Damage Control

This is a fast-paced convoluted twist of a thriller. We have our main character, lawyer Dana Hill, whose brother James is killed in an apparent blundered robbery attempt. But when she is cleaning out her brother's house, Dana finds a rare, custom-made earring that leads her to suspect there was more going on than just a bungled robbery.

She teams up with the detective in charge of the investigation, Michael Logan. Together they try to track down what really happened, who did what and most importantly, why.

The investigation leads Dana to Hawaii, and into the world of politics and high society in the Washington State area.

There are too many bodies cropping up to lead to the misconception that this was a random act.

The writing is relevant and believable, leading one to keep reading to see where the plot goes next.

Along with the main plot there are subplots, Dana's issues with breast cancer, a failed marriage, her conflicts with her employer and of course the relationship between her and Detective Logan.

The background scenery makes one want to visit Seattle, if nothing more than to see the landscape and experience the majesty of the area revealed in the text.

This is a good book to curl up with on a rainy afternoon and just keep reading until the end.

Giving positive reviews to a book such as this seems like madness. Can just about anyone these days write a murder mystery and get it published? It's more likely that this is related to established authors (although Mr. Dugani has only one other notable book in his arsenal, [[ASIN:0446617075 The Jury Master]], it is still in the same genre and was fairly well received). I don't mean to bash publishers but I felt pointing out these possible flaws might help guide readers in the right direction when jonesin' for a good book.

If you're reading this review, you've probably been a fan of the murder mystery genre and are wondering if you should pick up this novel; or maybe you already have and are wondering what others thought of it. If you're in the first category, you might want to bypass this book in favor of something more appetizing. I'm not saying that Mr. Dugani is a horrible writer; he's not. But he does do some irritating things with his prose that'll drive readers to distraction. This is immediately evident in the very first paragraph of DAMAGE CONTROL. And here it is:

"Dr. Frank Pilgrim adjusted the flexible lamp clipped to the edge of his cluttered metal desk, but the additional illumination did not keep the typewritten words on the page from blurring. He set his wire-framed glasses above his bushy gray eyebrows and pinched the bridge of his nose. His eyes had reached their limit; they could no longer take the strain of night reading small print."

Although not too poorly put together, this is a prime example of what the remaining 401 pages contain as far as style goes. You'll note that there are three references to Dr. Pilgrim's failing eyesight in this one short paragraph. Perhaps the author was afraid we wouldn't get that the character was old, but the gray eyebrows were pretty much a dead giveaway (example: "..page from blurring." and "..had reached their limit" and "...could no longer take the strain..."). We get it already! Please don't beat us over the head with things like this!

The only redeeming qualities are that the novel is plotted well and with enough baggage plopped on top of the main protagonist to make her a very sympathetic character. Disease, divorce, murder of a loved one, and face-to-face encounters with a psycho-killer all make Dana Hill (the main character) endearing to readers. A distracted love story between Dana and the investigating detective, Logan, is a bit odd and contrived but still a necessary element that added a touch of light to an otherwise dark tale.

Going into detail about the story's machinations is fairly useless, too. If you've ever read a murder mystery, you know exactly how this one's structured: murder happens, loved ones grieve, detective gets in over his head with a family member of the deceased, family try and help solve the murder and put themselves in harm's way, murderer stalks main character, blood is spilled, happy ending. Similarly, Damage Control sets everything up in a pretty ending package for the reader, making it so sweet you'll probably gag on the final few pages.

For a truly great murder mystery, try reading [[ASIN:0316057576 The Naming of the Dead (An Inspector Rebus)]] by Ian Rankin.

They say "bad news comes in threes." Dana Hill is experiencing it firsthand. Her fatal trifecta? Breast cancer, her twin brother's murder, and a cheating dog of a husband. For a woman with a promising career and young family, things can't look much darker. Or can they?

Dana is convinced her brother's murder was more than a burglary gone wrong. Between disturbing clues and a man impersonating a detective, things aren't making sense. As an attorney and grieving sister, Dana is determined to get to the truth--even if she has to put off lifesaving cancer treatment.

In his new thriller, Robert Dugoni invites readers on an emotional journey ripe with the promise of danger. Believable characters and Seattle's lush, if soggy, location anchor the story with a great setting. The plot, however, falls just short of its potential.

Dugoni took a risk in throwing three major life challenges in Dana's direction. When presenting so many issues, an author risks shattering the reader's "suspension of disbelief," the willingness to accept the situation at face value. It's hard to believe that all these things could happen to one person within the space of week. Even though Dugoni wove these situations together in a fairly smooth manner, many readers will find it's too much of a stretch.

The other aspect that detracted from the overall feel of a thriller was that Dugoni pulled some important punches. He could have raised the stakes a great deal higher by having the villain pursue additional, personal targets. I kept expecting the bad guy to "go there" in order to terrify Dana, but I was disappointed.

Overall, this is a decent read. Because of the overreaching arc and missed terror potential, however, I can only give this novel an average rating.

Someone is murdered early in the first chapter. Immediately, you want to know why. The chapters flip between Robert and Elizabeth Meyers and Dana Hill, seemingly unrelated stories. However with many twists and turns their stories become one. Dana Hill divides her time between being a busy associate at a law firm, and being a good mother to her beloved daughter. Her marriage is not what it once was. Her husband has always struggled with the fact that Dana was the better lawyer. Her brother James gave up a law career to teach. He had never been happier albeit for calling Dana saying they needed to talk. They never did before James was killed. Dana herself is in and out of the doctor's office. Robert and Elizabeth Meyers seem like the golden couple before their lives unravel. An exciting thriller to read and recommend.

This is an interesting novel incorporating murder, cancer, divorce, politics and the law. I know I have excluded other themes but I have listed the main ones and this is the slight weakness with this thriller. There are too many issues and I believe the reader would be better served with concentration on a few less. Dana Hill, twin, attorney extraordinaire, perfect mother, and possible breast cancer victim is an overworked working mother whose twin brother is killed in a brutal attack. She is having severe marital problems, her husband, Grant, does not behave well in any scene. He is a total jerk and we wonder why she ever married this loser. Anyway, Dana, in her grief-stricken state, is bound and determined to find the killer of her brother. Without revealing any more of the plot, Dana is able to resolve many issues which involve politics, spousal abuse and priceless jewelry design. I actually believe the most interesting part of this book was the Acknowledgements section by the author who gives us a fascintating background into his own family.

Damage Control is an absolute page-turner. You'll find it extremely difficult to put it down. The female protagonist is an extremely well-developed character and she is made even more interesting by the fact that the author is male. If you enjoy John Grisham novels, you will definitely enjoy Damage Control.

I PICKED UP HIS FIRST BOOK "THE JURY MASTER" AND LOVED IT. IT WAS FAST MOVING AND SUSPENSEFUL.

I LOOKED FOR OTHER OF HIS BOOKS AND PICKED "DAMAGE CONTROL" AND IT IS EXCELLENT AS WELL.

HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH OTHER UNKNOWN AUTHORS [TO ME] TO ENLARGE MY MYSTERY AND MAHEM ENJOYMENT AND DUGONI IS A KEEPER.

Great book that I could hardly put down. I look forward to the next one!

Dana Hill is a lawyer at a prestigious law firm and lives with her husband, Grant, and three year-old daughter in Seattle. She had been a rising star at the law firm but when she decided to go part-time so she could spend more time with her daughter, Molly, she had been removed from the partnership track and placed in Marvin Crocket's department. A very demanding man, Crocket is the managing partner of the business department and a workaholic. He keeps the pressure on Dana and doesn't make her life easy.

Dana and Grant are at odds with each other because she has proven to be a more successful lawyer than him. Grant is self-centered and after ten years of massaging his ego, Dana is just about wiped out. To add to her stress, she found a lump in her breast which is diagnosed as cancerous.

Then her twin brother, James, is murdered in his home during a robbery. As she gives the Eulogy at his funeral, she vows to herself that the best way to honor her brother is to find out why he was killed. After finding a diamond earring, worth about $50,000. with its pair, under her brother's bed, she uses it as her starting point and follows a trail to a very wealthy, corrupt and evil man.

Detective Mike Logan has been assigned to James Hill's murder case. At first he believes that it was a robbery gone wrong, but as the bodies pile up, he is convinced that Dana is on the right track and sets out to help her. Logan and Dana are attracted to each other but Dana must get her life in order before they can find happiness together.

I found this book to be a very satisfying read. It is a well-written, in depth and emotionally charged novel. The characters are believable and there is plenty of action. Dana is heart broken over the death of her twin, but the outcome left me contented that she will be able to move on with her life and be as free as her brother wanted her to be. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

This was very exciting from the first page to the last! What a find!

Robert Dugoni has a new customer! .. Damage Control could very well have been written with today's political climate in mind! GOOD JOB!