Damaged Goods

Lilly Valentine #1

by Helen Black

Terrified. Abused. Who do you trust when the world is against you?
Hope is in short supply for Kelsey Brand! Abandoned by her mother and placed in care, 14-year-old Kelsey - along with her younger sisters - is just another forgotten child of the state. Unable to cope with the care home's harsh regimes, Kelsey attempts to take her own life, leaving her horrifically scarred - and mute. Days later, the body of Kelsey's mother Grace - a known prostitute and heroin addict - is found butchered on a notorious Luton council estate. And Kelsey becomes a suspect! Enter Lilly Valentine. A tough-talking Yorkshire lawyer with a heart of gold and a will of iron, Lilly has forsaken a glittering career to move south and help vulnerable kids escape the system. Determined to prove Kelsey's innocence, Lilly ventures into the heart of a dark city with as many secrets as problems. Prostitution, pedophilia, drugs and blackmail: Lily must put her own life at risk to save a silent, terrified child and find the real killer!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

464 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2008

Reviews

[Armin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ziemlich klischeehafte Anfängerarbeit. Chaotische und alleinerziehende Familienanwältin, der das eigene Kind zwischendrin zum Ex durchgeht, löst in allerletzter Sekunde einen komplett kniffligen Fall. Das des Mordes beschuldigte Mädchen hat seine Mutter nicht ermordet, aber beim Versuch mit Gewalt und unter dem Einsatz des eigenen Körpers ein familiäres Happy End herbei zu führen, in aller Ahnungslosigkeit die falschen Leute informiert und eine Kettenreaktion ausgelöst.
Die Bösen sind reiche Kinderschänder bzw. eine Ehegattin, die als Mitglied des Unterhauses noch mehr zu verlieren hat als ihr gestörter Mann. Der arbeitet als Psychiater arbeitet, hatte in jungen Jahren das Mordopfer in seinen Fingern und zieht sich jetzt zwischen zwei Patienten mal schnell einen maßgeschneiderten Kinderporno rein.
Die spätere Bücher von Helen Black sind hoffentlich besser, mir ist die ganze Zeit ziemlich schleierhaft geblieben, warum dieses Debüt derart bejubelt wurde. Aber vermutlich wurden die richtigen Werte bedient, viele, eigentlich gute Arme (Charles Dickens lässt grüßen) und ein paar mächtige Fieslinge, die sich viel zu lange ihre Laster leisten können, ehe ihnen doch noch die Scheiße um die Ohren fliegt.

[Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ignore the Martina Cole/MandaSue Heller type cover. This started out being something that felt like it was going to be a lurid harsh tale of child pornography and I wasn't sure I was up to reading it. However, a few pages later, I was laughing my head off at Lilly Valentine, our flawed heroine who had given up a prestige job in her home in Yorkshire to work in Luton as a lawyer defending the kids in the system no one cares much about. A divorced single mum to Sam who is at times far more sensible than his mum, she bumbles through life, always with a bar of chocolate, or two, in her hand and fancying the pants off Jack MacNally the local copper assigned to her current case. Did young Kelsey Brand murder her prostitute mother by a couple of heavy blows to the head and some vicious uncontrolled stabbing or is she the handiest suspect? It seems like Lilly is one of the few people to believe in her - and even she has her doubts. Despite the recurring theme of child pornography and paedophilia, this is a light-hearted read, much in the vein of Agatha Raisin or the Fethering tales. According to my copy there was another book in the series due out, but I don't know if there have been any others yet.

[Bilal Durrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thrilling and an addictive novel! Great story by Helen Black. Loved the way she added the twists and turns to it. Got some great understanding of British Law and Order as well as crime investigation. It's true then; each book does have a destination!

[Becki Pearce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I found in a charity shop and I first thought was a work of non-fiction but soon found out it was fiction, I found it was pretty good, of course it talks of disturbing topics but I found that it was of a good pace and was full of twists and turns and alot of points which were suspense and had me on the edge of the seat wanting find out what happened next and also I was fully engrossed to find out who was actually behind it all.

Synopsis

Terrified. Abused. Who do you trust when the world is against you?
Hope is in short supply for Kelsey Brand! Abandoned by her mother and placed in care, 14-year-old Kelsey - along with her younger sisters - is just another forgotten child of the state. Unable to cope with the care home's harsh regimes, Kelsey attempts to take her own life, leaving her horrifically scarred - and mute. Days later, the body of Kelsey's mother Grace - a known prostitute and heroin addict - is found butchered on a notorious Luton council estate. And Kelsey becomes a suspect! Enter Lilly Valentine. A tough-talking Yorkshire lawyer with a heart of gold and a will of iron, Lilly has forsaken a glittering career to move south and help vulnerable kids escape the system. Determined to prove Kelsey's innocence, Lilly ventures into the heart of a dark city with as many secrets as problems. Prostitution, pedophilia, drugs and blackmail: Lily must put her own life at risk to save a silent, terrified child and find the real killer!

Another well written book and also my first book from the author, I would definitely read another book from her.

[Biff meechan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damaged Goods ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another author I love how she writes & how the characters come to life,am so glad it is a series as the characters are so well written I believe it will be a favourite series for me as already I can't wait to start the next book.Helen Black I love how you bring the characters to life & I am looking forward to reading more from you ,definitely⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Donna Louise Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took a while to get through

[Mary jobling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous

Fantastic read everything was totally believable and I actually felt real empathy for the child who is at the centre of this book

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book combining a romance, thriller and the subject of child exploitation and protection.

[Lou · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Very amateur writing, quit at 25%

[kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Really enjoyed this book. Very gripping, was completely addicted and was very hard to put the book down. I recommend it

[Cveta Trajcevska · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching story

[AutumnRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed this book, a great storyline with believable characters. Kept me engrossed and intrigued throughout.

[Stephen Clynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damaged Goods is a gritty novel but is very easy to read. There is plenty of drama and this story is very entertaining. The pace is good and you develop doubts about 2 suspects. You wonder if Kelsey is actually guilty or if it is the work of a paedophile. Both characters have motive and circumstantial evidence makes them look guilty to the reader. Lilly meets a wide range of people as this tale develops and you keep guessing which way the story is going. But the search for Grace's killer is hard and Lilly has to cover a lot of ground. Lilly finds out important pieces of information that do not always lead to the killer but you will think for a while that they do. This big trail of discovery and the gaining of intelligence adds great substance to this novel, it is not a padded out story.

There are many plot lines running and it is not just about finding the killer of Grace Brand. There is great social commentary about single mothers, education and the care system. The ending is a surprise and does not finish this book off very well. You then look back over the book and realize how many lines of enquiry were wrong and how the Police can be led astray. You then wonder just why the killer murdered Grace in such a brutal way. These questions are not resolved in print and you are left to make your own judgement as to why Grace was killed.

[Barbra · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I remember rightly I don't think I even finished this book. It started off ok but then sort of dwindled and after that I just couldn't be bothered.

Back Cover Blurb:
Abandoned by her mother and placed in care, 14-year-old Kelsey - along with her younger sisters - is just another forgotten child.
Unable to cope with the care home's harsh regimes, Kelsey attempts to take her own life, leaving her horrifically scarred - and mute.
Days later, the body of Kelsey's mother Grace - a known prostitute and heroin addict - is found butchered on a notorious Luton council estate. And Kelsey becomes prime suspect....
Enter Lilly Valentine. A tough-talking Yorkshire lawyer with a heart of gold and a will of iron, Lilly has forsaken a glittering career to move south and help vulnerable kids escape the system.
Determined to prove Kelsey's innocence, Lilly ventures into the heart of a dark city with as many secrets as problems. Prostitution, paedophilia, drugs and blackmail: Lilly must put her own life at risk to save a silent, terrified child and find the real killer....

[Ahtims · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was a mediocre thriller - the theme being child pornography, drug addiction, foster care etc. The central characters include Kylie, whose mom has been recently killed - just after registering her 4 daughters to foster care, Lillie a social worker cum Lawyer, Miriam a lady who runs a setup similar to orphanage, Max the bad man and a rotten psychiatrist with a pushy MP for a wife. The language was just passable, many expressions were repeated like -'he/she kissed his own teeth with his lips" (maybe he/she grimaced?), and the finale was not very convincing. I would not read Helen Black in near future.

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see where Ms King was coming from after commenting that the author chose to write this novel about the lawyer Lily and not the young girl Kelsy but all the same it wasn't terrible. I am a hugh fan also of Kevin Lewis and must say that this book doesn't compare with his ability to grab the reader and make you finish the book wanting more. However this book was an interseting story, albeit a little bit "samey" as others I have previously read. I did enjoy the characters though and thought that when the next book comes out I will certainly give it a try.

[Rei Pardieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have said, the ending pretty much came out of nowhere. Still trying to get my head around it a little as I type this. I found the rest of it fairly gripping and interesting, however. I think it's a good book, but it definitely could have done with a longer ending that tied up all the loose ends.

[Miss Dizzy Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off really loving this book, thought I'd found my new best author, loved the character Lily, my sense of humour, but as the story went on, found there weren't enough characters for me, which may seem a bit strange but becomes clear as you read on through the book, would have been 5 stars when I first started but slowly got less, may read others by the author as I liked lily.

[Misfits farm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different "detective" story. Lilly Valentine is a Solicitor with a big heart. She does cases involving abused children and helps them all that she can. Along the way she gets into various predicaments all because she believes in them and what is right.
A heartwarming book, a good plot and excellent characters.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is about a 13 year old girl who is put in care by her drug addicted mother, Its secrets and lies all the way through ensd up mum dead and the daughter sent to prison for her murder

the story line really caught my eye, but unfortunatly its just written too good

[Shona · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book, few unexpected twists here and there. The ending was quite sudden and could have been extended a bit.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not too bad, but not really inspiring, or exciting. Just wanted to get it finished basically, and nearly gave up a few times and started another book instead.

[Theweebarrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First of Helen Blacks book and really enjoyed it

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book highly recommend it to people who have enjoyed Kevin Lewis books.

[Shay babe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Although the beginning nearly put me off.

[Minoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the twists, the sub plots and the writing style that kept suspense going. Still confused by the end though. Not sure who killed Grace. 3.5 stars, I would say.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crime thriller featuring Lilly Valentine, a solicitor who represents young people whose lives have been blighted by despair. Plenty of twists make this an engrossing read.

[Suzanne Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story line and build of characters, looking forward to how these carry on into her next book

[Booklover BEV · Rating 4 out of 5]

found this a bit of a hard starter but once i got the characters found it a good read the first in the lily valentine series

[Karen Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

First time I've read a book by Helen Black and I really enjoyed it. The characters were all believable with a brilliant plot and storyline