Review of the Breakdown Series with Giveaway

Welcome to the blurb blitz tour for the Breakdown series! This is a unique one because it is a four-part suspense series where all four books tell one story, but are all written by different authors. I have seen this done with romances, but not with suspense yet! I had the honor of reviewing all four of the books in this page-turning series. Please enjoy them and leave questions and comments for all four of the authors. You can also follow the tour for more reviews and excerpts, plus more chances to enter the giveaway at the end.

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I also received complimentary copies of these books in exchange for my honest review, which did not sway my opinion in one direction or another.

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Breakdown Series

BREAKDOWN is a unique and groundbreaking four-book suspense series that will keep you turning pages until the killer is finally exposed.

In this explosive new miniseries, the idyllic community of Shutter Lake, nestled in the peaceful Sierra Nevada Mountains, is rocked by a shocking murder. Four women, friends who moved to the area to find healing and solace, must now dig deep and overcome the scars of past troubles to find a ruthless killer.

**My thoughts**
My overview of the entire series is one of fascination, as I cannot fathom how four different authors can put together one story in four different parts like this. I know authors have enjoyed doing collaborations such as these, but to now I have mostly seen only romance series where each author takes on a different character and his/her relationship. They build a bit on the previous stories. But to do a murder suspense series requires an entirely different kind of outlining and mapping to be successful.

Each book is told from a different point-of-view of one of four female friends, though you get a few peeks into the worlds of others as well. Each of these people have moved to Shutter Lake, hoping to find some peace from a traumatic past. And then the unthinkable happens, setting them and the entire town on edge. Secrets are around every corner. You would think that in a small town, everyone would know everyone else's business and secrets would be difficult to maintain, but not the case here. The more they know, the less they know. It's intriguing to read through and uncover the secrets along with the characters. 

And even if you think you know what all of the secrets are or who did what, you don't really know. The innocent victim isn't as innocent as one would like to think. Twists and turns are obstacles down many of the paths and will keep you bumping the pages forward as quickly as you can through all four of these books. I think it would make for a great miniseries. 

Read on for my reviews of each individual book.

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The Dead Girl

THE BREAKDOWN BEGINS... Former L.A. homicide detective Laney Holt walked away from big city crime after a shooting she couldn't put behind her. With L.A. in her rear view mirror, she accepted the position of deputy chief of police in a small picturesque paradise called Shutter Lake. Nestled in a peaceful valley surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Shutter Lake is the perfect small town filled with pleasant, charming folks. The crime rate in Shutter Lake is zero...at least until the dead girl is found. The shocking murder shakes the town to its very foundation.

Read an excerpt here.

Buy on Amazon

**My thoughts**

The series kicks off with a blast in this first installment, told from the point-of-view of Laney Holt, the detective. She is has a much more colorful past than most of the other people in the small town, having worked as a big city detective. That makes her perfect for this huge murder in a small town. No one seems to know anything, but a lot of people are hiding secrets. It's amazing how many secrets such a small place can conceal, but they are absolutely everywhere. And most of them are still uncovered even after this first novel.

I know that there are four books in this series, and that it is going to take reading all four of them to figure out who the real killer is. And right now, I really have no idea who it is. Sometimes I get an early inkling, but I think so far I am way out in left field. There is too much more story to tell, and like I said, too many secrets still buried.

We get an introduction to a lot of the other core characters in this book as well. You have Chief McCabe, who has a serious drinking problem, and some kind of story that he hasn't yet been willing to share. Vinn Bradshaw and his parents have some kind of a tricky past with Sylvia that people in town have had suspicions about, but in theory no one knows the truth. There's the creepy old man, Troy Duval, who lives by himself who has rumors abounding about his potentially shady past. You have all of the other girls who worked for Sylvia, one of whom has been missing for a while, and all of whom are extremely attractive. What does that mean? And so on, and so on. 

To fully explain their relationships to Sylvia, the dead girl, would give away some of the secrets that get uncovered along the way, and I don't want to do any spoilers. You'll start to make some mental checklists of your own as you mentally map out the people of the town, though they are not overwhelming. And it definitely seems like the murder is just a small part of a much larger issue. The intrigue kept me glued to the Kindle screen all the way through.

This book does end on a cliffhanger of sorts. But you know that going into it, because you know that this is a four-part series. So you can't count it against them for doing so in this unique series. Finishing this one left me begging for the second book to be started immediately.

About Debra Webb

Debra Webb is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 150 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at http://www.debrawebb.com


Social Media Links for Debra Webb:
Website: https://www.debrawebb.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraWebbAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebraWebbAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraewebb/

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So Many Secrets

THE BREAKDOWN DEEPENS... Seven years ago, Dr. Dana Perkins came to idyllic Shutter Lake seeking safety from a traumatic experience in Phoenix. She became the principal at Shutter Lake School--and found her refuge… until Sylvia Cole was killed and one of Dana's best and brightest students, Vinn Bradshaw, confessed to the murder. A murder Dana is certain he didn't commit. But who is he protecting? Why? Seeking the truth shatters Dana's safety. Yet who could have predicted proving Vinn innocent would jeopardize her friends and neighbors… and expose so many secrets?

Read an excerpt here.

Available on Amazon

**My thoughts**

I admire Dana, because she will do anything for her students, and I was the same way when I was still directly involved in education. It helps that she is friends with Laney, who is currently heading up the investigation into Sylvia's murder. She keeps on digging for more information, because she wants the real killer brought to justice as soon as possible. In the meantime, she is still healing from her own traumatic nightmare of a past, one that would keep me up all night every night if it were also mine.

More secrets get revealed, and the tangled web that has been woven over the years gets even more intricate that anyone ever realized. Every time you solve one mystery, about five more crop up in its place. And the story has international consequences.

This one read even faster than the first book. Part of it was because the plot picked up pace as more of the secrets were being revealed. But also the writing style had a lot of well-done dialogue that made it read like I was watching a movie or a TV show, and that helped me zip through it. Again, finishing this one had me flipping immediately to the third book, to find out where the story was going to go next.

About Vicki Hinze

Raised in New Orleans, Vicki Hinze began writing before Kindergarten but her journey to writing books included a lot of corporate pit-stops. Eventually, she settled in and her first novel landed an array of awards and on the bestseller list. With nearly 40 books published, she's been back many times with awards in multiple genres and appearances on multiple bestseller lists, including USA TODAY. Vicki is recognized by Who's Who in the World as an author and an educator and is best known for chilling suspense, trailblazing, and creating series that genre-blend. Her works include suspense, mystery and romance. Since 1994, this former VP of International Thriller Writers has written heavily about military and military families and in nearly all genres except horror. Hinze is a Floridian married to a former Hurricane Hunter/Special Operations Officer. She constantly pushes the boundaries on existing genres, opening the door for new novel blends.

Social Media Links for Vicki Hinze: 

https://www.vickihinze.com/
http://facebook.com/Vicki.Hinze.Author
https://twitter.com/vickihinze
https://www.pinterest.com/vickihinze/

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All the Lies

THE BREAKDOWN BROADENS... Julia Ford was once famous globally for investigative journalism until the story she was covering went so wrong and an unthinkable act put her on the run. She sought refuge in idyllic Shutter Lake, took a job as lifestyle reporter for the local paper and remained hidden in plan sight for five years...until murder snuffed out Sylvia Cole, the young woman who knew too much.

With Sylvia's killer still on the loose, another girl missing and Julia's past showing up in the form of FBI Special Agent Richards, Julia begins a search that uncovers an evil spreading throughout Shutter Lake. Her last encounter with evil ripped her life apart. But this one could destroy some of the town's most prominent citizens and tear down Shutter Lake's very foundation. How far will she go to expose the deadly secrets in a once-perfect town built on lies?

Available on Amazon

Read an excerpt here.

**My thoughts**

Julia is the focus of this book. She has her own past with trauma and secrets, having been an investigative journalist. She is very good at her job, and can potentially expose even more than anyone else has been able to figure out to this point. And there is so much to investigate, as so many secrets have been revealed. And now someone else is missing, bringing some of Julia's past back to her, and revealing that the two cases are connected. As more of Julia's past is revealed to me, it makes me want to have her backstory written in another book, because I think it would make a fascinating read, more so than any of the other characters thus far whose secrets have been revealed.

We're also starting to see different sides of some of the characters we have known thus far, and it's making the wheels in my head turn even more. More is revealed about Heidi, the owner of Batter Up, as well as Chief McCabe and one of the prominent local families. Things are getting tense in this small town, and the facades are rapidly dropping.

This installment of the series reads even faster than the first two, and leaves off at another sort of cliffhanger that is going to make you want the fourth book on hand immediately to wrap up the mystery.

About Peggy Webb

Peggy Webb, USA Today bestselling author, has penned more than 80 books in multiple genres and is the most prolific writer the state of Mississippi has ever produced. She also writes as Elaine Hussey. Her acclaimed novel, The Sweetest Hallelujah, garnered praise from critics who dubbed her one of the “Southern literary greats” and compared her to Harper Lee. Peggy holds an M.A. from the University of Mississippi and is a former adjunct instructor of writing at Mississippi State University (2004-2005). A gifted musician and actress, Peggy loves taking the stage at Tupelo Community Theater, singing in a 60-voice church choir and playing her vintage baby grand.

Social Media Links for Peggy Webb:

Websites: www.peggywebb.com

https://twitter.com/PeggyWebbAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/peggy.webb.92

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What She Knew

THE BREAKDOWN ERUPTS…Dr. Luciana Perez thought she hit the jackpot when she landed the position at the Shutter Lake Medical Clinic. Until her friend Sylvia Cole is murdered and the authorities come calling, certain that Luciana has more information about the crime.

But Luciana only knows Sylvia had secrets she wasn’t inclined to share. Secrets that had Sylvia seriously worried. Secrets someone was willing to kill to keep buried. Every day that the killer isn’t found, Luciana’s fear tightens like a noose around her neck: fear of her own secrets being exposed, fear of becoming the next victim, and fear that the murderer will irrevocably shatter the idyllic peace and security of their beautiful town.

Available on Amazon

Read an excerpt here.

**My thoughts**

Dr. Ana is the main perspective of this final installment of the series. Just like everyone else, she has her owns secrets that have yet to be revealed, and hers seem to be the most sinister of all. Another body is found and the world seems to be crashing down on this small town. It almost makes my head spin. So many more plots and twists round out this series. This was yet another quick read. I honestly read the entire series in just two days.

About Regan Black

Regan Black, a USA Today bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed novels. Raised in the Midwest and California, she and her family, along with their adopted greyhound and two arrogant cats reside in the South Carolina Lowcountry where the rich blend of legend, romance, and history fuels her imagination.

Social Media Links for Regan Black:

Website: http://www.ReganBlack.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReganBlack.fans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReganBlack

Instagram: http://https//www.instagram.com/reganblackauthor/

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