Damaged Goods

by Jodi Blase

Karen Sherburne is a hardworking single mom and social worker. Hoping to make more time for her daughter, Meg, she commits to cutting back on her fifty-hour workweek. Not long after this decision, Meg is murdered—and no suspect can be found. In her grief, Karen becomes obsessed with one goal: find the killer; kill the killer.

When she returns to work, Karen is assigned a new case: fifteen-year-old Frankie Ortiz, an abuse victim. Through adoption, Karen hopes to save Frankie as she could not save her own daughter.

Meanwhile, Kendra Bruno uses witchcraft in an attempt to discover the parents who abandoned her. Instead of finding her parents, a figure appears in Kendra's bedroom mirror: a figure belonging to the ghost of Karen's daughter, Meg.

As the lives of Karen, Frankie, and Kendra intersect, secrets are revealed from an unforeseen source. Meg has a message—not only for her mother—but for Kendra, too—and Karen might be the only person who can save Frankie from a horrific fate. When Karen finally discovers her daughter's killer, will she be able to stick to her vow of vengeance, or will her newfound relationships shake her resolve?

Book Club Discussion questions can be found on my website - SPOILER ALERT - you may want to read them only after you've read the book! http://jodiblase.com/jodiblog/?page_i...

Genres: Book Club

Paperback

First published October 8, 2012

About the author

Born and bred in New England, I sport a healthy accent that drops and adds "r's" in true Bostonian fashion (anyone care for some peetzer a.k.a., pizza).Convinced that my calling was a career in nursing, my adolescence was spent working in nursing homes. A year into my nursing degree, I hit one of those forks in the road, the ones that churn and burn and tell you, "Sorry kid, not that way." I switched majors, graduating with a degree in social psychology and working as a psychiatric counselor until the birth of baby number two, where I accepted the very lucrative position of stay at home mom. To clarify, staying at home meant holding down multiple part time jobs as well as writing and publishing my first book, My Big Fat Head. After a five-year stint as a newspaper columnist, occasional PR for businesses and nonprofits, and the jack of many part time jobs, I landed a role as a full time employee in corporate America. A year later, I completed my first novel, Damaged Goods. Though my aspirations have rarely matched my actual path, I've resigned to go along for the ride because at the end of the day, I realize I'm not driving the bus. What I have discovered is that the only time I'm me, the only time I feel defined, is when I'm tapping on my keyboard or scribbling thoughts on sticky notes. When I close my eyes, the "me" I see is a storyteller, so whenever I hit a bumpy road, I tell myself, "Eh, why not? It'll be a good story.".
You can find Jodi at http://jodiblase.com/jodiblog

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was only OK because the author did too much telling and not enough showing. While reading I became overly aware of the author telling me what the characters were thinking and telling me why the characters were acting as they were. I kept thinking that I wish the author would be more descriptive and let me figure these things out for myself. As an editor once told me, "you have to trust your audience more."

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so captivating, the characters are so life like and you find yourself feeling the ups and downs of the story. This is my favorite type of story it pulls you in and keeps you wanting more after you are done. Jodi did a wonderful job writing and thinking this plot through. I cant wait for her next book, i will definitely be on the look out!!!

[Lena Lentini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book-lots of interesting twists and turns-kept me wanting more. Amazing ending!