Last month, a friend of mine released a paranormal thriller (with horror tendencies, but not strictly horror) novel that quickly shot to the top of several Amazon rankings, including “hot new releases.” Though it’s not one of the genres I typically read from, it was very entertaining and I would encourage you to check it out if you like discovering indie authors before they get famous.

Here’s my review:

The Broken, by Sean Michael Frawley, is a tale of discovery that somehow manages to make a fun experience out of delving into the twisted realm of creepy things.

The story’s protagonist, Link Hartkins, is a fourteen-year-old boy dealing with the internal conflicts of relocating to a new town after the loss of his mother. His fierce loyalty to his baby brother provides the impetus for seeing the world through a younger pair of eyes, and as the story develops, this turns out to make all the difference. But as the paranormal adventure escalates, Link’s rational mind and well-developed sense of sarcasm attempt to keep him grounded in the very grown-up world of “reality.”

These dueling perspectives weave together inside a fascinating character, telling a story that is versatile enough to live on the shelves of middle-grade, young-adult, and adult fiction alike.

This eerie thriller is easy to read, with colorful and well-drawn characters that sparkle in the hands of a new author. Yet Frawley seems to have found that elusive “voice” that usually takes years of refinement to achieve. The Broken is an enticing glimpse into his creative mind, offering what—I can only hope—is the first of many more stories to come.