Down
The Broken Road
by J. R. Backlund brings back Rachel Carver. Readers are treated
topuzzling murders to solve, with quite a few suspects to
investigate, showing how Rachel is relentless in her quest
for the truth.
He
thought about, “ideas for the second book, I watched
a Netflix documentary, “The Kill Team.” It is
about a bunch of soldiers in Afghanistan who killed other
soldiers. One of the real-life guys feared for his life after
telling the story of how a bunch of guys killed innocent civilians
for fun. Anyone is capable of killing. I wrote in this book
quote, ‘He had seen the worst of what people could do
to one another. Men beheaded, women raped and stoned to death…reprisals
and honor killings. His unit had discovered the body of a
twelve-year-old girl with no face.” I wanted to write
about the barbarism and brutality of life in this country.
I know that those who fought there always used the word “savages.’
The locals are stuck in the Middle Ages. American soldiers
wonder if they are conspiring with the Taliban. I imagine
that is what Vietnam was like.”
The
book opens when a police officer finds news reporter Bryce
Parker, barely alive, and asking for Rachel Carver. After
waking up and able to speak, he talks about Rachel’s
previous case, the one where she was right, and everyone else
was wrong. She is now a private investigator after leaving
the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation and thanks to Parker
has a new set of clues to find out the truth about the previous
case. Rachel puts herself in harm’s way as she begins
to close in on the suspects of the murders while trying to
avoid being framed.
Rachel
is sharp, smart, tough, methodical, courageous, and dedicated
to a fault. She is obsessed with her job and solving the murders
at the exclusion of her family, friends, health, and possible
boyfriend, Danny Braddock. “She is based on my mom.
I started to think of my mom’s demeanor and thought
her personality was perfect for Rachel. They are both single-minded
on solving problems and follow their own instincts. Rachel
is driven and obsessed about her job. I wrote a scene where
she is afraid of what will happen as she goes down the investigative
hole. She is traumatized from what happened to her, but became
stronger and resilient.”
There
are enough details in the story to make it suspenseful The
characters are well developed with an interesting backstory.
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