In Review

21 November 2008 22:40 BST

Damaged Goods by Helen Black

Published by Avon, out now, £6.99.

In a Nutshell

Murder, paedophilia, drugs and damaged lives…

What's it all about?

Fourteen-year-old Kelsey Brand tries to take her life after being put in care by her prostitute mother. Her failed suicide attempt leaves her mute and both physically and emotionally scarred. Days later, the mutilated body of her mother, Grace Brand, is discovered in her flat on a notorious Luton council estate. With the evidence mounting, and escalating public pressure to clean up the neighbourhood, all fingers point to Kelsey as the prime suspect.

The novel follows Lilly Valentine, the tough-talking lawyer drafted in to defend Kelsey. Determined to prove Kelsey's innocence, she enters the dark underworld of the capital, confronting prostitution, drugs and paedophilia as she tries to track down the real killer. While trying to juggle complicated matters in her personal life, Valentine risks her own safety as she becomes further embroiled in an increasingly dark case.

Who's it by?

Damaged Goods is a debut novel from family solicitor Helen Black. Having trained as a commercial lawyer, Black changed direction to practise criminal and family law. Like her protagonist, Lilly Valentine, Black now specialises in representing children in the care system. Damaged Goods was inspired by the real life circumstances of the many children she has defended in her career.

As an example?

"Grace sighed and picked up her cigarettes, When this was over she'd have that hit, get completely out of it. She clamped a cigarette between her lips and turned to the cooker. In one sweeping and familiar action she bent over the front gas ring, one hand holding back her hair, the other reaching the ignition. But before her finger pressed the button she felt the back of her head explode." - p4

"At the far side of the room, scrolling down her BlackBerry, was Cristina. She managed hedge funds and drove a Porsche. Lilly only ever caught sight of her on sports day when she spent the day trying to get a signal in the playing fields. Her kids, two beautiful girls with honey-coloured hair, were looked after by a rather sullen nanny from Azerbaijan who picked her teeth with a match." - p199

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood Blockbuster

This novel certainly won't find itself among the nominees for the next Whitbread Prize, but it is a page-turner, written by someone with obvious knowledge of their subject. While it would be hard to imagine it up on the big screen, think dark murder serial on ITV and it's a possibility.

What the others say

"A stunning debut by a family solicitor who has devoted her life to helping Britain's desperate kids, this will enthrall readers of Kevin Lewis, Jane Elliott and Torey Hayden." - the publishers

"A dark and gripping read that will have you on the edge of your seat... this terrific debut novel is full of intrigue and a real page-turner." - Closer

So is it any good?

Helen Black appears to have watched one too many episodes of Taggart. Though obviously written with insight into the criminal justice system, this novel is littered with clichés. From the flawed single mother lawyer who doesn't fit in with the conceited upper class mothers at her son's school, to the nice-guy detective who's in love with the lawyer but can't find the words to express it as she battles to save kids from their life of drudgery. There's the emotionless MP who will step on anyone to forward her career, the sadistic psychiatrist who dabbles in paedophilia and the father who has run off with the younger woman who is more interested in yoga than her new step-son. If the characters were more two-dimensional, they would fall over.

It isn't that the book is particularly badly written – it's certainly compelling to read as the story unfolds – it's just that it's like watching an episode of The Bill unfurl... for 400 pages. The gritty detective drama has been done brilliantly by the likes of Ian Rankin and Patricia Cornwell, casting strong competition for anyone moving into this genre. The book certainly portrays a relentlessly bleak world involving shattered lives and sickening crimes, yet it reads like a television script, often more laughable than plausible.

The story is fast paced and gripping to read, with a well-considered plot and a strong central character, but so full of literary cliches, it's more one for the daily commute rather than a 'must read' for this year's book list.

4/10

Nova Maxwell