Author: Shannon Curtis
ISBN: 9781489220394
RRP: $29.99
Heart Breaker is a gripping suspense novel with a touch of angst and a smattering of steam. There is an element of ill-advised romance but the main focus is a suspenseful murder investigation.
Harmony Talbot returns from a business trip to discover her cousin, and best friend, murdered in their home. This is the second time there has been a murder in her family and Harmony is determined that this one will not be left unsolved, her family couldn’t survive that pain again.
The cousins were close, they’d been living together since moving out of home, and it helped them both to cope with their widowed mothers. Leona was the caretaker of the family, she looked out for everyone and now that she’s gone Harmony isn’t sure how to look out for everyone and make sure that this time justice is done. Her mother is still haunted by the unsolved murder of the past and she makes Harmony promise that they will catch the killer – whatever the cost.
Harmony has a very special skill set as a digital forensic investigator and it’s a skill set she is prepared to use to help with the investigation, even if sometimes that means working outside the law to do so.
Bern Knight is the homicide detective on the case and he is good at his job, he had to be to make sure everyone forgot the stain on his reputation. He wants to make sure they get the killer, and he tries to promise Harmony they will but she has been through it all before and resents the platitudes.
The lead characters have both been burned by the force in the past and are still working to get over the scars of that which makes them interesting characters to get to know. Following the progression of their interactions is captivating; from the very first time they meet there is chemistry but they both know that it is something they shouldn’t act upon.
It is the murder investigation that is truly gripping. Curtis explores the challenges faced when the killer leaves behind no evidence, the clean up is thorough and the trail is simply a series of dead ends. The police only start to make progress when anonymous tips start arriving, then the discovery of more bodies that fit the same pattern also help.
I was fascinated by the killer, I wanted to get inside his head and understand why. It was clear from the outset that there was a lot going on behind those eyes because there was a very clear methodology and I wanted to understand it.
So many elements of this story grabbed my attention and Curtis weaves them all together brilliantly. It took me a lot longer to read the book than I would have expected but only because I have been finding it hard to sit down and read, given the opportunity I would have devoured this one in a sitting.
The digital forensics were actually quite frightening. The ease with which trackers can be embedded and a digital footprint can be followed. We all know the importance of online security but Curtis explores how easy it can be to get around that. How certain can you ever be of someone you communicate with digitally? The answer should scare you, it sure scared me; not necessarily for me but for my children.
Heart Breaker is a gripping psychological thriller that I loved. It explores the characters intimately and allows us to get to know how the past has affected our characters and why they are behaving as they are in these circumstances. Tense, disturbing and completely fascinating this book will satisfy fans across genres.
Heart Breaker is book #21 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2017.
Shannon Curtis can be found on Facebook, Twitter and her Website.
Heart Breaker is published by Harlequin and is available now through Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Harlequin 20 of our Beauty and Lace club members will be reading and reviewing Heart Breaker so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
What a fantastic book murder with some romance on the side!
This book flows easily and keeps you hooked you can’t wait to find out what happens next! The horrific murder of her cousin and house mate set this story in action the handsome police officer add some spice. An intriguing story you will love I recommend it to everyone
Heart Breaker is a suspenseful story about a serial killer with some serious psychological issues. It’s a book that will grip you as you want to know how things will end.
This novel is predominantly centred on the story of Harmony Talbot, a digital forensic investigator who is thrown into a tailspin after her cousin Leona is brutally murdered. Talbot was no stranger to both the police and murder investigations because her father had been killed in a bloody manner some years prior and that case went unsolved.
When she notices that the police are moving slowly on the case, Talbot decides to turn into a vigilante and don a detective hat to see if she can discover the identity of the killer herself. But this work involves some clever problem-solving and putting herself in some dangerous circumstances that have been described in great detail by author Shannon Curtis. Along the way Harmony also embarks on a steamy, forbidden romance with a sexy homicide detective named Bern Knight.
Heart Breaker is ultimately a complex, psychological thriller that will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat.
Heart Breaker the psychological thriller / suspense romance novel by Shannon Curtis had me instantly drawn. Not a dull moment, full of gritty suspense and steamy romance. While I normally would read either a romance or psychological thriller I haven’t read many other books that combine the two genres.
Harmony, a digital forensic investigator, who lives with her cousin Leona, comes home early from a work trip to the gruesome discovery that Leona has been murdered. The detective responsible for the case Bern, is intrigued not only by the investigation but in Harmony. Individually the two use their skills to bring justice to the family.
I found Harmony to be very stoic throughout the investigation. Instead of grieving like you would expect she was more focused on finding answers and meeting the need of her demanding mother. I did find it a little strange that parents of Leona and Harmony who are referred to as the ‘elders’ seemed to lacked emotion and involvement in their daughters/nieces case. As the story unfolds you do learn potentially why this is. Or maybe it wasn’t a lack of empathy but just how Curtis chose to focus on Harmony’s journey?
As the story deepens you piece the events that haunt several of the main character’s past and how it shapes their current actions. I liked that the story switched between perspectives from the victim’s family to the perpetrator.
Though I enjoyed this style of novel I did find it a tad disturbing and confronting at times. This made for a very interesting read!
I am keen to read more of Curtis’s books being this is the first I have read. I am more than happy to recommend this novel to others as well. Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Harlequin Mira for this opportunity.
I enjoyed Heart Breaker, I did not put the book down until I had finished it. Murder, mystery, romance, twists and turns. A reminder of how people can be preyed upon over the internet. Good read
Heart Breaker by Shannon Curtis is the best book I have read for a while. The fact that the killer’s identity is given to us as little snippets at a time just makes you want to keep on reading to find out what makes this person motivated to kill. As it also has a budding romance involved between one of the victims cousins and the lead detective also keeps the interest going.
Harmony arrives home early from a conference to discover her dead cousins body with a single white rose – this is the killers calling card. Unfortunately for Harmony’s family this is the second death in her close knit family and she will do anything to help catch the killer. Her father was previously murdered and the killer was never found. Harmony this time is going to make sure that justice is done for her family and will use her skills as a digital forensic investigator to catch a killer at all costs.
The homicide detective assigned to the case – Bern Knight – good at catching criminals and with the ‘misguided’ help of Harmony pulls out all stops to bring him in especially when 8 other bodies are discovered in a scrap yard.
A constant page turner that had me burning the midnight oil.
Heart Breaker by Shannon Curtis is a novel filled with mystery and suspense with a touch of romance.
I would highly recommend this novel especially with the weather getting colder and we seem to have more time to curl up with a gripping read.
It did actually take me awhile to get into this novel but once I settled into it I was engrossed in the storyline.
Harmony is our lead character who discovers her dead cousin Leona upon returning home .This is the second unsolved murder in her family , her father being murdered previously with the killer never being found.
She is determined that this time the family will get justice.
A good read , with many twists and turns.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this great novel.
Heart Breaker by Shannon Curtis’s novel has a story line unlike those that I usually read. I found the story line easy to read and found the characters were easy to identify with. Never having this type of tragedy in my life I found I felt for the characters having to deal with such a tragedy. The story was based around the murder of a young woman in terrible circumstances that led the family on a roller coaster of emotions with many twist and turns that has the reader engrossed till the end. A good murder mystery with just enough twist and in depth investigations that made the story worth the late nights.
If you love a good mystery then this is the book for you.
Thank you for choosing me to review this book
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review this book, Heartbreaker by Australian author Shannon Curtis.
The book is a great suspense novel revolving around Harmony Talbot who is a digital forensic investigator. Harmony is unfortunate enough to find her cousin Leona and housemate murdered.
Unfortunately this is not the first tragedy to bestow the family, Harmony’s dad was murdered when she was 14 years old. The detective leading the investigation on the case is Bern Knight and it soon becomes apparent that there is an attraction between Harmony and Bern.
We also find out that Harmony has a complicated relationship with her mother Elizabeth. When the police have no evidence on the case Harmony uses her skills by illegally hacking into the Police records to help find the killer.
This book had many things from romance, suspense and family complications. I highly recommend this book and I especially love reading books by Australian authors.
Loved , loved ,loved Heart Breaker !! Shannon Curtis is a great storyteller and had me hooked from the first page. This book highlighted how easy it is for social media to be used for evil, and how frightening it can be .. although I am aware of it, Heart Breaker shows the dark side of the technology that we use every day. I liked the characters, Bern sounds delicious … I hope Shannon writes more stories with Bern and Harmony.
Recommend to all crime readers.
“Heartbreaker” by Shannon Curtis is a well written, suspenseful novel which keeps the reader wanting to turn pages to see what happens next.
I found the novel immediately engaging and the technical processes were written in a manner that was not daunting to the non-technological reader. I loved that the book was set in Australia and that the characters were flawed, making the story that much more relatable. An earlier reviewer commented on the plot holes but when I was reading it, I accepted those holes as mistakes people make when they are in difficult, stressful situations.
I hadn’t heard of Shannon Curtis prior to reading this book however look forward to reading more from her.