Rating: 4 stars (Spotlight Review)
Kate Lange is thrilled to finally land a position at the premier law firm of Lyon McGrath Barrett. However, the novelty wares off quickly when she discovers that her mentor, John Lyons, may have made promises he couldn’t keep.
Kate seems to be more of a pawn than a player in Lyon’s power struggle with partner and Kate’s direct boss, Randall Barrett. To make matters worse, Randall and the rest of the legal staff believe that Kate slept her way into the job.
Having no respect for Kate, Randall keeps her buried in family law cases, rather than the civil litigation she so desperately wants; but she plans to pay her dues to reap her rewards. When a grandmother seeking custody of her neglected granddaughter, Lisa, seeks legal assistance, Kate writes if off as another baseless case until she finds out the granddaughter in question is the daughter of a powerful, no-nonsense criminal judge and when Lisa is found brutally murdered with all of her appendages removed, Kate’s guilt goes into overdrive.
Handling the murder investigation is Det. Ethan Drake, Kate’s ex-fiancé. Ethan is bitter about their recent breakup due to revealed secrets of Kate’s past. Filled with anger and unresolved issues, the two must now work together.
John Lyons finally gives Kate a shot at a civil case defending their client, TransTissue, a company who processes cadaveric tissue for medical procedures; but when Kate starts asking too many questions, the case is suddenly settled.
Knowing that something isn’t right, Kate continues to dig, as the body count continues to rise. When Kate’s investigation unearths unexpected and shocking information, she realizes that sometimes the truth doesn’t set you free, it can get you killed.
Damaged is Pam Callow’s debut; and what a debut it is. With so many books to get to, the 450+ page tome wasn’t exactly inspiring me to pick it up. Little did I know those pages would be packed with a fast-paced thrill ride that, not only could I not turn the pages fast enough, there wasn’t going to be enough of them to turn.
Having found a new favorite author, I anxiously await the sequel. As luck would have it, Indefensible will be out January 2011.
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Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Mira (June 1, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0778327509