Book excerpt: Amber applies a dash of red lipstick and checks herself out in the mirror before heading out on a date. ‘Don’t wait up!’ she calls to her housemates as she leaves. But Amber never returns home that night. Amber Slater is never seen again. The last person to see Amber was her housemate. He remembers everything she was wearing that night. He watched her leave. He listened to every word of her phone conversation with her friend before she left. He knows more about Amber’s movements than anyone. At university, she is well-liked by her fellow students and teachers. Her tutor’s voice shakes when he is questioned by the police. Some say he and Amber were very close. Too close. Some say his wife had just found out about their relationship. The manager at the restaurant where Amber was supposed to eat that night says she didn’t show up. Yet the chef at the restaurant is overly chatty about her. He wasn’t working that night. He wasn’t answering his phone. Nobody knows where he was when Amber went missing. Rumours begin to circulate about Amber, it seems that everyone has a story to tell. But when the young girl’s lifeless body is found in a local park, with her blue lips glued shut, the gossip suddenly goes quiet. As the police trace the last few hours of Amber’s life, it seems that the girl simply vanished on her way to catch her bus. And when another woman goes missing in the dead of night, it’s a race against time to find her before she too is silenced forever. Fans of crime books from Angela Marsons, Cara Hunter and Clare Mackintosh will love The Broken Ones. What readers are saying about The Broken Ones: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow, what a fantastic book, I absolutely loved every page!... A rollercoaster of ups and downs and twists and turns.’ Nicki’s Book Blog ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Amazing thriller… Kept me up all night.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Tense, gripping, exciting and nerve-wracking.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Another riveting instalment in this gripping and addictive series… I loved every part of it.’ Bookword86 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved this… I was blown away.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I wish I could give more than five stars.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Exciting and tense with so many suspects.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Brilliant… I couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I love it.’ Goodreads reviewer What readers are saying about Carla Kovach: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I read this in a single sitting, unable to put it down.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow!… Absolutely amazing!… I was hooked from the first page.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Fantastic. Five stars from me.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow! What a great read!! This was full of so many twists and turns.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Fast-paced and gripping… Read it! You won’t be disappointed.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘What an amazing thriller!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘One hell of a series.’ Nigel Adams Bookworm ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Gripping and addictive. An easy five stars.’ Goodreads reviewer