamation action, which they won, resulting in compensation and an apology from the Law Society. Ironically Maria’s husband Gordon was at that time spokesperson for Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers, which name was later changed to Injured by the Law.
Maria and her husband decided that they no longer wished to practice law, and with their children travelled the world for a year, settling briefly in Hawaii, before returning to Scotland.
Maria has since then worked as a hypnotherapist, psychotherapist, stage hypnotist and fertility counsellor, amongst many things. Moving with her family to Kingussie, in the beautiful Monarch of the Glen country in the Scottish Highlands, has afforded Maria the chance to start the next chapter in her life, as a writer. Read our Maria Thomson interview.
After ten years as a Politics lecturer in Scottish universities, Linda Watson-Brown began a journalistic career as a columnist at The Scotsman. She went on to write on a regular basis for the Daily Mail, Big Issue, Daily Record, Sunday Herald and Independent, amongst others, and also developed a career as a ghost-writer. Her best-selling ghost-written book, The Step Child, first published in 2006, has now been released in paperback, and remains a best-seller. She is now working on a screenplay of the book, as well as continuing with ghost-writing and fiction. She and her family live in the North-East of Scotland, in a converted steading, formerly a pig barn.
In 2003, Maria and Linda met and became firm friends. They soon realised that they should put their talents and experiences together and write as a team.
Maria Thomson was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She graduated with a law Grace Monroe (aka Maria Thomson and Linda Watson-Brown) degree in her early 20s, and a year after qualifying, was made a partner in an Edinburgh law firm. She met her husband-to-be, Gordon, already a partner in a rival firm, before the couple formed a law firm together. They were seen as mavericks, due in part to their unique style and progressive marketing techniques. Their reputation as ‘rainmakers’, and as spearheads of the new style which clashed with how things were ‘supposed to be done’, caused considerable controversy within the legal community, leading to discipline actions against them and their company being struck off in 1995 for ‘administrative mistakes’.
In response they raised a defamation action, which they won, resulting in compensation and an apology from the Law Society. Ironically Maria’s husband Gordon was at that time spokesperson for Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers, which name was later changed to Injured by the Law.
Maria and her husband decided that they no longer wished to practice law, and with their children travelled the world for a year, settling briefly in Hawaii, before returning to Scotland.
Maria has since then worked as a hypnotherapist, psychotherapist, stage hypnotist and fertility counsellor, amongst many things. Moving with her family to Kingussie, in the beautiful Monarch of the Glen country in the Scottish Highlands, has afforded Maria the chance to start the next chapter in her life, as a writer. Read our Maria Thomson interview.
After ten years as a Politics lecturer in Scottish universities, Linda Watson-Brown began a journalistic career as a columnist at The Scotsman. She went on to write on a regular basis for the Daily Mail, Big Issue, Daily Record, Sunday Herald and Independent, amongst others, and also developed a career as a ghost-writer. Her best-selling ghost-written book, The Step Child, first published in 2006, has now been released in paperback, and remains a best-seller. She is now working on a screenplay of the book, as well as continuing with ghost-writing and fiction. She and her family live in the North-East of Scotland, in a converted steading, formerly a pig barn.
In 2003, Maria and Linda met and became firm friends. They soon realised that they should put their talents and experiences together and write as a team.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 19, 2017
For a good three-quarters of the book I was totally hooked, I found it a truly good read...if a bit disturbing (always find parallels to the Jamie Bulger case upsetting) but somehow the last few chapters didn't seem to work quite as well & for me it lost a bit of credibilty. Despite being slightly disappointed by the ending I would still recommend this book as the bulk of it is a gripping page-turner.
October 4, 2021
Love the lead character in this series, certainly different from the usual stuffed shirt barristers, is saying that the first couple of books in the series were better than this one. Enjoyable read with the usual shocks we have learnt to expect in these stories. Definitely escapism fiction rather than police procedural or who done it, but happy to read more by the author(s)
October 10, 2012
I quite enjoyed this neat little crime thriller. I've never read this author before and it turns out to be 2 authors combined. It had me interested to the end, but I was a bit disappointed as it seems to be the end of the road for this series.
May 2, 2015
Average read and overall an average series.
February 9, 2014
Really enjoyable, a good series.
June 7, 2013
Love all the books in this series. I am so very disappointed by the way this ended though, the end really ruined the whole series for me.
December 20, 2013
I enjoyed this book. I only got it as it was on offer as an ebook and was surprised by how much I liked it.
June 24, 2014
This is the fourth in the series but the first I have read. I think I would have benefitted from knowing the back stories to the characters so think I will try and hunt them down
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews