Sleepy Benteen County, Kansas, turns frantic on election day. The radical religious right is out to unseat Sheriff English, better known as Englishman, after his deputy accidentally rammed into a school bus carrying the Benteen County teen choir.
Englishman's brother, Mad Dog, a born-again Cheyenne, rushes back from a quest in the Black Hills with a premonition that the sheriff is in serious danger. The sheriff's daughters, too, wake with similar fears and cut their college classes to hurry home.
Then, a student smuggles a gun into the school and begins shooting and taking hostages. And Englishman still needs to clear up one little thing about his deputy's accident: Benteen County doesn't have a teen choir.
It's enough to make a sheriff wonder why he wants to serve another term.
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"Quirky, eccentric but enjoyable series that alternates between violence and humour. All that's missing in this one is the Rapture. Quick read. Hayes could be following Mankell with the Sheriff. "
— Chris (4 out of 5 stars)
“Something’s rotten in the American heartland, and few books explore and explain that putrescence with more humor, perspicacity and sincerity than the Mad Dog and Englishman series by novelist J.M. Hayes...And they have plenty to say. As Hayes puts it in his afterword, ‘there’s nothing the matter with Kansas that isn’t duplicated in our nation at large.’”
— San Jose Mercury News“Lloyd James dramatically changes tone and accents for the variety of characters, from teenage boys whose voices are changing to born-again Christians full of religious fervor…James’ pacing is excellent. He quickly adjusts to the tense hostage situation, low-key humor, and depictions of small-town life.”
— AudioFile“Readers will find sleepy Benteen County, Kansas wide awake and action packed in Hayes’ new addition to this quirky series. The mixture of action, humor, and politics will keep readers interested as they wonder just how much can be squeezed into twenty-four hours.”
— Booklist“Hayes does a marvelous job in keeping these various plotlines from spinning out of control. The pace of the book is about as rapid as the stories are frantic and it is thrilling to be a part of it, if only as a reader…Broken Heartland is action, more action, and a bit of a mystery with just a suggestion of a love story. It is highly recommended.”
— MysteriousReviews.com" Mike Hayes has done it again, juggling a wonderful array of charaters and twisted plots that somehow he manages to catch and bring together to create a story well worth reading. "
— Redhead, 11/18/2013" Maybe implausible, but great characters, nonstop action, and a touch of comedy. "
— Dawn, 7/28/2013" Quirky, eccentric but enjoyable series that alternates between violence and humour. All that's missing in this one is the Rapture. Quick read. Hayes could be following Mankell with the Sheriff. "
— Chris, 5/29/2011" Interesting view into modern southern US politics. Subtle condemnation of extreme US christian fundamentalists wrapped up in a mystery. "
— Laura, 4/28/2011" Mike Hayes has done it again, juggling a wonderful array of charaters and twisted plots that somehow he manages to catch and bring together to create a story well worth reading. "
— Redhead, 11/18/2008" Interesting view into modern southern US politics. Subtle condemnation of extreme US christian fundamentalists wrapped up in a mystery. "
— Laura, 9/30/2008J. M. Hayes was born and raised on the flat earth of central Kansas where his Mad Dog & Englishman series takes place. He graduated from Wichita State University and did postgraduate work at the University of Arizona. He shares a home in Tucson with his wife, two computers, four thousand or so books, two German Shepherds, and a Scottish “Terror.”
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.