Damage Control

November 20, 2006
Well-connected Seattle attorney Dana Hill has everything going for her in this undemanding page-turner from bestseller Dugoni (The Jury Master
) until, in the span of a few days, she's diagnosed with breast cancer, she catches her husband in an extramarital affair, and her beloved twin brother, James, is murdered during an apparently botched robbery. An exotic lost earring left at the scene of James's killing leads Dana to suspect there's more to his death than meets the eye, and sure enough, as she begins tracing the earring's obscure origin, people who could supply information are assassinated right and left. Dana's determination to collar her brother's killer draws her into a showdown with a villain who will stop at nothing to eliminate the threat she poses. While most of the supporting characters are one-dimensional servants to the fast-moving plot, a few twists will surprise even seasoned thriller readers.

February 15, 2007
In "New York Times" best-selling author Dugoni's ("The Jury Master") latest, successful attorney Dana Hill's life begins to fall apart when her brother is murdered and she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Going to her husband for support, she learns he is having an affair. Rather than collapsing in self-pity, she decides to take control and starts investigating her brother's death. An examination of his life proves to Dana that she really didn't know him at all. As she digs deeper, the forces behind his murder want her out of the picture, and a man dressed as a policeman is killing people who might know the answers. Dana and the supporting characters are fascinating, helping to propel the narrative to its shocking conclusion. Comparisons to John Grisham's early works and David Baldacci's thrillers are easily warranted. Destined to damage the best sellers lists; for all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 10/15/06.]Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 26, 2007
For the low-tech world of audiobook recording, any move forward resounds with the heavy tread of technology's step. Lane's reading of Dugoni's legal thriller features the clever, realistic touch of rendering the book's ever-present telephone and cellphone conversations through static and slightly digitized reception. While only a small detail, the phone effect is evidence of an open-minded attitude to audiobook recording—one that looks for new ways to do the same old same old. Lane (a veteran of more than 100 audiobooks) reads unobtrusively but distinctively, artfully pausing for effect to underscore the domestic and legal tension in Dana Hill's life, whose already difficult juggling of work and personal life is further complicated by the murder of her twin brother. Lane manipulates pitch and tone to differentiate between characters, nicely avoiding overwrought voices, and his solid work amply redounds to his credit as a nuanced reader. Simultaneous release with the Warner hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 20).