Broken Silence

Inspector Jack Brady #1

by Danielle Ramsay

Who killed Sophie Washington? Early one cold November morning in the run-down seaside resort of Whitley Bay, the body of a young girl is discovered. Found abandoned five minutes walk from her home, her face has been mutilated beyond recognition. DI Jack Brady, just back on active duty after recovering from a vicious shooting incident, is on the edge. Struggling to deal with his marriage break-up and his tortured past, his problems intensify when long-standing friend and colleague DI James Matthews confidentially reveals that he was with the victim the night of her murder. Brady's loyal deputy, the clean-cut, Detective Sergeant Harry Conrad and the attractive and highly-respected police psychologist, Dr Amelia Jenkins are assigned with Brady to solve the victim's murder. But the investigation becomes increasingly compromised as Brady realises that Matthews is holding something back from him that could be vital to the case. As Brady delves ever deeper into Sophie's life, he comes to realise that the three men who should have protected her during her short life are the chief suspects in her murder: her teacher, her step-father and a police detective. Brady finds himself unravelling a metaphorical thread that eventually makes him re-evaluate not only the seemingly blameless life of the victim, but more disturbingly, Matthews's motivation and ultimately his own.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Audiobook, Ebooks, Fiction, Thriller, British Literature

408 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2010

About the author

Danielle Ramsay is a proud Scot living in a small seaside town in the North-East of England. Always a storyteller, it was only after initially following an academic career lecturing in literature that she found her place in life and began to write creatively full-time.

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, I stumble across my audio books depending on what is on my shelf at the library. It’s random as I’m always in a rush.

I feel like this is my first book by a Scottish author, it’s probably not the case but it’s the first one I recall. This is a debut book, and it was pretty good. Nothing mind blowingly exciting, but I enjoyed it on my quiet moments to and fro from all the exciting things in my life. Ha!

A seemingly miserable seaside villiage in England is the setting and I have to say I did enjoy the accent. Parts of this world did seem very seedy, and the teenagers with little hope for redemption.

Very young and gorgeous Sophie is murdered, and the wrong people are looking like being involved. I’d have liked to see a touch of romance between DI Brady and Amelia. Brady is a flawed character, battling demons like we've seen in this genre time and time again. This was an enjoyable read, I will source more from this author somewhere down the track.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story centres around the death of Sophie Washington, a young girl found murdered with her face bashed in beyond recognition. Who would do this to such a young girl and why? DI Jack Brady has just returned to work after a shooting incident. The problem becomes much bigger when his colleague informs him that he spent time with the victim on the night of her death. There are three people in Sophie's life that should be protecting her from harm but these people, her teacher, a police detective and her step father are also all suspects in her murder. Good solid mystery that held my attention throughout.

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 Words: Crime, mystery, loyalty, family, relationships.

Reading this series was very different to listening to it. I didn't enjoy it quite as much, it seemed much more bitter and jaded.

I first listened to the audiobook of this and I LOVED it. So I kept an eye out for the next books, eager to continue the series. But they never appeared. For whatever reason, the Audio Book Gods at Avon decided to stop the audiobooks after only the first! Boo Bad Audio Book Gods. But I was still desperate to carry on the series, so I picked up a paperback copy and started reading.

And I was slightly disappointed, because the book itself, the written word, just didn't hold up to the performance of the narrator in the audio version.

[Anthony Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife bought this book for me at a book signing by the author, there is even a dedication to me . She saw the picture on the front of the book and recognised it as a ice cream/coffee parlour we visit on our walks along the promenade at Whitley Bay. After reading the book I would think it unwise of the author to have another book signing in North Tyneside.

This author has potential but needs to reign back on her total dislike of the area the book is set in. Her fixation on the shabby town of Whitley Bay detracts from the story, there is no need to over egg the pud. I live in West Monkseaton, went to school in Wallsend, worked from North Shields where I was a Customs Officer (now retired) and have been a North Tyneside magistrate for the last 18 years (all mentioned with venom in the book). So I do know the area and the sleazy side of live, I am familar with the old pubs etc dockside and riverside- I knew these areas when the Tyne had shipping and were really 'rough'. There is little shipping now on the river and many of the old places have gone making way for new landcaped housing estates and upmarket pubs and restaurants. Whitley Bay is not a drug or a gangland empire. You do not trip over "broken vodka bottles, drug needles and fast food containers" everywhere and we do not live in a permanent grey sea mist/drizzle and the North Sea is not always grey/cold and wind/gale blown; nor are gangs of drunk/drugged/fornicating/ kids roaming the streets - not all the time any way. These descriptions are repeated time and time again thoughout the book. There is no need for this once the scene is set. The story is good, although I am getting a little tired of main characters being a 'tired, troubled and tainted officer' with the usual 'promotion seeking at all costs senior officer' above him, with a number of clich'ed characters.

That all said, I did enjoy reading the story, though it did have inconsistances, however,it was really spoilt by the descriptive points mentioned above. I know it is a work of fiction and not representative of the area but the author's ire and the use of the same or similar desciptions of the place and characters intruded too often. Whitley Bay is no better or worse than many seaside towns in this country that are run down and seen better days with the need to find a new identity in the modern world. Nothing that more monet from the national pot could not fix, except demand exceeds resources available and we are well north of the North South Divide.

I note from the first few chapters of her next book 'Broken Bodies' the same desciptions are used word for word from the first book. Even "..broken vodka bottles" mentioned again. Lessons not learnt unfortunately. I would like to have read the next book in the series, but in light of the faults of this book I can not stomach it. Sad.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of this author or this series of books before, which were set in a region of England that I lived in for 14 years. I have to admit to really enjoying this book, as it moves along at quite some pace and is quite a quick read. It is quite a complex mystery, without being greatly in depth and intricate. A lot of the plot line is developed by the interaction between the main characters. The main character is quite interesting and has quite an interesting background and connections to one of the local hoodlums.

In many senses this reminded me of the Logan MacRae books by Stuart MacBride set in Aberdeen. I think this book does as much for the tourism industry in the North-East of England as the Logan MacRae books does for Aberdeen. Interestingly although it is set in the North-East of England the author is Scottish and this may explain some of the similarities in my opinion. It certainly has a flavour of some other Scottish authors too, e.g. Ian Rankin, although not in the same class! Just be aware if you read it in places some of the locals use the 'f' word a fair bit but this didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. If you enjoy a good mystery with some twists I would recommend this book, I will certainly be continuing the series.

4.5 Stars

[Avigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in the mood for a mystery-murder book, as I was looking what to read next on another bookshelf that I have some of the books that I had on my TBR before the watching booktube era. I picked it up and read the summary while reading the synopsis I had the feeling I was watching a British police TV series, and that's the mood I was in (after reading the Three Dark Crowns).
A small town nearby Newcastle where there is a lot of crime and money laundering and dirty politics. This book is part of a series that the main character is DI Jack Brandy. There is a murder of a young lady, and you find out that there are a lot of people that are involved in this murder.
It was a book that I couldn't and didn't want to put down. The last 200 pages I finished in one sitting with a small break for dinner. It is a series that you need to read in order because at the end of the book you had the four chapters of the second book of the series and there are some spoilers.
I like both the book and the writing of the author. I know that I want to continue with the series and find out what will happen with DI Brady and his ex-wife, Claudia, will DS Conrad, Brady's partner will get a promotion instead of the jackass DS Adamson that his behavior such brutal and chauvinistic behavior and treats people that owe him something because he is a copper.
Read with this book if you like British police murder mysteries, I know that the book for some people was predictable, I liked this book because it fulfilled my mood reading.

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this audiobook production and instantly started looking for more... And yes, you guessed it, there are none.

Well, not yet. Fingers crossed, because Mike Rogers did a fantastic job narrating the story as Jack Brady, and already there are two other books in the series and more planned, and I NEED THEM NOW.

[Sharon Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned - the word "cliche" is the most obvious word to describe the part that I read. After 60 pages I gave up.

[Curlyhair · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I’ve read by this author, which is the first in The DCI Jack Brady series and I quite enjoyed it. The murder case story was good and set here in NE England, an area I know quite well, so that was a plus for me. The characters, I liked too.

[Karen Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t wait to read some more of these

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is set in Whitley Bay, which is in the North East of England, and the story follows Detective Inspector Jack Brady and his team as they investigate the murder (& last movements) of Sophie Washington, whose face has been mutilated beyond recognition. During the course of the investigation a complication arises involving a friend & colleague of Brady’s who has links with the victim.
As is often typical with lead characters in crime fiction, Brady is well intentioned but at the same time he also has flaws. Brady is basically a workaholic, who drinks too much, smokes too much and has fractured personal relationships. In fact we learn that Brady’s wife left him after she caught him in bed with a colleague. We learn about Brady’s personal history and discover that he has a brother and both of them grew up on a poverty ridden and crime stricken estate in Whitley Bay. They shared their childhood with the local crime boss who was friends with the brothers. As the book says both work in crime- one on the right side of it and the other on the wrong side of it. A friendship between Brady and the gang boss arises, which initially made me question Brady’s judgement and ability to enforce the law but I soon came to realise that basically Jack Brady is a good copper. I warmed to the character of DI Brady from the start and began to see him as a loveable rogue.
I found that this book was well written and well structured. It’s true that the text can be quite descriptive but that all adds to the build up of atmosphere. In fact there are gruesome descriptions of injuries, which you need a strong stomach for but they add to the sense of realism. The author is clearly able to create drama and tense situations. At times I had to hold my breath as I felt so engrossed in the story and the drama seemed to be non stop at times. This book is full of drama, twists, turns and red herrings. I was hooked on this book from the start and really felt part of the investigating team, which to me is the sign of a fantastic writer.
I loved the fact that the book was set in the North East as I was familiar with all the places mentioned. It is true that Whitley Bay is not shown in a good light but it is how Brady sees it. He’s from the area, lives in the area & works in the area but it is almost as if he hates the town and resents it, which is why he is overly negative about Whitley Bay.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

New author to me and a solid crime drama set in the north east of England. The cop - Jack Brady - is a bit stereotypical in that he has a lot of baggage and is a bit burned out. His love life is on the rocks too. Still the story kept zipping along, the characters were interesting and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. All in all - good read!

[Beverley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broken Silence is the October book for my book club, chosen because we wanted a local read and it is set in Whitley Bay on the north east coast. The photo on the cover of the book is of the Rendezvous Café a café and ice cream parlour set almost on the beach at Whitley Bay, it is a local institution and is a lovely place to sit and people watch whilst enjoying a cuppa. The book is a police procedural concentrating on the murder of teenager Sophie Washington who is found dead near a Metro station. DI Jack Brady, a complex man who has recently suffered personal difficulties, is put in charge of her case and finds his loyalties torn.

This is a well written and easy read of a book. A classic police procedural we are thrown straight into the action when we meet Sophie in the last few moment of her life which immediately sets the scene and allows us put our Miss Marple hats on looking for clues and hints. We also very quickly meet DI Jack Brady who I really liked. He isn’t clean-cut, has divided loyalties with hints of a dark past, is a good man at heart but has had his issues. His relationship and tensions with his colleagues bubble under the surface putting an interesting spin on the standard whodunit.

There are some really big characters in this book who are well-developed. From DCI Gates who has marked Jack’s card to DS Robert Adamson an arrogant copper brought in from a nearby police station to help with the investigation each character jumps from the page within a few sentences. I really enjoyed the character development, this is the first book in a series and it was clear that some characters are going to be important in subsequent books. There are some wonderful moments of tension between Jack and Gates which adds an extra layer to the building pressure of finding Sophie’s murderer. The biggest character without a doubt is the town of Whitley Bay which I felt got a bit of a rough ride in Broken Silence. Yes it has had its problems but it is consistently billed throughout the novel as a crime and drug ridden place with prostitutes on every corner and it made me a little uncomfortable as it is a lovely town with a gorgeous coastline and is most definitely on the up.

The plot is very well crafted, with enough red herrings and twists and turns that I was kept guessing and wasn’t able to guess who the murderer was (always a good thing). It is multi-layered book which deals with a myriad of issues;crime, underage sex, relationships, alcoholism to name a few. These things never detract from the plot, in fact they add to it, making the story more complex than a bog standard police procedural. I really enjoyed these segues and I wanted to know more, Jack’s background for instance intrigues me and I really want to know more about it.

I must admit that I was a bit confused at times as this is billed as the first DI Jack Brady book but there were many references to some pretty big events in Jack’s life and it felt like I had picked up a book from midway in a series (a huge bugbear of mine). There was enough to keep my interest and intrigue me in this book to make me add the next book, Vanishing Point to my To Be Read list as I would really like to meet Jack again and see how the rest of his story pans out.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

This was just mediocre for me. I was hoping I was going to love it because it was set where I’m from, however it became apparent very quickly that the author mustn’t have been from the area. The way the author describes the local area is as if they’ve visited but not lived here because some of the descriptions are not at all how locals would describe the area.

I thought the characters were your typical crime/drama characters. The cop with a dark past, the good guy cop and the arsey boss stereotypes were very much present and although these types of characters are typical for this genre of book I wish there had been a bit more variation.

The story was alright, a bit convoluted at times and it felt like the author wanted to write about as many crimes as possible as there was 3 rather large crimes committed within one investigation, and discussions of further large crimes being committed outside of the main story. I just think it was a bit too much for one book to have so many of such serious crimes stuffed into a little under 400 pages.

It wasn’t by any means a bad book, and I would probably recommend it to people from the local area because it was nice seeing the local places in fiction writing, and genre enthusiasts.

[Lorrraine Ayling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleased I did not take notice of some of the reviews I read one in particular said she gave up after 60 pages.. I did find it slow going to start with but once it got going it was enjoyable. I did guess who the murderer was but there were other twists & turns. Will be giving book two a go soon.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was all set to give this two stars, but right before the end it suddenly got really good. I actually liked the story and kept reading because I wanted to know who had done it (I guessed before DI Brady did, but not much earlier), but a few things annoyed me.

1. Was it really necessary to keep pointing out how awful Whitley Bay is? Even towards the end the author was banging on about how it was once a bustling seaside resort but now it's totally run-down and seedy, with kids drinking and doing drugs on every corner. And just after we find out a body has been found we get this "If Conrad had said North Shields or even Shiremoor Brady would have understood but not West Monkseaton". Really? If finding bodies is a common occurrence in North Shields it's the first I've heard of it! (Also, would it have killed her to put a comma somewhere in that sentence).

2. The writing style. 90% of the book read like the author had been to a creative writing course where she was told to vary her language and then took that entirely too literally, sprinkling adjectives and adverbs like confetti. Nobody could ever just say anything. They had to demand, instruct, order or state every single time. Sometimes they even questioned sceptically, answered coolly or whispered hoarsely. Or how about this "He glanced at the one-year-old dark blue metallic BMW 5 series saloon parked in front of the electronic white garage doors, passing it to reach the white, wooden porch". I've heard of setting the scene, but really?

3. Could the main character be any more of a cliché? Think of a problem and Brady has it. He drinks too much, his wife left him after he slept with a colleague, he was injured (and almost killed) on the job (this case is his return to work), and there doesn't seem to be a character in the entire novel that he isn't somehow involved with in a way that may potentially compromise the case. Oh, and his boss hates him and wants him gone.

As I said, it did get much better when it was almost at the end, so I am hoping a lot of the problems stemmed from this being a debut novel. I was really excited to read something set in the north-east so I might give this author another go at some point.

[AvonBooksUK]

Early one cold November morning in the run-down seaside resort of Whitley Bay, the body of a young girl is discovered. Found abandoned five minutes walk from her home, her face has been mutilated beyond recognition.

DI Jack Brady, just back on active duty after recovering from a vicious shooting incident, is on the edge. Struggling to deal with his marriage break-up and his tortured past, his problems intensify when long-standing friend and colleague DI James Matthews confidentially reveals that he was with the victim the night of her murder.

Brady's loyal deputy, the clean-cut, Detective Sergeant Harry Conrad and the attractive and highly-respected police psychologist, Dr Amelia Jenkins are assigned with Brady to solve the victim's murder. But the investigation becomes increasingly compromised as Brady realises that Matthews is holding something back from him that could be vital to the case.

As Brady delves ever deeper into Sophie's life, he comes to realise that the three men who should have protected her during her short life are the chief suspects in her murder: her teacher, her step-father and a police detective.
Brady finds himself unravelling a metaphorical thread that eventually makes him re-evaluate not only the seemingly blameless life of the victim, but more disturbingly, Matthews's motivation and ultimately his own.

[Lucas den Braven · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book! If have read a lot of thrillers and detectives, and this one stands out to me. I don't know exactly why this book is so outstanding for me; maybe it is the the fact that there are a lot of stories within the story. What is going to happen with DI Brady and his ex-wife, who he desperately wants back although he also is attracted to others? Or is it the relationship between Brady and his collegue Matthews? What happened between them and why does Brady owe him? What happened in the family of the victim? And what does the local drugsdealer have to do with anything?
A lot of questions, maybe was that the reason that I had to keep reading. Can't wait for my next book in the series.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken Silence is this month’s bargain read at the Kindle English Mystery Club on Goodreads. Jack Brady is the typical train wreck of detective, marinated in drink, recovering from a shooting caused by recklessness, mourning the loss of his marriage due to his own infidelity. He is dragged into a particularly brutal case that will test his loyalties and drag up connections from his past. Themes of child abuse, secrecy, loyalty and lies are explored here as Brady, clearly a black sheep, investigates a cast of dark characters. Although the pacing seemed a little rushed, I did enjoy this one. It struck me as similar in some ways to a French mystery show I just watched The Disappeared.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danielle Ramsay writes gritty, Drama-laden crime stories set in the North East of England. The Main character is DI Jack Brady who will stop at nothing to get the job done and the crime solved. The books are very reminiscent of Ian Rankins' Rebus novels albeit with a geographical move. My main criticism is that there is a tendency to repeat the backstory of characters across the novels, which would not be a bad thing if the same words had not been used verbatim time and time again, and this can be a bit tedious.
If you like a low down gritty read - give these a go!

[Murray Studer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't figure out if Gates is a DSI or a DCI. Listening to the audiobook, which is so far an excellent story, but I'm hearing several contradictions throughout the story. The biggest one that stands out to me so far is Gate's schizophrenic rank.

Other than that, Brady and Conrad's professional relationship thus far is great, they make perfect foils for each other. The psychologist Jenkins is also a great character so far. Adams is a prick, but every police procedural needs a character like that to keep things interesting.

4/5 stars, but only because of the inconsistencies.

[Joanne Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

What a great read, it's the first one of Danielle Ramsay's books that I've read, and I will definitely be reading more.
Hard to put down, you can imagine Jack being one of those cops in a TV series who has mucked up their personal life and is married to the job, you do feel sorry for him and you can understand his behaviour, but there are 2 sides to every story.
About to start book number two of DI Jack Brady.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of this author but I'm glad I read it, as what I got was a good, gritty thriller of the sort I love. Not as gruesome or as hard hitting as Mo Hayder or Stuart MacBride but nevertheless a tale that kept me entertained to the end. I'll be looking out for more of this series featuring DI Jack Brady.

[Suzanne Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed my first introduction to Danielle Ramsay, I loved the local references and could picture exactly where the scenes were set. There were a few bits where I felt Jack Brady was a little cliched but the plot kept moving along and the final twist was good, and unexpected. All in all, a well paced crime novel to keep me guessing!

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading this author but it wont be the last.

I will admit I bought this book purely cause of where it was based as it's not very often a book is set so close to where I live.

The plot was great and I didnt see the twists coming especially at the end.

I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

[Beth Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read! I did have an idea of who the culprit was about 1/2 way through but still enjoyed the story. I like the main character and would certainly read the next in the series just to see if his life straightens out!

[Christine Dolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book. It was very cliche'd and the characters were all stereotypes. It was plotted quite well, but the story line was grim. Some authors can handle violence without it being graphic, but Ramsay can't, in my opinion. I won't be reading any more of her books.

[Nicola Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, lots of local interest too. Another new detective series for me to follow!

[Janette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a dark crime novel and the usual tortured detective. A good story though and definitely one to read more of

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a great book. One of the best I've ever read. Intelligently written from start to finish. 5 plus stars.