The Damage Done

A young woman walks along a darkened street in a strange neighbourhood, stalked by a shadowy figure. The knot in your stomach tightens; you’re scared for her. She turns the corner and walks a little faster, and now you’re sweating bullets. This is the kind of psychological drama – which translates into a physical reaction – that Hilary Davidson (BA 1994 VIC) executes so well in her debut novel, The Damage Done (Forge).

Lily Moore, a successful travel writer, moves to Spain to distance herself from Claudia, her heroin-addicted sister, her ex-fiancé Martin and the demons of her past. But when Lily receives a call from the NYPD notifying her that Claudia has drowned in her bathtub, she’s forced to return home. The tale only gets stranger when Lily discovers that the dead woman is not her sister. Lily finds herself exploring the underbelly of New York City to solve the mystery of Claudia’s disappearance.

One doesn’t have to be a crime-fiction enthusiast to appreciate the rapidly paced plot or well-developed characters. Davidson weaves together a murder mystery so complex, it’ll have you asking “whodunit?” right up until the last page.