The Unbroken by Alex Caan #BookReview #BlogTour

Millie didn’t get time to think, her screams loud and raw as she kicked and fought. She called out for Oscar, again and again, screaming for help.

But he never came.

It was the wedding of the year. Millie Beaumont marrying billionaire playboy Oscar Hayat, the eyes of the world watching.

But the dream turns into a nightmare when Millie and Oscar are brutally abducted while on honeymoon. Millie is killed, her body dumped in London. Oscar is still missing …

Enter DS Moomy Khan and DI Sarah Heaton - not your typical police officers. Moomy is running from her own troubled past, while Sarah is having to live with the hard choices she has made. Yet they will stop at nothing to find Millie’s murderers and track down Oscar. Only a family as high profile as the Hayats have enemies lurking in every corner - have they
taken the ultimate revenge, or is someone else behind the death and kidnapping?

And can Moomy and Sarah find Oscar - before time runs out and he suffers the same fate as his wife?

The first book in the gripping, fast-paced new Khan and Heaton crime series, The Unbroken will thrill fans of A.A. Dhand, Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza.

It's such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Unbroken today. Many thanks to Alex Caan, Hera Books and Sarah Hardy from BOTBS Publicity for inviting me and for my advance digital copy of the novel, received through Netgalley.

I've read enough crime novels to know that it doesn't usually matter too much if a reader doesn't start with the first book in a series but equally, I'm also aware that to really appreciate the development of the characters, it is advisable to read from the beginning if possible and I think this will most definitely be true for Alex Caan's new series featuring DS Moomy Khan and DI Sarah Heaton. As the first book, there is necessarily a certain amount of scene setting but far from detracting from the plot, I found the inclusion of the two main characters' back stories to be absolutely fascinating and written in such a way to give me a clear indication of who these women are while also holding enough back to ensure I'm eager to discover more.
The juxtaposition between Moomy and Sarah is particularly striking; the former having turned her back on her Muslim upbringing while the latter has chosen to convert to Islam - with severe ramifications for their relationships with both their families. Moomy has an unexpected introduction to the storyline which immediately suggests that she is most definitely not a run-of-the-mill detective. Indeed, there are points within the novel where I couldn't help but wonder how she manages to keep her job. She is insubordinate and inappropriate - and I loved her! As the story progresses, we learn more about her background and why she feels such hatred towards her family. It's a familiar enough yet still shocking tale of control and coercion in the name of family and faith and one that reflects the reality for any number of women.
Sarah's experience of Islam is in direct contrast to this, revealing the comfort and succour that faith gives to some people, with the ritual observance of prayers grounding her at the moments where she most needs the support. However, her conversion has also led to personal difficulties and this is something I'm very much looking forward to being expanded upon further in later books, particularly given that her father and half-sister have such wildly differing beliefs. Moomy and Sarah's individual experiences could have divided them but somehow the partnership works with each leaning on the other as the case they are investigating stirs up painful memories for both.
The third woman of the storyline is Millie Beaumont who also found herself at odds with family, although in this case it's the one she marries into which may hold the clues to why she is tragically murdered, shortly after her high profile marriage to Oscar Hayat. As Sarah and Moomy investigate her death they are given a glimpse into the murky underworld of the seriously wealthy. With chapters which give us a tantalising insight into a few of the Hayat family's thoughts, it's never obvious whether any of them are ultimately responsible for Millie's death but it is only too evident that they will do anything possible to protect their way of life, and they have the money, power and influential associates to do just that. There are dark secrets and scandals just waiting to be discovered here but Moomy and Sarah need to figure out which are important to the case and which are just further examples of a corrupt, privileged lifestyle.
The red herrings and cliffhangers at the end of chapters meant I couldn't put the book down and read The Unbroken in just a few hours. I love novels with a strong, well-written character-driven narrative and that's exactly what I was given here, with the various motivations behind the actions of the characters being explored with insight and authenticity throughout. The Unbroken is a compelling police procedural and an excellent introduction to a new series. I am excited to discover what lies in store for Moomy and Sarah next, especially after the intriguing epilogue...

The Unbroken is published by Hera Books and can be purchased from Amazon UK, Amazon US and Kobo.

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.

About the Author

Alex Caan has spent over a decade working in Information Systems Security for a number of government organisations, and is currently specialising in Terrorism Studies. A lifetime passion for writing was sparked by the encouraging words of an English Teacher in school, and eventually led to Alex successfully completing an MA in Creative Writing, and write Cut to the Bone.

Cut to the Bone has been a Kindle Number 1 bestseller, was picked as a WH Smith ‘Everyone’s Talking About’ book of the week, chosen as Sainsbury’s best of summer reads and was Angela Marson’s pick for crime novel recommendation of the year. Alex Caan was also a rising star on Amazon in 2016.

First to Die, the shocking sequel to Cut to the Bone, was released June 14th 2018.

Alex then took a different direction for his next novel, writing as Alex Khan, for the scandalous Bollywood Wives, which was another Kindle Number 1 bestseller.

His latest novel is The Unbroken, which is released in March 2020.
Twitter  Facebook