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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Having been swept away by Medina’s debut thriller White Crocodile set in Cambodia, I was extremely interested to see how a change of publisher and nom de plume, along with a new setting would work for Medina. I’m very happy to report that this author appears to be going from strength to strength…
In a similar style to Matthew Frank’s debut If I Should Die and tapping in perfectly to my love of fiction depicting the experience of war, Medina tackles some weighty psychological issues in tandem with producing a genuinely emotive and compelling thriller. Drawing on her psychology degree, Medina said recently in an interview that she wanted to not only address the overpowering love or destructive nature of familial relationships and the emotional fallout of military service, but also to create a female protagonist to represent strong, clever and independent women. Through her characterisation of her central female character Jessie Flynn, four year old Sami, and her portrayal of three victims of their war experience, Sami’s father Major Nicholas Scott, Captain Ben Callan and Sergeant Colin Starkey, Medina achieves this admirably. Jessie Flynn is a multi-faceted character being a compassionate and headstrong psychologist, with a background in the military, but also struggling with her own behavioural disorder in the form of OCD. I liked the way that she so seamlessly moulds her approach and interactions with those around her, driven on by a tenacity of spirit, and total dedication to her chosen profession, striving to unlock and treat the severe mental stress that affects Sami, and his family, along with being sensitive to the simmering tensions present in the character of Callan as she aids his investigation into a violent episode that has taken place amongst service personnel in Afghanistan.
The physical and mental stress exhibited by both Scott and Callan as a result of their military service is handled sensitively and honestly, and Callan in particular is a hugely empathetic character within the book. The sudden fluctuations of his mood and behaviour is beautifully handled as he struggles to keep a lid on the more destructive elements of his psyche, as without the Army he would be left bereft floundering with his personal demons. The repartee, and interesting relationship he has fostered with Flynn gives a further emotional weight to the overall plot, and I was heartened to see Medina avoiding some more obvious directions that their personal relationship could take.
Aside from the emotional gravitas of this book as we gain an insight into the troubled facets of Sami and particularly with his mother, Nooria, whose personal story is heartbreaking, the plot is incredibly well drawn, with a brutal honesty as to the dark chasm of secrets and lies that people conceal and seek to escape. The ending of the book is unexpected, and will make your heart race a little faster, and is entirely unpredictable but totally believable. The plot is punctuated throughout by real heart in the mouth moments, that interrupts but never detracts from the array of human emotion that Medina has structured the book upon. I also enjoyed the very real and vital portrayal of the experience in the theatre of war that so impacts on her characters, without resorting to timeworn clichés that some fiction with this story arc tends to produce.
It really is an ‘all things to all people’ kind of thriller, where the narrative, plot incidents, and skilful characterisation work together perfectly, and I was held riveted throughout. Highly recommended.
In a similar style to Matthew Frank’s debut If I Should Die and tapping in perfectly to my love of fiction depicting the experience of war, Medina tackles some weighty psychological issues in tandem with producing a genuinely emotive and compelling thriller. Drawing on her psychology degree, Medina said recently in an interview that she wanted to not only address the overpowering love or destructive nature of familial relationships and the emotional fallout of military service, but also to create a female protagonist to represent strong, clever and independent women. Through her characterisation of her central female character Jessie Flynn, four year old Sami, and her portrayal of three victims of their war experience, Sami’s father Major Nicholas Scott, Captain Ben Callan and Sergeant Colin Starkey, Medina achieves this admirably. Jessie Flynn is a multi-faceted character being a compassionate and headstrong psychologist, with a background in the military, but also struggling with her own behavioural disorder in the form of OCD. I liked the way that she so seamlessly moulds her approach and interactions with those around her, driven on by a tenacity of spirit, and total dedication to her chosen profession, striving to unlock and treat the severe mental stress that affects Sami, and his family, along with being sensitive to the simmering tensions present in the character of Callan as she aids his investigation into a violent episode that has taken place amongst service personnel in Afghanistan.
The physical and mental stress exhibited by both Scott and Callan as a result of their military service is handled sensitively and honestly, and Callan in particular is a hugely empathetic character within the book. The sudden fluctuations of his mood and behaviour is beautifully handled as he struggles to keep a lid on the more destructive elements of his psyche, as without the Army he would be left bereft floundering with his personal demons. The repartee, and interesting relationship he has fostered with Flynn gives a further emotional weight to the overall plot, and I was heartened to see Medina avoiding some more obvious directions that their personal relationship could take.
Aside from the emotional gravitas of this book as we gain an insight into the troubled facets of Sami and particularly with his mother, Nooria, whose personal story is heartbreaking, the plot is incredibly well drawn, with a brutal honesty as to the dark chasm of secrets and lies that people conceal and seek to escape. The ending of the book is unexpected, and will make your heart race a little faster, and is entirely unpredictable but totally believable. The plot is punctuated throughout by real heart in the mouth moments, that interrupts but never detracts from the array of human emotion that Medina has structured the book upon. I also enjoyed the very real and vital portrayal of the experience in the theatre of war that so impacts on her characters, without resorting to timeworn clichés that some fiction with this story arc tends to produce.
It really is an ‘all things to all people’ kind of thriller, where the narrative, plot incidents, and skilful characterisation work together perfectly, and I was held riveted throughout. Highly recommended.
It took me a while to get into this book. It has many impressive aspects, but in some of the early chapters there was an awkwardness. Kate Medina is a superb writer within her niche, a niche that definitely suits this crime/thriller genre. I found the early chapters with Sami uncomfortable in the best possible way; a painfully realistic portrayal of a child in distress. I was finding myself trying to make sure they weren't the last thing I read because those emotions had the power to linger. But there were also a few uncomfortable sections where she tried details that she seems uncomfortable with. Describing the areas where the story took place felt like someone trying to paint a vivid picture but actually read more like directions or a police report for example. Small details just didn't ring true, they felt like gestures to try and capture a wider audience with a broad background, and ended up breaking the mood of the writing instead. Minor bugbears however, and mostly an issue in the early chapters - it's just the concentration of them in those chapters jarred against the rest of the, very accomplished, writing and kept me at arm's length for a while.
Once the book took shape and Medina's voice took over things became more addictive. The plot is spot on, with clever reveals as the storyline comes together. The truth trickles out in measured doses.
Interestingly Medina gives the minor characters quite a lot of depth, at times they seem more three dimensional than the main characters. It feels as if something is being held back for future books, although not so much to leave them totally void of interest in this one.
Overall a good read. I feel the author wasn't quite allowed the freedom she deserved and that blunted it slightly, however I also think she proved herself capable of taking Jessie Flynn further. It will be interesting to see where this series goes, it has a lot of potential.
Once the book took shape and Medina's voice took over things became more addictive. The plot is spot on, with clever reveals as the storyline comes together. The truth trickles out in measured doses.
Interestingly Medina gives the minor characters quite a lot of depth, at times they seem more three dimensional than the main characters. It feels as if something is being held back for future books, although not so much to leave them totally void of interest in this one.
Overall a good read. I feel the author wasn't quite allowed the freedom she deserved and that blunted it slightly, however I also think she proved herself capable of taking Jessie Flynn further. It will be interesting to see where this series goes, it has a lot of potential.
Fire Damage - Kate Medina
I ordered the next in the series 20 pages into this book, does that say enough?
A book where you have genuinely no clue whose done it, and where I was rooting for half the characters it was something special. Focusing on Sami, a troubled child and spiralling out into the military and the psychological breakdown of veterans it got me hooked from the beginning!
I don’t like books about children, I don’t particularly empathise with them or enjoy reading about them - usually their an added extra to the protagonist. But wow, Sami gripped me from the beginning, praying that there would be a breakthrough and you’d learn to understand him.
I highly recommend this book (and the rest of the Jessie Flynn series have been ordered!)
Official MF rating: 5 stars
I ordered the next in the series 20 pages into this book, does that say enough?
A book where you have genuinely no clue whose done it, and where I was rooting for half the characters it was something special. Focusing on Sami, a troubled child and spiralling out into the military and the psychological breakdown of veterans it got me hooked from the beginning!
I don’t like books about children, I don’t particularly empathise with them or enjoy reading about them - usually their an added extra to the protagonist. But wow, Sami gripped me from the beginning, praying that there would be a breakthrough and you’d learn to understand him.
I highly recommend this book (and the rest of the Jessie Flynn series have been ordered!)
Official MF rating: 5 stars
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I thought that the premise of this book sounded interesting and was quite excited to read it. Unfortunately I found the first half of the book far too slow paced. Whenever something piqued my interest it was not mentioned again. I could have quite easily put this book down and not bothered to pick it back up again. What saved this book for me was the lead character Psychologist Jessie Flynn. I really loved her character and enjoyed getting to know her but the actual story just didn't keep me interested at all. The second half of the book was much better than the first half. This is the first in a series and at this present moment I am unsure whether I will read anymore in this series.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Life is full of strange coincidences, and I happened to get hold of a copy of Medina’s Fire Damage right at a time when I’m reading up about psychology and thinking of further study options. It made this book a particularly interesting. After all, a crime thriller centring around a psychologist is pretty much on theme for my brain at the moment.
And it’s an enjoyable read, and Medina cleverly strings together the various storylines into a neat conclusion. It’s fairly pacy, covering a range of really quite dark issues – from PTSD to child trauma, among others which I won’t go into to save you from spoilers. I could have done with some of the characters being a little more filled out, but perhaps that’s the nature of the starter book to a series.
Overall, not a bad way to spend a few hours at all.
Favourite line: “Death softened the hard lines of people’s faces, turned men back into boys.”
Life is full of strange coincidences, and I happened to get hold of a copy of Medina’s Fire Damage right at a time when I’m reading up about psychology and thinking of further study options. It made this book a particularly interesting. After all, a crime thriller centring around a psychologist is pretty much on theme for my brain at the moment.
And it’s an enjoyable read, and Medina cleverly strings together the various storylines into a neat conclusion. It’s fairly pacy, covering a range of really quite dark issues – from PTSD to child trauma, among others which I won’t go into to save you from spoilers. I could have done with some of the characters being a little more filled out, but perhaps that’s the nature of the starter book to a series.
Overall, not a bad way to spend a few hours at all.
Favourite line: “Death softened the hard lines of people’s faces, turned men back into boys.”
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.
There are good and not-as-good elements of “Fire Damage,” although I mostly enjoyed Kate Medina’s book. Here’s why:
The author weaves a good story, blending different subplots throughout and keeping the pace steady with short chapters. Ms. Medina’s writing is so smooth that her action and dialogue proceed naturally and readers easily connect with the story without being jarred back to reality every other page. In fact, it was her talent that kept me reading in spite of the items I felt hindered the book.
The initial chapter seemed choppy and a bit forced. I realize authors feel they need to have an exciting first chapter, but good, competent writing (which Ms. Medina has in abundance) will keep readers around long enough to unfold the basic plot elements.
I also don’t understand why the great majority of mystery and thriller writers saddle the main character with an issue like OCD, PTSD, or whatever flavor seems to be popular. A good character has flaws, yes, but doesn’t have to be drowning in them. I am not saying Ms. Medina didn’t handle her character well (she did), but the psychiatrist/officer/detective with psychiatric issues has become a cliché. At least the main character, Jessie, wasn’t alone, as others in the book either should be participating in psychiatric sessions or had recently seen someone.
The twists at the end were a bit flat, and I thought the final danger was “self-inflicted,” similar to what happens when watching a horror movie. We all know the heroine shouldn’t enter the haunted house and should go straight to the police but she enters the house anyway. Yes, I know that there has to be a confrontation at the end, but I thought it could have been arranged differently.
Bottom line: Ms. Medina successfully fleshes out many of her characters, and the plot is good. The author has exceptional writing talents and artfully keeps you entertained even during the slow or dry parts of the book. In the hands of other writers, this may have been a three-star effort. Ms. Medina’s talent bumps it to four.
There are good and not-as-good elements of “Fire Damage,” although I mostly enjoyed Kate Medina’s book. Here’s why:
The author weaves a good story, blending different subplots throughout and keeping the pace steady with short chapters. Ms. Medina’s writing is so smooth that her action and dialogue proceed naturally and readers easily connect with the story without being jarred back to reality every other page. In fact, it was her talent that kept me reading in spite of the items I felt hindered the book.
The initial chapter seemed choppy and a bit forced. I realize authors feel they need to have an exciting first chapter, but good, competent writing (which Ms. Medina has in abundance) will keep readers around long enough to unfold the basic plot elements.
I also don’t understand why the great majority of mystery and thriller writers saddle the main character with an issue like OCD, PTSD, or whatever flavor seems to be popular. A good character has flaws, yes, but doesn’t have to be drowning in them. I am not saying Ms. Medina didn’t handle her character well (she did), but the psychiatrist/officer/detective with psychiatric issues has become a cliché. At least the main character, Jessie, wasn’t alone, as others in the book either should be participating in psychiatric sessions or had recently seen someone.
The twists at the end were a bit flat, and I thought the final danger was “self-inflicted,” similar to what happens when watching a horror movie. We all know the heroine shouldn’t enter the haunted house and should go straight to the police but she enters the house anyway. Yes, I know that there has to be a confrontation at the end, but I thought it could have been arranged differently.
Bottom line: Ms. Medina successfully fleshes out many of her characters, and the plot is good. The author has exceptional writing talents and artfully keeps you entertained even during the slow or dry parts of the book. In the hands of other writers, this may have been a three-star effort. Ms. Medina’s talent bumps it to four.
I will not spoil this book for anyone. But omg this is sooo good it gripped me from the beginning also I have a similar background of growing up in an army family and so this was quite hard reading but wow real emotional page turner loved it. This is an author to follow