Collateral Damage

by Stephanie Rogers

Three bullets to change their lives forever...

Kabul, Afghanistan - 2008: In a fraction of a second, at just 6 and 9, brothers Sayed and Fahim see their family wiped out in an accidental shooting by British Army soldiers. They find themselves alone in the hostile world of a war zone. Dex, one of the soldiers who pulled the trigger, is wracked with guilt but powerless to change what happened. The situation haunts him and his demons just won’t stay dead. Can he ever atone for his actions or will the price be more than he can pay?

Revenge and remorse collide with terrible consequences in Collateral Damage, a complex story of the far-reaching effects of split-second decisions in a volatile world.

444 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2024

About the author

Stephanie Rogers is a psychological thriller writer, living in Yorkshire in the UK. After working as a dog groomer and musician (not usually at the same time), she discovered a love of writing that now won’t go away. She has recently decorated her writing room in an elegantly chic pink wallpaper, in order to have a beautifully inspiring place in which to sit and plot how to inflict unspeakable things on her poor unsuspecting characters.
Only they don’t know that yet…

Connect with her:
www.stephanierogersauthor.com

Facebook at Stephanie Rogers Writer
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...

Reviews

[Sharon Rimmelzwaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

 I do adore a great psychological thriller. Especially one that sets the scene perfectly! Collateral Damage by Stephanie Rogers is that book. 


Told from multiple perspectives, timelines, and countries. We follow Dex, Fahim, and Sayed through time. Dex is struggling to come to terms with his time in Afghanistan just before he became a civilian again. Fahim and Sayed are two young men who found themselves orphans and uprooted from their home in Afghanistan in order to live with their Uncle in the U.K. as the years go it begs the question, when is collateral damage too much to bear?


I could not put this book down. I was so intrigued with how everything would end. I was torn in two with these characters. Stephanie Rogers has really created some realistic and multi layered characters! I felt sorry for Dex, Fahim, and Sayed.  



She has woven an intricate and detailed tale that I think is such a story for our times. Our servicemen and women are sent to do a job, and no matter what, personal safety comes first. The harm it does psychologically can rumble through the years, affecting everything for these people. I'm not talking just the military, but the innocents involved too. 


As the events unfolded, I was already seeing all the possibilities in my mind. Everything played out as if it were real to me. I felt horrified and almost upset. Stephanie Rogers has totally captured how it would be. I was so drawn to this book that I only stopped reading when it was a must. The pages flew by so fast. The tension started ramping up, and before I knew it, it felt like I was on a knife edge. It was that taut. 


The more I read, the more I felt like this could be anyone's back story who had come to the U.K. in the last twenty years. Stephanie Rogers has created a psychological thriller that could be real, in my eyes anyway. It's emotional, hardhitting, and most of all so real. It is that real, I have to admit, I cried. So expertly researched and written! I loved it. Thanks to the author for my arc to write my honest review.

[Catherine Skeet-Yaffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ideal for fans of Chris Ryan, Rob Enright, Simon McLeave and LT Ryan.
First of all let me say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and it kept me awake long after my usual bedtime!! The author has done a fantastic job of weaving together two storylines, set in different times and places with seeming ease. Set initially in Afghanistan, the characters pull you in and envelope you in a world that is unfamiliar to most of us yet you can feel the heat and almost sense the dust and sand. As the story progresses, and you follow the key characters struggle to get back into civilian life I found myself willing them into (or to avoid) certain situations. The story-telling is superb as is the attention to detail throughout. The author has really done her research here. The tension and pace never falter which left me with my heart in my mouth on several occasions. The ending had me gasping out loud - and overall I just didn't want the book to end. Fantastic book, the best so far, kudos to the author.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story, so eloquently written, shines a light into the depths of what it is to be human and fallible, exposing both the weaknesses and the strengths of our humanity. A split second decision and the aftermath soul-crushingly heavy for all involved. Lives fractured, innocence obliterated. A Pandora’s box of consequences spilling out over the years, casting a fetid web blithely termed collateral damage. Such a glib, almost throw away phrase that belittles the truth and attempts to validate the actions of those involved. Collateral Damage is so much more than this superficial phrase might imply. There are so many layers to this book that when I finished I grieved with the characters with whom I was now so intimately acquainted. I was bereft with them and for them. My heart ached.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collateral Damage - a review by Rosemary Kenny.

The shocking aftermath of a British soldier's last day of duty in war-torn Afghanistan, continues to ripple in ever increasing circles through the rest of his civilian life...as it does in those of the two young brothers, orphaned by his and his Captain's fateful acts.

As one family was split apart then, so others are now and Stephanie Rogers' Collateral Damage brings her grittily realistic characters and storylines together, in a way that shatteringly portrays the smaller, but no less important grim realities of modern international warfare.

[Kenneth Lingenfelter · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Afghanistan outside a village, British soldiers lay in wait hidden from sight looking for terrorists. Two young boys come running with guns toward Dex. His commanding officer tells him to shoot. Their father is running after the boys and also gets killed as they think he is reaching for a grenade.
Lives are changed that day for the boys and the soldiers haunting them for every day. The novel is told through both sides. Highly recommend this novel, it is one I did not want to stop reading.

[Linda Stallion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story about what is the ‘right’ reaction in a war zone and the effect that has on a soldier as a human being. There was a jump in time during the story that was absolutely right to maintain the interest of the reader. The path of revenge and the path of forgiveness were explored as were the complexities of differing lives and cultures. An interesting and thought provoking read.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking story of split second decision and remorse. Can an action ever be undone. There’s no stopping until the last page. Well written.