Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

So, I don't normally read thrillers because I just don't, but this one had a quirky cover and I had a copy on-hand from picking it up for a couple of bucks at Savers. While this was a page-turner I compulsively finished, never have been so relieved for the gore to end!

What kept me reading was the novel's blend of genres and characters.  Part thriller, part coming of age, and part critique of social media, this novel offered a take on Detroit as "the country's mecca of ruined dreams" which I found spoke for our whole nation's gruesome web of poverty, cynicism, and privilege.

The protagonist, Detective Gabrielle Versado, is dedicated  to catching her killer, the Detroit Monster, who we meet early in the book as a struggling middle-aged artist. To begin the case, Versado is investigating the homicide of a young black boy whose body has become victim to bestial artistry: human on top, fawn on bottom, the work of our artist.

This book was graphic, and at times downright gross, and the ending strange; however, the relationship that evolves between mother and daughter, Detective Versado and her daughter Layla, is refreshing and real. So is the novel's question: To what extent do we give up dignity to sate our morbid curiosity?