Kay Brooks’s Broken Image is a small-town romantic suspense novel that blends murder, grief, family secrets, and a touch of the supernatural. The story centers on Sage Grimes, who returns to Edmondsville after losing both her young daughter, Grace, and her beloved great-uncle Joe. Sage is also recovering from an accident she can’t fully remember and separating from an abusive husband. While she tries to make a home out of the house Joe left her, a serial killer is stalking women in the area, another woman is fighting to survive captivity, and several people close to Sage are pulled into the growing danger.

Sage’s emotional recovery gives the novel its heart. Her grief isn’t treated as a single obstacle she needs to overcome, but as something that shapes her routines, relationships, and sense of self. Baking, exploring Joe’s collection of local history, and planning a meditation gazebo all become meaningful parts of her healing. One of the book’s most affecting observations comes when Leona tells her, “Our hearts break because they are tender and vulnerable.” That idea runs through the entire story. Sage’s pain leaves her exposed, but it also allows her to form deeper connections with the people who welcome her back into the community.

The suspense unfolds through several intersecting storylines. Sage’s missing memories gradually raise questions about the crash that killed Grace, while Abby receives increasingly disturbing attention from a killer who believes she belongs to him. Ivy’s struggle to escape captivity adds urgency, and Sheriff Duane Peterson works to connect the evidence before someone else dies. Brooks frequently shifts viewpoints, sometimes letting readers see events through the eyes of the criminals. This creates tension by revealing how close the danger is even when the characters don’t recognize it. The mystery surrounding Walter, Sage’s estranged husband, becomes especially gripping as Sage begins trusting her own instincts again.

Edmondsville itself plays a major role in the book. The auction business, fall festival, cemetery, apple orchard, local history society, and community Facebook page give the town a lived-in personality. Brooks fills it with a large, affectionate network of friends and relatives who cook for one another, investigate strange events, share old stories, and show up when someone needs help. The many characters and plot threads make the novel feel busy at times, but they also create the sense that Sage is entering a community with a history that extends well beyond her personal crisis. The ghostly presence of Isabella fits naturally into this setting, adding warmth and lingering mystery rather than shifting the novel into full supernatural horror.

Broken Image is about rebuilding a life after fear and guilt have distorted the way a person sees herself. The thriller plot supplies danger and momentum, but Sage’s movement from isolation toward belonging provides the most satisfying journey. By the closing chapters, her statement, “I’m going to be okay,” feels earned because it comes after she has confronted both the truth about her past and the person who tried to control it. Readers who enjoy romantic suspense with an active community, multiple mysteries, gentle paranormal elements, and a strong emphasis on emotional healing will find plenty to engage with here.

Pages: 292 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GZFNJZ9G