The Shattering by Karen Healey

Keri prides herself on being prepared for every possibility, from broken bones to natural disasters. But nothing could have prepared her for her older brother Jake’s suicide. She doesn’t know what to do without her confidante and protector, especially now that his death is threatening to tear her family apart. So when her childhood friend suggests that Jake was murdered, Keri desperately wants to believe her. She knows Jake wouldn’t just leave without saying goodbye. Besides, now she knows that she’s not the only one to have an older brother commit suicide with no explanation or warning. There are others, like Janna and a tourist named Sione who know what she’s going through, so Keri decides to join their investigation to figure out what’s really going on. Their quest for information leads them to some surprising and disturbing discoveries and makes them question all that they knew about their home, or vacation home, in Summerton. Now, the only question is whether they can save the next victim in this plot, or if they’ll the victims themselves.

The Shattering is an interesting novel that combines a grief narrative and a murder mystery with a twist. Starting out, the story seems that it’s going to be about a girl coming to terms with the death of someone close to her, but the murder mystery element is pretty quickly introduced, which makes the story so much more exciting. I have to say that the plot is definitely the strongest aspect of this book; Healey’s clever planning and attention to detail really make the mystery come to life, and of course the unusual twist towards the end makes it all the more unique. However, even though I was enthralled with the plot, I felt the murder mystery ended up drowning out Keri’s grief for her brother, which was the starting point of the story in the first place. Additionally, I had a difficult time sympathizing with the characters. The reader gets to hear from each of the main character’s perspectives, but the third person perspectives in Janna’s and Sione’s narrations distances them a little from the reader and Keri’s tough personality, despite her first person narration, makes her slightly unlikeable. Despite this, The Shattering is undoubtedly a well crafted novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seat with its exciting story.

Fans of Healey’s first novel, Guardian of the Dead, will not want to miss The Shattering, nor will readers who also enjoyed Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus and The Dark Divine by Bree Despain.

Rating: 4.0

Review copy from NetGalley