Lisa Jamison – an investigative journalist in her hometown of Seneca Springs, New York. She is thirty-three years old and has a teenage daughter, whom she adores. She was a teenage runaway who became pregnant at fifteen. Completely estranged from her birth family, Lisa has only herself to thank for her success in life.

Bridget Jamison – eighteen and looking forward to university in the fall. She loves her mother and Dorothy, and is now working with Dorothy for her last summer in Seneca Springs.

Dorothy – is Lisa’s best friend who is thirty-one years her senior. Dorothy began living with them to care for Lisa’s daughter Bridget, when she was younger and Lisa worked odd hours. Now, Dorothy, an artist, is a much loved part of the family. Dorothy now runs an artist’s retreat, so no longer lives with Lisa.As with the first novel in this series, the writing was very assured and polished. A former crime journalist, the author is a seasoned writer.

I am such a timid person that it is hard for me to imagine just how courageous some people are. Lisa Jamison, an investigative journalist and our protagonist, was willing to risk everything for her story and the pursuit of justice.

“A little danger is necessary – healthy even – in this line of work. We’ll never uncover the good stuff if we’re always afraid of taking risks.”

I loved the unique family dynamic and rooted for each and every one of them throughout each tension-filled page. The excellent characterization gives this suspense crime thriller more heft than many of its peers.

With difficult themes such as sweatshops, organized crime, modern slavery, and white supremacy, this novel’s plot was scarily plausible and the tension of the chapters escalated gradually throughout the novel. Though touted as a mystery, I would  classify it more as a gritty, urban noir crime thriller.

All in all, “Never Broken” was a more than worthy sequel to “Dead Man’s Eyes”. This is a novel, and a series, that I can highly recommended.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Level Best Books via NetGalley.

  ISBN: 9781685120689 – ASIN:  ‎ B09NDTM2VB – 224 pages

Lori Duffy Foster is a former crime reporter who writes fiction and nonfiction from the hills of Northern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and four children. She was born and raised in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, where a part of her heart remains.

Her short fiction has appeared in the journal Aethlon, and in the anthologies Short Story America and Childhood Regained. Her nonfiction has appeared in Healthy Living, Running Times, Literary Mama, Crimespree and Mountain Home magazines.

Lori is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, The Historical Novel Society and Pennwriters. She is also vice president of the Knoxville (PA) Public Library board.

Lori Duffy Foster lives with her husband, Tom Foster, a fellow author.

Connect with Lori Duffy Foster on Twitter, her website, or on Instagram.