Winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel
Lily Moore, a successful travel writer, fled to Spain to get away from her troubled, dr...
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Oct 28, 2010
bookczuk
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Wow. A Crime novel and a debut work that was not only good, but crosses the line into great. Actually, "debut" isn't exactly accurate because Davidson has written non-fiction books, articles and short stories galore. And I'm hooked enough to want to go back and read them all. Seriously, if she can transport me to one of the places she wrote travel guides for like she transported me to New York and the worlds of Lily and Claudia, sign me up.
Here is a story about fracture More...
Here is a story about fracture More...
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Feb 07, 2012
Barbara
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This book won a lot of accolades and the Anthony Award for Best First Novel. It wasn't until three-fourths of the way through the book, however, that I was sold on it.
Travel journalist Lily Moore is called back from Spain to New York to identify her sister's body, found drowned in the bathtub of her apartment. It's more than upsetting when Lily finds that the body is of a stranger, a woman who had been pretending to be Claudia, her sister, for the last few months, including running up More...
Travel journalist Lily Moore is called back from Spain to New York to identify her sister's body, found drowned in the bathtub of her apartment. It's more than upsetting when Lily finds that the body is of a stranger, a woman who had been pretending to be Claudia, her sister, for the last few months, including running up More...
Sep 29, 2011
Larraine
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Lily is a travel writer who escaped to Spain leaving behind her sister, Claudia, an on again/off again (mostly on) drug addict, as well as a hovering, grasping fiance, Martin. She has been paying the rent on her New York apartment so that her sister wouldn't have to live on the streets. Claudia is the only relative she has. Both of their parents committed suicide. By the time Lily was in college and Claudia still in high school, both of their parents were gone. After a very long absence she ret
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Jul 29, 2011
Lucinda
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Hilary Davidson
The Damage Done (Forge 2010) introduces Lily Moore, a travel journalist who has been working on travel guides in Spain for the past year. Lilly is called back to New York City when the body of her younger sister Claudia, a recovering heroin addict who has been living in Lily’s apartment, is found drowned in the bathtub on the anniversary of their mother’s suicide. Lily can’t believe that Claudia killed herself and tries to convince the police on the way to the morgue to ident More...
The Damage Done (Forge 2010) introduces Lily Moore, a travel journalist who has been working on travel guides in Spain for the past year. Lilly is called back to New York City when the body of her younger sister Claudia, a recovering heroin addict who has been living in Lily’s apartment, is found drowned in the bathtub on the anniversary of their mother’s suicide. Lily can’t believe that Claudia killed herself and tries to convince the police on the way to the morgue to ident More...
Jul 10, 2011
Edward
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(Author: Hilary Davidson; Mystery; Forge books; Hardcover $24.99)
I usually read for a short while before starting on my own writings because I find that it knocks loose the vocabulary in my brain. In that regard, "The Damage Done," by first time novelist Hilary Davidson, presented me with a slight problem... I kept blowing off my schedule to read just one more chapter of this gripping mystery.
After living in Spain for several months, Lily Moore, a travel writer and More...
I usually read for a short while before starting on my own writings because I find that it knocks loose the vocabulary in my brain. In that regard, "The Damage Done," by first time novelist Hilary Davidson, presented me with a slight problem... I kept blowing off my schedule to read just one more chapter of this gripping mystery.
After living in Spain for several months, Lily Moore, a travel writer and More...
Feb 07, 2012
Linda
rated it:
This was the first novel by Hilary Davidson and I was lucky enough to win a copy from Good Reads. It was interesting how she discussed the complexity of the relationship between the two sisters. The older sister, Lily Moore, did almost everything right and was a successful writer living abroad. The younger sister, Claudia, was a heroin addict and had tried to get off drugs many times. Lily feels protective of her younger sister even though she gets exasperated with her over her failure to rid
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Oct 10, 2010
Anne
rated it:
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 whi More...
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 whi More...
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Sep 25, 2011
Johnny
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Great debut novel. And from all the awards that THE DAMAGE DONE is getting, I'm not the only one who thinks this. Strong characterization, plotting, and dialogue. In fact, much of the story is told through dialogue, so the necessity for it to sing is essential for its effectiveness. And Davidson nails it.
The real strength of the story is Davidson's ability from the outset to defy convention. By not centering on the police, but making the "investigator" a relative, the st More...
The real strength of the story is Davidson's ability from the outset to defy convention. By not centering on the police, but making the "investigator" a relative, the st More...
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Jan 09, 2011
Marcia
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I haven't been reading much lately, so it was nice to settle down to a well written crime novel. The story had many twists. The main character Lily is called home from living in Spain when she is informed her only living family member, Claudia, has died. Claudia is a long time drug addict and has a very troubled life. It turns out to not be Claudia but someone who has been passing herself off as Claudia for months. Lily did tend to do some pretty foolish things in trying to figure out what w
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Sep 08, 2011
valpal
rated it:
Excellent . . .a page turner. I enjoyed the flawed heroine and the cop Bruxton (a pit bull disguised as a man). Interesting plot twists. Recommended!
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Jul 19, 2011
Stephen
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Lily Moore returns from Spain to find that her sister, Claudia is missing. And then a body is found at Lily's apartment , where Claudia has been staying. The body looks like Claudia but it turns out it is an impersonator. And now the story begins. Lily will do anything to find her sister.....still she suspects that Claudia may really be dead. Lily has some friends and an ex-fiance who volunteer to help. The police are called off the case , once there seems to be no way to identify the body in Li
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Oct 23, 2011
Sheila
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I really enjoyed this riveting, twisty mystery/thriller, which has one of the most fascinating assortments of complex characters, including many of dubious repute, I've come across lately. I tend to go for complicated plots that involve mistaken identities and the like, so this was just my cuppa tea. I did have one favorite person, Lily's good friend Jesse, who is the most sensible, stable, and good-humored of the cast of characters. I thought it was fun the way he likened Lily to Miss Marple. T
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Nov 03, 2010
Chris
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Anyone who has read Hilary's short fiction expected her debut novel to deliver, and it does. Perhaps a little less dark and gritty than I expected, once I adjusted to the world it is set in I enjoyed it. Hilary's writing is top notch, and this is a book a little different from what you may normally read. If you want to get in on the ground floor of a new writer just beginning to hit her stride, this is a great place to start. Between this book and Joelle Charbonneau's debut, SKATING AROUND THE L
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Mar 10, 2011
Lynn
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I started this book on a Friday evening and finished 3am Saturday morning. I could not force myself to put it down! It is a smart modern mystery with an engaging woman protagonist and fast-paced twists and turns. I loved Davidson's multi-dimensional characters who all came with their own shadows, the descriptions of NYC, the touches of noir and the references to great old movies. THE DAMAGE DONE inhabits a dangerous world but one I'd love to visit again. I'll just have to start reading earlier i
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Dec 24, 2011
Nigel
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Lily and Claudia Moore had a difficult childhood. It’s scarred each of them for life, but in very different ways. Lily has escaped her problems by moving to Spain, Claudia by losing herself in her drug addiction.
Of course, wherever we go, we take our troubles with us and Lily is no different to the rest of us. She’s introduced when she’s returning from Europe because her sister, the only family she has left, has been found dead in her apartment.
As it turns out, the body More...
Of course, wherever we go, we take our troubles with us and Lily is no different to the rest of us. She’s introduced when she’s returning from Europe because her sister, the only family she has left, has been found dead in her apartment.
As it turns out, the body More...
Feb 11, 2011
Robin
rated it:
The Damage Done is one of those rare books that succeeds on every level.
Emotionally, I was grabbed from the very beginning. Lily, the first person protagonist, is a person I would want to know. She is smart, insightful, and compassionate beyond belief. She's also fun to spend time with - she has quirks and flaws that make her human. I'd love to get drunk with her one night.
The plot is rich with complexity and layers and false identity, but somehow - a testament to the gen More...
Emotionally, I was grabbed from the very beginning. Lily, the first person protagonist, is a person I would want to know. She is smart, insightful, and compassionate beyond belief. She's also fun to spend time with - she has quirks and flaws that make her human. I'd love to get drunk with her one night.
The plot is rich with complexity and layers and false identity, but somehow - a testament to the gen More...
Dec 24, 2010
Elizabeth A.
rated it:
Oh, what a deliciously tangled web of circumstances does author Hilary Davidson weave in her masterful debut, The Damage Done.
Travel writer Lily Moore is called home to New York from Spain with the horrible news that her sister, Claudia, has been found dead in the apartment they share. Even worse, Claudia’s death appears to be a suicide, tragically timed to coincide with the anniversary of their mother’s suicide. Given she had fled to Spain in large part to get away from the downward s More...
Travel writer Lily Moore is called home to New York from Spain with the horrible news that her sister, Claudia, has been found dead in the apartment they share. Even worse, Claudia’s death appears to be a suicide, tragically timed to coincide with the anniversary of their mother’s suicide. Given she had fled to Spain in large part to get away from the downward s More...
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Jul 19, 2011
Alison
rated it:
It took me a little while to get going with this book, and whilst it was good, I was able to put it down for a couple of days and not get withdrawal from it!
The twists were definitely unexpected and the overall plot was decent, the characters lacked a little bit of depth and I found myself getting angry with the lead heroine - somewhat spineless I thought with regards to her ex.
Not a huge fan, but didn't dislike this book either.
The twists were definitely unexpected and the overall plot was decent, the characters lacked a little bit of depth and I found myself getting angry with the lead heroine - somewhat spineless I thought with regards to her ex.
Not a huge fan, but didn't dislike this book either.
Mar 05, 2011
Evelyn
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Lily Moore moves to Spain, leaving her sometimes heroin-addicted sister Claudia living in her apartment. Several months later, Lily is called home to identify her sister's body after an apparent suicide. When the body turns out not to be Claudia, Lily learns that someone was impersonating her sister, and that she may have run away from an upstate New York rehab center run by a shady psychologist. But no one, including the police, seems to be able to verify Claudia's whereabouts.
An e More...
An e More...
Jan 24, 2011
Laura
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While doing research on author websites, I came across this author's website and after browsing around a bit, decided to buy the book for my Kindle for iPad. (So, yes, author websites can really work!) If you're a mystery buff, you'd probably like it. It's the story of a good sister trying to find her bad sister (heroin) who's disappeared somewhere in NYC. There's a twist at the end, but I have to say by that point I was a bit tired of both the "good" sister and the "bad" one
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Dec 25, 2010
Ron
rated it:
Truth in reporting; Ms. Davidson is a Facebook friend.
This debut novel is noir for girls, with the focus less on the disappearance of her drug addicted sister than on the conflicting emotions of our stalwart heroine Lily Moore. As Lily maneuvers the mean streets of New York, and passes through the network of her sister's old friends, lovers, and psychos, she knows less about how she feels. If you like Gillian Flynn, try Ms. Davidson.
This debut novel is noir for girls, with the focus less on the disappearance of her drug addicted sister than on the conflicting emotions of our stalwart heroine Lily Moore. As Lily maneuvers the mean streets of New York, and passes through the network of her sister's old friends, lovers, and psychos, she knows less about how she feels. If you like Gillian Flynn, try Ms. Davidson.
Sep 06, 2011
Jodi
rated it:
Another Anthony nominee for best first novel. Lots of twists and turns in this one! Interesting characters. I really liked Lily, Tariq, the police, and Lily's friend...whose name escapes me who she stays with and helps her investigate. Set in NYC. Lots of information about drug addiction, but doesn't drag the story down. This is a page turner kind of book. There are maybe a few more twists than necessary. Recommended!
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Jul 09, 2011
Andy
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An American travel writer living in Spain gets word that her sister has been found dead in her NYC apartment. When she goes to identify the body she finds it is not her sister. This raises the possibility that her sister is still alive especially since her sister, a drig addict has done some sensational things in the past to get attention and/or money. A first novel and a good effort.
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May 02, 2011
Ed
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This is a humdinger of a debut novel. I enjoyed reading about the complex protagonist, a traveler writer living in Spain who returns to her New York City apartment to find her sister, a drug addict, has been killed there. Or so it seems. The unexpected twists and turns add to the fun of unraveling the murder mystery.
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Aug 07, 2011
Sandi
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This was nominated for an Anthony Award for best first crime novel and I found it very readable with just the right amount of suspense and family angst. The ending did get a little complicated for my tastes but all the threads were brought together nicely and the main character was, for the most part, smart and engaging.
Oct 29, 2010
Jane
rated it:
I liked this book a lot. Great page turner. I recently heard Davidson talk about her book, and she mentioned how much readers love the character Jesse. Add me to that list. Everybody needs a gun-toting friend from Oklahoma!
Mar 17, 2011
Tiffany
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I tore through this book because I wanted to find out happened, but by the time I did I didn't really care. The characters weren't likeable, and the whole story was just depressing. The ending was a real let down and very unsatisfying.
Oct 26, 2011
Spencer
rated it:
Great (what i think is) first novel by Hilary Davidson. This is a crime novel told from a perspective different than the normal perspective, a smart, intelligent, non law-enforcement female.
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Sep 02, 2011
Daryl
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I truly enjoyed this book. I opened it and finished in a day. I read another review that said "emotional roller coaster" and I have to agree. A woman tortured by her sister's death wrenched my heart.
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