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People often complain about bad things happening to them. They wish the sun would always shine on their lives. But attorney Dana Hill knows the sun wouldn’t be appreciated as much without a little rain. Unfortunately, she gets hit with a deluge when she’s diagnosed with breast cancer. Not long after the diagnosis, her brother, James, is beaten to death, and she finds out that her husband is cheating on her. The only thing she can do to keep her sanity is look for her brother’s murderer and bring him to justice—but things go from bad to worse when she starts asking questions and body’s start piling up behind her.
Detective Mike Logan is assigned to the case. At first, it looks like a burglary gone terribly wrong, but the clues just don’t add up. Nothing of value was stolen. Then a guy claiming to be a cop shows up, asking Dana questions and following her around. Suddenly, James Hill’s death leads to surprising revelations, and the clues point to someone who has the power to make problems disappear and to snuff out lives that get in the way. Mike fears that Dana will be next.
Not only is Damage Control a great thriller, but it’s also a deeply moving story about one woman who’s battling breast cancer while her life keeps getting worse. When James was beaten to death, I actually cried a little because he had just called his sister to ask how her visit to the clinic went and to tell her he loves her—something her self-absorbed husband didn’t bother to do. With just that small bit of writing, Mr. Dugoni made me care deeply about James Hill, and I wanted to know why he was murdered just as much as his sister did. That’s what I call fantastic writing, folks!
Dana is a strong female character without being pushy about it. She handles her cheating husband with grace and dignity, and she doesn’t allow her fear to stop her from hunting her brother’s killer. And Mike is the type of man I’d like to know. He’s a tough cop who genuinely cares about the people he’s appointed to serve and protect. These two are really great characters.
Mr. Dugoni is a definite expert at characterization and scene setting. Everything about his prose is vivid, and it transports you right into his fictional world. After you read the last page of Damage Control and reenter this world, you’ll feel as if you’ve actually been somewhere else for the past few hours. Not many authors can pull that off the way Mr. Dugoni can.
