Never Broken by Lori Duffy Foster
Published: April 12, 2022
Level Best Books
Pages: 224
Genre: Women Sleuths
KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Lori Duffy Foster is a former crime reporter who writes and lives in the hills of Northern Pennsylvania. She is the author of A Dead Man’s Eyes, the first in the Lisa Jamison Mysteries Series, and an Agatha Award nominee. Lori is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, The Historical Novel Society, International Thriller Writers, and Pennwriters. She also sits on the board of the Knoxville (PA) Public Library.
Seven years had passed since Chandra disappeared from Seneca Springs without a trace. Police investigators still compared DNA records whenever an unidentified body appeared, hoping to at least bring her family closure. Lisa still chased down leads from desperate family and friends, being careful to hide her investigations from an editor who thought she’d become obsessed with a woman who was clearly dead.
But this man had just seen her, sewing designer clothes in a dark, filthy basement with about twenty other men and women under horrifically inhumane conditions. And the sweatshop workers all had one thing in common: All were people of color.
A split-second decision to help the man takes Lisa on a race against time. His captors want him back, there is evidence someone on the police force might be involved and the man knows that if he were recaptured, they would torture him until he revealed the names of the two people who helped him escape: Lisa Jamison and Chandra Bower.
Lisa promised her teenage daughter she would stay away from the dangerous stories ever since her job had nearly gotten them both killed two years before. But she no longer has a choice. She must keep the stranger hidden while she gathers enough evidence to turn the case over to city police or the FBI. At least three lives-her own, the stranger’s and Chandra’s-depend on it.
“She could live with that.”
Lisa has mostly recovered from the chaos that exploded in her life two years ago. Bridget is thriving, Dorothy is living her dream, and life is settling down. Until Lisa finds a malnourished man in her backseat, who begs her to help him, suddenly, she finds herself caught in a dangerous and secretive business, and this time there might not be any survivors.
I am enjoying this series! I enjoyed getting to know Lisa more, and I found her emotional depth in this novel well done.
I liked that the book alternated between Lisa and Dorothy as the narrators, and we got to know Dorothy more in this book. She is such a beautiful character. Her past is tragic, but her heart is pure, and she is amazing.
I love that this series focuses on rare cases. The plot for this book was disgusting, terrifying, and well-executed. It’s scary to think things like this happen today, and I found the presentation was authentic.
We meet Fred, another reporter who works with Lisa, and I hope he becomes a series regular. I like him, and I like how well he and Lisa worked together. Their chemistry was natural.
I also love the idea of Patrick, and I am looking forward to getting to know him more in the next book. This series has a lot of potential, and I look forward to reading them.