The Broken

Echoes from the Past, Book 8

By: Irina Shapiro

Narrated by: Wendy Wolfson

Some truths are too terrible to speak, and too dangerous to hide.

London, 1955. Nurse Helen Brent has spent twenty-six years believing she’ll never find love. Then she meets her new patient, David Edevane. Despite a tragic upbringing, David is kind and stable, and their whirlwind romance quickly leads to marriage and pregnancy. But Helen’s world collapses when she uncovers a dreadful secret, and she will carry the consequences of her silence for the rest of her days…

Present day. Archaeologist Quinn Allenby has seen countless ancient remains, but the tiny baby buried with tender care in a London garden affects her deeply. When she touches the pewter brooch left with the body, Quinn is drawn into a devastating mystery. But as Helen’s tragedy unfolds, Quinn’s family begins to fracture, and she discovers that some wounds run deeper than time itself. Can she confront the growing threat within her own bloodline before history repeats itself in the most devastating way possible?

A heartbreaking story of forbidden love, family secrets, and the dangerous power of blood ties, perfect for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Susanna Kearsley, and Barbara Erskine.

©2019 Merlin Press LLC (P)2020 Irina Shapiro

Love This Series!

This story in the Echoes from the Past Series was really great. Based on the time period of the story of the “past”, I had a foreboding while listening to this story and knew what was in store for Helen and David. There’s plenty of dreadful surprises in both of the stories in this book, and both the conclusion and the shocking epilogue will leave you thinking about the events of this book well past its end. (I had a premonition, though, that this is what really happened…) I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The best of the series

This is the best of the series. The twists and turns are riveting. Highly recommend (but read the others first!)

Review of all eight in the series

This series is one of the best I’ve ever read. Each book focuses on an episode of a TV program for the BBC. Over the 8 books the cast of characters is large but Ms Shapiro expertly weaves their storyline into that of the main character. While many of the loose ends are tied up by the end of this series, to me the sign of a good storyteller is when you want to be able to grab the next book because you still want to know more about all of the characters. Since joining Audible I’ve read at least 100 books and enjoyed all of them but this is my first review, it was that good!

Wow!

Epilog...I didn’t see that coming!! Another great book Irina...
Please write another in the series 😢.
Quinn’s brother tipped the creep meter. So let’s have him take over for Quinn with her as an advisor

Great series.

Another good book in a good series. This one had some twists I wasn't expecting. Looking forward to listening to the last one in this series.

The Broken

This is a fantastic series that I really enjoyed I love how the Author tided all the ends up. The Author has brought to fruition a fantastic series of stories in a very unique way that really kept me captivated. I could not put this listen down until I was done listening to it. The Author has done a fantastic job with this series and The Narrator has done a fantastic job with all the voices of the characters as well. I would love to see this series made into a series. But I definitely recommend this series the Author has a very creative mind and created a fantastic series. If I could give it more than 5 stars I definitely would.
Shauna Joesten

The Broken

Echoes from the Past is a great series! The characters are interesting and well developed. I love Irina Shapiro’s story telling method using two time periods in this series and her “Wonderland” series. I hope she writes some new series with dual time periods exploring mysteries in ancient civilizations with modern characters. Wendy Wolfson’s performance was terrific!

Wow

I have never loved to hate someone til this book. I must say wow...just wow.

Amazing

I’ve loved this series from the start. This one was so heartbreaking I wanted to cry at times. Narration is perfect and Joe and Quinn are my favorite book couple

A Perfect Ending

In 2015 Dr. Quinn Allenby is called to inspect the skeletal remains of an infant for the hit TV show Echoes from the Past, a program that “solves” old murders and deaths from centuries ago. A mother herself, the work is especially difficult, as the remains have been tampered with and the skeleton is new enough that, for the first time, the family might be still alive. But with the help of a broach found with the baby, she’ll work to put a name to the remains.

In 1955 nurse Helen meets David, who sweeps her off her feet. At first, their courtship is secretive, as Helen’s mother despises the thought of her only child being whisked away. And once they’re allowed to wed, Helen believes herself to be the luckiest woman alive. But when a chance discovery in her mother’s bedroom threatens not only her marriage, but her immortal soul, Helen will have to decide if the truth is worth her happiness.

Through the decades, a secret has been kept, one buried in the garden of an unassuming London home.

As always, I was immediately drawn into the story in a way I’m normally not when it comes to most books. Falling back into Quinn’s complicated life with her messy, extended family is always fun, as is following her into the past to untangle the life of someone who’s only left bones behind. Her tale is one of back stabbing siblings, unreliable parents, and a marriage stronger than most I read about. She has to fight for the shreds of normalcy like packing her daughter Emma’s lunch for school and setting up coffee meetings with her boss in between fact checking her visions.

Since this is the last book in the series, I’ll miss it greatly. The way Shapiro is able to weave the past and present together to form a seamless story is something I’ll always admire. She ended the series in a strong, yet organic, way where most storylines are tied up, and while the future is uncertain for some of the cast, they’ve all more or less ended up just where they needed to be.

Overall, and as always, I recommend this book, and all of Echoes from the Past to all contemporary and historical fiction fans who are looking for their next 5 star read.