Broken Monsters

By: Lauren Beukes

Narrated by: J. D. Jackson, Christine Lakin, Robert Morgan Fisher, Terra Deva, Sunil Mohatra

A criminal mastermind creates violent tableaus in abandoned Detroit warehouses in Lauren Beukes's genre-bending novel of suspense.

Detective Gabriella Versado has seen a lot of bodies. But this one is unique even by Detroit's standards: half boy, half deer, somehow fused together. As stranger and more disturbing bodies are discovered, how can the city hold on to a reality that is already tearing at its seams?

If you're Detective Versado's geeky teenage daughter, Layla, you commence a dangerous flirtation with a potential predator online. If you're desperate freelance journalist Jonno, you do whatever it takes to get the exclusive on a horrific story. If you're Thomas Keen, known on the street as TK, you'll do what you can to keep your homeless family safe -- and find the monster who is possessed by the dream of violently remaking the world.

If Lauren Beukes's internationally bestselling The Shining Girls was a time-jumping thrill ride through the past, her Broken Monsters is a genre-redefining thriller about broken cities, broken dreams, and broken people trying to put themselves back together again.

"Scary as hell and hypnotic. I couldn't put it down...I'd grab it if I were you." -- Stephen King

Critic reviews

"With Broken Monsters, the wildly talented Lauren Beukes has created a darkly majestic jewel of a novel, surpassing even The Shining Girls (no mean feat). Part harrowing thriller, part urban-Grimm's fairytale, but always filled with a deeply affecting humanity, Broken Monsters is the kind of book you'll find yourself pressing into the hands of everyone you know so they can experience it too."—Megan Abbott, author of The Fever and Dare Me

"Broken Monsters is a show-stopping story of a city trying to rise from its own ashes, its inhabitants struggling with their own demons, and monster working to shape the world to match his most disturbing visions. It's beautiful, horrifying, thrilling, and most impressive of all, possessed of a deep and remarkable compassion. I wish I'd written it."—Ivy Pochoda, author of Visitation Street

PRAISE FOR LAUREN BEUKES:

"Lauren Beukes has got an intriguing style of dealing with slightly surreal things in very real ways. I'm all over it."—Gillian Flynn, O: The Oprah Magazine

"Lauren Beukes is so profusely talented--capable of wit, darkness, and emotion on a single page--that a blockbuster seems inevitable."—Charles Finch, USA Today

PRAISE FOR THE SHINING GIRLS:
"Wildly inventive"—Entertainment Weekly

"Expertly chilling"—San Francisco Chronicle

"Astonishing"—Time

"A triumph"—Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio

"One of the scariest and best-written thrillers of the year"—Chicago Sun-Times

A disappointing mashup

Rather than being a 'genre-redefining thriller", Broken Monsters is a combination of police procedural/serial killer thriller and supernatural horror tale. The problem is these elements are barely integrated so the story builds as one type of tale, ends as another and the climax ends up feeling distinctly at odds with what preceded it. Rather than being a surprising twist, it felt false.

To be fair, there are a few hints that the story could go in the direction it eventually does but the ideas aren't unified in a satisfying way and the novel left me disappointed.

On the plus side, it is an interesting, if ultimately not quite satisfying story and Lauren Beukes can write. The characterization is solid and the narration is superb.

Wish it had been shorter...

It was a compelling idea for a story, but it dragged on for about 6 hours too long.

Creepy Fun

The story builds nicely, swerving from police procedural to dark urban fantasy.. The Detroit setting is vivid. The social media angle is reasonably fresh, wedding cyberpunk to Lovecraft. Vocal performances are compelling.

Another masterpiece

Broken Monsters is another masterpiece by Lauren Beukes. I have been entranced by everything I have read/listened to that this author has created. The narrators were amazing, the story was crazy and compelling and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Highly enjoyed and recommend!

Want more like this!

I know it's interesting to me when the story enters my head a couple of times in my work day. I think I really like the multiple narrators for different story lines!