The Broken Man

I picked this book up off the shelf at the library last week.  I was thinking that I'd never read anything by Josephine Cox before but when I scanned through the long list of her books, I realized that I actually have!  Blood Brothers, I read it just over a year ago.  It was interesting to go back and read that review and see that I thought that book ended abruptly.  I felt this one did too, though not quite to the same degree.  I also felt like there was one character called Anne who was a major player in the story, but at some point, she just dropped off the planet.  I would have liked to know what happened to her and how her connection to the other characters worked out .... (I can't really say more than that without a spoiler alert!)

Having said all that,  I did still really like this book.  It's the story of a little boy who, having lived his first seven years with an abusive father, is one day taken from that horrible existence and thrown into a life no one would ever wish on any child.  Tragedy strikes early on, but not so early that Adam hadn't already found his way into my heart. I was left cheering him on, hoping for the best.

Phil, the bus driver who was with him the day tragedy strikes, is a loveable fellow.  Kind, sensitive, and loyal, he is the perfect grandfatherly friend for Adam.

 

Sally and Mick ... and Anne.  Three friends whose stories seem unrelated at first but as the story twists and turns, we find out what a small world it really is!