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Damage
Damage
Apr 20, 2025 11:14 AM

Author:Felix Francis

Damage

The stakes are higher than ever in Damage, the fourth solo novel from Top Ten bestseller Felix Francis.

Jeff Hinkley, undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, is looking into the shady activities of a racehorse trainer. But as he's tailing his quarry through the Cheltenham Racing Festival, the last thing he expects to witness is a gruesome murder. Could it have something to do with the reason the trainer was banned in the first place - the administration of illegal drugs to his horses?

Days later, it's discovered that many more horses test positive for prohibited stimulants, a scandal that could throw horse-racing into disrepute. It's no surprise when the BHA receives a demand - pay up or face the consequences. In order to limit the damage to the sport, it's critical that Jeff find the perpetrator . . . but he'll soon learn he's up against someone who will stop at nothing to prevail . . .

Praise for Dick Francis and Felix Francis:

'From winning post to top of the bestseller list, time after time' Sunday Times

'The Francis flair is clear for all to see' Daily Mail

'The master of suspense and intrigue' Country Life

Reviews

The Francis flair is clear for all to see

—— Daily Mail

From winning post to top of the bestseller list, time after time

—— Sunday Times

The master of suspense and intrigue

—— Country Life

A tremendous read

—— Woman's Own

It is SOOO good!!! I totally did not see the ending coming. Everyone read it!

—— EMMA KAVANAGH

Absorbing, disturbing and compassionate, First One Missing is a nail-biting thriller with a stunning twist. A must-read for fans of Mark Billingham and Val McDermid

—— MARK EDWARDS

Disturbing, unsettling, seriously unputdowable ...Tammy Cohen always knows how to write a jaw-dropping twist. This is another brilliant book by Tammy Cohen and she sure knows how to break a character down and bring out such raw emotion in each one. The twists were great ... i did not want the book to end at all.

—— ReviewedtheBook.co.uk

Sharp, realistic, disturbing yet sympathetic and tender. If you haven't read anything by Tammy Cohen yet, FIRST ONE MISSING is sure to convince you to try her other books. Those who are already fans will not be disappointed!

—— RandomThingsThroughMyLetterbox.blogspot.co.uk

I loved it. Kept forgetting to breathe in the last 40 pages. Absolutely brilliant.

—— MIRANDA DICKINSON

A character-led slow burning psychological thriller .. i had no idea who the killer was, which came as a welcome surprise (as i often manage to guess).

—— Off-the-Shelf Reviews

Full of twists and turns!

—— PRIMA

One of our favourite authors ... we promise FIRST ONE MISSING will keep you gripped.

—— CLOSER

This book is rivetting. Tammy Cohen's FIRST ONE MISSING is a book that, for me, is high in the category for Book of the Year.

—— Tracyshephard.wordpress.com

FIRST ONE MISSING gripped me from the beginning and didn't let go. It'll keep you guessing until the last chapter.

—— JANE FALLON

Personally, this thriller stood out for me as being unsolvable, always ready to surprise you when you least expect it, even when there’s only a handful of pages to go. I am fast becoming a Tammy Cohen fan, and can’t wait to see what she does next

—— BookChickCity.com

This is an addictive read.

—— Victoria Clark, 4 stars , Lady

There couldn’t be a more perfect summer read than this elegant, atmospheric, suspenseful novel

—— John Koski , Mail on Sunday

Curtain Call is a poignant and gripping story about love and death in a society dancing towards the abyss

—— MrsD-Daily

Excellent

—— Crime Watch

an intriguing tale told by a compelling but unreliable narrator who struggles to remember details of her abduction as a teenager, but is convinced the wrong man faces execution for the crime

—— Sunday Times Crime Club

An intriguing and twisty read... This is a very well written thriller with a cleverly structured plot

—— My Reading Corner

In a grave under a patch of Black-eyed Susans, in a Texas field, a serial killer buries four girls. Three die. One survives. Sixteen-year-old Tessa, after several days with the three corpses, is traumatised. Her evidence in court results in a man being sentenced to death for murder. Tessa achieves a measure of normality and becomes a single mother and an artist. Now, nearly 20 years later, Black-eyed Susans are freshly planted outside her window and she's approached by lawyers trying to stop the imminent execution of the convicted man who is still on death row, claiming his innocence. The story is narrated in alternate chapters by the Tessa of 1995, soon to be a witness at the man's trial, and today's Tessa, tormented by the thought that if the wrong man has been convicted, the real killer is free and a danger to her and her daughter. But, we learn gradually, that Tessa has been keeping secrets too. It's a terrific plot, matched by the quality of the writing and superbly paced tension.

—— The Times BOOK OF THE MONTH

It's a clever plot with perfectly paced tension and many shivers along the way

—— The Times

The book is a delicious mix of well-researched facts, creative plot twists and a likable main character . . . a masterful storyteller

—— Star Telegram

As well as a brilliant premise, the writing style keeps you hooked and at times is quite unsettling . . . it takes a lot of skill to be able to unnerve a reader like that, so hats off to Julia Heaberlin for writing such a gripping and atmospheric story that had me jumping every time I heard an unexpected noise. This book will draw you in and have you second guessing yourself page after page. Black Eyed Susans is probably one of the most cunningly clever and gripping thrillers I've read in a long while and I would recommend this as one of my top reads of the year so far

—— Bookshelf Butterfly

A tense, beautifully written novel of survival and hope. Highly recommended

—— William Landay, bestselling author of Richard and Judy-selected Defending Jacob

This is a deftly organised, impeccably paced psychological suspense thriller that nods to Daphne du Maurier and, like all Heaberlin's fiction, boasts purr-inducing prose

—— Sunday Times, Culture Magainze

My book of the year so far. Breathtakingly, heart-stoppingly brilliant

—— Sophie Hannah, internationally bestselling author of , The Narrow Bed

I love this cover and I love this book, the super-creepy story of a woman who was rescued from a shallow grave as a teenager

—— The Bookseller

The assured telling of this chiller combines to create a very modern Gothic horror that will keep you up way past your bedtime

—— Sunday Mirror

There's a hint of Kathy Reichs, Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and of Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train. Despite its dark subject matter, this is a hopeful book . . . the ending managed to be both surprising and satisfying.

—— We Love This Book

The denouement is unexpected, plausible and perfectly satisfying . . . Black Eyed Susans is a thumping good mystery

—— The Bookbag

If you like dark and disturbing psychological thrillers then Black Eyed Susans should definitely go on your list

—— CrimeFictionLover.com

A fascinating, educated, highly absorbing read that I struggled to put down for any length of time. Any free moment was spent with my head in this book.
Intense, creepy and atmospheric, Black-Eyed Susans is a intelligent character driven masterpiece excellently paced with some great plot twists which had me guessing right to the very end ... brilliant!

—— SJ2B House of Books

Heaberlin drip-feeds an intriguing story at a tantalising pace . . . Heaberlin has written an intelligent, absorbing and well-researched page-turner that will delight fans of Megan Abbot and Tana French

—— Daily Express

Fascinating details about identifying remains through bone and DNA analysis are woven through equally compelling present-day narration and flashbacks to Tessa's therapy sessions and trial testimony. The pieces can't come fast enough as the story builds to a shocking and satisfying conclusion. Deliciously twisty and eerie, Heaberlin's psychological suspense novel is intricately layered and instantly compelling

—— An August LibraryReads Pick

This book is a rarity in that the research underpinning it is evident but not obtrusive. Black Eyed Susans is a fine achievement. It drips with authenticity, empathy and dread, meditating on the Death Penalty as well as offering an empathetic study of the life of a survivor. Take note - Julia Heaberlin belongs on every suspense fan's bookshelf

—— Nudge Books

Creepy and compelling, Black-Eyed Susans is a shadowy and crooked journey to a very dark place indeed, a twisty fairytale that deceives you just when you think you've cracked it and a thriller to make you remember why you love thrillers. Don't miss it.

—— Observer, Thriller of the Month

This is the debut novel of Julia Heaberlin, and again it's excellent . . . Beautifully written . . . It's a great book

—— BBC Arts Show

A powerful thriller . . . With a fairy-tale-like atmosphere, the creepy thriller works insidiously on the senses . . . Clever, ingeniously manipulative and elegant.

—— Maxim Jakubowski, Lovereading

This dark, complex thriller is not just a gripping page-turner, but also brilliantly explores the psychology of the victim

—— Mail On Sunday, You Magazine Book of the Month

Black Eyed Susans is haunting, intense and original - it'll keep you guessing till the last page

—— Closer

Taut, addictive, intelligent and impressive

—— Express

Tense, pacy and compelling, Black-Eyed Susans is a taut psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Julia Haeberlin masterfully ramps up the suspense gradually, building to an explosive denouement that you won't see coming. Quite simply, the best thriller you'll read this year - perhaps decade. Miss it at your peril.

—— Sarah V. Taylor , Keep Calm and Read a Book Reviews
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