Ex-police constable and now taxi driver Blake Glover thought retiring to his hometown of Fraserburgh would be calm – until, while attending a local funeral service, he notices something disturbing: did the sturdy expensive coffin split as it was lowered into the grave? How could this be possible? Is there a cruel scheme taking place?
As if this wasn’t enough, one of Blake’s customers from the night before has gone missing and Blake is the last person to have seen him alive.
To make matters even worse, Blake is contacted by his old colleague-turned-nemesis, Mitch Campbell – now imprisoned in Glasgow’s HMP Barlinnie. Mitch is threatening to frame Blake unless he agrees to a dangerous request.
Torn between helping friends, confronting a past enemy and uncovering dark deeds, Blake is dragged into a toxic world of small-town tragedy and big-city drama. As he tries to untangle the truth, he underestimates just how deadly things will become . . .
My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to share this tour review of The Fracture. I recieved a digital copy from the publishers to participate in this blog tour.
The Fracture: an absolute delight to read. When a book keeps my attention and focus in the way The Fracture did I can only be positive about the story.
Blake Glover, former cop and current taxi driver, is spinning many plates. At a funeral he sees the coffin lowered into the ground – dropped too rapidly by a grieving family member – and Blake is alarmed to think the final jolt may have split the coffin open. In the howling wind and rain of a Fraserburgh storm his requests to stop the gravediggers covering the casket are ignored. It is only after the burial is concluded Blake is alerted by one of the astute matriarchs of the town that she believes the luxury coffin has been swapped for a cheap wooden box…could Blake snoop and stop this apparent fraud?
Could he? Well if he wasn’t being distracted by other issues. In the space of 24 hours Blake sees someone trying to break into his taxi and then his home. Then there is the small matter of the police looking to interview Blake about one of his passengers – dropped by the beach late at night and seemingly so the passenger could walk into the sea to end his own life. Can Blake shed any light upon why?
Even more pressing, however, is a summons to Glasgow to meet an old friend who is about to be sentenced to a long spell behind bars. But this friend has a vindictive streak and seems intent to bring Blake down with him too…allegations of Blake turning a blind eye to criminal activity would be devastating for Blake and the life he is trying to build. But if he does a favour for his old friend the “allegations” may be forgotten.
Blake is pulled in every which way, his emotions stretched and friendships will be tested. This is conveyed extremely well by Morgan Cry and you’re completely caught up in the plight of his protagonist. Despite all the demands on Blake’s attention the story is extremely well paced, never loses focus or the anxious edge for the reader. As I alluded to at the start of my review, this book was a treat to read – the best “one more chapter” read I’ve picked up for some time.
Do not be put off if you spot this is the second book in this series – I have come to it “cold” and don’t feel I have missed anything critical to understand the plot of The Fracture – nor do I think there are book one spoilers so I can easily return to this character and get the back story I missed.
I can recommend The Fracture to all crime readers. The Fraserburgh/Glasgow settings gives it a great feeling of “fresh/different” and the characters felt wonderfully realised, good dialogue throughout and enough humour to keep me happy too.
The Fracture is published by Canongate Books and is available in hardback and digital formats. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-fracture/morgan-cry/9781448315550
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