I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
After his fiancee is brutally murdered, one man will find himself facing moral challenges like never before as he takes on a mission of revenge in the hunt for her killer in author Jared Bodnar’s “The Shattered Violin”.
The Synopsis
Conner and his fiancée Cassie had a fairytale love. They complemented each other in every way and looked forward to a perfect future ahead of them. In one day, that future is destroyed. Cassie is brutally murdered, leaving Conner broken, alone and filled with pain. He knows the pain of this loss will haunt him for the rest of his life.
After much deliberation, Conner decides that he will stop at nothing to avenge Cassie’s death. Tracking down her killer throws him into a world of moral ambiguity as he sets off on a meandering quest.
Without knowing how, Conner wants to inflict the same pain as the killer inflicted. But, as Conner gets closer to the moment of reckoning, he will face impossible choices and the realization that his elaborate plan may ultimately be derailed.
The Review
A truly gripping and haunting thriller, author Jared Bodnar expertly weaves a tale of love lost, and the downward spiral we go through when a piece of ourselves is ripped out of us savagely. The atmosphere and suspense the author builds as the mystery of who killed the protagonist’s wife was edgy and thick with tension, really balancing the protagonist’s personal development with intense storytelling.
Yet it was the protagonist who sold this narrative. The author really did a great job of portraying how losing someone you love, especially to a violent crime, can affect you emotionally and mentally. The person the protagonist slowly began to slip away from him, and instead, a person solely focused on violent revenge begins to emerge instead. The back and forth struggle of the person he was and the person he’s become add to the tension building the author implements in this story, making it impossible to put this book down.
The Verdict
A chilling, heartbreaking, and mysterious new thriller, author Jared Bodnar’s “The Shattered Violin” is a must-read novel of 2021. Engaging and rich in character study, the narrative really digs into the reader’s emotional depths and tasks us all to picture how challenging losing a loved one can be, while also challenging us to face our losses and overcome our grief, lest we fall further and further down the rabbit hole. If you haven’t yet, be sure to preorder or grab your copy of this book today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Jared Bodnar is an advertising professional by day, dedicated dad by night and novelist after Midnight.
He graduated from Arizona State University with a Journalism and Psychology double major, a perfect combination for writing psychological thrillers.
A lifelong writer, Jared is passionate about dialogue and is obsessed with converging, twisty storylines. Jared lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his wife Shannon, daughter Harlow, and sons Easton and Kai.
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