Psychiatrist Claire Rossi seeks cases nobody else can treat—cases like her mother’s, whose misdiagnosis of schizophrenia and subsequent death inspired Claire’s career. Initially infatuated with an influx of seemingly schizophrenic patients, interest turns to terror as their ailments infect her too. She sees and hears a man who grows more violent with every encounter. The analysis and training she’s relied on her whole career fail to explain his presence, leaving only one conclusion: that what haunts her isn’t in her head at all. But maybe that’s just what she wants to believe.
As her symptoms escalate, she’s left with two unsettling clues. Her mother speaks to her in twisted idioms, and a mysterious letter taunts her with a single line:
Enjoy your gifts.
First Line:
Depression and loneliness fed off one another, a snake eating its tail in an endless loop of misery.
A Broken Clock Never Boils by C.J. Weiss
I have mentioned this in other reviews, but I enjoy reading horror books around Halloween. There is nothing like reading a creepy book on a night when the wind is blowing, and you can hear the trees creaking and moaning. That is one of the reasons why I accepted the invitation from the author. I wanted to be scared, and guess what? I was. This book was very creepy to read and kept me wondering if I should beware of weird notes sent to me through the mail.
A Broken Clock Never Boils had a creepy and interesting storyline. Claire is a psychiatrist. She notices a weird coincidence when several new patients start having schizophrenic episodes that are the same. They all involve a tall, pale man who only they can see, and all of their episodes are getting progressively worse. Things take a turn for the worse when Claire starts having her episodes soon after receiving a letter that says, “Enjoy your gifts.”. Fearing for her sanity, Claire starts investigating her patients and herself, looking for something that links them all together. Will Claire figure everything out before someone dies? Or will she become another victim?
A Broken Clock Never Boils is a fast-paced book. It started off running and didn’t slow down until the end. There was some lag in the middle of the book, but the author got the book back on track.
This book took place entirely in Denver, Colorado. The author did get into some background of the city, but he kept it mainly to Claire’s house, Claire’s office, and another location. I wish there were more background, but I was content with what was given because of the storyline.
What I liked about A Broken Clock Never Boils:
I enjoyed the horror element of the book. The author did a great job of keeping me wondering if Claire was going insane or if it was something else.
I liked seeing that Claire had such strong relationships with her friends. Her friends were her backbone for the entire last half of the book.
I liked that the occult was used during the last half of the book. It made for a more creepy and interesting read.
What I disliked about A Broken Clock Never Boils:
Claire for 90% of the book. She rubbed me the wrong way. She was condescending, snarky, and wasn’t very nice to her neighbor (or her son).
I wouldn’t say I liked Claire’s boss, either. He didn’t take her seriously about anything until the last half of the book. It was almost like he was looking to discredit her initially and then had a change of heart.
The demonologist. I couldn’t stand him. Every time Claire talked to him, he was a jerk, and getting information out of him was like pulling teeth.
Claire was an interesting character for me to read. I did have trouble connecting to her in the beginning because, to be blunt, I didn’t like her. But my dislike aside, she was an interesting character to read. Even I began to wonder if it was all in her head. She also made a decent detective and followed the clues to the bad guy.
The villain was also an interesting character to read. I am not going to go much into his character, but I will say that he was a frightening person. His obsession with his mother was scary and disgusting at the same time. I also was in awe over what he could do and how he could do it.
Several notable secondary characters gave A Broken Clock Never Boils some added depth. They are Dr. Eric (Claire’s boss), Amy and Bradley (her next-door neighbors), Robert and Jessica (her best friends), and her patients (old and new).
A Broken Clock Never Boils is a combination of psychological horror and supernatural. There was a bit more psychological horror angle than the supernatural. Combined, they both made this book a good read.
Three reasons why you should read A Broken Clock Never Boils:
It is an engaging read.
The characters are well-written and well-fleshed out.
It is the perfect book to read around Halloween.
Three reasons why you shouldn’t read A Broken Clock Never Boils:
The book rambled in parts. I could have done without knowing every single thought in Claire’s head.
It does get a little violent in parts of the book. Claire is beaten several times throughout the book.
If you are triggered by anything mental health-wise. The bad guy is severely mentally ill, and the author doesn’t hold back with him at all.
The end of A Broken Clock Never Boils was good. The author was able to wrap everything up in a way that satisfied me as a reader. I wonder if the author will write another book in this universe because of how the book ended. I guess we’ll see.
I would recommend A Broken Clock Never Boils to anyone over 21. There is language; there is implied sexual contact, and there is moderate to severe violence.
If you enjoyed reading A Broken Clock Never Boils, then you will enjoy these books:
I saw this meme on It’s All About Booksand thought, I like this!! So, I decided to do it once a month also. Many thanks to Yvonne for originally posting this!!
This post is what it says: Places I travel to in books each month. Books are wonderful and take you to places you would never get a chance to go. That includes places of fantasy too!!
So….enjoy!! Please let me know if you have read these books or traveled to these areas (other than the fantasy….lol).
Here’s where I traveled in October:
United Kingdom:
Various fictional areas of England
London
London
United States
Phoenix, Arizona
Pennsylvania and Connecticut
Texas, Arizona, Washington State (mountains/coast)
Woodlake, New Hampshire
North Boston, Massachusetts
Herber, Arizona
Denver, Colorado
Pennsylvania and Connecticut
Massachusetts (Boston), California (Los Angeles, San Diego), Oregon (Portland),North Carolina (SugarMountain, Asheville), New York (New York City, Atlantic West), Florida (Tampa area, Jacksonville, Nassau),Colorado (Montlake), Montana (Polson), New Jersey (Northside), Georgia (Fulton County), Ohio (Dayton), Texas (Fort Worth),
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Personal:
Thursday, I took Vinnie in to get neutered. The plan was to drop him off at 7:30 and pick him up between 4-5:30. Drop off went fine (except he cried the entire car ride down). Pick-up was a little different. I had Miss R with me (I came straight from school), and she was a freaking handful. She didn’t want to wait and freaked out because a bee was flying outside the car (but she wouldn’t roll upthe window). We got Vinnie, and Miss R said, “Mom, he smells like pee.” I get him home, let him out of the carrier, and he is soaked in pee. His belly (including where they tattooed him), legs, neuter site, and tail were sopping wet, and there was a ton of pee in the bottom of the carrier (with two puppy padsinthere). BK and I were furious. On top of that, when I looked over his paperwork, it looked like they had forgotten his microchip. So, I am not too thrilled with our local Humane Society. He was starving (he had had no food since 9 pm on Wednesday) and thirsty. I was also concerned where he got neutered would get infected at the worse and burned by the pee at the best. Thankfully, it has healed up nicely.
Friday was a chill day for me. Miss R didn’t have horseback riding (her instructor is on vacation). We went to Sams Club after Mr. Z and Miss B got home from school. I had one of their hot dogs for dinner, which was delicious!!!
Saturday, we drove up to Blowing Rock/Boone to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to leaf peep (which, I am told, is a northeastern thing to say). I haven’t been since we moved here, and I loved it. The colors were gorgeous.
Sunday, BK left for a business trip. The company owner was touring the different stores the product was in. I did feel bad for him. His flight was at 630, and he landed at 930 (he had alayover). He didn’t get to the hotel until 1030 and had to be up by 530 to drive to the store. When I talked to him that night, he was exhausted.
Monday, I talked to the Humane Society about Vinnie’s microchip. They apologized, and I was able to book an appointment to have it inserted in two weeks. The woman who booked the appointment did try to charge me for it, and I argued (because I already paid in August) that I did and had the paperwork to prove it. She finally looked up his records and agreed with me. But I am taking the paperwork they gave me (with the receipt stapled to it), just in case.
Miss R had an unmounted lesson Monday afternoon. She was supposed to have a regular lesson with a trainer she doesn’t like on Wednesday. I was able to cancel that, and the barn owner asked if she wanted an unmounted lesson. She learned about bits, the bridle, and how to control the horse.
Tuesday, I did nothing except laundry and Grub Hub Wendy’s to me. I also bought the newest DLC for my Planet Zoo game. They now have wombats, foxes, skunks, raccoons, and flying foxes. So, guess what I played after all my chores were done…lol.
I am super excited because NetGalley granted me a wish. I never wish for books, but when I saw this one and read the blurb, I knew I had to. What book was it? The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. I can’t wait to read this!!!
I also finished reading The Spear Cuts Through Water on Tuesday. I started it last Thursday. Good book but super long.
So that’s the essential things for this past week. How was your week?
As always, let me know if you have read or are planning to read any of these books!!
What I Recently Finished Reading:
Finley Reeves is the queen of bad mistakes. Fresh off a bad divorce, she decides to rebuild her life from the ground up – starting with a fixer-upper that’s got more leaks than the Titanic. Deciding to tackle this project alone might be her biggest mistake of all…. That is until Noah Thompson shows up at her front door like a knight in a shining tool belt and makes her an offer she’d be crazy to refuse.
Noah’s sexy, rugged, and good with his hands, but Finley swears she doesn’t need his help – in the basement, or in the bedroom. Can this unlikely couple build a future together? Or will this be one fixer-upper that is better off left alone?
(A fun and sexy Contemporary Romance, ages 17+.)
What I am currently reading:
Stefano Vanzetti.
You’d have to be living under a rock if you grew up in northern Boston and didn’t know who he is. He’s the heartthrob of every Italian girl in my neighborhood, the man who’s probably had your daughter roll through his sheets at least once, the devilishly handsome mysterious man with dark brown eyes that gave you nightmares, and yes, every horrible thing you’ve probably heard about him is very much true.
Did I also mention he destroyed my dreams and aspirations in life when he asked my father for my hand in marriage?
We will not be silent. We will not stand down. We are furious. We are the storm.
More than forty of your favorite authors have gotten together to create an anthology where 100% of the proceeds go toward charities fighting for our reproductive rights.
Participating Authors Alexandria Bishop :: :: Karina Halle:: Amelia Wilde :: Amie Knight :: Anna B. Doe :: Anna Edwards :: Anne Malcom :: Anne Mercier :: Bella Matthews :: BT Urruela :: Cali Melle :: Carly Phillips :: Cassandra Robbins :: Claire Hastings :: Clarissa Wild :: Sandy Alvarez and Crystal Daniels :: Danielle Pearl :: Darcy Rose :: Dee Palmer :: Dove Cavanaugh King :: Eden Summers :: Ella Fields :: Evie Mitchell :: Giana Darling :: Hannah McBride :: India R Adams :: Ivy Fox :: Jack Davenport :: Jenika Snow :: Jessica Gadziala :: Kat T. Masen :: KL Donn :: LP Lovell and Stevie J Cole :: Max Henry :: Nicole Blanchard :: Nikki Belaire :: Piper Davenport :: Sade Rena :: Saffron A. Kent :: Samantha Young :: Sarah Bale :: Serena Akeroyd :: Sierra Glass :: Skye Warren :: Susanne Valenti and Caroline Peckham :: Willow Winters
What books I think I’ll read next:
IS IT MADNESS OR THE SUPERNATURAL?
Psychiatrist Claire Rossi seeks cases nobody else can treat—cases like her mother’s, whose misdiagnosis of schizophrenia and subsequent death inspired Claire’s career. Initially infatuated with an influx of seemingly schizophrenic patients, interest turns to terror as their ailments infect her too. She sees and hears a man who grows more violent with every encounter. The analysis and training she’s relied on her whole career fail to explain his presence, leaving only one conclusion: that what haunts her isn’t in her head at all. But maybe that’s just what she wants to believe.
As her symptoms escalate, she’s left with two unsettling clues. Her mother speaks to her in twisted idioms, and a mysterious letter taunts her with a single line:
Enjoy your gifts.
Detective Wade’s search for her sister leads to an abandoned building and a man with two teens, a fierce battle where light poles bend like pipe cleaners, and twenty-six unmarked shallow graves.
A sibling addicted to extreme sports used to be her biggest challenge. Now fate has chosen to widen her horizons and test her unique psychic skill set. With her Bernese mountain dog by her side, they must fathom friend from foe while staying one step ahead of the organization responsible for kidnapping those with psychic abilities.
Parker Ratham’s goal of locating psychically talented teens and adults held prisoner takes him deep into the Connecticut forests. On a stormy night, he crosses paths not only with a serial killer, but also a young teen running from unknown assassins.
Each must learn to trust and work as a unit while staying ahead of those seeking to capture or kill.
Bradley Pay is back with a jaw-dropping sequel to The Killings Begin! Travel across the world and dive into the complex hearts and minds of Tracey Lauch and a cast of unsuspecting new characters in Death in a Dark Alley. Boasting the Spectrum Series’ iconic fusion of contemporary romance and psychological suspense, Bradley Pay has created another tangled web of love, loss, and an insatiable desire to kill.
Tracey Lauch may be a murderer, but he is still a man. Although his childhood abandonment trauma began decades ago, now his compulsion to strangle women who resemble his mother has begun to evolve. Outrunning his past, embracing love in the present, and creating a future free of investigation proves increasingly complicated.
Isabelle’s life in Brazil is burdened with mistakes and abandonment, too – but not in the same way. She falls in love with all the wrong men at all the wrong times, and her best friend Frank shows his true colors when, over and over again, he is not there for her when she needs him most. Aside from the stark difference that Isabelle is not a murderer, she and Tracey both desire love, a life partner, and the warmth of a family.
But what does Isabelle’s story have to do with Tracey? How can an innocent trip to Strasbourg, France, become a heart-stopping event that changes their lives forever?
Peek behind the curtains of this cold-case investigation and catch an intimate glimpse inside the characters’ lives.
When Marchioness Lamberico fails to conceive a child, she solicits the help of Imelda, the village witch. Nine months later, she gives birth to a baby girl. Biancabella. Though perfect in every other way, the infant is born with a snake wrapped around her neck. To the relief of the marchioness, the creature vanishes at once and, in the joy of motherhood, is soon forgotten. When Biancabella is a young girl, the snake reappears and explains their uncommon sisterhood. Samaritana helps Biancabella unlock her magical gifts and asserts that so long as they are together, all will be well. Their close, though secret, relationship unites them above all others. Years pass, the sisters contented, until the day King Ferrandino of Naples arrives, seeking Biancabella’s hand in marriage. What follows shatters the sisters’ bond, leading to misfortune and betrayal, which forces them to grapple with not only the loss of their connection, but leaves each fighting for her life. Loosely based on the Italian fairy tale Biancabella and the Snake, the story explores how the love can transform from a domineering and covetous power to authenticity and, ultimately, redemption.
It has been a while since I have done a monthly wrap-up. Usually, I am pressed for time (between thekids, their activities, and other life issues), and I choose not to do one. But I am making a change starting with this month. I will do a monthly wrap-up (even if it is only a couple of things).
So, here is what I read/posted in the month of September.
As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.
First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts by Linda Budzinski, Melissa Maygrove, Sylvia Nay, Katie Klein, Michael di Gesu, Templeton Moss, S.E. White, Denise Covey, Sammi, Spizziri (review here)
Last Place Seen by Alessandra Harris (review here)
