Shattered Justice

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