“Scorcher” Kennedy, top detective in Dublin’s Murder Squad, has been assigned a high priority, high profile case. His bright and innovative partner is a rookie to the squad and eager to prove he is worthy. Broken Harbor, now known as Brainstown, is a housing development hit hard by the recession. Most of the half-built new homes have been abandoned with only a few occupied. The residents of one home are struck by tragedy when the father and two young children are murdered and the wife is critically wounded. But things don’t add up—a large animal trap is found in the opening to the attic and several random holes have been made in the drywall of most rooms. Investigators also find a “hideout” within view of the home. Broken Harbor holds troubling memories for Scorcher and they complicate his perspective on the case. This is the fourth of French’s Murder Squad mysteries. It is an edgy, psychological thriller and a good read, but doesn’t quite measure up to her previous narratives. Readers who do not like blood and a kind of “creepy” suspense will not enjoy this tale of shattered dreams.