When Things Fall Apart by Alan Brenham
When Things Fall Apart injects new life into the modern crime thriller with a hero like we’ve never seen before, and a deranged killer without equal.
Rookie police detective Kit Hanover tracks down leads in her first homicide case, hampered by racial prejudice and misogyny from within her own department. The victim, beaten to death in a fit of jealous rage, is unrecognizable at the crime scene, but Hanover soon discovers a deeply personal connection with the deceased.
Acclaimed author and former law enforcement officer, Alan Brenham, gives us a detective novel that deserves a place on the shelf alongside the best volumes from Don Winslow and James Patterson.
New Detective Jumps Many Hurdles
Kit Hanover receives her first homicide case as a detective in the Fort Worth, Texas police department. Hanover, female and part Native American, feels that she has even more to prove than most young officers.
Within the first few minutes of meeting her new partner, veteran detective Walter “Wade” Shephard, there is a major problem. Shephard is not only racist but extremely verbal and outspoken about his animosity toward Hanover.
Arriving at the scene of the crime at Marine Creek Lake, Shephard instructs Hanover to stay in the car. She boldly refuses to take a backseat and proceeds to make several crucial discoveries in the initial assessment of the attack. Throughout the first few chapters, Hanover proves her mettle, but the senior officer Shephard’s ignorance and prejudice are interminable.
Hanover jumps through every hoop as a new detective, including being temporarily assigned to another unit through Shephard’s manipulation. Prevailing in the most challenging circumstances, it becomes clear to many in the department that Hanover deserves her badge. Just as Hanover earns her way back to the original case, an unexpected connection to the victim turns the investigation, as well as Hanover’s entire life, completely upside-down.
Palpable Tension and Expert Knowledge
When Things Fall Apart is marked by a palpable tension from start to finish. Beyond the mystery of the average “whodunnit”, Alan Brenham introduces racial tension, departmental politics, lies, jealousy and a number of other devices to keep readers on edge with every page.
Brenham uses tension between his carefully constructed characters the way an artist uses a brush and paint. Each unpleasant exchange and escalation puts the reader on alert, drawing you in to witness what will happen next.
Brenham’s writing style is also marked by an expert level of knowledge ranging from investigation techniques, crime scene protocols, and mechanisms of a firearm. The thoughtful inclusion of these details is evidence of Brenham’s experience with the law; both as a police officer as well as working for several years as a lawyer, first as a prosecutor and later in criminal defense.
Filled with Unexpected Twists and Thrills
The first few chapters of this book are intriguing and exciting but the title, When Things Fall Apart, really describes the second half of the book.
When the murderer begins to feel the pressure of the ongoing investigation, he turns his attention to Detective Hanover, and it becomes very personal. The truly demented nature of the killer is slowly revealed as he stalks, threatens and perpetrates increasingly brutal acts of violence toward Hanover, her mother, and everyone she loves.
Very few novelists can pull off a successful “twist” without telegraphing what’s coming or seeming cliché, but Brenham does so in multiple instances within this novel. This fantastically tormented story delivers blows that the reader will never see coming. Unexpected thrills and surprises make When Things Fall Apart a very enjoyable read that I just couldn’t put down.
About Alan Brenham:
Alan Brenham is the pen name of Alan Behr. He worked as a Texas law enforcement officer for over twenty years and as a criminal prosecutor and later criminal defense attorney for over twenty-five years. Today he lives in Texas with his wife, Lillian, where he’s working on his eleventh novel.
His first crime novel, Price of Justice, won several awards including best in police/crime fiction. It also became a top 100 international bestseller. A second novel, Cornered, was released on July 13, 2014. Rampage, a sequel to Price of Justice, was released on July 4, 2015. His fourth book, Game Piece, was released in October 2018. A fifth novel, Hidden Intentions, was released on December 3, 2020. His sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth novels have now been published.
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