The Damned / Andrew Pyper

3 out of 5 stars

Danny Orchard wrote a bestselling memoir about his near-death experience in a fire that claimed the life of his twin sister, Ashleigh, but despite the resulting fame and fortune he’s never been able to enjoy his second chance at life. Ash won’t let him.

In life, Danny’s charming and magnetic twin had been a budding psychopath who privately terrorized her family—and death hasn’t changed her wicked ways. Ash has haunted Danny for twenty years and now, just when he’s met the love of his life and has a chance at real happiness, she wants more than ever to punish him for being alive—so she sets her sights on Danny’s new wife and stepson.

Danny knows what Ash really wants is him, and he’s prepared to sacrifice himself in order to save the ones he loves. The question is: will he make it back this time?


I had to set some boundaries for myself with this book: no reading after dark. Seriously. It made me crazy. Why does a supernatural element in a story make me into a crazy woman? I can read true crime, all about serial killers and even the gruesome details of what all they did. I can read all about forensics and autopsies while eating lunch. But throw some supernatural aspect into the story and I am reduced to hiding under the covers and praying for morning. That said, I did like the book and as much as it scared the poop out of me, I had to read to the end to see how it all got resolved.

What if you had a twin sister? Who was a psychopath? Who controlled your life and everyone in your family? And who saw no reason to stop controlling all of you after her death? What if you almost died when she did, but returned to life after a near-death experience? You’ve seen the afterlife (The After) and written a best-selling book about it, but you have nothing in this life that makes you happy. Until you meet the love of your life.

This book is all about what Danny is willing to do for love. To what lengths will he go to keep his new wife and stepson? How is he going to break the link between himself and his twin, Ash? Thankfully, most of us don’t have to make this kind of decision—mostly we have to decide issues like am I willing to move to be with my beloved? Can I be a decent step-parent? Am I willing to sell/rent out my house and maybe sell my furniture? Am I willing to possibly have to divide my assets with this person at some undetermined point somewhere in the future? (Can you tell that I’m not a romantic?)

Well told and gripping, but it’s only getting three trembling stars because I am reading outside my genre comfort zone.