The Shattering

Jake, Schuyler, and Matthew have very little in common except that they are dead - suicide, by all appearances. 

Keri, Janna, and Sione have very little in common except they don't believe their brother's killed themselves.  United by a shared passion to catch the serial killer who murdered all of their older brothers, they discover a terrifying pattern - a teenage boy, the eldest in a family, "commits suicide" after celebrating New Year's in Keri and Jana's breathtaking resort hometown of Summerton, New Zealand.  The unlikely trio sets out to discover who is doing this and in the process they discover the horrifying reason why.

Alright, alright - I know that was like the shortest synopsis ever but it's so hard not to give anything away!  Karen Healey knows how to mix magic, strong characters, a superb plot, and pop culture just right.  And personally, I love the way Healey writes the setting as a character itself.  It's not just set dressing - it's a living, breathing part of the story.  The fact that the setting is New Zealand (I want to go there...drool, drool) only enhances it's depth.  I should also clarify that this is a mystery, an intense mystery, but not horror.

Pluuuuuuus, the U.S. version of the cover (which you see here) is pretty brilliant.  At least I think so.  Sure, the broken glass visually conveys the title, but wait until you finish the book....there's a double meaning, especially once you understand whose face that is behind the glass.

If you like The Shattering you'll also like Healey's first book Guardian of the Dead which I haven't reviewed on the blog only because I read it before I started blogging reviews and if I retro-actively reviewed...well, I'd never be able to leave the computer.