Robyn Bradley

Well! I had to eat my words—again! I have been known to say that I don’t like novels written in the present tense. When I started to read this, I thought, oh no…

BUT, within a few pages, I was drawn into this novel, and my apprehension and misgivings about the present tense vanished into thin air.

Koty is forced by her husband, Wayne, to ‘babysit’ an amputee Iraqi war veteran, Jamie—her husband’s idea of patriotism and the dues that should be paid to those that fight for their country. Koty’s marriage to Wayne was a default due to an unexpected teen pregnancy. Three children later, she finds herself unhappily married to a drunkard and control-freak.

Her ‘duty’ towards the quadruple amputee is met by resentment on both sides. Koty is tired at being ordered around by her sometimes violent husband, and Jamie, quite naturally, is finding it hard to come to terms with his situation, while only a young man. Koty’s only option is make the best of the situation and, in a battle of wills, aims to fight through his barrier of bitterness and sense of hopelessness. But they are both victims of losses of different kinds, and this common bond leads them down an unexpected path.

I very much enjoyed the development of Koty and Jamie’s relationship. It was charged, poignant—Jamie is superbly portrayed—but then Bradley drops an almighty, jaw-dropping bombshell. The story takes a different turn and what started off as a good page-turner becomes an engrossing, compelling, and powerful story of intrigue and what parents will do to protect their children.

The writing was superb, each character was utterly believable, the tension was honed to perfection, and a whole gamut of emotions exudes from the pages.

And the absolute icing on the cake was the simply perfect editing of this book. I’m getting so tired of saying ‘good book, shame about the editing’, that this was an added bonus to my excellent reading experience. I found only a few very, very minor errors which was so very refreshing. Every author (and editor) should read this book and learn!

Outstanding, Robyn Bradley—I have ensured I have your other full-length novel (Forgotten April) on my Kindle.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
… (más)

Amazingly well written and edited. I absolutely loved this story about a neglected and abused wife who forms a brief relationship, under orders from her husband, with a quadriplegic amputee recently returned from the gulf war.

The first part of the book is centred around these two characters and there are some extremely sensuous moments. We are also given glimpses into Kody's relationship with her husband before things turned sour.

The characters are so well developed that I believed what they thought and did. I genuinely felt sadness, compassion and frustration for them. The complexities of each characters' personality and life experiences, thoughts, actions and behaviour were so well drawn out, I did not dislike any of them even if I did not agree and want something different for them. I wanted everything to turn out well for them and couldn't wait to find out how life was panning out for them all.

The first part ended quite abruptly and I was stunned.

The second half concentrated on the personal accounts of each individual and what they were thinking and doing and why they had behaved in a particular way.

During the course of reading the first half I remembered an old film (1946) 'The Time Of Our Lives' about the return of three WW2 veterans one of which was a double amputee returning to his fiancé. I remember having similar feelings when I watched this film in my teens. The impact was all the more profound as the actor was a double amputee himself. I think 'What Happened In Granite Creek' is a worthy current equivalent in its raising of current issues that service men suffer during the Gulf War and how they may or may not come to terms with such loss.

I won't go into more as I don't want to spoil anything in this absolute gem. All I will say is that this was definitely a thought provoking story for me and that I can definitely recommend that you give it a go.… (más)

This novel was recommended by a friend and I must say I'm glad I took my friend's advice. Robyn Bradley is an excellent writer with skills in characterization, internal dialogue, and description. The plot moved well throughout the first part, where I found myself emotionally involved. For me though, the next section bounced between characters and lost most of the tension and momentum. Still, the mystery presented was intriguing, so I read on with great desire to see what had happened. By the time the events were revealed, I was more intellectually curious, like a detective, rather than heart-wrenched, which I had been at the end of part 1.

Still, What Happened in Granite Creek is a good read for a rainy day, nice and complex and emotionally meaty. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Bradley.… (más)

A quadruple amputee war veteran; a battered woman, her mean-spirited husband, and the three daughters they are devoted to: these are the players at the heart of this savage, compelling drama. What makes this thriller special? It focuses on what many of its genre skip out on: character development.

The story begins when Jamie, a 26-year-old veteran, returns home from a tour in Iraq to Granite Creek, New Hampshire, minus his arms and legs. Because his schoolteacher mother can’t always be home to care for him, the neighbors take turns “visiting” with Jamie for a few hours at a time—though they are quickly driven away by his rage and bitterness. But Koty Fowler, a bullied mother of three, is able to connect with him in ways that the others cannot. What begins as friendship soon turns into something more, leading to a tragic whirlwind of events that leaves no one’s lives untouched. At the novel’s conclusion, the reader is left to question: who exactly is to blame for what happened in Granite Creek? An excellent thriller, highly recommended.… (más)