Fractured Truth was my second read/listen from author Susan Furlong. Even better than the first book! The story and characters are slowly & methodically developed, drawing the reader in. Narrator Amy Landon adds greatly to the listening enjoyment with her wide variety of entertaining voices & inflections. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018). ( )

Fractured Truth by Susan Furlong is a compelling mystery which is set in a small community in the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee. This second installment in the Bone Gap Travellers series can be read as a standalone but I also highly recommend book one, Splintered Silence.

Former Marine Brynn Callahan now works for the sheriff's department but she still does not fit in with the townspeople or the Irish Travellers. She and her cadaver dog, Wilco, are a formidable team but Brynn's substance abuse issues and post traumatic stress are becoming a problem on the job. The latest case she is investigating with her boss, Sheriff Frank Pusser, is the particularly gruesome murder of seventeen year old Maura Keene, who is from Brynn's community. Brynn immediately runs up against her close-knit community who feel she has betrayed her clan by becoming a police officer. She does not fare any better in the "settled" world whose prejudices against the Travellers run deep. Brynn nonetheless presses on and with the help FBI profiler, Joe Grabowski, they follow the puzzling clues. Having infuriated the Mayor, whose son Hatch is a suspect in Maura's murder, Brynn's personal demons could lead to the loss of her job. Can Brynn kick the addictions that she relies on to make it through each day? Will she, Joe and Frank unravel the truth about Maura's killer?

Brynn's troubled history continues to plague her as she settles into her new career. Scarred both inside and out from her military service, she ignores the warning signs she is not as in control of her life as she believes. Her return to Bone Gap remains uneasy as she walks a fine line between life as a Traveller and her police career. Brynn is quite intelligent with superb instincts but her drinking and pill popping are definitely becoming a liability. When her beloved Gran is caught in the crossfire, Brynn's overwhelming guilt puts her in an increasingly downward spiral that could cost her everything she holds dear.

The investigation into Maura's death reveals some very troubling details about the teenager's life. When another young woman is reported missing, Brynn and Sheriff Pusser are fairly certain the two cases are connected. However, since the other teenager is from another town, they are at a loss as to find definitive evidence to link them. As Brynn digs deeper into Maura's life, she becomes increasingly unsettled by the prejudices expressed by both the townspeople and the Travellers. She is also reminded of her own unhappy school years as the investigation takes her into to orbit of her former friends from high school.

Fractured Truth is a fast-paced mystery with an interesting cast of characters, a unique storyline and an intriguing murder to solve. Brynn is a deeply flawed but incredibly likable lead protagonist. The mystery surrounding Maura's murder is quite perplexing and the investigation is filled with unexpected twists. An outstanding addition to Susan Furlong's Bone Gap Travellers series that I highly recommend to readers of the genre. ( )

Ex-Marine Brynn Callahan and her human-remains-detection canine Wilco, are called in to investigate when a female body is found in a cave in Bone Gap, Tennessee, where the Irish Travellers (some refer them as gypsies) live in a close-knit community.

The crime scene is gruesome : a symbol of pentagram marked on the entrance, dead chickens scattered around, burned-out candles surrounded the body, more blood-scrawled symbols on the rocks … looks like some sort of satanic occult has been practiced!

Brynn is horrified and taken aback when she discovers that the dead girl was her neighbor, and one of her own – a Traveller! And this is her first official homicide since she has sworn in as deputy sheriff! What a fate! To further complicate the situation, there is another female body being found in the nearby water ….

Through her course of investigation, Brynn is faced with intense hatred and resentment from her Traveller clan, in addition to her own struggle with PTSD. Is she fit enough to do her job as deputy sheriff to solve these homicides?

“Fractured Truth” is the second book of the Bone Gap Travellers series by Susan Furlong but can be read as stand alone.

Susan has done a great deal of research about veterans and the struggling of their PTSD, and has expertly incorporated these components in this crime thriller, with unexpected twists and mystery. It is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys good reads!

I would like to thank Susan Furlong and Kensington Books for introducing me to this interesting Bone Gap Travellers series! I enjoy it tremendously!

I personally love the characters portrayed by Brynn and her three-legged Wilco, as well as the culture and custom of Bone Gap Travellers! I am looking forward to reading the next novel of this series. ( )

I love the setting and cultural aspects of this story. Susan Furlong beautifully captures this group of people known as Travellers. We see how prejudice works from both sides, enforcing stereotypes and ensuring the Travellers remain on the margins of society. We also see how difficult life is for people like Brynn, who straddle the middle ground of the two while not completely fitting into either.

The mystery unravels at a good pace, held my interest, and kept me guessing all the way through.

Brynn's relationship with Wilco is one of my favorite aspects of this series. Anyone who has ever loved an animal will appreciate their bond.

The only issue I had came with Brynn's emotional unraveling and erratic behavior. She has a major chip on her shoulder, and is moody and difficult throughout the story. The reasoning is sound and it's handled well. But the book is written in first person, from her perspective, and so it becomes grating to spend the entire time with her this way. The setup for this began in book 1, but here in book 2 her problematic behavior takes center stage, often overshadowing the murder case. Consequently, while I sympathized with her plight, I found her more difficult to like. That being said, there is a profound honesty in the way her situation is handled.

I think this book works fine as a stand-alone read. The author does a great job of weaving bits of the past into this story, and the plot itself is resolved with no cliffhangers. Still, I recommend starting with Splintered Silence, book 1, in order to get a firm sense of Brynn and the Bone Gap Travellers.

*The publisher provided me with an advance ebook copy via NetGalley.* ( )

Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “Fractured Truth” by Susan Furlong , Author, Kensington Publishing, December 18, 2018

Susan Furlong, Author of “Fractured Truth” the sequel to “Splintered Truth” writes an intense, intriguing , captivating, riveting, and emotional novel. I did read both books, but I think it would be possible to read “Fractured Truth” by itself, but I think you would appreciate it more, if you read “Splintered Truth”. The Genres for this story are Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, and Fiction. The author describes the characters as flawed, complex and complicated. The timeline for the story takes place in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the stories.

The story takes place in near the Appalachian Mountains in an area called Bone Gap, Tennessee, where the “Irish Travellers, a clan of people with special traditions and believe that ” no one forgets and no one forgives” live. The towns people tend to discriminate and have dysfunctional animosity against the “Irish Travellers” The “Travellers don’t trust the towns people or the police. They handle their problems in their own way.

Brynn Callahan, and her dog Wilco are called in when a young “Traveller ” girl’s body is found. Brynn is suffering from PSTD from the military , and her handicapped dog is trained to locate dead bodies. Brynn also is one of the “Travellers” but now is an outcast as a Police Detective. As more dangerous situations arise, and another body is found, Brynn is finding tremendous difficulty in handling her responsibilities of her job and her family.

Brynn is much more intense, and deeper involved in her problems in this book. Brynn is drinking more, and taking pain pills more, and is justifying that should be allowed. She is “fracturing” the truth to make the pieces fit. Will this cause a problem on her job? Will this cause more animosity from her family? Will Brynn be able to solve this case?

There are twists and turns and unexpected dangers. Brynn is facing more betrayal. I would highly recommend this novel to those readers who enjoy a thrilling, suspenseful mystery. ( )