Shattered Justice

Susan Furlong

Dec 2019 · A Bone Gap Travellers Novel Book 3 · Kensington Books

About this ebook

In the Appalachian town of Bone Gap, Tennessee, backwoods justice is more than just blind. It’s swift, silent, and shockingly personal. Especially for Irish Traveller turned deputy sheriff Brynn Callahan . . .
 
“Hear No Evil.”
 
The first message is found in a playground. A few feet away, a  pair of human ears hang from the monkey bars. Deputy sheriff Brynn Callahan isn’t sure what to make of this grisly scene. Do the ears belong to a murder victim? And if so, where is the body? One thing Brynn is sure of: the earring on one of the earlobes belongs to a man she met at a party the previous night.  . .
 
“Speak No Evil.”
 
The second message is discovered next to a human tongue on a park pavilion. Once again, no body is found. Brynn can’t help but wonder if the crimes are rooted in the town’s long-simmering tensions between Bone Gap locals and the barely tolerated Travellers who’ve settled there.
 
“See No Evil.”
 
For Brynn, the investigation hits too close to home—forcing her to confront the demons of her own past. But time is running out. Brynn has to track down the culprit before a third message is delivered—and a third victim is claimed. Rich, atmospheric, and brilliantly chilling, Shattered Justice is the third Bone Gap Travellers novel from the acclaimed author of Splintered Silence and Fractured Truth.


“Brynn Callahan is the gutsy heroine of Susan Furlong’s gritty series, a real find, if you ask me. The thickly forested setting is gorgeous, once you look past the armed militia encampments pitched in the woods. And the locals are just quirky enough to make you forget they can also be dangerous. But the sturdy wildflower in this treacherous terrain is Brynn, who lives with a dog named Wilco, ‘once the best damn HRD (human remains detection) dog in the entire Middle Eastern conflict.’ The question is, are these two veterans tough enough to survive on the home front?”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Furlong carefully interlaces the two story lines as they come together in an unexpected and nail-biting resolution…Readers will hope Brynn and Wilco will be back soon.” 
—Publishers Weekly
 
“A harrowing portrait of addiction, prejudice, and redemption neatly encapsulated in a guileful mystery.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 

Ratings and reviews

Shattered Justice by Susan Furlong is the third A Bone Gap Travellers Novel. I have not read the other books in this series and I did feel I was missing important details especially at the beginning of the story. I picked up Shattered Justice because I enjoyed the author’s A Novel Idea Mystery series (written as Lucy Arlington). Shattered Justice is not what I expected. I like that Brynn Callahan is a veteran along with her dog, Wilco. They both suffered injuries in an explosion and, understandably, have PTSD. Poor Wilco suffers from nightmares as does Brynn who has been self-medicating with large quantities of alcohol and pain pills. If Brynn wants to keep her job, she need to give up both and begin attending AA meetings. I was not a fan of Brynn. My main reason is she feels she can take the law into her own hands (plus her addictions, attitude, etc.—felt like a cliched character). It was interesting to learn about the Irish Travellers or Pavee as they prefer to be called. It is a terrible shame that people are prejudiced against them because of their heritage. The mystery was complex with active investigating. I liked the action which helped propel the book forward which was helpful since the pacing was slow. The mystery can be solved before all the clues are revealed. As the law enforcement professionals uncover evidence, there are some descriptions that are best not read while eating (fair warning). Shattered Justice does contain graphic violence along with foul language and spousal abuse. My favorite character in the story is Wilco. I found him to be sweet and courageous. It is amazing what dogs can accomplish with training. As you can tell, Shattered Justice was not a good fit for me. Shattered Justice is a grim, tension filled story with a disturbed killer, surprising secrets, a clever canine, the amazing Appalachian, a dogged deputy, and a caring granddaughter.

Shattered Justice by Susan Furlong Bone Gap Travellers #3 Well done addition to the series that sees Brynn Callahan wrestling with demons that are not easy to beat. She and her dog, Wilco, were together when they were injured by an IED, both suffer flashabacks and PTSD and they rely on one another to remain grounded when triggers are pulled. Brynn has grown up in the Traveller/Pavee community but straddles the cultures of her childhood and those they called The Settled. She has suffered and seen much with loyalty sometimes divided between her “people” and the people she works with. She has coping mechanisms that have caused her boss to require her to attend AA whether she thinks she needs to or not and that is a deeply embedded bit of her life and also it would seem of the Pavee. This is a murder mystery but it is so much more! What I liked: * The telling of the story – hooked me and kept me interested * The sense of family being there for one another * Brynn – flawed and damaged as she is * Wilco – a K-9 companion in more ways than one – a dog that will not give up...just like the woman he lives with * The twists and turns and surprises * The slow revelation of who everyone was and what they had been doing * The men who care for Brynn...even when she doesn’t realize it * Wondering what will happen to Brynn in the future and how she will get her life together – I really hope she does * Hoping it won’t be a LONG time till book four comes out What I didn’t like: * The bad guys I was meant not to like * The prejudice and bigotry that exists in life and in this story * The grim reality of the lives of some of the people in the story What I want to know: * More about the private militia – Viper seems to be a person that might be interesting to hear more about * How Brynn will get her act together * What will happen to some of the women Travellers mentioned in this book * What will happen next Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review. 5 Stars

About the author

Susan Furlong launched her Bone Gap Travellers series with the acclaimed novel Splintered Silence. She is the author of several previous novels and a contributor to the New York Times bestselling Novel Idea series, under the pen name Lucy Arlington. Raised in North Dakota, she graduated from Montana State University. She and her family live in central Illinois. Visit her on Facebook or at www.susanfurlong.com.