No Harm Done

Ramaz Donadze #1

by A.J. Liddle

The stunning and widely praised novel by AJ Liddle . Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Novel Prize 2021 TAKE A LIFE AND DONADZE WILL FIND YOU - NO MATTER WHAT THE COST Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia

A young woman is murdered, her body dumped in the river, a sad but familiar event in Georgia’s capital city. But the victim was a call girl controlled by a ruthless crime boss. Could it just be chance that her clients included a senior government minister and the American manager of a multi-national energy company? And will anyone care?

Lieutenant Ramaz Donadze cares. A rebel - obsessed, mistrusted, and driven by tragic family history - he may be the only detective in the city willing to risk everything to achieve justice for the murdered woman.

For police work is tough in Georgia, a small country struggling to maintain independence from its former master, Russia, and to mend the damage caused by decades of internal strife, corruption and war.

As Donadze gets closer to the truth, the stakes build, shadowy figures emerge and people get hurt. With his safety, relationships and career threatened, Donadze must overcome powerful vested interests to expose a conspiracy, find a killer and - if he can do it - lay his demons to rest.

Genres: Mystery Thriller

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2020

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel. It took me right back to the streets of Tbilisi, and to the spectacularly special country of Georgia. A gripping read, with an intriguing lead character, a multi-layered plot, and plenty of political shenanigans.

[Nino Meladze · Rating 5 out of 5]

First English book that is about a Georgian detective. I am extremely biased given all the details in the story that only a Georgian or someone who spent a lot of time in Georgia can relate to. I must say there were few unexpected tweets. So, very well done

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lieutenant Ramaz Donadze is like a detective in a Scottish police procedural or a Scandinavian noir, but here he is practicing his craft in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. The corpse of a top end call girl, Nino Adamia is fished out of the Mtkvari (Zura), Ramaz promises her grief-stricken mother he will find the killer, but it will mean ruffling the feathers of a few prominent people, not least of which is Dato Kaldani, casino owner and local gangster who employed Nino to service some very important clients. Donadze's immediate superior is lazy, incompetent and possibly corrupt. In his domestic life the detective has been having some difficulties with his girlfriend, Tamuna, a doctor, because he spends too much time devoted to his job. The plot moves along at a cracking pace and the Georgian Intelligence Service becomes interested when a couple of Russian agents are found to be involved. Living in Tbilisi, I appreciated the locales visited in the investigation, I was surprised none of the main characters had surnames ending in '-shvili' but they did have suitably Georgian first names. The South Ossetia autonomous republic was referred to as Shida Kartli throughout the novel, which I found odd, Georgians usually refer to the region as the Tskhinvali region, it is true it is in Shida Kartli but so are towns like Gori, which are not part of the breakaway republic. I read a lot of police procedurals, this was the first I have read that was set in Tbilisi, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to any one who loves crime fiction. I fully intend to continue reading the series.

[Dace ჯ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad police detective with the added value of being set in Georgia. I had a feeling that Donadze was not working enough and his relationship with Tamuna was not working, either. It was very interesting to read it on the backdrop of the Russian coup in Georgia and I liked that the casino was called Dream. Unfortunately, the Russians were more successful in real life than in the book.

[Ross Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is A J Liddle's debut novel and I came across it as I saw it had been shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland debut crime novel of the year. The other reason that it piqued my interest is that it is a pretty unique debut, as it is set in the country of Georgia, not in Scotland, as you might expect.
Lieutenant Ramaz Donadze works in the murder squad in Tbilisi and is assigned to the murder of a prostitute whose body is found in a local river. However as Donadze digs deeper he finds that the prostitute was in the employ of a local crime boss and the investigation leads him into a web of Police and Political corruption on a national level.
An assured debut that gives a real insight into Georgia's police and political systems and also the everyday life and customs of the local people. It's a country I knew very little about before reading this novel and it's a bit of an eye opener, especially reading how it's neighbour, Russia, is still trying to exert its influence onto the country and its people.
I'm certainly looking forward to more books in this series to see how Ramaz fairs both in the police service and also how he copes with the changes coming in his domestic circumstances.

[Craig M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enough people have supplied basic plot summaries, and I don't feel I need to add to them. I enjoyed this book. The setting, Tbilisi, made it interesting. The political viewpoints did make me think, and they certainly were enlightening in terms of providing an idea of what many Georgians think (especially regarding Russia). The book is also partly "character" driven, and the personalities and changes that characters undergo help make the "story" more interesting. In other words, a good plot, with good characters, and an interesting setting make me want to read more in this series.

[Cynthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFed.

Dear Mr. Liddle, if you're reading this, because I know how small the Georgian community is, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm sure that other people who love thrillers and crime novels will love this book. But for me... I found the writing to be stereotyped and wooden. I was reading this for my bookclub so I really did give it a good shot and read over half of the book... but nope. I'm done.

BTW, my first apartment in Tbilisi was on Oniashvili street so I also loved that Indian restaurant mentioned in the book.

[Mo Macquarrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had an excellent plot. There was a really good description of place and there were a few surprises as to who you should trust. There were many repetitions in the tale such as I kept being told exactly where the detective parked his car every time he went somewhere! However, once the initial crime had been solved the book then carried on (and on) into the politics behind the murders detailed in the book. I began to think it would never end!

[Owen McKinstry · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Harm Done is an incredibly assured debut from AJ Liddle. It is a compelling and fast paced detective story set in Georgia. I particularly enjoyed the sense of place, giving a real insight into the culture, politics and people of Georgia. Fans of Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham or Stuart MacBride would enjoy this book.

[Ian Wauchope · Rating 4 out of 5]

A police procedural / crime caper.
Reminded me of the Taggart TV cop series.
But set in Tbilisi, Georgia.
I’m just back from holiday in Tbilisi and I found the book entertaining and credible (not that I know much about detectives or Georgia).
A good read even if you’re not going on holiday to Georgia.

[Mairi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent novel, really gripping read with great characterisation. I especially enjoyed the setting in Georgia - made me want to learn more about the country

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual crime read in an unusual location, superbly written and intriguing, can’t wait for book 2

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this first book by the author. I’m looking forward to reading more by him.