Review: Damaged by Pamela Callow

Damaged
by Pamela Callow
Release Date: June 1st, 2010\
2010 Mira Books
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2750-9
Trade Paperback: 464 Pages
Genre: Thriller
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
Haunted by the death of her sister and wounded by her ex-fiance's accusations, Kate Lange throws herself into her new career at a high-powered law firm.  When the grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it's just another custody case.  But then the teen is brutally murdered.  And it isn't only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl's death.

Put on notice by Randall Barrett, the firm's charismatic managing partner, Kate must fight for her career, for her reputation - and for redemption.  Unwilling to live with the damage she may have caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chillings facts.  Facts that lead straight to the heart of a legal conspiracy.  Facts that lead Kate directly into the surgically skilled hands of the Body Butcher.

My Thoughts
A number of years ago, I went through a phase where I read legal thrillers to the point of obsessiveness and for quite a while now I have tended to avoid them like the plague.  Lately though, I have started to venture back into this genre, and Pamela Callow's Damaged was a great one in which to re-immerse myself.   There was intrigue, suspense, romance, thrills, and chills, and I was hooked right from the beginning. 

Kate Lange is a fascinating character, full of depth and layers that made her really interesting.  I connected completely with her character and felt compassion and empathy for everything she went through, often feeling like I was right there with her, sharing her emotions with her.  I looked forward to learning about her life and her past which was given to readers in pieces at a time, making you want to learn more.  She is a complex, courageous, gutsy heroine, someone to admire and cheer for as she makes her journey through life.

The plot itself was somewhat predictable and formulaic, but so well-written that it didn't seem to matter very much.  The quirky characters more than made up for the lack of orginality in the plot and I really enjoyed the witty dialogue and interactions amongst them all.  It was quite often fun to read, even when suspenseful, and it kept me reading long past when I should have put it down for the night.  I particularly liked the elderly sisters Enid and Muriel, whom I hope have a story to tell in future books as they were so interesting and funny.  I would also love to learn more about the relationship between Ethan Drake and Randall Barrett as we didn't learn nearly enough about these two principal characters in this novel.  There were a lot of hints as to their relationship differences, but nothing concrete was given, and I hope that changes in the future.

Verdict
I really enjoyed Damaged, the first book in a thriller series, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers and/or mysteries.  I am looking forward to reading Indefensible, the next book in the series, releasing January 2011.

Website - Pamela Callow

Buy at Book Depository - Damaged