Book ~ "Damaged" (2010) Pamela Callow

From Goodreads ~ Haunted by the death of her sister and wounded by her ex-fiancé's accusations, Kate Lange throws herself into her new career at a high-powered law firm.

When the grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it's just another custody case. But then the teen is brutally murdered. And it isn't only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl's death.

How far are you willing to go to redeem yourself?

Put on notice by Randall Barrett, the firm's charismatic managing partner, Kate must fight for her career, for her reputation - and for redemption.

Unwilling to live with the damage she may have caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chilling facts.

Facts that lead straight to the heart of a legal conspiracy.

Facts that lead Kate directly into the surgically skilled hands of the Body Butcher.

Kate is a lawyer and has just started working for a powerful law firm.  She's feeling frustrated because instead of giving exciting juicy cases, she's being handed boring ones.  Then one of the partners directs a client to her.  She's an older woman who is concerned about her teenage granddaughter ... her parents have split up and the grandmother feels she is being neglected.  Kate advises her to contact the authorities if she felt there was a abuse and sends her on her way.  The granddaughter turns up murdered the next day.  Kate feels like she has let the girl down and is determined to find out what happened.

In the meantime, Kate is still dealing her recent break-up with Ethan, a police officer.  She's moved on ... bought a house, got a dog, got a new job, etc. ... but keeps running into Ethan which keeps stirring up old feelings.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.  The author was raised and lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and that's where the story is set (I was born and lived in Nova Scotia until I was in my twenties ... my sister lives in Halifax).  I liked that the author set the story in Halifax and didn't make it look like it was Any Town, USA ... there are local references such as Kate's office is down by the water on Upper Water Street, she goes jogging in Point Pleasant Park and she visited the area of Dartmouth where I lived until I was ten.

This is the first in the Kate Lange series (so far there are four) and I look forward to reading the others in the series.