Fiona Cummins has excelled herself with this riveting and gory novel. All Of Us Are Broken follows two groups – The Hardwickes and the aspiring Bonnie and Clyde pair, Missy and Fox – as they veer into each other’s midst, landing themselves in the throes of Scotland’s Black Isle, both there for very different reasons. Missy and Fox desire infamy; the Hardwickes, a welldeserved holiday. But as we suspect, this holiday will not go without bends, bumps and curves.
It’s been an age since Christine and her kids Galen and Tom have been on a family holiday, and they head to Chanonry Point to ensure that daughter Galen gets her wish to see the dolphins, a wish that she’s held onto for a long time. However, as is the case with all Cummins’ books, it’s not anywhere near plain sailing. DC Saul Anguish is called onto the scene to discover that a shooting is connected to a series of killings by a pair pathetically desperate for notoriety: Missy and Fox. Hell-bent on madness, this duo head north leaving a trail of blood and lipstick behind, with Anguish in pursuit.
It takes no genius to quickly discover the paths of both will undoubtedly cross, and it becomes the job of Anguish and his complicated partner, Blue, to pull the family from a scene of terror. A dark thriller that embodies emotion, character, fast-paced action, and teenage woes, there’s little missing from this crime novel.
Cummins treats the readers to stunning prose when describing the Scottish landscapes, whilst also getting deep into the characters of Missy and Galen, posing questions about family relationships with all the tropes of a twisty thriller. An unexpectedly giving tale, All Of Us Are Broken lures you in before it throttles you.
All Of Us Are Broken is out 20th July, published by MacMillan
