Broken Country by Clare Lesley Hall

This book has received so many excellent reviews that is hard to know what more to say. I was thrilled to be given an early copy and savored this one that did not disappoint.

The story is very well told. The places felt so real to me and I absolutely immersed myself in the settings. The characters were people with complexity, loss, those they loved and more. I cared for these characters and wished the best for them, even as I knew that there were death and a trial, so I knew not all would be well.

The novel is told in two time periods. Readers follow the main characters as their lives evolved. This dual perspective worked well.

All in all, this is a beautiful, wrenching story that I highly recommend to readers.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 04 March 2025

Fiction

320 pages

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK
A New York Times Bestseller

“Layered and lyrical, this stunning novel expertly builds suspense while revealing its secrets, and it conveys deep truths about love and loss.”—People

“Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives…but it’s also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Seriously, that ending?! I did not see it coming.”—Reese Witherspoon

“Sure to top all of 2025’s ‘Best Of’ lists, Broken Country is a triumphant and truly exciting release from an author guaranteed to become your next favorite. Trust me, this is the one you’ve been waiting for.”—Book Reporter

“With an opening line of “The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him,” Broken Country doesn’t waste any time getting you into this sweeping family drama.”—USA Today

“In this twisty love story, the happily married Beth is forced to confront her past demons and desires after her brother-in-law shoots a dog belonging to Gabriel, her teenage love who has just returned to town.”—New York Post

“With its sweeping narrative and pulse-pounding suspense, the novel offers a sometimes-jarring reminder that the past, no matter how deeply buried, always finds a way to resurface.”—Post & Courier

“Broken Country is at its heart a novel about love and loss, about selfishness and selflessness, and about the consequences of decisions made for these reasons. Each decision is driven by the one before it, and Beth, especially, is stretched to her breaking point. Both aching and thrilling, Broken Country is a masterful book by an accomplished author.”—Booklist

“[Hall’s] prose is so transportive that it’s impossible not to hang on…an elegantly written historical novel with a compelling love triangle and a couple of clever twists.”—Kirkus

“Hall serves up twist after twist in her canny U.S. debut, a story of grief, love, and murder set in the Dorset countryside. This sharp morality tale will stay with readers.”—Publishers Weekly

“A love story like no other. By turns a searing mystery, and a brilliant and beautiful look at the price of a second chance, and the complex notion of fate and forgiveness. Stunning.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark