Review – The Broken Pines by Chris Riley @ChrisRiley306 #suspense #thriller
Synopsis
After Kenny’s wife dies suddenly, he is forced to deal with the tough challenge of raising his children alone. Adding to his struggles of being “Mr. Mom,” Kenny’s nine-year-old son now suffers from Traumatic Mutism, as brought on by the loss of his mother. It is a problem Kenny has no idea how to fix. But just when he thinks he might have the answer, he and his son cross the unlikely path of a violent drug addict.
All Vance wants to do is grow and smoke marijuana. In order for him to turn this lifestyle into his way of life, he decides to take up a partnership with a Prospect from a motorcycle club. It is a decision Vance soon regrets. And to break away from this unfortunate business arrangement, the only solution he can think of is the one thing he could never see himself doing.
Rob Boyle has a plan. He’s going to strike it rich from selling dope, and then buy his way into his motorcycle club. He’s tired of being a Prospect, and knows that with a few hundred thousand dollars in his pocket, not only will he get himself “patched in,” but will also have enough for a brand-new motorcycle. And if anyone should stand in his way, he has a plan for that as well. Murder.
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Review
This book weaves together two tales. One of a family that has suffered a major loss, and another of a man that has lost his way due to drugs and other negative influences.
While I read this book, I had no idea how these stories would intersect because they were so different. Kenny and his children are trying to figure out how to live without his wife/their mom. It may seem ok on the surface, but it goes deeper than that. His son is retreating within himself and doesn’t seem to know how to move forward. Vance and Rob are growing weed in the mountains. They both have different goals and objectives, which makes their working union a bit difficult. Can they trust one another in the end?
This story moves along at a good pace, and as I mentioned, I wasn’t sure how the stories would connect. I got my answer about 1/3 of the way into the story. I won’t ruin the surprise, but it was very obvious that things were not going to go well…or maybe that was all in my mind assuming that nothing good could come of the situation. I was right by the way, things do not end well for some of the parties.
I did feel for Kenny having to deal with everything on his own without his wife. Yet at the same time, he wasn’t stepping up to the plate to take care of his children. Yes, they were being fed and clothed and had a roof over their heads, but there was so much more that they needed. I think he just didn’t know where to start, but he also wasn’t asking for much help either.
Once the stories really started rolling is when I was drawn further into the plot. It did take a little time, probably that 1/3 of the book before I understood how it would play out. I did feel sorry for Vance, he was stuck in a situation that he didn’t want to be in with Rob. Not only did he have Rob to worry about, but there was also the biker gang that Rob was trying to join. These were not your friendly bikers either. There are some interesting situations that arise from his affiliation with the gang.
This book has some suspenseful parts that might have you looking over your shoulder. We give it 4 paws up.
About the Author
Chris Riley lives near Sacramento, California, vowing one day to move back to the Pacific Northwest. In the meantime, he teaches special education, writes awesome stories, and hides from the blasting heat for six months out of the year. He has had dozens of short stories published in various magazines and anthologies and across various genres.
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