Damaged Goods is about women--no, Damaged Goods is about the environment--no, Damaged Goods is about friendship and community--no, Damaged Goods is about all of the above . . . and more.

I laughed, I raged, I cried a bit . . . then I laughed all over again. Alexandra Allred has a way of turning a phrase and setting a scene that puts a reader right there with her characters. And her characters--they have so much depth and authenticity, one could be your sister, or your best friend, or the crazy lady who lives down the street.

When Joanna Lucas ends her marriage, she does so with a bang--quite publicly and without a care for whom she might offend--and the tone of the story is set. She is no shrinking violet, but instead a woman done with a lousy husband. She relocates to Marcus, Texas, determined to start her life over as she makes over her home. Once in Marcus, she becomes friends with the most extraordinary group of women; there's a one-legged neighbor who rescues large cats--of the tiger variety--and whose favorite pet is a beer-guzzling Emu, a former stripper turned Mormon who owns a coffee shop, a loud and brash smartass who asks the most shocking of questions, a quiet and subdued mother of two, and a soft-spoken, yet lightning-quick friend to them all. In addition to these women, Joanna also befriends the local day laborers, happy to have their company, expertise, and artistry in her renovated home.

Joanna quickly learns that all is not right in Marcus, and there are forces in place that damage the air the residents breathe and poison the water they drink. As new forces are joined to fight the damage that is already done, and to halt further injury to be caused, truths are brought to the surface. Truths that have been hidden for too long. Truths that people have gone to great lengths to hide.

Something that sets this book apart from others is its humor. There are times when I literally laughed out loud--cackled, actually--and looked around, hoping no one noticed. None of the humor is forced; it comes naturally and is written effortlessly--woven into the story seamlessly. And it's needed as there are some serious topics at work in Marcus, Texas. But there's friendship, as well. And a little bit of romance, too.

Don't take my word for it. Go. Read it. You won't be disappointed.

Reviewed by Jen Matera