Damaged by Pamela Callow

Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Copyright: June 2010
Pages: 453
Book Source: Review copy courtesy of Tricia @ Meryl L. Moss Media Relations

How far are you willing to go to forget your past?

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. Until the teen is brutally murdered. And it isn't only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl's death.

How far are you willing to go to redeem yourself?

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 has caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chilling 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.

Review:
I'm a fan of the suspense/thriller genre but over time I have become quite discerning and tend to read mostly authors I'm familiar with and already enjoy. My favourite suspense thrillers are those with a medical or forensic theme, preferably graphic & horrific (sick I know) so the appealing synopsis of Damaged influenced my decision to try debut author Pamela Callow ... and I was not disappointed.

Damaged moves along at a page-turning pace but not at the expense of character development. The main characters are fleshed out nicely but there are quite a number of minor characters to keep track of. I really liked main character, lawyer Kate Lange, she's strong and determined but carries a lot of pain and guilt from a troubled past. I'd like to know more about her boss Randall Barrett (maybe Indefensible will reveal more) and I didn't care much for Kate's ex-fiancee, detective Ethan Drake, something about his attitude really got up my nose! Kate's elderly neighbours, sisters Muriel and Enid were an endearing addition to the cast of characters, as was Kate's adopted dog Alaska.

Kate does make one or two silly decisions resulting in the cliched scenario of main character in danger but the twists and turns, murders, dismemberments, tissue donation and transplant litigation issues kept me enthralled.

Pamela Callow is definitely an author to keep an eye on. I'm really looking foward to reading more of her work and continuing with the Kate Lange series. Next up is Indefensible due January 2011, then Tatttooed in August 2011 and there is a 4th book planned for June 2012.

About Pamela Callow:
Pamela lives in Nova Scotia, along with her husband, two children and a pug. She loves to go for walks (unlike her dog), drink coffee, and can be spotted avidly cheering on her kids at their many activities when she isn't writing. Visit Pamela Callow's website to find out more.