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0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A good novel about war veterans murdering wrongdoers Sep 04, 2009
I'm not a great writer, and won't pretend that I can analyze someone elses. If you're looking for that in a review, there are some written already. I immensely enjoyed the book. Its an easy read, and I finished it in two days time, although I could have read it quicker. The final chapters kept me up late the last night, which is always a good sign. Its very disturbing, and gritty, which I appreciate. This isn't some Disney novel, where everyone sits down and drinks Chai Tea in the end. It was in my opinion well written, and I was able to picture myself as some of the characters. I don't recommend taking the exact course of action Mr. Powers did, as you'll surely get arrested at some point. I think this is a good start for a new author, and will be on the lookout for the next novel. So long as it doesn't focus on pleasing every reader which may come across it, and the author continues to write graphic, evocative scenes.
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Our Harsh Reality Jun 18, 2009
Focusing on America's two wars, on terrorism and drugs, author Jeffrey Hopkins' first novel might be the most relevant work of fiction to appear in quite awhile. As the debates on the legality and morality of both torture and drugs sweep through the U.S., Broken Under Interrogation provides us with the haunting reality of both topics.
The novel provides a clear view into the dark world that surrounds those who torture and those who are tortured. As many previous reviews have stated, Hopkins uses graphic desciption and an extreme focus to take a reader inside the true heart of torture. If it seems harsh, it is because torture is harsh in nature. By refusing to romanticize the topic, the author gives readers a true scale to weigh their own moral standing on an issue that helps define who we are.
More importantly, from the view of affecting more lives, Broken cuts through the propaganda of the western world's "war" on drugs and gives a brutal answer to the question, "Who is benefitting from this war?" That the author is seamlessly weaving the war and terror and drugs is certainly the novel's high point from a philosophical standpoint.
 More violence than necessary May 28, 2009
Without telling to much of the book, one of the things that really comes to mind is the book's reliance on descriptions of torture methods. These are not told in a poetic manner that has you feeling rage or anger toward the victim, rather you are left with a hollow feeling after being a witness to an almost porn like description of violence. The story does offer enough twists and turns to keep you interested in reading the unwinding tale of military man who uses the violence he learned to silence he perceives to be angry,
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Rough, dark, but a great start to Hopkins' writing May 12, 2009
I'm pretty sure this is Jeffrey Hopkins first book. As a first published work, I'm inclined to be a little generous in the rating, but here it wasn't really needed.
"Broken Under Interrogation" is about a veteran with three tours in Iraq dealing with PTSD, and his difficulties in adapting to civilian life, the frustrations of dealing with the Veteran's Administration, the deplorable conditions of a rustbelt city, the outsourcing of civil law enforcement in the U.S. and the unresolved internal conflicts of three years of combat experience as an interrogator. All this drives John Powers, a former intellegence NCO, to take matters into his own hands. The former interrogator is brutally interrogated by less competent interrogators, contractors who have replaced civilian police in much of urban America, and the story emerges as a series of flashbacks from Iraq and Powers' neighborhood.
Brutal descriptions of conditions in the worst parts of Baghdad, blighted U.S. cities, behavior that is normal for Middle Eastern countries, and a group of veterans trying to address an underlying cause of greater problems make this book not appropriate for the faint of heart or children.
It put me in mind of some of David Drake's earlier writing, like the earliest stories from The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume 1. Not that Hopkins used science fiction as a vehicle the way Drake did, but the subject matter, and that both authors served as interrogators in counterinsurgencies. The general theme bore a resemblence to Without Remorse, but with a *very* different ending. Hopkins is very articulate about the nature of interrogation, and the uglier aspects of conflict in Iraq, and gave accurate descriptions of typical behavior for Iraqi criminals.
By itself, it is an OK action book, but an excellent initial effort. I'm looking forward to Hopkins next work.
E.M. Van Court
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Gritty, realistic and disturbing Apr 16, 2009
The main protagonist is John Powers, a young recruit who joins the army. Through his POV we lears about the military basic training as well as the war in Iraq. We also get to learn about the underhanded, deceptive and atrocious tactics that one must employ in order to get the job done. The story doesn't stop there. John returns to train vets to fight against drugs in the neighborhood. But as expected this operation doesn't go down as planned.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At certain moments it reminded me of movies such as Apocalypse Now, Rendition. It's not for the faint of heart as the author paints a very bleak and disturbing picture.
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