Does it take a corrupt detective to take down a corrupt police unit? Detective Inspector Moses Glynn – a veteran investigator with a reputation for never backing down. But when he refuses to support his colleagues after a fatal police shooting, he finds himself without a friend on the force.
Detective Constable Juliette Rock – a former Army Captain; tough, resourceful, and recently divorced … resourceful, and recently divorced after coming out to herself. She is now on the fast track within the West Midlands Police, but a fresh start appeals to her.
Paired together in the secretive intelligence unit Division 43, Moses and Rock think their first case is an open-and-shut murder, quickly arresting the son of a notoriously brutal criminal. But when detectives from another station furnish the killer with an alibi, it is clear something deeply sinister is afoot.
Before long, Moses finds elements of his past crawling out of the dark and he begins to suspect that unproven allegations against him are the real reason he was chosen for this case.
As Moses and Rock delve into the symbiotic worlds of organized crime and police corruption, they must survive a shadowy underworld, colleagues willing to commit murder to protect themselves, and a history that Moses strives to conceal from everyone, including his new partner.
Their greatest strength might just be what tears them apart – that neither will ever back down.
Fractured Shadows is the first book in a new British crime series for fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk, and even the BBC TV shows Luther and Line of Duty. Pick up your copy today.
Moses and Rock Novels in order:
Fractured Shadows
No New Purpose
Persecution of Lunacy
more
An interesting concept of a new police department set up to root out deep corruption wherever it can be found, and equipped with more powers and facilities than other departments.
The story starts with two new members of the team Glynn Moses and Juliet Rock arriving, but not knowing what the department actually does, they are paired up to look into a murder, but find by the end of the day that the culprit suddenly has an alibi from a police team.
Moses and Rock both have rather a lot of baggage, Moses was a bent copper who turned his old boss in, and escaped charges himself, while Rock was in the army and punched her C.O. but both are very passionate about justice.
The story continues with Moses and Rock slowly coming to terms with each other, and learning about their respective stories all the while trying to get evidence against the group of bent cops.
There is a lot of detail in the story, and the characters are generally well described and believable, there is also quite a lot of violence, not gratuitous, but it does get a bit gory in a few places. There is also a lot of excitement.
However, I found the writing style was not quite to my taste, for a couple of reasons, firstly there is a lot of scene setting and it took me ages to actually get in to the story and secondly I found the prose to be written in a very staccato manner and so lacked flow, for me this made it rather tricky to read.
To sum up this book has a clever and fairly original plot, the characters are good, it very exciting, but rather gory in a few places and is definitely a slow starter with prose that could be much easier to read.
I am looking forward to reading book two to see if any of the issues have been resolved in that.
I received a complimentary copy of the book, but have voluntarily written this honest review.
I’ve already devoured all the books in AD Davies’ Alicia Friend and Adam Park series’, so I was very excited to get started on this new series.
It started off a bit slow, but kept getting more interesting and suspenseful as I kept reading. Moses and Rock are such an interesting pair! They are so different – a big black guy from Wales of Caribbean ancestry and a tough, no-nonsense redhead female former military captain who stood up to sexism and started a new career in law enforcement. They are both newbies to Division 43 and thrown together on a case weeding out corruption in the force. There is a lot of plot development introducing the characters’ backgrounds and of them building a trusting partnership, so you feel like you really get acquainted with each of them. There’s also a good look into their various antagonists as well, and there is a lot of dark and shady stuff going on. As an American it’s always interesting to read law enforcement stories set in other countries, because you realize most places cops don’t just always carry guns everywhere. Interesting to see the different way they handle things.
Anyways, without giving spoilers, you might think you know what’s going on, but as in usual fashion this author will surprise you! Starts to pick up mid way through as more variables and evidence come in to play, and definitely picks up the action. Already can’t wait for the next book!
This was a very good, very well-written, and suspenseful novel for police-procedural and mystery lovers. I couldn’t stop reading it. Every time I would get to the end of a chapter, I would tell myself, “You really need to put this down, get to bed, and get some sleep!” But I didn’t listen to that voice of reason, because I just wanted so badly to see Moses and Rock succeed in their investigation. They were a somewhat unlikely pair to be teamed up together, but they really complemented one another. The action was non-stop and exciting from start to finish, and I recommend it highly. I’m not sure why it is categorized as an HGBT Mystery…I didn’t notice any of the characters fit into this genre…maybe the author, maybe some of his other novels fit this category? Anyway, overall, I liked the book, and applaud Mr. Davies, and thank him for providing me with an advanced copy. Hope there will be more Moses and Rock novels in the future.
I really enjoyed it. It had a lot of suspenseful twists and turns and it kept me reading until I finished it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Outstanding police procedural…
NO SPOILERS HERE. This first-in-series book kicks off with some interesting and multi-dimensional characters, Detective Inspector Moses Glynn and Detective Constable Juliette Rock, getting their inaugural case assignment with Division 43, a little known but well-equipped and high-powered intelligence branch of the police charged with investigating and squelching corruption at whatever level it is found. As would be expected when two people of dissimilar backgrounds and experiences are thrown together and tasked with achieving a specific goal, differences of opinion are inevitable and frequent. Against this backdrop of a new and unfamiliar work environment, a burgeoning new partnership, and each detective’s personal life issues, a complex case unfolds involving murder and police corruption on a mind-blowing scale. This story offers some amazing action, an original and meticulously cultivated plot, captivating twists and turns, and uncommonly vivid character development all while delivering a gritty and provocative police procedural which kept me turning pages late into the night. I loved that the author was able to convey a rather convoluted plot in such a way that it flowed smoothly and was easy to follow despite its complexity. I think the story and writing style will appeal to fans of Michael Connelly and James Patterson and I know I will certainly be eagerly anticipating more adventures with these remarkable and memorable characters.
I was provided with an advance copy of this book and I am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.