Damage Control: A Novel

DAMAGE CONTROL by Denise Hamilton
Scribner (September 2011)
Review by Linda S. Brown

Author Denise Hamilton has a unique way of “drawing” various parts of Los Angeles: glamorous or gritty, her style is positively melodic. One thing is clear, however, you can’t take the investigator out of the author, a former reporter for the Los Angeles Times. In Maggie Silver, protagonist of this new mystery, DAMAGE CONTROL, there are hints of Hamilton’s popular journalist character, Eve Diamond, from her earlier series. What makes DAMAGE CONTROL unique from Hamilton’s earlier works are the interesting time jumps between 1993 – when Maggie and Anabelle were teenaged best friends – and 2009 (the period Hamilton has set as present day). show more History, particularly social events and technology, made great leaps during that brief span of time.

The opening scene is poetic in cadence, with an early hint of danger and intrigue. The setting is the summer of 1993, with Maggie as a high school student hanging at a party with some very cool kids in a very cool (if seedy) beach scene. As Maggie and her friend Anabelle approach the scene, they stop under a palm tree “for a lip gloss boost. Above us, something rustled, but when I looked up, it was only dead gray fronds trembling in the breeze. The air smelled of coconut oil, spilled beer, and Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax.” (The wax, by the way, is for surfboards.) “From the party bungalow came hoots and jeers, then the knifing soprano of a girl’s laugh. Black Flag blasted from fuzzy speakers. As the song ended, a wave crashed in perfect time just beyond the dunes.”

In late summer 2009, the now adult Maggie Silver works for The Blair Company, a public relations firm that specializes in cleaning up messes in which celebrities and politicians find themselves caught. Her boss, Jack Faraday, is a rather frightening figure, ruthless in his protection of the firm’s clients and relentless in his use of his employees. In addition to Maggie (public relations specialist), there is Fletch (resident computer geek), and Matt Tyler (company investigator). And there is the almost mythical Thomas Blair, the genius and power behind the curtain.

As mastermind Blair points out, “The Internet abhors a vacuum,” Blair said. “If you don’t talk, others will, and within hours you’ll have an electronic echo chamber of gossip and innuendo.” And in 2009, TMZ, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other blogs and online media outlets were taking the lead in releasing news to the public, particularly the public’s avaricious following of celebrity news and scandal.

DAMAGE CONTROL is about crisis management on a celebrity level, and Hamilton shines a very bright light on scandal. Blair sets up what the company calls a “truth squad” to confront media about attacks on their clients and “press mentions.” When they find a mistake they call up the culpable journalist, casting themselves as “crusaders for journalism ethics.”

Maggie thinks of it more as working magic. Occasionally, however, the magic turns nightmarish, as when she finds herself having to work “damage control” on the family she knew so well as a teen, the family of her teenaged best friend, Anabelle Paxton.

The methods of crisis management can be appalling to those being “managed”: the new client, U.S. Senator Henry Paxton, comes to The Blair Company when his young aide, Emily Mortimer, is discovered dead. The Blair CM team suggests a press conference with the Senator and the aide’s grieving parents. “Henry Paxton stared at Faraday with revulsed fascination.” Apparently, it doesn’t suit the senator’s East Coast prep school background and Pacific Palisades present-day lifestyle to use the tragedy of others’ to further his own cause. It does not, however, prevent him from holding the press conference.

There are times in this novel when the author appears uncomfortable with dialogue. It is almost as if dialogue is employed by reluctant necessity, as if the author has already allowed the reader to venture so far into the characters’ heads that spoken words should not be required.

Hamilton’s experience as a reporter shows in the thoroughness of her research: her character’s use of Adderall as a performance (neuro) enhancer, as well as politics, intrigue, and of all things, perfume, the special idiosyncrasy of Maggie.

There is, of course, romance, in addition to intrigue and murder: Maggie, Anabelle, Anabelle’s police captain husband Randall, Anabelle’s handsome brother Luke, the Blair investigator Matt – all find themselves in varying roles that need untangling throughout the novel, some past-tense, some in present time.

But the over-arching theme in DAMAGE CONTROL seems to be scent. Fragrance. Aroma. Perfume… This is the sense that plays the most significant role to Maggie. This reviewer asked the author about that topic in an online blog exchange:
LB: Denise, I'm fascinated by your use of perfume -- and other fragrances, scents, aromas -- in DAMAGE CONTROL. It's an incredible book, and almost causes sensory overload … What made you focus on scent as a motif?

DH: Hi Linda, I'm so glad you enjoyed my book. Regarding sensory overload, well, I guess that's how I experience the world on a daily basis - on the verge of sensory overload. I've always used a lot of sensory images in my books. In SUGAR SKULL, Eve Diamond is crawling through the dirt basement of an abandoned building damaged by an earthquake and I tried to imagine what it smelled like, that damp, dank smell of earth, of rotting wood, the chalky dust in the back of your throat from the plaster falling off and decaying. I also think that in LA we live in an olfactory paradise - the fragrant orange blossoms, night blooming jasmine, sage and thyme and rosemary of the hills...the salt tang of the sea. So that was all natural scents, and then with my interest in perfume, I added in more complex blended scents. I think that smell is the least appreciated and utilized of our five senses, and it was time to bring it back to the fore, especially in solving a mystery!

Hamilton excels in her use of various types of sensuality in her descriptions of surroundings – the sight of particular architecture, the smells of certain flowers, the sounds of music or the ocean – but in the sensual world of DAMAGE CONTROL there is no romance or relationship that hasn’t been tainted or spoiled or thwarted.

The question is can Maggie Silver stay in control of her own senses long enough to solve the murders – and protect herself from the “damage control” sought by others? show less

This is a review of several of Denise Hamilton's books: Damage Control, The Jasmine Trader and L.A. Noir:A Collection of Short Stories
I cannot say enough about the writing style of Denise Hamilton. She not only knows the streets of LA, she breathes life into them through her every written word. It's chilling to read her books. Denise has the skill of a fine surgeon, knowing just when and where to place the razor and how to cut to release that last shred of skin between our belief and disbelief. Her hand is quick and so adept we hardly know we've been "had" until it's over and we're shocked to see our heart in our hands. She is a master writer of this genre. I have a feeling Denise is a masterful writer of anything she chooses to put her show more mind to. I thinks she's spoiled me for reading anyone else in noir fiction, female or male.

"The Jasmine Trade" is breathtaking. I was completely spellbound by the insider information and story surrounding a young girl killed outside a shop with her bridal dresses in her car! What starts out as a horrendous, but not that unusual these days, tale of a young girl's tragic murder, turned into a spider web of the macabre for me. Denise Hamilton unveiled layer after layer of LA's underside, teaching me things I had no idea existed; i.e., "parachute kids?" I'd never even heard this was happening in our country. And she shone a light into some dark dwellings both physical and psychological that left me shuttering.

What I found most exciting about Ms Hamilton's writing in both the novels I read (and her short story "Midnight In Silicon Alley" in her L. A. Noir Collection) was her ability to use an ordinary pace, an simple staccato of words and sentences to lay out the most astounding and dark situations. A clip of interchange between characters that conveyed more than just the words themselves...It was like reading the movements of a cat studying it's prey before pouncing! Glorious and so unusual I wanted to clap and yell, "Yes!!" several times through the books. This kind of writing is intense and so freaking rare!

Let me say a little bit about Eve Diamond, who is the journalist/investigative writer protagonist of "The Jasmine Trade." She is vulnerable, hard-core on the side of right, and devoted to her story. I'm a huge fan of this character. I loved everything about her. Hamilton hits just the right chords with her balance between a woman with the insecurities of a feminine sort, and a journalist looking for more than just the surface report in order to lift the scab off a deeper slash on the LA landscape. It's Denise's development of both these sides of her that makes Eve a remarkable character, but it's the use of Eve's vulnerabilities that makes the story itself just blast off the pages. She is unrelenting when looking for the truth behind a murder; but, bound up and driving that is the underlying concern for Asian children abandoned by their parents, for instance. Eve Diamond is a character I can happily read more about in Hamilton's other novels.

What was new to me about these books among all the books I've read? The dark tone of "voice." The descriptions of the underbelly of the city and the surrounding scruff and side-beaches. The brilliance of too much light at night and used tinsel garishness by day, both literally and figuratively. The "invisible" people that stray and strand along the sidelines of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and LA. Concepts of evil hidden behind the flat, compliant faces of ordinary kids in designer label outfits- -apparently, no drugs applied. How swiftly calm, security and routine can be smashed in a smoky room, in an unknown section of town where you weren't aware that nobody speaks English, and you don't know how to get a ride home. The multi-cultural nature of a city that is a microcosom of our country and where we're headed.

I've tried to convey to you how unusual and how brilliant a writer Denise Hamilton really is. "Damage Control" will send ice splints through your veins. "The Jasmine Trade" will change the way you look at Asian children and their parents for a while; at least it changed things for me. I haven't been able to put these books, and Ms Hamilton's short story out of my mind. I keep returning to parts of them long after I've read them. When studying fine arts and art history I learned that one of the tests of a masterpiece is that we can't stop looking at it. We find ourselves continually drawn back into the painting, finding more things of interest and wanting to look at it longer. There is much of this quality in Denise Hamilton's books. They just keep coming back to haunt you show less

Denise Hamilton is one of my favorite mystery writers. She writes beautifully and I love the authenticity of her Los Angeles locations. "Damage Control" is thought-provoking and suspenseful. I did not solve the mystery before it was revealed. Hamilton illuminates the world of PR firms that specialize in damage control. You are on call 24/7 and the work is decidedly not fun. Kind of like a defense attorney, it's your job to make your client look innocent, so matter what the truth may be. Hamilton noted in an interview about this book in the L.A. Times that many journalists go into public relations; this book does not make that look like an attractive career choice. The book made me wonder how Hamilton did her research. Her Eve Diamond show more mysteries feature a L.A. Times reporter, which Hamilton used to be; so what was the origin of Maggie Silver? I especially enjoyed the flashbacks in the novel, which were set in 1993-1994, and the contrast between Maggie's life with her single mom and the golden lives of the Paxton family. But I just did not enjoy this book as much as Hamilton's other mysteries, either the Eve Diamond novels or her historical mystery "The Last Embrace." The whole world of celebrity PR is less interesting to me than the ethnic communities explored in Hamilton's Eve Diamond novels.

At first I did not find Maggie to be a sympathetic protagonist, but as her character was revealed, I warmed up to her. Maggie's behavior is a little puzzling until you realize she's addicted to Adderall. This explains much of Maggie's seemingly inexplicable behavior. I also understood why she would put herself in danger to keep her high-paying job, with her mom fighting cancer and relying upon Maggie for financial and emotional support. "Damage Control" held my interest while I stayed up late to finish it. Even though I live near the places Hamilton describes in the book -- I drive to work on Vista del Mar between LAX and Dockweiler Beach many mornings -- I never tire of reading richly atmospheric books about Los Angeles. But readers unfamiliar with L.A. and the South Bay might have appreciated a map!

Not my favorite Denise Hamilton novel, but I've been thinking about the book and recommending it to my friends. It's much more subtle than I thought when I was reading it. I read "Day of the Locust" last year and "Damage Control" reminds me of it in this way. "Day of the Locust," published in 1939, portrays the glamourous underbelly of Hollywood and the movie industry. "Damage Control" reveals a similar subculture surrounding the beach cities. Hamilton calls it "surf noir" and it involves the sex, drugs, and violence that most people don't associate with beach culture. "Damage Control" is set in the present, in upscale Pacific Palisades and environs. But the relationship between Maggie and the Paxtons is traced back to the 1990's, when Maggie and Anabelle Paxton became caught up in the darker side of life in sunny Southern California, partying with some pretty sleazy characters in Play del Rey. Believeable and very creepy. I also thought that Hamilton skillfully and sensitively handled Maggie descent into Adderall addiction, which as noted above, illuminates her increasingly baffling reactions and muddled thinking. So, I still don't really care about celebrity culture and public relations, but this book is extremely powerful. show less

Maggie Silver's profession is damage control. She gets paid to clean up, or hide messes made by famous people. When we meet Maggie she's on her way to the home of an actor who has been accused of sexual assault by his children's nanny. Maggie's job is to spin the incident to make the nanny seem dishonest and mercenary in order to take the appearance of transgression away from the actor.

Before she has a chance to do much, however, her manager calls to tell her they have an even more important client back at the office. When she gets there, she's surprised to see someone she once knew very well: the father of her high school best friend, now a respected Senator.

When Maggie realizes what she is expected to do, she briefly considers show more resigning, but she knows she can't. She has a mortgage to pay and a cancer-survivor mother to support, and so she must recall of the unpleasantness that ended her friendship with Anabelle Paxton.

It takes some time before Maggie allows herself (and the reader) into the place where those memories are hidden. The gradual revelation of those memories begins with smells: sand and salt water, barbecue-flavored potato chips, patchouli. It's already been made clear that the olfactory sense is very significant to Maggie. In the first chapter of the book Maggie describes dabbing her wrists with perfume just before meeting a client:

...clean, crisp notes of citrus, bergamot and verbena. Nothing cloying or clobbering...Just a subtle scent amulet to infuse me with secret grace and power.

Ms. Hamilton skilfully describes Maggie's reactions to sights, sounds, and smells to increase the already strong empathy the reader has with her through the first-person point of view. We become so attuned to Maggie's senses and emotions that we can almost feel the heat of the sun on her arms, the dizziness caused by watching a record spinning on a turntable.

This is one of those books that (as I probably say too often) you will want to read slowly and savor, yet at the same time rush through to learn what happens. And what happens does not disappoint, save to signal the end of our time with Maggie.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me an e-galley of the book for review purposes. show less

This was a book in which I learned a great deal about PR and "spin doctors". I'm sure I've not read anything like it. The plot was excellent, but it makes me, as an 'everyday folk', trust the wealthy even less.

Maggie Silver does crisis management for celebrities in politics, athletics and Hollywood. The mystery and personal relationships here are complex with a satisfying ending but the pacing is uneven and the suspense is too often interrupted with extraneous events (other clients, family issues,etc.) Maggie's past collides with her present as she works for the family of Senator Paxton whose daughter she was close to in High School. The past experiences, when revealed are shocking and help explain the solution to the murder mystery but the author's constant references to one event in the High School lives of these characters is overdone. It stretches credulity that this one situation (albeit traumatic) has such a strong hold even after show more sixteen years. This was a good story but some editing would have made it better. show less

Maggie Silver is new to a high-powered LA PR firm. It’s her job to manage the public messaging for clients when they find themselves embroiled in scandal. Her latest assignment hits closer to home that most. Henry Paxton, a senator from California, needs help controlling the media frenzy surrounding the murder of a young aide who worked in his office. Only after being assigned his case does Maggie realize the senator is the father of a close childhood friend – one with whom she had a falling out following a shared tragedy from their teenage years.

This stand alone book from Denise Hamilton is quick paced and suspenseful. As usual, Ms. Hamilton does a great job of presenting life in Los Angeles; in this case, both in contemporary and show more early 1990’s settings. She also gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to work in PR, especially with clients who live in the public eye. For me, the ending wasn’t completely surprising, though I didn’t figure out the specifics of the mystery. Although I enjoyed the book overall, there were a few weaknesses I couldn’t overlook. I found it hard to believe that someone working in PR in LA wouldn’t know who the senior senator from CA is. Although I know there are plenty of people who don’t follow politics, Maggie’s job is to be connected to current events. And, the entire subplot around perfume was odd. The dialog around perfume in the book felt forced and unnecessary. Though it does ultimately tie into the plot, the sections about perfume felt like asides from the author not thoughts of the character.

Bottom line: Recommended to fans Ms. Hamilton, location-based mysteries, or perfumistas. show less