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Damaged (Kate Lange #1)

by Pamela Callow (Goodreads Author)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 298 ratings · 79 reviews

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 th...more

Paperback, 453 pages

Published June 1st 2010 by Mira Books

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Sep 15, 2010 Leah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-stars, damn-that-cover-is-smokin, love-triangles-can-kiss-my-booty, book-cover-skank, loaned

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 01, 2010 Harlequin Books added it

Shelves: 2010, harlequin_mira

"Damaged is a fast-paced medical thriller that introduces us to young lawyer Kate Lange. She's trying to overcome her past and make a career at a prestigious law firm when she's faced with a case that will bring up old pain and guilt ..." From a review posted by an eHarlequin.com member. Read more HERE.

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Jun 24, 2010 Natalie (Mindful Musings) rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I was first approached by a publicist to review Damaged by Pamela Callow, I was a little hesitant to accept. I tend to steer away from books that I think fall into the adult commercial fiction genre because they usually end up annoying me. But since Pamela Callow was a new author (Damaged is her debut novel), and since I had worked with this particular publicist before, I decided to give it a shot.

I'm surprised to say that I'm glad I did. I actually ended up enjoying Damaged a lot more than...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Amy Corwin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense

I love mysteries and suspense novels, but I did pause a little at site of the 453 pages. That's a lot to read. LOL

Damaged probably deserved 5 stars, but I'm afraid I wasn't as hooked into the story as I might have been. I think I may be getting tired of insecure, damaged heroines. Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for one. (There was another author I stopped reading because it seemed like during a certain period, every one of his heroines had been sexually abused as a child. I got really tired...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Star (The Bibliophilic Book Blog) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Kate Lange is one of the newest lawyers at the Lyons McGrath Barrett lawfirm. She's got to work hard to prove herself to the partners and to herself. She's got a tragic past and after a painful breakup with her ex-fiancé, she's got a new job, a new house, and an adopted dog. This is two stories in one that intersect in a brilliant manner. Kate's got a new client - a grandmother who wants custody of her granddaughter from her ex-daughter-in-law, who's a judge. After giving the best advice that sh...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Suspense Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars

This thriller is a fast read. Not because it’s short, but because it’s so hard to put down non-stop action. The short chapters, mostly five to six pages long, move the reader through the book like the hurricane sweeps through the story.
Hurricane Isaac is heading straight for Pensacola, Florida. It has already hit Jamaica as a category-4 storm, which means its winds were 131 to 155 miles per hour and caused “devastating” damage, killing dozens of people. It soon picks up to a catagory-5 with wind...more

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Aug 24, 2010 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Damaged, author Pamela Callow's freshman effort at legal mystery/suspense/conspiracy thriller, started slowly but if you are patient, you will be rewarded by what became a page-turning, perfect summer read. It builds slowly, while painstakingly laying the groundwork on central character Kate Lange, her former fiance, Detective Ethan Drake, Kate's employer, and its partner, Randall Barrett, plus a bevy of supporting characters.

I found the murder mystery and conspiracy aspects of the story to be...more Damaged, author Pamela Callow's freshman effort at legal mystery/suspense/conspiracy thriller, started slowly but if you are patient, you will be rewarded by what became a page-turning, perfect summer read. It builds slowly, while painstakingly laying the groundwork on central character Kate Lange, her former fiance, Detective Ethan Drake, Kate's employer, and its partner, Randall Barrett, plus a bevy of supporting characters.

I found the murder mystery and conspiracy aspects of the story to be especially fascinating, having not guessed far ahead of time the connections and the "solution" before Kate (one of the bigger disappointments for me with mysteries/thrillers). I also appreciated the resolution, as it didn't stretch reality to unnatural boundaries and it seemed the natural course by the end of the book.

I liked the character of Kate by the conclusion of Damaged although I was a bit neutral about her throughout much of the early story. I always like a tough, determined character with some humanity and all three traits were in evidence as I flipped that last page. I was particularly pleased to note that Ms. Callow will have a new mystery featuring Kate releasing next year and I hope that we will learn more about Kate on this next venture.

By the same token, I hope that we will receive additional insight into the characters of Ethan Drake and Randall Barrett, who both seemed to be yearning for additional literary time. I felt that both characters still have a wealth of information to share and excellent storyline potential.

I also hope that we will see Kate's neighbors again, the elderly sisters Muriel and Enid, who I found engaging and pleasing. Is it possible that these two have secrets themselves or is it just the conspiracy buff in me at work?

Damaged, considering its subject matter, isn't heavy on the gore or violence, although it may have a few objectionable words. There is no sexual matter, although a brief innuendo, and some mentioned drug use.

In all, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Damaged to fans of the mystery, thriller and/or legal genre, all of whom are sure to be satisfied by this debut work that packs a powerful little punch.
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Aug 23, 2010 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Damaged introduces Kate Lange, a lawyer who gets involved in finding a serial killer. Due to her involvement with the grandmother of the victim and a slight involvement in a medical law suit, Kate feels that the police are missing something and goes after the killer herself. She does a better job of interviewing the witnesses than the police do.

My problem with this book is that it doesn't know exactly what it wants to be. There is suspense, but not quite enough. There is medical mystery but not...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Cinnamon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

The cover of a book is usually a good indicator of the kind of story I'm going to get out of it. In the case of DAMAGED by Pamela Callow, the cover portrays the feel and intensity of the book wonderfully. Just as the cover draws you in with the eerie feeling that something is going to go wrong and yet you can't help but go along anyway, so does the book.

I don't read a lot of suspense unless it has some sort of paranormal aspect to it. I don't know why - typically it just doesn't interest me all...more The cover of a book is usually a good indicator of the kind of story I'm going to get out of it. In the case of DAMAGED by Pamela Callow, the cover portrays the feel and intensity of the book wonderfully. Just as the cover draws you in with the eerie feeling that something is going to go wrong and yet you can't help but go along anyway, so does the book.

I don't read a lot of suspense unless it has some sort of paranormal aspect to it. I don't know why - typically it just doesn't interest me all that much. The premise behind DAMAGED looked interesting though, so I gave it a shot and I'm thrilled to say that it was a really good read. This is the story of Kate and her journey to uncover a dark secret.

Kate has a lot going on in her background. The death of her sister still haunts her thoughts and her romantic life is in shambles. Work is about the only thing that keeps her sane, that is until she comes to realize that her words may have led to the death of an innocent girl. Desperate to rid herself of this guilt, she fights for her career and her life to uncover the mystery behind the girl's death.

As with any good suspense novel, we know from the beginning that bad things are going to happen to Kate. Unfortunately, our hero and/or heroine in suspense stories rarely have an easy time of it. Kate is definitely no exception. Ms. Callow puts her through the ringer, throwing one obstacle after another at her, with both a serial killer on the loose and a complicated medical mystery, and allowing the story to unfold as she maneuvers around each one. This is probably one of my favorite aspects of the book. We really get that sense of discovery as we trail alongside Kate. Her fear becomes our fear, and her triumph trickles over to us. The racing of her heart and rushing of her blood entices ours to do the same and before we know it, Ms. Callow has pulled us down into the story, allowing us to experience it in full detail.

I'm not really a person that prefers plot over character development or the other way around. I basically just want some kind of fantastic element in a story that I can latch on to. I was surprised to discover that both plot and character development gave me this in DAMAGED. Once the story kicked off, I really expected the development of the characters to go sliding down. Fortunately, Ms. Callow appears to be quite a talented writer and managed to keep the development up while maintaining the intensity of the plot. This combined to give us a great story with characters that we actually cared about.

If you're a fan of Suspense then I highly recommend DAMAGED, the first in the Kate Lange series. This is a good story that's guaranteed to get your blood pumping and keep you flipping the pages like a mad person, trying to find out what happens next.(less)

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Jul 28, 2010 Kristi (Books and Needlepoint) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs

Kate was a new lawyer at Lyons McGrath Barrett law firm. She knew that she was going to have to work hard to prove that she belonged there. Having recently ended an engagement to Ethan Drake, detective, she had got a new job, bought a new house, and acquired a dog named Alaska.

Barrett was determined to keep Kate practicing family law for 2 reasons - He had a bone to pick with Ethan Drake and with John Lyons - the partner who had recruited her. He assigned her a case with a futile outlook. A gra...more Kate was a new lawyer at Lyons McGrath Barrett law firm. She knew that she was going to have to work hard to prove that she belonged there. Having recently ended an engagement to Ethan Drake, detective, she had got a new job, bought a new house, and acquired a dog named Alaska.

Barrett was determined to keep Kate practicing family law for 2 reasons - He had a bone to pick with Ethan Drake and with John Lyons - the partner who had recruited her. He assigned her a case with a futile outlook. A grandmother (Marian) wanted custody of her granddaughter (Lisa) - but did not have any proof that the granddaughter wasn't being taken care of properly or that she was doing drugs. The hitch was that Lisa's mom was Hope Carson, a criminal court judge known for her icy personality and demeanor.

Kate tells Marian that she really doesn't have a case, but after mulling it over tries to call her back to discuss it. Unfortunately it is too late and Lisa has been murdered and dismembered. Talk about opening a can of worms! Now Kate has to worry that she did everything by the book in talking with Marian. She figures she can throw her law career out the window when John Lyons assigns her a litigation file with Trans Tissue as the client. Trans Tissue makes surgical products and they are being sued by someone who believes they contracted Hep C after an arthroscopic knee surgery using their product. See, the surgical products are made from human tissue from cadavers harvested by tissue suppliers.

So you really have two stories in one. You have the medical mystery of how this patient contracted Hep C and you have the very grisly thriller of the serial killer. There are quite a few supporting characters which are absolutely necessary to round these out and the book kept me tuned in all the way to the end. They did not give anything away too quickly but rather dropped the pieces in a little at a time. Definitely a must read. I am eagerly awaiting the second book in the series Indefensible, which is due out in January of 2011. I just discovered there is a third book - Tattooed coming out in August of 2011 and a fourth book planned for 2012.
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Jul 08, 2010 Denise rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring and predictable., July 8, 2010

This review is from: Damaged (Mass Market Paperback)
This novel was melodramatic romantic suspense at less than its best. The premise: someone is killing and dismembering young girls. Is there a connection to the body parts/tissue procurement industry? Who is involved in the dastardly plot? It's an attempt at a legal/medical thriller but there's not much law and much less medicine.

The protagonist, attorney Kate Lange, is definitely an angst...more

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring and predictable., July 8, 2010

This review is from: Damaged (Mass Market Paperback)
This novel was melodramatic romantic suspense at less than its best. The premise: someone is killing and dismembering young girls. Is there a connection to the body parts/tissue procurement industry? Who is involved in the dastardly plot? It's an attempt at a legal/medical thriller but there's not much law and much less medicine.

The protagonist, attorney Kate Lange, is definitely an angst ridden would-be heroine whose preoccupation with a tragedy that occurred when she was a teenager continues to haunt her despite her success. The reader is treated to frequent long stretches of internal dialogue where Kate obsesses about her past and thrashes about in the wellspring of her guilt. The other characters in the book were no more interesting and were poorly developed caricatures of police detective, managing partner in a legal firm, funeral home director, greedy lawyer, mad scientist, etc. I didn't like or care about any of them. All the men were basically lusting after Kate and the "romance" was completely absent unless you count "longing" looks and "heated" gazes. The author's attempt to insert subtle messages about medico-legal ethics, tissue donation, and the use of cadaveric materials for transplant were annoying and quite transparent. In addition, there seems to be obvious effort to get the reader to feel sorry for poor Kate who is bumbling around in her mistaken and misguided investigation without, of course, involving the police who should be handling the matters. I found her insipid and irritating as a main character and won't be reading the sequel in this series, INDEFENSIBLE, due out in January 2011.

Kate makes one stupid decision after another. Please, authors, can any one write a suspense thriller where the heroine does not end up in the killer's clutches?? Surely there are more realistic ways to solve the crime than this old and tired climax where the (usually) female main character stumbles headlong into an investigation and manages to almost become a victim?

As far as I'm concerned, I recommend that thriller lovers skip this debut and the series. (less)

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Jul 01, 2010 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Confession: I do not normally read thrillers. I like watching them well enough, but I've never read John Grisham, nor am I likely to. So why did I pick up Damaged?

Damaged is a thriller set in Halifax, my home town, and I will admit that was the draw. A big time trade paperback set in any Canadian city is intriguing enough, but one that isn't set in one of Canada's big 3 cities? And Halifax?

So that's what got the book into my lap. What kept it there (until long after I should have gone to bed) w...more Confession: I do not normally read thrillers. I like watching them well enough, but I've never read John Grisham, nor am I likely to. So why did I pick up Damaged?

Damaged is a thriller set in Halifax, my home town, and I will admit that was the draw. A big time trade paperback set in any Canadian city is intriguing enough, but one that isn't set in one of Canada's big 3 cities? And Halifax?

So that's what got the book into my lap. What kept it there (until long after I should have gone to bed) was a great story, amazing characters and simply great writing. There was a couple of lines I read over and over just because I couldn't help but think how great they were. I don't do that very often.

It's a thriller, so I'm not giving away the story, so I'll focus on the characters that are the centrepiece of this story. Yes, it has a great plot with enough twists to keep the reader turning pages, but I think that Callow's real talent is her characters - from her heroine, lawyer Kate Lange, to a lowly drug pusher on the fringes of society. Each of them are complex human beings, damaged by life and trying to make sense of who they are and where they fit in each other's lives. Like a moody Halifax morning, shades of grey are everywhere making this novel richer than I had expected it to be.

And to my delight, Halifax was a great setting for this book - which is probably an ironic statement, given how it certainly doesn't show the best of the city. But it makes it a real place, which was another thing I appreciated. Callow got the flavor of the city right. As far as North American cities go, Halifax is an old city, and not a terribly big one. A name means something in Halifax. Memories are long. It is glorious in the sun, and dank in the rain. Callow captured both aspects of it perfectly.

So now I am impatiently awaiting Callow's next novel, which is a surefire sign that I am hooked on a novelist. If you aren't typically a thriller reader, or you're looking for a brand new setting, give "Damaged" a try. You won't be disappointed...except when you get to the last page and there isn't any more to read.(less)

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Jun 27, 2010 Deborah Sloan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kate Lange a young attorney hired by a big law firm finally gets her chance to get her career going in the direction she wants-litigation; when she’s handed a child custody case sought by a grandmother from an upperclass neighborhood. When the young girl is found murdered and dismembered Kate finds herself once again dealing with her ex-fiancé; a cop Ethan. Kate wonders if she is to blame for the girls death, just as she blames herself for her sister’s death 15 years earlier. When she is finally...more

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Sep 21, 2010 Nadine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I love forensic mysteries!

I'm about a fifth of the way through, and so far I'm very disappointed. This is NOT the well-written forensic/procedural mystery I was hoping for. Instead, it could be described as "chick lit with a gruesome murder." The two protagonists (formerly engaged to each other) are Ethan and Kate. The author is a lawyer, and she does a fine job of describing Kate's life as a young lawyer, but I find Ethan's part as a police detective to be unsatisfyingly flat. The forensic part...more

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Jul 10, 2010 Julie Smith (Knitting and Sundries) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This review was first posted on my blog: http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/0...

For me, the book opened just a tad slowly, but then I was quickly drawn in, and 450+ pages flew by.

Kate Lange has worked hard to pull herself up from a broken past - the untimely loss of a sister, and a father with a criminal record. She worked her way through law school, and now has a chance at finally building a reputation as a top-notch attorney at a top-notch law firm. One of the firm's partners, John Lyons, is...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Lesley Nowlin rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: mystery, suspense, Thriller

I was told that Pamela Callow books are stand alone, and you don't have to read them in order. I disagree. I listened to Indefensible book two, first. When I got to Damaged book one, I'd knew some of the plot twist already. So, I spoiled this book for myself. At anyrate it was still very good.

Ethan, the police officer, is the dumbest police officer I'd ever seen. The minute someone gave him a lead, he automaticly tthought the person was a suspect. Dummy.

Randall Barret, is an arse in this book. B...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Sheree rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense-thriller, own, read-in-2010, reviews

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...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, thriller-suspense, chunkster, crime-mystery

What a debut! This first book from author Pamela Callow is sure to make you shiver......

The main character, Kate Lange, was an admirable, strong female character. She worked hard to overcome the personal demons from her past and would not let anything stand in the way of her success. She was beautiful, smart and independent. It was nice to read about a female lead that was not all giggly and sweet. One that wasn't afraid to take matters into her own hands.

As far as the plot goes, there were se...more

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Jul 01, 2010 Proud Book Nerd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tours, do-not-have, mystery, action

I felt this book had a slow start, but before I knew it I was hooked. I'm not sure when that happened, but I read it in about a day, give or take a few hours. The mystery was intriguing, and I kept wondering how the two seemingly different story lines would come together. Toward the end I started piecing it together a little, but really couldn't figure it all out on my own. I like that – a LOT. Often books are too easy to figure out, and this one kept me guessing until the very end.

Will I read...more

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Oct 10, 2010 Darlyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Damaged is book series debut of Author Pamela Callow. Since it is stated as medical thriller, in a moment, it attracts my attention because I think I never read any a medical thriller before. I can't wait to read it the moment I have it in my hands. And boy, I'm not disappointed at being that excited. Yes, it started quite flat even the author try to make it like 'the situation' and it also flipping the flashback of Kate and the present. I know Kate is like a new heroine of the series, but it tu...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story grabbed me right away, and soon I was carrying the book from room to room with me knowing I might only have a spare 3 minutes in which to read. For me, this defines the proverbial cant put down book. This is a long book, but did not strike me as being long winded. I also appreciated the way the characters were limited. Often in a long book, there are so many characters, they are difficult to keep track of. Interesting story that moved along at the right pace. I enjoyed this debut nove...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Hazel McHaffie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Part medical mystery, part chilling thriller, another tale of greed and horror involving the illegal use of body parts. Kate Langes a new lawyer with a lot of emotional baggage who in the course of her work stumbles on a series of worrying discrepancies involving a firm who deal in human tissue. With a broken engagement with a detective and suspicions about her bosses' integrity weighing her down she decides to go it alone in tracking down a serial killer who specialises in dismembering his vict...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Deb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, fiction

Having read Indefensible, the first book in this series, I wanted to go back and gt more of the back story in this first book. Overall I liked it--it kept me engrossed, I like the character of Kate Lange, flawed as she is and we get to know more about her in this one as well as some of the other characters. This crime/thriller book delves into medical mystery a bit--(could a gruesome serial killer case tie in somehow to the civil litigation case Kate has been assigned to involving potentially co...more

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Jul 16, 2010 Cheryl "Mash" rated it 4 of 5 stars

Damaged by Pamela Callow
Published by Mira Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2750-9
At the request of Meryl Moss Media, The Book Trib, a PB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis (back of book): How far are you wiling 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 grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it's just...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think I found a new author to follow. This is the 2nd book I read. Read her 2nd book, Indefensible, first not knowing it was based on the same character so I went back and read Damaged. Enjoyed both books. There were actually two stories going on and then they started to connect into one. I do think Callow could have given us a better view into the serial killer than she did, developed the story a bit more,his background and how he stalked his victims. May have made the middle of the book more...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Pam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, mystery-thriller-suspense-favourite, highly-recommend

As this is Pamela Callow's debut novel, I have to say she did an amazing job writing an honest-to-goodness mystery novel, one that takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Kate Lange is a lawyer who is lucky to get a job at a very prestigious law firm. Top partner John Lyons is trying to make her his protege and gives her a huge civil case to help on. Firm manager Randall Barrett is doing his best to bury her in family law cases when all she wishes to practice is litigation. She then discovers that h...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Mandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-reviewers-copy, four-stars

Absolute pleasure to read Pamela Callow’s debut novel Damaged. It was like a breath of fresh air. The crime/thriller genre was reawakened for me. Actually, positively kicked out of bed more like it. There’s a killer on the loose, a killer nicknamed the Body Butcher. Girls have been found murdered and dismembered. You think that’s bad enough but add in that the killer leaves a mark on the bones of the victims, a mark which spells LOL and you would be forgiven for thinking this was all a nightmare...more Absolute pleasure to read Pamela Callow’s debut novel Damaged. It was like a breath of fresh air. The crime/thriller genre was reawakened for me. Actually, positively kicked out of bed more like it. There’s a killer on the loose, a killer nicknamed the Body Butcher. Girls have been found murdered and dismembered. You think that’s bad enough but add in that the killer leaves a mark on the bones of the victims, a mark which spells LOL and you would be forgiven for thinking this was all a nightmare. Spare a thought for Kate Lange as the Body Butcher isn’t the only feature in her nightmare, the past rates highly and working at Lyon McGrath Barrett is also up there.

Kate is a 30-something-year-old who has a little bit of trouble leaving the past in the past, which is understandable given her sister’s death. I think Kate feels like she needs to prove herself in her job, and in turn her life, in order to move forward from the past. Success is high on Kate’s agenda and her mantra, “Because if you were successful, you’d be respected. No one could hurt you. No one could take that success away from you,” gives us an insight to the real Kate, a Kate looking for security, safety and self-worth. She is looking to achieve success at law firm Lyon McGrath Barrett but words like conspiracy, guilt and regret may get in her way.

Marian McAdam is the grandmother of Lisa, one of the Body Butcher’s victims. Marian approaches Kate for counsel before Lisa is found, she is worried for Lisa’s welfare and believes her mother, the cold-hearted Judge Carson, may not be providing the best home for Lisa. Kate sees this case as a custody matter and is rudely pushed into the sick world of the Body Butcher when Lisa is discovered. Not only that, Kate sees just how career-minded Judge Carson works, how her career has defined her, success being the ultimate goal, and how perhaps she mightn’t be the best mothering material.

Add to the mix Ethan, Kate’s ex-fiancé, the detective working the Body Butcher case and it seems Kate has quite a lot on her plate to deal with. Not to mention trying to keep her job, oh, and of course, her life.

Be warned, this is a fast-paced and entertaining read. Even now, months after reading Damaged, I find myself thinking wow, so much was covered in the one book, and there are so many aspects I could expand on in my review. This, my readers, I believe, is what made Damaged such a treat to read; lots happening but no confusion. Pamela Callow has done a fantastic job with Damaged and I cannot wait to read her next book Indefensible.
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Jul 17, 2010 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery, thriller

From My Blog...[return][return]Being a fan of mysteries, thrillers and suspense novels I was quite excited to read Damaged by Pamela Callow as the description made the story sound positively riveting. Attorney Kate Lange is almost finished with her probationary period at finally, a large law firm, LMB, located in Halifax. One partner promised Kate she could work on criminal cases, yet Barrett, her boss, keeps her on family law cases. Kate has a troubled past and secrets from her childhood that s...more

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Jun 21, 2010 Donna Alward rated it 4 of 5 stars

DAMAGED is Pamela Callow's debut for MIRA and she's launched her career with a fabulous, chilling tale!

Damaged's heroine, Kate Lange, is a lawyer trying to earn her stripes at Halifax's premiere law firm. After months of working family law cases, her big break comes when she's assigned to a litigation case for TransTissue, a company who processes cadaveric tissue for medical procedures. When teen Lisa McAdam is found murdered, Kate's world is turned upside down and she finds herself in the sight...more DAMAGED is Pamela Callow's debut for MIRA and she's launched her career with a fabulous, chilling tale!

Damaged's heroine, Kate Lange, is a lawyer trying to earn her stripes at Halifax's premiere law firm. After months of working family law cases, her big break comes when she's assigned to a litigation case for TransTissue, a company who processes cadaveric tissue for medical procedures. When teen Lisa McAdam is found murdered, Kate's world is turned upside down and she finds herself in the sights of a serial killer.

There's not a lot of romance here, but there IS a lot of what if. Ethan Drake is a detective and Kate's ex. We're never quite sure how he's going to fit into things, but we know there is unfinished business between them. Then there's the managing partner at the law firm, Randall Barrett. There's a connection there, too, and the tension of whether or not will they explore it is always present when they're in the room together.

I read this book pretty much in one go - all but 50 pages of it yesterday. I was turning pages at a fast rate getting towards the end - just as I should be with a thriller as things rise to a fever pitch. What really impressed me was the depth of character development. It's been a while since I read a thriller, but sometimes because they are plot heavy character is sacrificed for that. Not here. These characters are human and we like them or hate them as the case may be. There is a lot of medical and police procedure too, but for the most part Callow weaves it into the narrative seamlessly so it doesn't read in an instructional sort of way.

A really solid debut with a satisfying ending that left just enough questions to make the reader NEED to get the next book in the series (which is Indefensible and out in 2011).

What happened to Lisa's mother, the judge?
What happened to Kate and her sister when they were younger?
What will happen between Kate and Randall? This is HUGE once you've read the teaser for Indefensible!
Will Finn be back?

Well done Pam! Can't wait for the next book!
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Aug 18, 2010 Jennifer (Crazy-for-Books.com) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bea-2010, received-in-2010, mystery-suspense-thriller, read-in-2010, received-for-review

Kate Lange is a first year associate at a high-class law firm who is embroiled in a mess – a mess she feels partly responsible for; a mess made by the Body Butcher…

The Body Butcher… did that grab your attention?

Kate is trying to make a name for herself at the law firm of LMB, but when she keeps getting handed the piddly little family law cases, she becomes exasperated. When her new client, a grandmother who would like to gain custody of her out-of-control granddaughter, who also happens to be th...more Kate Lange is a first year associate at a high-class law firm who is embroiled in a mess – a mess she feels partly responsible for; a mess made by the Body Butcher…

The Body Butcher… did that grab your attention?

Kate is trying to make a name for herself at the law firm of LMB, but when she keeps getting handed the piddly little family law cases, she becomes exasperated. When her new client, a grandmother who would like to gain custody of her out-of-control granddaughter, who also happens to be the daughter of a well-respected judge in the community, walks in, begging for Kate’s help, she finds herself in a very sticky situation. Not wanting to annoy her managing partners, she basically tells the grandma that she needs to find evidence of neglect before anything can be done. I mean who wants to step on the toes of a judge?! Not a first-year law associate!

When the out-of-control granddaughter is found dead, with all of her limbs removed, Kate bears a heavy burden. Is she responsible for the girl’s death? Should she have done more? As her guilt begins to overwhelm her, she starts to investigate on her own, uncovering some secrets that are complex and may prove deadly. And as more bodies begin to pile up, Kate finds herself engrossed in a scheme so outrageous that she may not live through to its final conclusion.

Kate is a multi-dimensional character with a lot of back-story that is slowly revealed to the reader through the course of the book. She is recovering from a tragic event in her teenage years and is struggling to come to terms with a father who is not quite on the right side of the law. Throw in a recent break-up with her fiancée, who is a cop, and you have the makings of a very multifaceted character. There’s almost too much going on with her. Talk about someone with a lot of issues!

Without going into a lot of details and getting into some of the major plot points, there were certain parts of this book that I had a hard time with and that could be due to my lack of knowledge about the medical field as a whole. The author does do a terrific job of plotting everything out, but I didn’t find the subject matter particularly interesting, so I got bogged down in it at certain parts. And with this book being a hefty 450 pages, there were quite a few times that I really had to plod through the narrative.

This is a good start to the Kate Lange series from debut author, Pamela Callow. Was it a good thriller? Absolutely. Was I blown away by this book? Not really. Will I read the next book in the series? Probably. It will depend on the subject matter - and from the brief snippet at the end of this book, I think it sounds more my style!(less)

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"Read with Me" Damaged by Pamela Callow	20	21	Sep 12, 2010 06:48pm

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About Pamela Callow

In DAMAGED, Pamela drew on her experience working in a blue-chip corporate environment to create series lead Kate Lange, a struggling thirty-something lawyer whose career-making case becomes deadly as she uncovers a scam that rocks the foundations of biomedical research -- and puts her in the path of a dementing killer.

Prior to making writing a career, Pamela worked as a strategy consultant for an...more

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Damaged (Kate Lange #1)

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