I found this to be a really enjoyable thriller - looking forward to reading more of the series when they are published.

Having recently read and enjoyed the second book in this series; 'Fire Damaged', I was keen to read this book.

I like the development of the characters and the mainly rural settings. These include Surrey and the South Downs.

This is quite a complex story with several sub-plots.
Sami a very disturbed child, his father, Major Nick Scott, a disfigured war veteran.
The death of a soldier in Afghanistan.
A dismembered body found on a beach on the South coast.

Dr Jessie Flynn a psychologist working with Captain Callan are investigating the child's trauma and the death of the soldier.
Detective Inspector Simmons; investigating the discovery of the body on the shore.

Throw into the mix the body of the Scott family's housekeeper, found inside the fence of the Sandhurst Military Camp.

Slowly but surely the links join up. Well worth reading.

My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for a copy in exchange for this review.

I had found this book to be an unusual and gripping story. The characters were well developed as the novel progressed. I particularly enjoyed how all the strands came together in the end, concluding in a way I would never have predicted.
Although the book started slowly, within about 20 minutes I was captivated and finished the book in a day. I eagerly await the next novel by this author.
I have recommended this author to my friends.

An unusual story that I highly recommend. A series of apparently unrelated events lead to a satisfactory conclusion. The twists were wholly unexpected. I want to read the next in the series.

A great read to devour in a weekend.
Jessie Flynn, a military psychologist, is attempting to help Sami, who is disturbed, but first she needs to find out more about his background. Of course, nothing is straightforward, but Medina doesn't stretch credibility too far. Some nice sub-plots, and interesting characters.
I look forward to meeting Jessie Flynn again.

This was a very intriguing book with a twist at the end you didn't see coming. A very heartfelt story-line. You are led along with a murder enquiry happening, a troubled boy and also some investigations into misdemeanor in Afghanistan.... all of which comes binding together at the end.

Very clever writing and en enjoyable read.

Sami is the son of a Major in the Intelligence Corp, he is deeply disturbed and showing signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dr Jessie Flynn a psychologist must use all of her knowledge and expertise to unlock the mystery surrounding "The Shadowman", also why does Sami refer to himself as "The Girl". Sami's own family are not immune to their own misfortunes, to help Sami she must help them, delve through there secrets and the past, but someone wants the past to stay there.
Jessie has a compulsion and hidden depths to her own past, she tries to keep her past hidden letting no one beyond the exterior façade to see the turmoil endured every day. Captain Ben Callan, a previous patient of Jessie's, enters her life with a case of his own, looking for help. While working with Sami, his family and Captain Callan, Jessie unearths information which leaves her in danger and everyone around her.
Fantastic first in this series from Kate Medina, Fire Damage a psychological thriller with a depth of darkness and a sinister feel. Cant wait for the next instalment in the series hopefully we will find out more about Dr Jessie Flynn.

This dark psychological thriller features an intriguing new character Jessie Flynn and I am eager to read more from this author.

The author knows her subject matter band so the writing about an army psychologist is informed and generally credible. I enjoyed the story and the connecting of all the seemingly apparent separate threads. The main character, Jessie Flynn, has an interesting back story, revealed gradually through the novel, and this has caused various personality issues for her. I did not feel that the brief allusion to her sexual behaviour added anything to the story, nor the frequent description of her clothes and hairstyle. The story was carried by her persistence to resolve the issues of four year old Sami. I did not guess at the root causes of Sami's disturbances till well on in the story but, without wishing to give any spoilers, I was not totally convinced of some aspects of this. I appreciated the way in which the author created characters who were not one-dimensional and I guess some of these characters will re-appear in future Jessie Flynn books.

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Fire Damage

Fire Damage is a gripping psychological thriller that although took me a while to get into, once it grabs hold of you, it won't let go till the end!
With a host of interesting characters, this action packed psychological thriller will not fail to entertain you.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, 4*.

I love a good psychological thriller and this is as good as I hoped it would be, a slow start soon kicks into high gear, with Army psychologist Jessie Flynn treats the disturbed child of an injured soldier who has been badly disfigured in Afghanistan, and his wife ( a woman with a secret past). Bodies turn up that seem to be unrelated and at one point I felt that I was reading 2 different books!
However, as I made my way through the book, the different strands of the plot became neatly woven together, with the characters and stories intriguing  and captivating, the characters were so well written that the author manages to have the reader empathise with a character when they are suffering, both good characters and the bad. There is  touch of romance between our main character Jessie and the Military Police Officer Captain Ben Callan, which is nicely written and helps progress the plot rather than stop it completely.
Slowly Medina reveals the secrets that the characters are hiding, what has caused the child to become so disturbed as well as explaining the dead body that appears to have no relevance to the case but in fact is the key to everything.

 
Nicely paced and well written

I really liked this and thought it was superb writing as there were a few story lines that all ended together and the best bit it did not confuse me so I will be looking out for more of her books. The characters were good and believable especially Jessie, who had her own problems and I think a sequel about her and Callander would be great. Easy five stars and also going in my top five books this year.

The books follows two, at first seemingly, unconnected storylines - psychologist Jessie Flynn is asked to provide counselling to the 4 year old son of a badly injured soldier whilst former patient of Jessie, and former soldier, is investigating the death of a soldier in Afghanastan.

This is an interesting story with complex characters and an easy read... I didnt guess the ending which is always a good thing!

However the first 2/3rds of book is at a to slow pace until in the last 1/3 the action heats up as if Medina suddenly realises the end is coming up and she hasnt covered everything.

I struggled to get into Fire Damage it started of quite well but found it hard to get into.

Introducing Dr Jessie Flynn (who is struggling with her own demons) a psychologist who helps soldiers and families. Her lasted assignment is to help Sami whose parents seem to carry a dark secret. His parents don't want to open up, however much she pushes. Intertwined with this is an investigation with the military police, and the mystery of a body washed up on the beech. As her assignment links with the military police investigation the book comes to an explosive finish as everything comes together, and certainly not in the way I was expecting. Would really recommend this book.

An interesting subject and a good tense read., fresh and gripping I am looking forward to the next featuring Dr Jessie Flynn a twenty nine- year- old army psychologist, .As psychological thrillers go I would say it's well worth reading.

A little boy of four in a dysfunctional army family is the link in several murders! I will not say more and spoil it. I enjoyed it and this is not my favourite genre. I am sure lovers of thrillers will be glad to discover it.

Not a book for a light read that's for sure but certainly but if you like to get caught up in many layers of dark psychological dramas then this is for you. To say that the heroine Jessie is not the least affected by these traumatic elements is not giving anything away that you won't realise very quickly.
The story is intriguing and if this is the genre for you follow on books with the same psychologist Jessie Flynn will be eagerly awaited. For me I think one such dark story may be enough.

Unusual plot, well written. I took a while to get into it then couldn't put it down.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Life is full of strange coincidences, and I happened to get hold of a copy of Medina’s Fire Damage right at a time when I’m reading up about psychology and thinking of further study options. It made this book a particularly interesting. After all, a crime thriller centring around a psychologist is pretty much on theme for my brain at the moment.

And it’s an enjoyable read, and Medina cleverly strings together the various storylines into a neat conclusion. It’s fairly pacy, covering a range of really quite dark issues – from PTSD to child trauma, among others which I won’t go into to save you from spoilers. I could have done with some of the characters being a little more filled out, but perhaps that’s the nature of the starter book to a series.

Overall, not a bad way to spend a few hours at all.

Favourite line: “Death softened the hard lines of people’s faces, turned men back into boys.”

Fire Damage is a book that grips you from the outset. This is a multi-faceted story telling the tale of a number of damaged people who all come together in a strangely twisting plot.

There are a number of very dark threads running through the story but whilst one area of my brain baulked another required me to read voraciously to the end, desperate to solve all these mysteries and release the thread that connected them.

I don't think I'm alone as a reader of the chilling psychological/ crime genre who doesn't struggle to solve the mystery before it becomes too obvious but this is one book that kept me guessing to the very end and even when it was laid out as clear as day I realised that I would never have been patting myself on the back.

The background to the story is mostly military and Kate Medina did her research without a shadow of a doubt, and the only time I struggled in my belief was in the all too easy rehabilitation of the young boy.

This book is dubbed a Jessie Flynn #1 novel and I look forward to reading #2.