Customer Reviews

The Damage Done

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although Hilary Davidson has been writing amazing short fiction for some time now, this is her "feature-length" debut. The release of The Damage Done came burdened with oustanding previews from various authors and bloggers in the crime fiction community. I wanted to love it, but I feared the expectations. I'm not a fan of cliched phrases such as "unputdownable" and "infinitely readable" but The Damage Done proved to be both - my expectations were not only met but exceeded. I cracked the book open when it arrived at my doorstep and finished the next day, not something I generally have the time to accomplish.

Well-plotted and finely written, the book provided me with insight into each character, flaws and all, and I became invested. Whether I wanted their end to be good or bad, I cared about what happened to each character. Maybe the highest regard I can give to a book is that it has no or few false notes. The Damage Done earned my highest regard. I'm a fairly tough critic, and this book will no doubt find a place in my top 10 reads of 2010.

Like a prior reviewer I thought I had things figured out. Maybe.

I was wrong.

THE DAMAGE DONE punches you in the gut in the last pages and turns you on your ear.

Hilary Davidson's debut is a fantastic example of the genre, and given that it IS a fiction debut novel it's stellar. Having read some of Ms. Davidson's short stories I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this, but I hadn't quite expected this novel to be as fantastic as it is. In fact, after I closed the book I had to walk off the emotional roller coaster my nerves had ridden. This book not only has a tight plot and well-conceived characters, but it also has emotional depth not often found in the genre these days.

Unexpected, fresh, and wonderful. If you haven't read it yet, do so.

To say that THE DAMAGE DONE is a brilliant debut is both true and too faint of praise. Were this Davidson's first book or her tenth, THE DAMAGE DONE would be one hell of an accomplishment. What begins with a gripping premise deepens with every passing page, leaving you reading as fast as your eyes can manage to find out what happens next. Featuring an impressive cast of characters -- each riveting in their own right -- and anchored by a protagonist that's equal parts bright, scrappy, and vulnerable, THE DAMAGE DONE is a thriller for folks bored by standard thrillers, one which never delves into imitation or pastiche.

This is the kind of book you keep reading 'cause you need to. The kind of book you can't help but fear will fall apart come the end, because the set-up's just too damn good. But rather than falling apart, THE DAMAGE DONE ends beautifully, pummeling you with revelations of character and mystery both so quickly you can scarcely catch your breath before knocked sideways by another.

This is the kind of book that plants your at your keyboard on a Saturday night, typing away on Amazon so folks'll know just how great it is.

So what're you waiting for? Do yourself a favor and buy this baby NOW.

I have to admit I am not a crime/mystery reader and I was a little hesitant in picking up this book, but I shouldn't have worried.

The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson is a very good read.

The story is so fast paced that you are eager to turn the pages and keep reading to find out what happens next.

I enjoyed the way the author twisted the plot and kept me guessing. At one stage I thought I had figured it all out only to find I hadn't. There were many suspects and lots of clues which kept the story flowing well.

The characters were the stars of this story - good or bad they seemed very real and that meant the author has done her job well!

For those who like a fast paced, high energy plot, with the odd twist and entertaining characters then The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson is the book for you.

I just may have been converted to a new genre!

I bought this book as a Christmas present for my mother but after a peek at the first chapter, couldn't resist reading it myself before handing it over. My mother read it in 2 days and passed it on to my grandmother, and so on... What makes The Damage Done so extraordinary among contemporary mysteries? All the components of a mystery novel, every single one done really well: The writing is absorbing, the characters are deep, complex and real, the plot twists in ways you could never anticipate... Hilary Davidson's stylish first novel brings excitement and a breath of fresh air to the "mystery" shelves at the bookstore.

Delivering on all counts, Hilary Davidson's startling debut The Damage Done is so much more than what meets the eyes. As you turn the pages of this pulse-rating crime fiction, Davidson deftly transports you to a mystery-laden setting where you will be plunged into a deep, dark tragedy that will leave you breathless until you have reached the final written word.

On hearing that her deeply troubled, drug-addicted younger sister Claudia has been found dead in her apartment in New York, a shock-stricken Lily Moore rushes home from Spain. A successful travel journalist, Lily made her escape to Spain a year ago to get away from the troubles in her life, namely her sister Claudia who has been living on the edge of life.

Lily was soon, however, baffled to learn that the body at the morgue belongs to a complete stranger, who has been impersonating Claudia. The whereabouts of her sister therefore remains unknown and the new turns of the events sends her into a state of utter panic. What has happened to Claudia? Where has she disappeared to?

And so, the frantic search for Claudia begins in earnest and when Claudia transforms from victim to suspect in the eyes of the police, Lily becomes determined to find out the truth behind all the baffling mysteries surrounding the disappearance of her sister. In her quest to search for her sister and the person responsible for the tragic situation, Lily makes sure that not a stone is left unturned.

Through all the chaos that ensue, Lily confronts her own past and a string of people who might have any information about Claudia including her next-door neighbor, Lily's former fiancé, and even Claudia's obsessive ex-lover. Then there is the life of Claudia's impostor that Lily has to dig through to find answers. What emerges is a terrible truth shocking beyond belief that ultimately threatens to take a toll on Lily and those she loves.

With haunting details and heart-quickening twists that you won't anticipate even in the slightest, The Damage Done explores the issue of identity theft in a new light, cautioning us about the threat it poses. The cleverly-woven plot sends you spiralling down an unknown path, as Davidson guides us through her heroine's family secrets as well as the peculiar bond between the two sisters and their dysfunctional relationship.

Easily one of the most refreshing crime thrillers to emerge this year, Davidson's The Damage Done is a first-rate mystery debut that is thoroughly entertaining and highly satisfying. So sit back and enjoy this racing thrill ride of a novel full of mystery and suspense that guarantees escapism at its best.

Not only is this the best debut I've read in a while, this is the best book I've read in a long time.

Sharp and quick, you're moving along with Lily here as she tries to find out what happened to her sister.

The list of suspects grows as the plot gets more complex.

You know that saying about never being able to step in the same river twice? Yeah, that's this book. No gimmicks or tricks. Just moving forward. You don't got back to places to build on this clue or that. This isn't the formulaic murder mystery in which things fall into place around page 200 and then there's that final twist and so forth. No. This novel is fresh and fast and the sort of book you want to hand off to every friend you know. Read this book. Fantastic.

Oh, and quite honestly, the ending just makes you want to cry from the sheer beauty of its perfectness. Just, you know, wow.

A fast-paced, yet pleasingly complicated mystery. Lily Moore is searching for her sister but at the same time, looking for the larger truths in her life. She's an appealing heroine: smart and sexy and surrounded by interesting men.

Travel journalist Lily Moore is in Spain when she learns that her drug addict younger sister Claudia apparently drowned in a bathtub. She is stunned as this is on the same day their mom committed suicide years ago. Hysterical Lily leaves Europe for Manhattan.

Lily goes to the morgue to identify the body only the corpse is not Claudia. Apparently the dead stranger has impersonated Claudia for months. NYPD detectives Norah Renfrew and "Brux" Bruxton lead the investigation in which the only suspect is the missing Claudia, but anxious Lily searches for her sibling too. Her former boyfriend wealthy Martin Sklar keeps pushing her for a second chance, Lily finds out that Claudia had hooked up with a recently deceased pseudo-psychologist whose tendency was to get unprofessionally too close with his female patients.

Although The Damage Done contains two interrelated strong mysteries, the story line is character driven by mostly Lily. Her need to find her sister brings a humanizing genuineness to the whodunit; especially the amateur sleuth elements as she searches irregardless of her own safety and in spite of the sibling estrangement. Readers will want Moore thrillers like this one from Hilary Davidson.

Harriet Klausner

The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson

Lily Moore returns to NYC from her year working abroad in Spain because her sister, Claudia is dead. But when Lily goes to the morgue to identify Claudia, it isn't her sister lying there. This woman had been calling herself Claudia and living in Claudia's apartment. But who is this woman and where is the real Claudia Moore?

This was a pretty good mystery that delved deeper into the characters of Lily and Claudia than your usual fare. There were lots of suspects and plot twists. Some of the characters were a little too much for me. The one that really bothered me was Lily's ex-fiance, Martin. He was so smarmy and creepy, I just could not stand it. That took away a little something for me. But the plot did keep me engaged!

my rating 3.5/5