Unfortunately, not my cup of tea - which is a pity, because some parts are quite good (for example the story of Donna, the unstable teenager). The genre of the novel is noir - and while the grimy part is quite grimy, there is something missing in the buildup of the atmosphere - maybe because I found it diffucult to connect with the characters? The premise is good, but a good editor could help the story to move without unnecessary turns here and there.
But this is a debut novel and I find the author having some good writing skills, too - so, fingers crossed for the next novel!

A dark, thrilling detective novel set in Southend, Essex. I like how it's written in three parts and it definitely held my attention. This was an excellent debut. Looking forward to more.

A page turner that pulls you in from the first moment. Very well written, Burned and Broken is one book you won't want to put down.

A man trapped in a car who was then burnt to death and disfigured so badly he was unrecognisable was a good start to this novel. We're then taken back a few days to the time before the death, introduced to the two main characters, DS Frank Pearson and DC Cat Russell (who both have their own issues to resolve) and given another story line, running alongside, about a young girl who'd recently left the care system who was trying to find answers about her friend's death. So far, so good, but unfortunately I felt the book lost something in the middle and I found myself wondering whether I was bothered about finishing it. I'm pleased I did because the end was good. I was looking forward to reading this book because from the description it looked to be one I'd really enjoy but I'm afraid at times it fell a little short of my expectations. However, as it's the first in a series I think there's a lot for the author to build on.

A very good debut novel from Mark Hardie. Great start to writing this new crime series set in Southend On Sea. One negative, i never really got the atmosphere of the setting but the prologue just hooked you in from the beginning. Look forward to more from Mark Hardie. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

We start this book with a death. A burnt out car has been found with a body in it. The body turns out to be DI Sean Carragher. We then rewind a few days and follow Donna as she tries to get to the bottom of what happened to her friend. Deemed accident by the police, she believes there was foul play. We also find out that DI Carragher is being investigated for amongst other things, corruption. His colleagues are being interviewed as he has gone a bit AWOL. Back in the present day, DI Frank Pearson and DS Cat Russell are investigating DI Carragher's death. And then it all gets a bit complicated. Are the two cases intertwined? Why was Carragher killed? and what really happened to Donna's friend?
Blooming heck, this was so interconnected that Dirk Gently himself would have been very impressed. That said, despite its complicated nature, I did find it relatively easy to read. I managed to follow all the threads as they twisted, turned, converged, diverged and just meandered along. Pacing was good. After the shocking start, it settled down nicely and went along at a nice steady pace increasing as more information was divulged, taking the investigations up a notch and slowing down as the investigations stalled a while. Kinda reflected real life a bit in that respect. It also went quite deeply into some pretty heavy and important topics. Definitely character driven.
Characterisation was excellent. The majority were well described and easy to connect to / emote with in some way. Crucial for a good read. I wasn't overly keen on some of the police to be honest. but I did really feel for Donna. I think that DI Pearson and DS Russell will grow on me in time which I guess is a good thing being as this is actually their series opener. They are a bit chalk and cheese but I think they complement each other well.
I also liked the way that the books was presented in three parts. Part one being the backstory, part two the investigation and part three the reveal and explanation. We also heard from several of the characters, often the same scene from more than one pov. I found that this fitted the storyline very well. I wonder if this structure will continue in subsequent books.
The story, once unravelled, left me reeling. There really was a little bit of everything in this book. So much so that it could have been overwhelming but the author managed to keep all of his juggling balls in the air quite nicely. As I got towards the end of the book, as the truth was starting to emerge, it became so much more than just who killed Carragher and what happened to Donna's friend. It almost became more about the stuff on the periphery; what was going on around the edges rather than just about solving the crimes.
All in all, a good solid series opener. I would be very interested to see how the author follows this pretty good debut.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a good, fast read. The opening is definitely gripping. I think there is a lot of potential here so future books will be worth a look.

DC Cat Russell is trying to protect her boss, DI Sean Carragher, even though it appears he may have been a dirty cop. She’s loyal to the man she works with, although she has no idea why he hasn’t reported to work. The answer comes when Carragher is found dead inside a burned out car. Was he eliminated by some of the criminal element he was purported to be working with? Cat teams up with DS Frank Pearson, a man with problems and secrets of his own to try to find out what happened to her former boss. Their trail will lead to the foster cars system, an apparent suicide and some very ugly truths. A gritty noir mystery that, while bleak, is hard to put down