Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Carla Kovach for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

The Broken Ones by Carla Kovach is the eighth book in the DI Gina Harte series. I haven’t read the previous books, but that wasn’t a problem as it can be read and enjoyed perfectly as a standalone.

From the very beginning I was hooked. It’s well written, fast-paced and full of suspense - with twists and turns aplenty and more red herrings than you can shake a stick at!
The wintery setting really adds to the creepy atmosphere of the story.
The diverse characters are likeable and well developed. I never guessed the identity of the killer, which is a huge plus point for me. A real edge of your seat read.

Just fabulous - one of the best books I’ve read this year.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, unputdownable crime thriller, this is the book for you.
I would highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Broken Ones by Carla Kovach is the 8th book in the Gina Harte series. I have not read them all, but am working through the backlist. These books can be read as standalone stories, but as I enjoy them, I recommend you read them from the beginning.

Amber Slater is a university student that is well liked by everyone. She heads out on a Friday night to meet a man she has met on AppyDate. She is not seen again until her body is found Monday morning in a river at the park, stabbed in the heart with ligature marks and her lips glued shut. What happened to her during those hours? DI Gina Harte and her team work the case and it is an odd one. The killer is also a stalker and you know this will not be his last victim. As the case heats up, there are suspects everywhere. So many people are lying and Gina and her team have to determine why. When another woman goes missing, it is a race against the clock to figure our where she is being held before she ends up dead.

This is a suspenseful police procedural that kept me guessing. Every person they question reveals more information, clues and lies. Are these people the culprit or are they hiding something else? Which lead do you follow up on? If you pick the wrong one are you wasting time? I like the police team in this one, all of them. They relate well to each other and work great together. They are one big family, which is important when you spend that much time together and are often involved in life or death situations. There is also the on again/off again relationship between Gina and Briggs to add some secrets in the department as well. This story also has some messages to it. The results of bullying, neglect, and abuse, especially by family members, can cause damage to the psyche and personality that can often cause serious anti-social behaviour and mental illness. This caused me to feel very sad at the end of this story.

Overall, this was a police procedural with some tense moments, twists and several suspects. If you enjoy a mystery, a thriller or a police procedural, then I recommend this book to you

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Carla Kovach for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Carla Kovach does it again, she just seems to get better. The DI Harte series is one of my absolute favourites and they just continue to get better. Another gripping page-turning thriller from start to finish!

I have found another great crime series to read. Typical I started with book 8 but it just means I have 7 books to get through this week!!

The broken ones follows the work of DI Gina Harte as she investigates the murder of a local student. A dating app seems to be the centre of the crime but she cannot work our the motive. When another student is attacked and a woman is kidnapped, Gina is forced to go back to the begining and work out what she missed.

Gina is a hot mess and I love her. She clearly has a bad past and as I haven't read the first 7 books I can only infer from information that is provided. However her history seems to motivate her need to problem solve. She is further motivated to solve the crime as she finds herself picturing her daughter as a victim, she knows only to well how easy it can be.
She is also dealing with feelings towards her DCI Briggs, there's clearly a history there but no idea what!

We also follow the killer in first person entries. I really loved how they did it. He mentions how he locked eyes with one of the officers for a little to long and then every suspect does the same I had no idea who did what. I loved that we knew his rationale quite early on, so as I read I was screaming at the book this is his m.o. !!! However it progresses nicely. The way in which he narrates comes off a but creepy but in a serial killer way! I wanted to know who it was!

We also follow Megan who is one of the victims. I quite liked her unreliable narrative of events. If your friend told you the suspicions she had you would think they were going mad!! But I enjoyed her chapters as well. Her chapters help to break up the intensity of the investigation.

The narrative is well written and very descriptive. I felt like I was there half the time. The way the car park is described is fantastic and it brought me into the scene. I would say this book isn't for the faint hearted, it's a tad gory but I felt that is more for shock purpose than graphic purposes. I have a strong stomach but even I found a few bits shock me but I loved it!!


Do you enjoy crime thrillers? If you answered yes give this a read. It is book 8 so be smarter than me and start with book 1! I must say it can easily be read as a stand alone book though! If you like Katerina Diamond's Grey's and Mile's series you will love this I promise. I am happy to rate this book 5 stars I couldn't put it down
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Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publishers for the free advanced digital copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinion. 5 stars easy

As with Their Silent Graves, you needn't have to read all the earlier books in the series to get into this one. However, if you have read the earlier books, you'll find that The Broken Ones is equally enthralling and suspenseful.

Amber, a missing student is murdered and her lips cruelly sealed with super glue. Who could have committed this heinous crime? There are suspects aplenty. Could the killer be the girl's professor, the barman at the place she was supposed to meet her date that evening or could it be the creepy man who discovered her body?

Detective Inspector Gina Harte and her team start to follow up on all the leads. But before they can solve the crime, another girl is missing, suspected kidnapped.

One of the possible ways that the perpetrator is connecting with these girls is via a dating app - a place where people let their guard down. I liked that the importance of cyber safety was underlined in this story.

In a clever bit of writing, all through the book, there is a parallel story being told by the perpetrator - someone with a terrible past and a twisted mind. He sets his sights on the women members of the police team too.

The reader is led down a winding path with clues popping up, only to turn out to be dead ends. It was only when the case was solved could I relax from reading this frightening and so possibly true story.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the inner workings of the police team, including the ongoing romantic interest between Gina and DCI Briggs. The humanness of the cops as shown in Kovach's books make her stories even more real.

Carla Kovach's writing is certainly highly recommended by me. If you like psychological thrillers, do check out this book and the entire series.

Wow! What a crazy roller coaster ride. This was an amazing book that grabbed me from the beginning and refused to let go. Never a dull moment with Carla Kovach in the writers chair! I loved the tension build up and pace, the great characters, the layout of the storyline and every twist and turn. She hits it out of the park again!
Do yourself a favor and pick up this deliciously dark thriller.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the eighth book in the Detective Gina Harte police procedural series set in Warwickshire, England but don't let that put you off - I believe it would still work well as a standalone - it is another enthralling, edge of your seat addition to this fabulous series.

When a missing student is found murdered, with her lips super glued together, there's no shortage of potential perpetrators. When another student manages to escape an attempted kidnapper the stakes become higher. However, bringing the killer to justice will need DI Gina Harte and her team to follow all the leads but will also prove to be a race against time as someone they know is abducted, presumably by the same perpetrator. . . . but what role does the dating app the women all were using have to do with the events? Could the killer be using it to select his victims?

This is an intriguing investigation with plenty of distractions caused by people being guilty of other offences and not being truthful to the police. It highlights the need for the internet safety message that schools have been trying to encourage for decades - you never really know who you are talking to on such online forums and apps so should always beware of placing yourself in danger. (Sorry, that has been something I've warning children and their parents about for years!). I certainly didn't identify the perpetrator until near the end despite his viewpoint being shared throughout the story and there being plenty of clues when you think back about what happened. It is a fascinating, frightening story which also shares insights into the relationships of the police team and the fraught relationship Gina is involved in - that definitely keeps us guessing if anything can ever develop for them! Another superb story from Carla Kovach and a great addition to the series.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

OMG - This book is absolutely bloody incredible

When well - liked university student Amber disappears on the way to catch the bus to work, DI Gina Harte and her team find themselves investigating a complex case that has multiple suspects and more dead ends than a maze. When Amber's dead body is discovered in a local park and then another girl goes missing, the team race against time to uncover the identity of a cunning killer. But as they search for answers they are unaware that the killer has some members of the team under observation and is patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to carry out their plans.

The vast majority of this gripping story concentrated on the team's investigation throughout which only the reader was aware that a member of the team was being watched by the mysterious, twisted killer. The author had cleverly ramped up the suspense and intensity by manipulating the reader into believing that more than one team member was being targeted. Gina Harte and her team were a really likeable bunch of individuals who each had their own unique personalities and character traits. I loved the banter and camaraderie between the team members,they worked really well together and each member was given the opportunity to contribute their own personal input to the investigation. The author had included enough background information to give the team members dimension but not so much that it bogged down the main story. The plot included updates on the on going drama between Gina and DCI Chris Briggs. But,who was being targeted by the killer and will the rest of the team be able to figure out their location before time runs out?.

Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that were voiced from the perspective of the twisted,sadistic killer and gave the reader a insight into their thoughts and justifications for their actions.

Omg...wow,just Wow, I loved this well written,addictive,intense,gripping thriller,it's fast paced,packed full of twists and turns,kept me guessing and had me captivated and glued to my kindle. The chapters were short and snappy and many ended in a way that gave me a very bad case of just one more chapter syndrome. The author has created a fantastic cast of recurring characters,individuals that worm their way into your heart and make you care about them. Although this is the eighth book in a series,it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. I really enjoyed this book and I would give it more than five stars if I could. This is definitely one of my favourite reads of this year so far. Very very highly recommended

"She's out there and if she won't come willingly, I will take her and I will transform her, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly."

Detective Gina Harte and her team are back. This time they are investigating the kidnapping and murder of Amber Slater after her body was found in a local park with her lips glued shut. As they interview those who knew her they begin to suspect the killer might have used a dating app to target and track his victim. And when he snatches another young girl, the team finds themselves up against the clock in a race to find their culprit before he can silence her too forever.

This series was one of my first new discoveries after joining NetGalley and Bookstagram and I always look forward to coming back to these books. It’s like catching up with an old friend, just with a side order of murder. And after a week of being unable to read due to illness, this book was just what I needed to get my mojo back.

One of my favourite things is when a thriller tells you the story from the killer’s point of view and once again the author has done this perfectly, crafting a disturbing, sinister and eerie antagonist who I would definitely want to avoid on the street. Reading as he hunted for his perfect woman and then stalked her, all while she was completely unaware that he was about to pounce, made the suspense soar. I liked that the author toyed with us and brought Gina and her team into the fray as potential victims. The tension couldn’t have been higher and I was on the edge of my seat hoping that she wouldn’t kill off a much-loved character.

The author keeps the reader on their toes through an abundance of suspects, curve balls and red herrings that make it impossible to predict what will happen next and who is behind the kidnappings. The scenes from the adductor and his victim’s perspective ramped up the tension and Gina’s frustration and fear was palpable as she worried they wouldn’t identify the culprit in time to save his latest victim.

Captivating, addictive and sizzling with tension, this crime series shows no signs of slowing down. Carla knocks it out of the park with every book and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.

The Broken Ones by Carla Kovach is the eighth book in the Detective Gina Harte series. It is easily read as as a standalone, but Gina is one of them women that you will really connect and empathise with if you read them chronologically, that is only my opinion. This cover is absolutely amazing, if I wasn't already Gina Harte obsessed this would make me want to red it as wella
This book is written in third person which I really enjoy as you get the bigger picture and get more overview. You can also get to know the characters better in my mind.
We meet Amber, a university student who is getting ready to go out to meet a guy from a dating site. She could never imagine the outcome, even if she tried.
DI Gina Harte takes the call when Amber doesn't arrive back, as she is taking details she gets a notification of a body being found. It becomes apparant that Amber definitely won't get back home. Gina is on the investigation but is unable to discover anything that happened after Amber went to catch her bus. Noone can say a bad word against Amber, there are no witnesses, nothing. There ARE secrets though and when another student goes missing Gina realises she has a mammoth task. One in which she is up against a killer and she is on her own with noone willing to come forward to help. Will she manage to beat the clock in the race to stop more deaths?

I have a few Go-To authors and Carla Kovach has been on my list since before the first Gina Harte book. She writes an excellently plotted and highly entertaining story. Her characters are so real to me now. I always love returning back to see what Gina is up to, she feels like a friend! Right from book number one I have connected with her, she has had her ups and downs of which we witness a few in this instalment. The setting for The Broken Ones is made even more tense with the type of weather as well.
A brilliant read, again from Carla Kovach and I am just so glad the series is going from strength to strength! I cannot wait for the next outing of Gina, I really do miss her inbetween books, Carla really can't write fast enough for me!
Thanks so much to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book

This is the 8th book in the DI Gina Harte crime thriller series so don't tackle this until you've read the others. Gina is with the Cleevesford Police and this installment continues with the team that includes her sometime lover, DCI Chris Briggs. Gina has a complicated backstory that he is privy to but they can't seem to establish a real relationship for the usual reasons that include jumping to erroneous conclusions and miscommunication.

This installment starts with the discovery of a murdered girl, Amber Slater, in a park lake. Amber's neighbor in the apartment complex where they live, Lauren Sandiford, had reported her missing when she hadn't returned from a dinner meeting she had set up on a dating site called AppyDater. As they begin the investigation, question witnesses, haul in suspects, and examine scant evidence, another girl who looks very similar to Amber is attacked in the car park at a local hospital. Although Madison escapes the attempted abduction, the police are concerned about the connection between the two women and feel they are hunting for a man who has a type of woman he wants. When one of their own team disappears without a trace, Gina and her team step up the pace knowing that they must find her before it's too late. NO SPOILERS.

OK. Well, another crime thriller that evokes all the familiar tropes in this genre. There are certainly a lot of serial killers and crazy people in this area and the author dangles plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. I did think the motive for this killer was a bit thin and I found the story less than compelling. All the details involved in a police procedural described each step of the investigation although it seems that this far into the series there should be murders that don't involve dead women and serial killers. I think after awhile even the best characters wear out and it's time to move on. Maybe it's just me, tired of female detective series that all seem interchangeable with only the setting being different. Yes, I've grown with these team members, but I didn't find the same suspense or a fresh, unique case in this one. I haven't decided if I'm done with Gina Harte, but I never found the level of tension and surprise with the reveal of the perpetrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. Fans of Gina Harte will want to read this one and keep up with the series.

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Broken Ones’ by Carla Kovach in exchange for an honest review.

This is the eighth in her D.I. Gina Harte series of police procedurals set in the fictional Midlands town of Cleevesford. To date I have read all but one of the earlier books though background is always provided for readers new to the series.

Bookouture has provided quite a long summary that I won’t reproduce. Basically following the murder of a popular university student there are plenty of suspects as Gina and her team investigate. There are also some chilling chapters written from the murderer’s perspective.

Once more Carla Kovach has written a solid, fast paced police procedural with some interesting twists and a few teasing red herrings along the way.

As always I enjoyed this very much and highly recommend both this novel and the overall series. Roll on Book 9!

Another police procedural with a tense and gritty storyline. I love police procedurals but I think with the amount that’s being published every day and how much of them I read, everything feels a bit repetitive, formulaic, and even forced. This has everything that a thriller and a police procedural should have, interesting plot, gripping mystery, twists, and a perfect balance of personal stories of the detectives running in the background (although you need to be aware of it a bit from the previous books otherwise it just disrupts the flow of the main story), but still for some reason, this just did not click with me and I had to push through to get to the end. But mostly I'm just going to put blame it on the fact that I'm an avid reader of this genre, it takes a bit more for me to swoon over it. I think a new reader or someone who does not often this genre is bound to love it. It gets a bit dramatic at the end and I could see how it was going to turn up, like I said, very formulaic, but I think this should look very good on a screen :)

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture publishers, and the author for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Book 8 in the fantastic Gina Harte series.

I was totally hooked and read it in two sittings. The plot was creepy and had plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing til the very end.

Loved it and can't wait for the next one.

Book 8 in the Gina Harte series is every bit as good as the previous 7 have been. It is full of suspense, great character development and an interesting, fast paced plot to catch a killer. There are plenty suspects but I found Gina and the team playing a catch up game, just a bit tedious although I enjoyed the insight into the mind of the killer. it's a quick, easy read which I would recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. I am a huge fan of Gina Harte so I was very excited to see what the next installment held.

This case had so many dead ends and false starts. No one told the damn truth about anything so I was suspicious of almost everyone. I was tense for pretty much the whole book. This person lived in the shadows and in plain sight. He seems pretty normal on the surface. But like Gina says so do a lot of killers. If I was still a young girl living alone I think this book would have seriously creeped me out. The stalking and the tricks he played on these characters by the killer make me shiver.

Carla did an excellent job of holding me in suspense. The story is well thought out and the fast pace was perfect. I felt like I was in that station and almost part of the team. I was as invested as they were in the case.

This was a tense but thrilling ride and I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is not only a gritty thriller the the investigation is ran but a great team of police. The characters are likeable and its an easy read. I would recommend.

Amber Slater is a university student living in a small flat. She works hard studying and enjoys the friendship of other student friends. She recently joined a dating app and tonight is heading out to catch a bus and meet someone for dinner. Just outside her door, she disappears. She is found a couple days later face down in a lake in the park. She had been stabbed in the chest. Who killed this bright, young girl?

DI Gina Harte and her friend, DC Paula Wyer, have worked together for some time. When Amber is found, they are right on the case. Many people are questioned and they are trying to discover clues.

Madison is studying to be a nurse. Her great-grandmother has some health issues so Madison spends as much time as she can helping to care for the woman whom she loves dearly. Madison’s friends are all taken with the new dating app and one friend jokingly puts it on her phone. When she gets a call that her grandmother has fallen and been taken to the emergency room, she hurries over to see her. As she goes to get her car to take her home, she is attacked but manages to fight the man off. She survives her injuries.

Now, Jhanvi Kapoor, another detective has gone missing and Gina, Paula, and the entire police department is searching for her. Could she be another victim of this murderer?

This is a very intense, edge of the seat book. The descriptions are top-notch and I could feel the cold even here in sunny Florida. The author gave us clues but even then I couldn't guess the bad person. Well done and three cheers for “Mrs. O” and the treats she made for the detectives. What a dear woman.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wow, this series just keeps getting better with every book. A great story with many twists which kept me guessing till the end. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Yes I sometimes will read this author for the slow burn romance between Briggs and Gina Harte. This one though caught my eye and I love the cover.

What did I like! From the first book in this series I will gladly pick up this author’s work with DCI thrillers. A new genre that has me picking up books left and right with the DCI title. The horror of the murder and the way Harte finagled the investigation just sucks you in!

Would I recommend or buy? Yes, I’ve missed a couple but I will eventually buy these for my shelf! On my list of wish to have. I would recommend to anyone who loves DCI’s or thriller mystery reads! Definitely recommend the series! Five stars!

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review!