The Broken Room

By: Peter Clines

Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

“Absolutely brilliant!” (Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author)

The new supernatural thriller from New York Times best-selling author Peter Clines

You can still owe the dead.

Hector was the best of the best. A government operative who could bring armies to a halt and nations to their knees. But when his own country betrayed him, he dropped off the grid and picked up the first of many bottles.

Natalie can’t remember much of her life before her family brought her to the US, but she remembers the cages. And getting taken away to the Project with dozens of other young children to become part of their nightmarish experiments. That’s how she ended up with the ghost of a dead secret agent stuck in her head.

And Hector owes Natalie’s ghost a big favor.

Now Hector and Natalie are on the run from an army of killers sent to retrieve her. Because the people behind the Project are willing to risk almost anything to get Natalie back and complete their experiments.

©2022 Peter Clines (P)2022 Audible, Inc.

It Isn't Terrible. . . .

But neither is it especially good. I'm okay with stories that aren't especially believable, provided the characters are consistent and interesting, and the writing is good. But the writing is just mediocre, and the characters appear to exist solely to support the preposterous plot.

So why three stars and not less? Basically, because Clines has a good imagination and I really liked '14.'

Missed opportunity for a Threshold

Everything was there, the technology, the supernatural, even a supernatural child vomiting cockroaches (why weren't they green!?)

Been here before but that is okay.

We’ve certainly been in these parts before. The book sort of seems like it might have been inspired by another, similar book, “The Institute.” Not quite as good, and with a bit more deus ex machina. Lots more actually.

Anyway, the writing can be frustrating at times as some things happen just because the author needs an action beat. But the real sense of espionage and folks really figuring things out is almost always absent.

The world of “The Broken Room” just seems to be populated with secret agent/mercenary types who know each other and have cliched connections.

That is all only kind of a complaint. This a weekend novel you enjoy but don’t pay any attention too.

Solid Book!

Enjoyable, but not the author's best. Still worth a listen though! a a a

Fun story but a bit repetitive at times

I liked the world building and pace, but some of the scenes felt too similar to earlier scenes. A tighter script or additional dynamic would have make it on par wirh the author's other work.

Better Than Expected

I liked the story. It was better than the other book from the author I had listened to recently. The ending was much better

The only criticism is that some of the sections seemed a little too long while others that seemed more important to the plot received too little attention.

Engaging and fun

This book was captivating from the beginning. I have always enjoyed most of Clines books and this one was a remarkably fun offering. The subtle but direct nods to the Clines/Lovecraftian universe at large was enjoyable and the two main characters were easy to love and root for.

Clines fans will appreciate the familiar world building and new readers should expect a well told mystery story with just a touch of horror.

I believed the reviews

Yep, I believed the reviews and, well, I don’t understand the good reviews. When she’s suddenly a widow with little hope she has a choice to make and she puts her family first; was it the right choice? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that this is a bad book, it’s not to my taste. There are rich details, lots to ponder but a bit slow in places, but not horrible.

Another great book by Mr. Clines

I’ve been a fan for a while of Mr. Clines’ books. Every time a new one comes out I jump right into it and I have yet to be disappointed. He really takes the genre to another level by keeping the characters always well grounded and real, with a story that grabs you right away. Can’t wait for the next adventure.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

My husband listened to about 15 minutes of this while we were driving, and even he was hooked! What a great book! Exciting, lots of action, an interesting story that ties into other Peter Clines' books. The narrator was pretty good and kept the tempo as it should be for each occasion. I would definitely listen to him again. I can't wait for Peter's next venture. Yep, because I love him so much we are on first name basis. :-)