Get ready to dive into a world of a toxic family and the consequences… meet Breakers by Doug Johnstone.

The plot:

Seventeen-year-old Tyler lives in one of Edinburgh’s most deprived areas. Coerced into robbing rich people’s homes by his bullying older siblings, he’s also trying to care for his little sister and his drug-addict mum.

On a job, his brother Barry stabs a homeowner and leaves her for dead, but that’s just the beginning of their nightmare, because the woman is the wife of Edinburgh’s biggest crime lord, Deke Holt.

With the police and the Holts closing in, and his shattered family in devastating danger, Tyler meets posh girl Flick in another stranger’s house, and he thinks she may just be his salvation… unless he drags her down too.

A top-notch thriller

From the get-go, Breakers promised an intense read to keep you on the edge of your seat, and it did not disappoint.

Although I thought of it as a slow-burner in the beginning, it was highly addictive to the point that you thought you’d only read 10 pages, but had in fact read 80, and you’re not looking to stop until you’ve hit that final page.

For my readers who like that huge plot twist, you won’t get it with this book. Breakers really doesn’t need it to be an incredible thriller.

It has characters you like and others who you want to see them meet their demise asap. The writing is really well done, with short sentences to throw you into the tension. The story itself is credible, and it genuinely feels like you’re reading a true crime story.

My highlight would definitely be how some members of the family are portrayed – although we do not hear from the mother herself often, she plays a huge part in the story. I would’ve liked a little bit more information about Deke to really show how far he is willing to go, but it’s not something that’ll affect my rating – I’m just being greedy.

Get dragged into the dark side of Edinburgh through Johnstone’s fantastic writing which deserves a round of applause. When talking about survival and reading this book, ask yourself what you would do; it really makes you think, and I loved it!

I own another of Johnstone’s books, but I’ve yet to read it. It’s been bumped up my list big time now. A top-notch thriller.

Breakers, Doug Johnstone, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Book Depository 

Pages: 230

Publisher: Orenda

Genre: Thriller