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paulabrandon 's review for:
Fire Damage
by Kate Medina
Dr. Jessie Flynn must assist Sami Scott, who is suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress situation, with talk about a "Shadowman". She's also called in to assist former patient Ben Callan, recently returned to duty, to question Colin Starkey, suspected in the death of his colleague. There's also the matter of a body washed up on a beach that Det. Bobby "Marilyn" Simmons is investigating. How does all of this tie in together?
Yay, a 4 star story! It didn't get five stars, because there were elements that annoyed me. For example, learning all about a character's history when they're basically just there to discover a dead body. It's not needed. There's also too much description about the routes characters travel down to reach a destination. It's another one of my pet hates. I just don't see how it's pertinent! Too many pages are devoted to this useless information. Also, I get a bit tired of the "tragic backstory" trope. It too often seems like a cheap, easy way to give your characters "depth". You know, there are plenty of happy, well-balanced people out there who are also complex! Having a psychiatrist with OCD and a penchant for meaningless sex was just a bit too silly. Also, character viewpoints would change within the same paragraph. That's a bit sloppy. So was a bit of the research.
With all that grumpy-old-woman (well, I'm not that old, but, you know) complaining out of the way, this was actually really good! I actually felt myself coming to care for Jessie and Ben. After a bit of a slow start (too much needless description), this really kicked into gear. It has a terrific plot, with plenty of surprises, and avoids the tropes of many other British thrillers. You know - vindictive journalists, backstabbing colleagues, lazy red herrings, that sort of thing. By the last third, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! Everything comes together really well!
I very much enjoyed this, despite its faults, and will certainly check out the other books in the series.
Yay, a 4 star story! It didn't get five stars, because there were elements that annoyed me. For example, learning all about a character's history when they're basically just there to discover a dead body. It's not needed. There's also too much description about the routes characters travel down to reach a destination. It's another one of my pet hates. I just don't see how it's pertinent! Too many pages are devoted to this useless information. Also, I get a bit tired of the "tragic backstory" trope. It too often seems like a cheap, easy way to give your characters "depth". You know, there are plenty of happy, well-balanced people out there who are also complex! Having a psychiatrist with OCD and a penchant for meaningless sex was just a bit too silly. Also, character viewpoints would change within the same paragraph. That's a bit sloppy. So was a bit of the research.
With all that grumpy-old-woman (well, I'm not that old, but, you know) complaining out of the way, this was actually really good! I actually felt myself coming to care for Jessie and Ben. After a bit of a slow start (too much needless description), this really kicked into gear. It has a terrific plot, with plenty of surprises, and avoids the tropes of many other British thrillers. You know - vindictive journalists, backstabbing colleagues, lazy red herrings
Spoiler
although we never find out what Nick Scott's criminal conviction was all aboutI very much enjoyed this, despite its faults, and will certainly check out the other books in the series.