The Damage

David Blake #2

by Howard Linskey

The sequel to The Drop , more brutal, gritty crime fiction, as David Blake struggles to keep together the crime empire he's worked so hard to build There's a thought that keeps me awake at night; I have to be lucky every time, they only have to get lucky once. David Blake is a worried man. He should be enjoying the high life now that he is Newcastle's "Top Boy," the man who controls everything in the city that's worth controlling. He lives in exiled luxury, while his brother Danny and trusted right-hand men, Palmer and Kinane, take care of business. The money keeps on rolling in and Blake is sharing his life with the girl that he loves, Sarah Mahoneyshame he had to murder her father to save his own skin but she doesn't know anything about that. Blake never wanted to be boss but no one else is savvy enough to deal with all of the firm's the rogue drug dealer keeping too much of the take, or "The Turk," Blake's new source of "product" who's taken a million Euros as a down payment on a shipment that never arrives. Newly crowned Glasgow crime lord Alan Gladwell wants to do business with the firm, and the deal makes sense but can Blake trust the man whose brother he brutally murdered? Then there is his obsession with the beautiful but troubled Simone, who chooses to work in one of the firm's massage parlors when she is so much better than that. When one of his men takes two bullets in the back and someone tries to kill him, Blake struggles to stay in control. From the heroin-laced high rises of Newcastle to the seedy back streets of Bangkok, in a world of contract killers, corrupt politicians, bent detectives, coke-snorting footballers, fixers, hookers, and pimps, Blake is in a race against time to find his potential assassin and discover the truth.

Genres: Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook

351 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

ABOUT ME
A bit about me and my books. I am an author with Canelo, currently writing a series of William Shakespeare mysteries. The first is 'A Serpent In The Garden' which sees Will forced to look into the mysterious death of a lady in Elizabethan London. .

I am also the author of a series of books set in the north east of England, featuring journalists Tom Carney & Helen Norton with detective Ian Bradshaw, who all appear in ‘The Chosen Ones’, ‘The Search’, 'Behind Dead Eyes’ and ‘No Name Lane' and the standalones, 'Alice Teale Is Missing', 'Don't Let Him In' and The Inheritance'.

My WW2 historical novels include ‘Hunting the Hangman’, which tells the true story of the assassination of Nazi General, Reinhard Heydrich, and ‘Ungentlemanly Warfare’. The latter features SOE agents, Harry Walsh and Emma Stirling and OSS agent, Sam Cooper.

My earlier novels, the David Blake books, have been optioned for TV by Harry Potter producer, David Barron. The Times newspaper voted 'The Drop' one of its Top Five Thrillers of the Year and 'The Damage' one of its Top Summer Reads. Both books broke into the top five Amazon Kindle chart.

I’m honoured to be the ghost writer of ‘Surviving Hell’ which tells the true story of former Para, Nick Dunn, one of the Chennai Six, who were wrongfully imprisoned in India for years, having committed no crime, and 'Surviving Hell', the autobiography of Princess Diana's former bodyguard, Lee Sansum.

On a far lighter note, I am also the writer behind ‘The Little Book Of Pintfulness’ a mindfulness spoof, which comprehensively proves that life is just better with beer. Please read responsibly.

Prior to becoming a full-time author, I led a series of different lives with a number of jobs, including barman, journalist, catering manager and marketing manager for a celebrity chef, as well as in a variety of sales and account management roles. I can confirm that writing books definitely beats working for a living.

I started writing many moons ago and was first published in the Newcastle United football fanzine, 'The Mag'. I then became a journalist and wrote for regional newspapers. I have also written for magazines and web sites and was once the English Premier League football correspondent for a Malaysian magazine. I've stopped all of that nonsense now, preferring to make up stuff instead and call myself an author.

I'm originally from Ferryhill in County Durham but, like most of the people I grew up with, I left the north east in search of work and never quite made it back. I am now settled in Hertfordshire with my lovely wife Alison and wonderful daughter Erin.

I'm still a long-suffering Newcastle United fan and can only assume that Mike Ashley is a punishment inflicted upon us for all of the crimes we committed in our past lives.

I am represented by the best Literary Agent in the UK, Phil Patterson at Marjacq. Catherine Pellegrino looks after my foreign rights there. If you are Brad Pitt and you wish to play David Blake in a movie then Leah Middleton takes care of Film and TV rights:

Marjacq Scripts Ltd
The Space
235 High Holborn
London WC1V 7LE

+44 (0) 20 7935 9499
F +44 (0) 20 7935 9115
enquiries@marjacq.com

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Damage by Howard Linskey is a 2014 William Morrow/ Witness Impulse publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

David Blake is now " The Boss" of a crime organization. He's rich beyond his wildest imagination, he has power, respect, a beautiful girlfriend- but, it's not all it's cracked up to be. It seems someone wants David dead. A man in his position could have a plethora of enemies. There are corrupt politicians, dirty cops, rival crime organizations just to name a few. David moves in circles with the rich and dangerous as well as the drug dealers in back alleys.
He and Sarah live in Thailand and David travels home if need be, which now he must. He has a lot on his plate right now and Sarah is becoming a real concern. She seems depressed and her libido is non- existant. Something is bothering her and David has to worry about this on top of everything else. But, things will get worse before they get better... a lot worse.

I have not had the pleasure of reading the first book "The Drop" before I started this one. It always adds to my reading pleasure if I am able to start a series from the beginning, but sometimes that's not always possible for me. However, I had no troubles getting into this book. I was hooked right away. Told in first person from David's perspective, we get an inside look at the thoughts and actions of a man running a crime syndicate. While he has bodyguards and people looking out for him all the time, he can't always avoid danger or prevent his loved ones from getting into harm's way. So, time is ticking away and David must figure out who is trying to bump him off. He has a few close calls along the way and there is a never ending cycle of people that could get to him before the real assassin does. While David plays it cool, he is really a big risk taker living life on the edge. One part of him stays keyed up and nervous having to constantly look over his shoulder and one part of him loves the power and money and let's face it, the danger. It's an adreneline rush for David and he loves that part of his life most of all.
I couldn't help but think of the movie "Goodfellas" when I was reading this book. I guess it was the first person narrative, the crime organizations and the drama of dealing with his girlfriend, his brother, his business and living in constant fear of being double crossed, killed or arrested. The way David tells us the story and his inner most thoughts are funny sometimes and I started to kind of like the guy, which is a psychology I have never understood, but I don't think I'm the only one that has ever rooted for the anti-hero type. For some reason many people are fascinated with the life of criminals involved in the mafia or syndicate or whatever label you want to put on it. Al Capone or Tony Soprano- doesn't matter if it's a real person or a character in a book or TV show, the lives of the these crime bosses are just surreal. David attempts to have a normal home life, but can't quite pull that off. He has tender feelings for some people and isn't a total monster which , again, gives him human and humane qualities that offset the damage he inflicts on those that cross him... and you do not want to cross him.
Without giving too much away, the last line in the book had me laughing out loud. Oh my goodness! What a piece of work our David is.
This was an awesome crime drama and I highly recommend this to those that like dark and twisty type stories. I enjoyed reading the book from the criminal's perspective and can not wait for the next book to come out. Overall this one get an A+ ( 5 stars)

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Howard Linskey's debut novel The Drop I was really looking forward to the second book featuring David Blake. Even if you haven't read the first book you could easily pick up the second and know what is going on. I admit I was worried that maybe the second wouldn't be as good but I needn't have worried as it was actually better!

We once again meet David Blake but the difference now is that he is now the 'top dog' Gangster boss running Newcastle. He is actually living in Thailand with his girlfriend Sarah and only needs to fly back to the UK to sort out any issues his two right hand men Palmer and Kinnane can't handle. Sure enough very early on, problems start cropping up involving his firm in which he decides he needs to get back to Newcastle to resolve.

We meet characters that reatured in the first book such as David's brother Danny, Palmer and Kinane, the Gladwell's who run Glasgow and some new faces amongst all those too. David Blake is the main reason I loved the first book as he isn't your typical Gangster. He comes across as a really nice bloke who only uses violence when absolutely necessary. In addition to him we see quite a bit more of Palmer and Kinane which I liked as it gives you a real idea of other people involved in David's life.

The story itself kept me gripped from very early on. It seems that there are numerous threads and problems that soon spiral into something much worse and end up with David fearing for his own life. He has to deal with a new supplier named 'The Turk', corrupt politicians and coppers as well as dealers, pimps and celebrity coke addicts. There is quite a lot going on at any one time and it means as the reader you are constantly left wondering what is going to happen next.

As in the first book there is a darker side of humour running through some of these characters and it makes them that bit more readable. I also found that although a lot of conclusions were made at the end, there are lots of more threads I can see opening up for follow up books. Overall I am delighted to have found such a great author at the very beginning of a series. I can only cross my fingers and hope that Howard LInskey carries on writing so well. This man is certainly one to watch!!!

[Ian Ayris · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE REVIEW
It's fair to say, in terms of writing, I've got some pretty staid opinions. I can't abide adverbs, adjectives, exclamation marks, or prologues. Thankfully, The Damage is brilliantly written, so the first three were thankfully absent. As were the exclamation marks. But there was a prologue. I bristled, but knowing Howard to be an excellent writer, I read on. I read on and on, and I didn't stop till the final chapter brought me to the thrilling end.

You see, with the best of writers, and Howard Linskey has proved to me with THE DAMAGE he is among them, they teach us other writers stuff. And the use of the prologue for me was a big lesson. That displacement in time and location that is sometimes necessary to set the story up - something to sow a seed in the mind of the reader, that when returned to later in the book, pulls a whole lot of threads tight together. And I must say, this prologue ends with one of the most devestatitng scenes I've had the pleasure to read. I knew from just these few pages, this was going to be quite a read.

As the pages went by, and I entered the world of David Blake, running his gangland empire from his Thailand compound, returning to the Newcastle underworld to sort out a thing or two, it occurred to me, although I was enjoying the book immensely, it was not my normal kind of reading. I'm very much a noir fan, and my reading, and my writing, tends to lead me in the direction of broken people making their way through the shadows of their broken lives. Don't get me wrong, THE DAMAGE is full of broken people - but it's slick read, a class act. If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say it was almost a thriller. And saying THE DAMAGE is more a thriller than a noir book is not to say the characters are shallow. They're not. Not by a long way.

This review continues over on my blog: http://www.ianayris.com/2012/06/few-w...

[Ben L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it 👍🏻

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Newcastle Godfather. What a fabulous book!
David Blake is back in the second book by Howard Linskey. Blake is fully immersed in gangster life but once again tries to distance himself from the day to day operation by living in Thailand and trusting his lieutenants and enforcers to get on with the operational side of business. But things are not running smoothly: his main H supplier has been arrested and he's desperately trying to finalise a deal with a new drug supplier, but the deal is not going smoothly; his crew is being picked off one by one; and Blake himself is the target of several assassination attempts. Matters come to a head when Blake's brother, Danny, is the next target and gets shot three times, leaving him paralysed for life. Blake had to act quickly and smartly or risk losing Newcastle to rival crime gangs. As with "The Drop", this book is an edge of your seat, violent, graphic look at the criminal world your average citizen hopefully never gets to experience. It's a life straight out of a Mario Puzo book that will leave you wanting more. Fortunately, I have the third book, "The Dead", waiting on my kindle. Bring on the next David Blake!

[Darren Sant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found The Damage to be a thoroughly entertaining novel. The author could have chosen to bring wall-to-wall violence to this gangster tale and it wouldn't have been out of place, he didn't and the story was richer for the suggestion of it. Don’t get me wrong, there is violent action but the most chilling scene in this book had no violence whatsoever. David Blake uses his brain to achieve his goals and was quite a sympathetic character, for a gangster. Howard Linskey has created a three dimensional character in Blake, a solid character who, if he doesn't meet a bloody end, I will enjoy following.

The Damage is quite a convoluted novel with a lot of detail and plenty of character names to follow, but like all good novels, it flows nicely and each revelation leaves you hungry for the next. Linskey concludes his plotlines intelligently and you never feel cheated by a short cut. A great read that has left me hooked and yearning for more of Linskey’s realistic and gritty fiction.

[Hermien · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping and very enjoyable read. David Blake is my favourite gangster!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gangster fiction was not formerly something I cared for, but after reading the first book of this series and seeing Guy Richie's The Gentlemen, I had a change of heart. The planning involved in running such organizations, along with the rivalries and various players made for some crime thrilling fun.

In The Damage, David Blake is now Top Boy after the events of the first entry. Being at the head of the table came with lots of issues that needed handling, chief amongst them, staying alive.

This book while continuing in a similar manner as the first, was missing something that I thought made the series worth continuing, humour. David Blake as a low level part of the firm was interesting to follow, his whole out of his depth role and trying to swim with the big fish was funny, and the intelligence showed in outsmarting his opposition was good to read.

While this wasn't a bad book by any means, there was nothing truly outstanding in its execution. The plot wasn't stellar, the side characters didn't leap out of the page and the main character didn't develop in a fascinating manner. Still, it was solid enough to keep my attention and I'll not rule out checking out the third book.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this book today, 5*/5* took me about a week to read it, gripping,thrilling, violent, with a brilliant storyline, one of my favourite books ever.
Based in and around my area in the North East, so it is easy to familiarise myself with the locations of a few bars, streets etc..... and of course my beloved 'Cathedral on The Hill'
The way this book ended it is difficult to work out what book 3 is going to be about (thats not a bad thing at all, it will make me want to read it sooner, rather than later)

[Andy Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another crackling slice of Geordie crime from Howard Linskey. The second in his David Blake series sees the newly installed crime boss dealing with all manner of issues while trying to work out who is trying to kill him. There’s a small piece of decency in Blake and you end up rooting for him despite the fact that he’s clearly a bad lad. I’ve got the third in the series lined up for my holiday so that should while away the hours on a French beach quite nicely.

[Michael Boreham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second entry to the David Blake trilogy. Howard Linskey hit the ground running with The Drop. Does The Damage suffer from having to live up to such high expectations? In a word no. The Damage picks up the David Blake story and raises the bar even higher. It is well written, superbly paced with strong characterisation and ratchets the tension up as the story edges to its conclusion.

[Christopher Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

very much a gangland sort of book with quite a lot of violence. Well written and captures the Newcastle setting pretty well.

[Timothy Dobbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the drop, but it keeps you interested all the way through, and like all good trilogies leaves you hanging at the end.

[Katherine Sunderland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel transports the reader into the seedy, gritty underworld of David Blake - a wealthy criminal who controls the city of Newcastle from his exiled luxury. His empire is one of contract killers, corrupt police, drugs, prostitutes and money laundering. He lives with the love of his life Sarah, although she has no idea he is responsible for the murder of her father two years ago.

The portrayal of this underworld is excellent and completely convincing. The vocabulary and writing is gritty, seedy and authentic. There is a range of characters - all deeply unpleasant and unlikeable but Blake himself does have charisma and does command respect. His control over the city is impressive and includes everyone from pub owners, his "staff", criminals and lawyers alike. There is no end to the level of corruption at play here. I thought this was an interesting angle as crime thrillers are usually witnessed from the point of view of the detective or person wanting to "right the wrongs" and this is the opposite. This novel is narrated from the point of view of a character struggling to manage criminals and illegal activities, deal with changing loyalties and scams. Blake is a business man, an entrepreneur , a marketeer and a killer. But he has some redeeming features - his love for Sarah, his (tenuous) charitable work and he's intelligent. The other characters in the book are generally completely unscrupulous, dangerous, selfish and full of resentment. Blake is more considered.

Linskey uses cliffhangers throughout the novel to add pace and tension. It also emphasises Blake's fragile position as he continuously feels a sense of threat, risk and that his position will be usurped. There is lots of violence and action and this is not a sensationalised portrayal of the criminal underworld but a very real authentic one. It does seem to include every crime under the sun so this is not for readers who want to retain any sense of faith in people or the justice system! If you are not easily shocked and want to immerse yourself in a world of gangsters and organised crime then this book is for you! It's a complex, well written novel

[Warren Stalley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Damage by Howard Linskey is the sequel to the successful crime novel The Drop – continuing the saga of a Newcastle crime empire. The book starts with David Blake running the organization from Thailand but events soon conspire to bring Blake back to England. Someone is targeting Blake and trying to take over but just who is the enemy and who can he really trust? Fans of the previous book will not be disappointed as Howard Linskey crafts a strong hypnotic narrative peppered with violence. A worthy sequel to The Drop and highly recommended to crime fiction fans. Howard Linskey also features in the eBook anthology True Brit Grit alongside many other equally talented authors.

[Brandon Nagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. A gritty ride through the criminal underworld of David Blake. I really liked THE DROP, but this was even better. I am definitely picking up the next book in the series this week. I can't get enough. A perfect ending making you want more. If you have not read Howard Linskey, you need to start now. I suggest starting at the beginning and read THE DROP first. Highly recommended for all fans of Crime Fiction. Howard's vision of the criminal underworld is phenomenal. A cross between THE WIRE and THE SOPRANOS. It doesn't get any better than this....

[Any Length · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read no one in this series last year and found it to be gripping and unrelenting. This second book in the series is as gripping and unrelenting as the first. Blake is a lovable rouge, as tough as nails and as hard a criminal as they come. But among it all he is a fair leader and has some good thinking on his side. One can't help but be on his side in all matters, even when he severely punishes those who have crossed him. Very good reading. I will make sure to read the next one.

[Miss Dizzy Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

not sure whether to give 4 or 5 as I preferred 'The Drop' more, still a good gangster story but a bit more violence than the first book in series, I still enjoyed it though, a few things a bit far fetched I suppose but then I know nothing about ganglands and spying on people! Still going to read the next one in the series now.

[Diogenes · Rating 4 out of 5]

as
Newcastle's top gangster takes over from his former boss, whom he killed, and finds that others want to take it all away from him. Bent cops, vicious psychopaths, broken deals and personal tragedies make this feel more like prohibition area Chicago than the north of England. Twists and turns galore, this is a page turner crime adventure with a villain who's almost likable.

[Pat Stearman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still only less than half way through but read the reviews on here and can't get why people say it's well-written? Feels very amatuerish to me. Storyline is OK but there are probably too many characters with similar names - not being gripped by it enough to sort out who's who.
Finished it now and it did get a bit more gripping as I went on. Not the worst of the RG books we've had to read!

[Jaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the space of a couple of days I've read another sophomore effort that wasn't quite up to the standards set by the first book. It's not a bad story at all, but it felt a bit formulaic this time around.

[Alex Renwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, well written and a good read. This is a book to read without any pretensions about it being a work of art, but it is engrossing with well fleshed out characters. It is a book you do not want to put down. Good follow up to "The Drop"

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

We'll written and very enjoyable

[Iwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent from the very start, real page turner finished in two sittings, bring on the next ...pleeeeease

[Cantona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sehr flüssiger Schreibstil, sehr gut zu lesen. Spannende, wenn auch nicht hochklassige Story.

[Charles Goodger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this crime thriller. Interesting experience to get so close to a crime boss. Convincing and gripping.

[Lee Slator · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gritty novel about North Eastern Gangsters. Different from my normal reads but found it enjoyable nonetheless. Very busy from start to finish and very graphic in places.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

good gangster thriller based in newcastle

[Horst Lemke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't come in touch with the story or connect to ashy of the persons. tI believe it it's week written, it is just not my case. So, I just put it away.

[John Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

durchweg spannend