I really liked Jessie as the main character and how her own flaws led her to her career and being able to help other people. The tale unraveled and some of the twists and turns did not go in the direction I thought they would. Will definitely read other books by the author.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Not an author I had ever tried but will be looking out for more.

Sami Scott is a four year old boy with some troubling secrets – the son of a veteran of the Afghanistan conflict, he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, but Dr Jessie Flynn, a military psychologist, has her doubts that things are as simple as that. Sami is demonstrating odd, almost violent reactions, to certain stimuli and who, exactly, is the Shadowman who he is terrified of?

Meanwhile, Jessie is asked by a former patient to help with finding the truth about a death in Afghanistan. And the local police are investigating an unidentified dead body washed up on the shore… As (surprise, surprise) the cases begin to converge, it is clear that the truth lies much closer to home than anyone suspects.


I first encountered Kate Medina’s work with White Crocodile in 2014, although she was masquerading under the cunning pseudonym “K T Medina” at that point. I’m not sure what caused K T to become Kate, but for whatever reason, it caused me to miss the release of Fire Damage a year ago. Anyway, with the imminent release of the second in the Jessie Flynn series (cough, review copy, cough), Fire Damage reappeared on Netgalley. By this point, I’d sussed out the name switch, and grabbed a copy to review.

It’d be easy to write this off, if you haven’t read it. A thriller/mystery where everything is linked, a heroine who is as damaged as the people she is trying to help and/or catch. But that would be selling this book very short indeed.

Kate Medina has pulled of a stunning piece of work with this book. Drawing on some of her own personal experiences to add a level of realism to this tale that many of its ilk are missing, she has written a thriller with a multi-levelled plot that had this reader looking the wrong way, with characters who could easily be clichés but instead are compelling, real, people. Every act perpetrated in the tale has a feeling that it could have happened, rather than being manufactured by the author for shock value.

Fire Damage is out now from Harper Collins UK, Scared to Death, the second book, is released on the 4th of May. Oh, and fairly obviously, this is Highly Recommended.

It is always good to discover a new author & I'm hoping that this might also be the start of a series for Kate Medina as there seems to be a lot more mileage to be got from the fascinating Jessie Flynn.

Jessie is a psychologist. She has worked for the armed forces and is called in to try and help Sami- a four year old who is deeply disturbed. Is the 'Shadowman' that scares Sami so much his father who has been terribly scarred from an incident in Afghanistan? Or is there more to the story? She is also asked to advise on the death of another soldier who died in Afghanistan. Are the two connected?

People seem determined to make Jessie's job harder by keeping their secrets but as there are more deaths she finds herself in danger too.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were very well written and I became very involved with the story. I do hope there will be more in this series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for introducing me to this super author.

The start of this story, about Jessie Flynn, a psychologist working with the Army is good. I liked the way her character and her story line (involving Sami the disturbed young son of an Army officer who has been disfigured whilst serving in Afghanistan) becomes intermingled with something her associate, Ben Callan, an officer from the Special Branch, is investigating. What I wasn't so keen on was that all the main characters seemed to have problems and I found it very hard to believe that in the modern day Army their issues would go almost unnoticed.
I felt too that the story ambled along for most of the book and then came to its conclusion quite rapidly. As a series I think it has the potential to be good - this book didn't quite hit the spot. I didn't dislike it - but I'm afraid I can't rave about it either.

Excellent book by Kate Medina! This is the first in the Jessie Flynn series and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, read the whole book in two days which is a sure indication of how much I enjoyed the read. Compelling characters, great plot, and an ending I didn't see coming until almost the last minute. Brilliant, and although it was my first Kate Medina it certainly won't be my last. Eagerly awaiting Jessie Flynn # 2!

I really enjoyed this 1st book in a new series with Dr Jessie Flynn, a psychologist and the main character in the book which is set in an army environment where she is dealing with fall out from tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. At first I found the book to be a little disjointed and I wasn't entirely sure how all the separate elements would converge but i persevered and soon became hooked. Simply put, this is a murder mystery but there is so much more to it than that. I dont' want to regurgitate the story line like most reviews but would urge readers to give this great book a chance - you wont regret it! Very much looking forward to the next in the series and I really hope to see another couple of familiar characters from this book there too!

My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A real page turner, love this type of cliff hanger novel. Will definitely look out for this author in future

Fire Damage is the first in a new series of books featuring army psychologist Jessie Flynn. Set around the Aldershot area the action takes place in both the barracks and the towns around there. Jessie is asked to assist with the son of a Major. His father was badly burnt in an ambush in Afghanistan and Sami, the four year old son, appears to be displaying signs of post traumatic shock disorder (PTSD) after Major Scott returns home.
At the same time the civilian police are dealing with a torso that has washed up on the beach nearby. After days in the water identification is proving tricky and local sergeant Bobby has more questions than answers.
I found it quite difficult to get into the book initially as Jessie is a very complex character. Although working as a psychologist she clearly has her own demons and her acute OCD is sometimes quite difficult to understand and to empathise with. Her dogged determination and her sense of duty soon have you won over though and by the end I really liked her.
It will be interesting to see the route that the rest of the series takes but this first book shows a lot of promise. The intermingling of the civilian police and the army allows for some fractious interactions but the strength of the characters is the real winner here. I’ll be looking out for Flynn and Callan’s next outing in May.
Supplied by Net Galley and Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.
UK Publication Date: Mar 24 2017. 400 pages.
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Really enjoyed this book. I did have to keep my brain engaged to keep up with the plot and where it all fit. Brilliant storyline and definitely will read more from kate medina

I loved this bool as it gave the reader just enough to think about and form opinions before the next twist. There was no way that I predicted the ending and I can only say how impressed I was with it. Often authors give enough hints out for the reader to make educated guesses but not here. I loved Sami and felt so sorry for such a confused child. The author described the work of a psychologist so well and I found that it entered regions that I had not even thought about. The story is centred around the army based both in the Aldershot area and Afghanistan and on the military style of life. I am not a military child/wife but I could sense all the emotions that were expressed. A warming read and I will certainly recommend to all my friends

Drawn in from the very beginning. A good mystery with good characters. I hope we see more of them.

Jessie Flynn, a military psychologist, has to work alongside her former patient, Captain Ben Callan, to uncover the truth behind the death of an officer in Afghanistan. At the same time, Jessie starts counselling Sami, a four year old son of a Major. Why does he refer to himself as 'the girl' and who is 'The Shadowman'? Will Jessie manage to get to the truth before something dangerous happens?

I have to admit that at first I found the number of events taking place at the same time a bit overwhelming so I was slightly hesitant about carrying on reading. However, as the story progressed I was so impressed! I do love a good thriller and Fire Damage was certainly not a disappointment; I found it very difficult to put the book down (well actually my tablet).

I grew really attached to Jessie when I read the book, she's a complex character and she may have made some bad choices but you can't help but have a soft spot for her. The portrayal of her relationships with the different characters was very realistic. Medina didn't portray Jessie as a psychologist who has a perfectly balanced life but rather as someone who needs help herself. This shows that no one is perfect and we are all vulnerable at times.

As for the other characters in the book, I would have really liked to find out more about Callan because I think he is as much of a major character as Jessie. I'm not sure whether it was necessary to include the character of Marilyn in the story but as it's a series I understand that the characters are not going to massively develop in one book so there's a chance I can still take a liking to him in the future books!

I was intrigued by the way Medina integrated military themes drawn from her own experiences into the plot. It gave a modern twist on the classic thriller story and made it original. The ending was just perfect for me; the story was nicely wrapped up and it left me feeling very satisfied! I immensely enjoyed reading Fire Damage so I decided to give it a rating of four out of five (it would be a five if it wasn't for the overwhelmingness at the beginning). This book is an absolute page turner and I honestly recommend it!

I'm looking forward to find out what's next for Jessie Flynn and will definitely get my hands on the next book in the series which is coming out in May!

Rating: 4/5

A severely burned serviceman, an injured military policeman a traumatised young boy and an army psychologist are at the heart of this story. They are all well characterised which makes the story very believable as it unfolds. There is plenty to grab your attention and the story moves at a good pace until until the end. It's not obvious what is going to happen. Would,read more from this author.

Thanks Netgalley. I really liked Jessie Flynn who is the main character and shall 100% be looking out for the rest of the series. Really good read

This is a psychological thriller kindly received from Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

Jessie is a psychologist working within the Army when she is asked to council a disturbed 4 year old boy after his father returns from Afghanistan with severe burns.

Sami refers to himself as "The Girl" and is in constant fear of "The Shadowman", could this be his father?

Ben Callen is a former patient of Jessie and MP investigating a death in Afghanistan when his case converges with Jessie's.

This book jumps in feet first with its plot based character development and with the initial introduction draws you in with your concern for Sami, the tension building with each new turn of events.

Although this book was easy to read it did feel at times formulaic and somewhat lacking in originality (especially for the beginning of a new series). I often wonder why these types of books have to be built into series and cannot be published as standalone stories, hence why I felt the conclusion to this story somewhat lacking.

Jessie and Ben's backstories were interesting and connected them well to the events, but the attraction was so meh and unnecessary.

I also didn't appreciate Jessie's portrayal in the pub, it felt both unrequired and extremely negative to women!

As the book built to its conclusion I felt at times as if it was rushed and although all the loose ends were resolved it felt both unsatisfactory and twee.

The second book in the series "Scared to Death" is out so I would be open to see if some of the kinks have been worked on in this one.

I loved this book, I found it very interesting, I could not put it down, great story. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Fire Damage was my first taste of Kate Medina's writing - a pleasant encounter, with writing that shows some promise. The plot was tangled and suitably complex in terms of different apparently unrelated crimes having hidden connections. The pace and occasional twists and turns of the plot helped to offset the only significant weakness, which was a slight tendency towards a 'Mills and Boon' approach to interactions between the male and female lead characters. Overall, a good read.

Fire Damage is an interesting, gripping psychological thriller that addresses a slightly different theme and a fresh offering to that which we're used to reading about in this genre.

Jessie Flynn is a psychologist, currently working with the US Army, so she helps counsel members of the forces after they return from action. She is given a case which concerns a young boy who seems to be a little disturbed, and in investigating this, plenty of other - and some rather dark - issues come to the surface, not just with their family but with the wider community.

I liked that this novel had the police procedural elements to it mixed in with the psychology and information about life living with (or without, in some sad cases) army personnel. There are some characters which you feel really sorry for, and it highlights the plight of many veterans who are physically or psychologically damaged, often with PTSD, from their service. I found the subject matter really interesting, though disturbing and emotional at times, and felt like it was a breath of fresh air amongst many 'samey' novels.

Jessie Flynn is a likeable character. She has her own problems, but her vulnerability makes her even more likeable and you're willing her to be okay and not let her demons get the better of her - at least not completely, anyway. I enjoyed reading about both her work and her personal life - there's a good balance between both. I particularly enjoyed reading about her working (and personal) relationship with Callan, especially now he's no longer Jessie's patient and is instead working alongside her.

I haven't read any other novels by author Kate Medina, but would like to now! I think she handles some potentially upsetting and emotional subjects in a skilled and sensitive way, and thought this was a sparkling debut from what promises to be a great new crime/ thriller series. A recommended read!

This is an excellent crime story with well-drawn characters in Jessie Flynn and Ben Callan. The supporting characters were also satisfactorily fleshed out and enabled us to empathize with the baddies and commiserate with those harmed in the course of events. I would look out for further books in this series and by Kate Medina.