“The woman is dark-haired and young, judging by the short red dress. Any other signs of her identity have been erased during her long wait to be found, but it’s clear she was strangled: this was a passionate and personal murder.

D.I. Bernadette Noel knows that every second counts if she is to catch this killer, but she has no leads – until the discovery that the dead woman’s rings match a stolen property report, and the rings’ owner mentions Rosa, her missing nanny.

Just when Bernie and her team think they’re getting somewhere, a shocking discovery about Rosa – and the news that another young girl has been abducted – changes everything the team thought they knew about the case.

Laura is only twelve, and her parents are beside themselves with worry – but Bernie has an additional fear. Laura’s home is right next to the woods where their murder victim was found: are the cases connected?

When Bernie notices similarities between descriptions of the man last seen with Rosa and someone Laura was messaging online, these fears grow stronger. But they still have no clear leads as to the identity of the culprit.

With few options left, and time running out, she makes a desperate plan to trap the predator. But any mistakes will mean another innocent life lost…”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Broken Girls by Joy  Kluver. Broken Girls was published by Bookouture on 21st July 2021 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats.

Police procedurals are my one true love. More than any other genre/sub-genre, it’s the police procedurals I turn to again and again. They’re my somewhat dark happy place…? Back in 2021, I read and reviewed Last Seen, the first book in the DI Bernie Noel series, written by debut author Joy Kluver. It was brilliant and I vowed to read the second book in the series as soon as it was published. But I’m an organisational nightmare and failed to deliver on my promise. With that in mind, I added book two – Broken Girls – to my #20BooksofSummer2025 reading list, and made it a priority. I can’t believe I waited as long as I did to read this gripping crime thriller. You can be sure that I’ll be prioritising the rest of the series ASAP!

Broken Girls packs a mighty punch. A young woman’s body is found deep in the Wiltshire woods. She’s been there a number of days, so confirming her identity won’t be easy. DI Bernie Noel is first at the scene. So she’s surprised when her boss, DCI Patrick Worth (or Worthless to many of his colleagues), turns up and takes charge, putting DI Noel firmly into the Deputy role. The investigation into the young woman’s death falters immediately. The community is tight-lipped. There’s conflict in the team between Noel and Worth. They’re getting nowhere fast in discovering the victim’s identity and who brutally killed her, leaving her to rot. Then a local twelve-year-old girl goes missing. She lives on the edge of the woods where the first victim was found. Could the two cases be connected…?

If you’re looking for a police procedural to really get your teeth into, then oh boy, you’ve found it! What a brilliantly written, intricate and well-plotted novel Broken Girls is. The first thing I should say is that you can read this book as a standalone. It will work perfectly well, particularly as this is only the second book of the series. However, by starting with Last Seen, you get to see the characters from day one. See the relationships and the characters grow, understand what they’ve been through together in the past and really get a feel for the team. And that growth I mentioned mere seconds ago is very much present in this follow-up. DI Noel is a great lead protagonist, supported by a well-written team of supporting characters. Noel, despite her slightly weak stomach, which seems quite a flaw in someone who has to look at dead bodies all the time, is a determined, driven detective. You feel in safe hands. Bernadette Noel is going to do absolutely everything she can for the victims of the crimes she investigates. I found myself admiring her. Particularly when she is battling with DCI Worth(less), trying to get him to understand modern policing. I did secretly enjoy the conflict between the two characters though (#TeamBernie all the way!). The team from the first book returns, along with DS Dougie Anderson. There was a bit of a spark between Bernie and Dougie in the first book that grows even ‘sparkier’ in this latest instalment. I’m not one for any kind of romance/relationship in my crime novels, but this kind of worked!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Broken Girls is an emotional, intense and thoroughly engaging police procedural from a talented writer. I’m excited to still have two more books in this series to read. With well-written characters, both lead and supporting, with a pacey storyline that keeps the reader fully in the story from beginning to end, and with the wilds of Wiltshire coming to life on the page, I enjoyed every moment of this book. Gripping, intricate and tense. The team come up against brick walls, dead ends and red herrings. But then there’s light, only for that small glimmer to be snuffed out again. Will this be the case the team fail to solve? All in all, Broken Girls is a compelling piece of crime fiction that delivers on multiple counts. Tense throughout, unpredictable and ultimately surprising. A real treat for the reader. Recommended.

Broken Girls by Joy Kluver was published in the UK by Bookouture on 21st July 2021 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Joy Kluver has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. More recently she’s been escaping the madness of motherhood by turning her hand to crime novels. A book blogger, she’s also part of the First Monday Crime team and if you’ve been to any of their events it’s likely you’ve eaten one of her cookies. She also organises author talks for her local library. Joy lives in SW London with her husband and three children. She has written four books in the DI Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Noel series – ‘Last Seen’, ‘Broken Girls’, ‘Left For Dead’ and ‘Rewind’.