Touching Evil

Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #4

by Kay Hooper

Sometimes evil lingers so close, you can feel it....

Seattle police sketch artist Maggie Barnes has an extraordinary gift. She listens as traumatized crime victims describe their ordeals -- and then uses those horrifying recollections to draw dead-on sketches of the assailants.

Some cops think Maggie is telepathic, that she can actually enter the victims' minds. Only Maggie knows the truth behind her rare talent ... and she isn't telling.

But her secret may be exposed when a madman seizes Seattle in his terrifying grip. He abducts women and blinds them, leaving them barely alive.

The police have one hope: the lone victim who might recover her sight. But they don't know that Maggie has her own dark connection to the monster -- an eerie link that may stretch back to a string of unsolved murders.

To stop the escalating terror, Maggie will have to push her abilities to the breaking point -- even if it means confronting a predator whose powers seem to have no bounds....

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Fiction, Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Suspense

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 28, 2001

About the author

Kay Hooper (aka Kay Robbins) was born in California, in an air force base hospital since her father was stationed there at the time. The family moved back to North Carolina shortly afterward, so she was raised and went to school there.

The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.

Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.

Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lack-luster story with an anticlimactic ending!

Maggie Barnes is an empath. She has the ability to mentally connect with victims of violence, so closely in fact that she is able to feel their pain and relive their anguish through the experience of the violence. She's also an exceptionally skilled artist and, for much of her life, she has combined the empathic and artistic abilities to create uncannily accurate, life-like sketches of the perpetrators of these violent crimes that police would otherwise have been unable to track down.

In TOUCHING EVIL, even Maggie Barnes finds this amazing ability blocked because she and the police are trying to track down a monster serial rapist who not only takes exceptionally skillful pains to disguise himself as he attacks the women of Seattle but he also cuts out the victims' eyes so they are unable to see him at all. If the victims have no mental picture of their attacker then, no matter the strength of her psychic abilities, Maggie Barnes has no details to draw out of their minds.

As she did in her other series, (SHADOWS and FEAR for example), Kay Hooper takes great pains in TOUCHING EVIL to discuss the mechanisms, the possibility and probability, and, indeed, the philosophical implications of a wide variety of psychic or paranormal phenomena. These discussions were interesting and thought-provoking but, quite frankly, failed to lift a lack-lustre story line and an anti-climactic ending into anything that could be categorized as compelling or thrilling.

If I'm forced to find a reason that I've characterized the plot as lack-luster, then I'll say that it's because there is no real police work in the novel at all. Even as paranormal novels go, TOUCHING EVIL is simply an improbably large collection of people with improbable psychic abilities running into a victim who also just happens to have psychic medium abilities and can therefore help to find her attacker by communicating with the ghost of one of the rapist's victims in a previous life. It's just all too much and too off the wall.

The one interesting component of the story - a sub-plot if you will - is the exploration of what it might be like to have an intimate love relationship with an empath, someone who knows what you're feeling and a good deal of what you're thinking with no words ever being spoken.

Fans will read the story and will probably enjoy it but it's unlikely that first time readers of Kay Hooper's paranormal novels would be convinced to pick up another if this was their starting point.

Paul Weiss

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie Barnes, is able to draw police sketches by talking with crime victims. Her gift was paranormal and she tried to stay out of the limelight. She is called in to talk to the latest victim, Hollis Templeton about the attack that had almost taken her life and had literally taken her sight.

She meets John Garrett, the brother of one of the victims, of this serial killer. John is a businessman that has quite a few connections that allow him to join in the hunt. Together John and Maggie work together with the police, visiting sites where the trauma takes place. Maggie has to be careful, as she physically and mentally feels what happened in the rooms they visit.

Together with the Police and the special crimes Unit of the FBI they cover all of Seattle looking for this gruesome killer. Bishop is in the background managing his team and perhaps looking for new talent.

This story is alive with ghosts, memories, secrets, a rapist, and murders. It is very well written and you feel so much compassion for Hollis and the other victims of this horrible rapist and murderer. There is hope and dashed hope throughout the book. A very evil read.

This is book four of the series and each one has a different psychic and murderer. I enjoyed the book even though it was a scary read.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd read a couple of Kay Hooper's lighter romance novellas before starting this book, and those in no way prepared me for this. This story is dark, creepy, and actually kept me guessing about who the villain was. I usually have that figured out a quarter of the way through a book, so keeping me in suspense is a mark in this book's favor.

[Asterope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to realize this series is less to do with the romantic suspense genre and more to do with a supernatural mystery/thriller with a touch of romance thrown in. Some have a bit more romance than others, but all in all, it's not a real focus of the stories. Which is fine. I don't mind. In fact, in some cases, I sort of wish the romance - little that it was - wasn't there at all. In the case of this book, honestly, it wasn't even necessary. Maggie and John's connection felt very thin to me, nearly non-existent. And we didn't really see them much together in a romantic sense, not like Bishop and Miranda, at least (book #3). So, when it got to the end with the I-love-yous, it all just seemed tacked on to me. I didn't feel it. Didn't feel them. I think the story would have been fine without all that, or at the most, showing John and Maggie start their relationship and imply a HEA for them (without the I-love-yous and all that). I would rather have no romance over a badly thrown together one where there's little connection between the two lovers.

So it was that along with the sort of anti-climatic ending that lowered the ratings a bit for me, enjoyment wise. I had no clue how the killer was, either, till the very end. I think the best mysteries have the perfect balance of not giving it away, but also giving just a bit to let the reader guess (incorrectly or not). In this case, there wasn't anything in the story to even point to the rapist/killer. We as the reader are basically blind and along for the ride. And because of things said and implied with Maggie and some final showdown with this rapist/killer, I thought there'd be a bit more drama, danger or excitement with the ending and confrontation, but it was pretty anti-climatic.

Also, I wish there was a bit more explained as to why the rapist/killer did what he did - in the past and now. I suppose because there wasn't an official FBI profiler (like Bishop) on scene, that explained the lack of insight into the mind of the killer, but it was the one thing the other previous books had, but this one lacked.

So while it wasn't a bad book, I thought it could have used some improvement in a few areas. Oh well, on to the next one.

[Sonia189 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The suspense elements were quite complex and the slight paranormal aspects as well, since they weren't fantastical and that might unbalance the story.
I like how methodical the police procedures were and how the clues were put together.
Some small things weren't as great but the plot itself was good enough to make me curious to know who the bad guy was and why was he doing those terrible acts.

The romance part, however... so, so weak. I certainly expected way more and perhaps a better characterization too, so that even though the main couple barely talks/conveys feelings during the whole book, we could truly believe they were in love at the end....

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. In this Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #4 published in 2001, you won't see much of Bishop. But a couple of people in his unit are working unauthorized to catch a serial rapist who beats and blinds women. The rapist is escalating to killing them. Maggie Barnes is a sketch artist with very special abilities.

If you like supernatural/paranormal in books, try this series. You'll see some of the same characters in each one, but new people with seeing/empath abilities seems to always be coming on board to the special unit. Some books have more supernatural aspects than others. I didn't think this one went overboard with it. I was surprised at the identity of the rapist/killer.

[Joumana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring 😐

[Witchmetal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably my favourite in the series so far. I love that the author just starts you in the middle of the story with each book. I also love that they are a while set of new character's with different abilities. I'm loving this series.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't wait to get the next one in the series.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading Kay Hooper's books and have for years. It has been awhile so I enjoyed getting back into her Bishop books. This one is very good. It is the first in her Evil trilogy and introduces Maggie Barnes and co-workers in Seattle. Maggie also has a love interest. Mostly the story focuses on finding a serial rapist who also blinds his victims. There are a few loose ends but the story has a good ending. Recommended!

[Babajaga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Einleitung:

Titel: Die Augen des Bösen
Autor: Kay Hooper
erschienen: 2001
Verlag: Weltbild
Genre:
Zeit: November 2001
ISBN: 978-3-89897-273-4

Ich habe das Buch beim Aufräumen meiner Bücherregale (wieder)gefunden, angelesen und fand, es sei spannend und wert gelesen zu werden.

Handlung:

Hollis Templeton wird schwer verletzt auf der Straße vor einem alten, verfallenen Haus gefunden. Sie ist nackt, vergewaltigt worden und ihr fehlen die Augen. Sie ist nicht das erste Opfer.
Maggie Barnes arbeitet für die Polizei Seattle als Zeichnerin. Durch ihre enormes Einfühlungsvermögen in Opfer von Gewaltverbrechen ist die Genauigkeit ihrer Zeichnungen extrem hoch und so mancher Fall konnte schnell gelöst werden. In diesem Fall jedoch scheint es so, als sei auch sie blind. Alle Opfer, mit denen sie in diesem Fall sprach, können ihr nicht genug Informationen liefern, sodass eine verzweifelte Suche nach dem Täter beginnt.
John Garrett, ein Unternehmer und Bruder eines der Opfer, mischt sich in die Ermittlungen ein. Zunächst ist Maggie darüber nicht gerade glücklich, muss aber einsehen, dass sie es nicht verhindern kann. John hat reichlich Beziehungen in die Politik, Wirtschaft und sogar zum Polizeichef.
Gemeinsam mit dem Verantwortlichen Andy Brenner, der die Ermittlung offiziell leitet, den Detectives Jennifer Seaton und Scott Cowan sowie 2 Hellsehern aus Quantico lösen John und Maggie den Fall am Ende jedoch auf. Das Ergebnis: erschütternd.

Meine Meinung:

Ich habe früher viel Stephen King und John Saul gelesen. Und dieser Roman erinnerte mich ein wenig daran. Übersinnliche Fähigkeiten vermischt mit „normaler“ Polizeiarbeit um einen verstörenden Fall aufzuklären. Die Idee eine Empathin zur Hauptfigur zu machen, die zudem mit der Fähigkeit des Heilens und Zeichnens ausgestattet ist, hat mir ausgesprochen gut gefallen. Ebenso dass die Lösung des Falles in der Vergangenheit zu finden war. Allerdings hat mir die Erklärung der Verbindung zu eben dieser Vergangenheit sehr gefehlt. Es gab zwar hin und wieder Hinweise darauf, dass die Morde in der Gegenwart nicht die ersten dieser Art waren, aber mir hätte es besser gefallen, wenn im Laufe des Romans die Verbindung zur Vergangenheit in 1934 und 1894 deutlicher geworden wäre. Auch blieb am Ende die Frage, ob Jennifer zu denen gehört, die über Fähigkeiten verfügen, weitgehend ungeklärt.

Maggie ist ein Charakter, der als zerbrechlich und gleichzeitig stark beschrieben wird. Und so empfindet man sie auch. Ihre Erkenntnisse teilt sie nicht mit jedem, da ihre Erfahrung ihr sagt, dass die „Normalen“ unter den Ermittlern ihr eh nicht glauben würden. Sie weiß viel, sie kann die Gefühle anderer spüren und sich darauf einen Reim machen.
Als sie John begegnet, kann sie ihn zunächst nicht leiden. Sie mag es nicht, wenn sich Zivile in die Ermittlungen einmischen. Zudem ist er ein „Ungläubiger“. Sein guter Freund Quentin ist zwar Hellseher, aber dennoch glaubt er eher nicht an solchen Hokuspokus und tut alles als Zufall ab. Erst als er Maggie näher kennenlernt, lässt er sich darauf ein, dass all dieses Übersinnliche tatsächlich ist. Er sieht Maggies Reaktionen auf Orte, an denen Gewalt ausgeübt wurde, er hört ihre Erkenntnisse, die sich als Wahrheit heraus stellen und er beginnt, sich um sie zu sorgen, als er bemerkt, wie heftig die Auswirkungen wirklich sind. Zum Ende hin muss er sogar befürchten, dass sie stirbt, wenn ein Opfer an einem Ort umgebracht wurde. Dass aus John und Maggie ein Paar werden würde, habe ich schon recht früh vermutet, für die Ermittlung selbst ist dies jedoch unerheblich – mit einer Ausnahme: als sie einen Zugang zur Wirtschaft benötigen, kann John mit seinen Kontakten helfen.

Hollis Templeton überlebt den Überfall des Killers nur deshalb, weil sie auf eine Stimme in ihrem Kopf hört. Diese Stimme bleibt in der ganzen Zeit, in der sie im Krankenhaus liegt, bei ihr, macht ihr Mut und bringt sie schließlich dazu mit Maggie zu sprechen. Zwar hat Hollis keine Ahnung, wer genau diese Stimme ist, aber aus irgendeinem Grunde vertraut sie ihr. Hollis ist das einzige Opfer, das neue Augen bekommt und einzig die Überzeugungskraft der inneren Stimme bringt sie dazu, mit diesen neuen Augen auch zu sehen. Die Verbindung zwischen Hollis, Maggie und der Stimme kommt mir zu kurz, denn eigentlich begründet sich darauf die Lösung des Falles. Jedoch wird zu oft einfach gesagt, dass etwas ist, nicht wie es dazu kam.

Im Finale treffen der Killer auf der einen Seite, Maggie, John, Quentin, Hollis und Annie – die Stimme in Hollis‘ Kopf – auf der anderen Seite, aufeinander. Gemeinsam zerstören sie das Böse im Killer und töten anschließend seinen Körper, sodass es keine weitere Mordserie geben kann. Das Finale war spannend! Aber als es einsetzte vergleichsweise vorhersehbar.

Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist leicht und flüssig. Allerdings mochte entweder sie oder die Übersetzung das Wort „einstweilen“ überaus gern. Es wurde oft verwendet. Die Beschreibung der Orte und Figuren ist so gewählt, dass sie zur Geschichte und der Annahme, dass das Universum stets das Gleichgewicht herstellt, passen. So ist Maggie klein und zerbrechlich, John hingegen groß und stark. Kendra und Quentin haben die gleichen Fähigkeiten sind jedoch Mann und Frau, ebenso wie Scott und Jennifer. Die überaus düstere Geschichte wurde in einem düsteren Monat – dem November – angesiedelt, sodass auch das Wetter gut passte.

Dennoch bleibt die Geschichte weitgehend oberflächlich. Es wird aus meiner Sicht zu viel Wert auf die Fähigkeiten der Agierenden gelegt (Maggie ist Empathin, Kendra und Quentin Hellseher, die aus meiner Sicht nicht genügend sehen) und man kann sich des Eindrucks nicht erwehren, dass auch vielen anderen Fähigkeiten zugeschrieben werden sollen – ob sie sie nun haben oder nicht. Das war mir zu viel und das eigentlich Interessante – nämlich, was in der Vergangenheit passiert ist – kam zu kurz.

Auch gab es eine Situation zwischen Maggies Bruder Beau und einem Fremden. Ein Dialog der Potential gehabt hätte. Danach trat aber weder der Bruder noch der Fremde, der ebenfalls die Vergangenheit zu kennen schien, jemals wieder in Erscheinung. Insofern sind dies zwei Figuren ohne wirklichen Sinn, dennoch fragt man sich bis zum Schluss, welchen Grund ihr Dasein hatte.

Fazit:
Die Idee des Buches ist interessant. Der Erzählung fehlt hingegen der Tiefgang, weil aus meiner Sicht zu viele, wirklich interessante Dinge nicht erzählt werden. Das Buch kann man lesen ohne sich zu langweilen, muss man aber nicht.
Von mir gibt es 2 von 5 Sternen.

[Jeffrey Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. This book was going along swimmingly with an intriguing story, a gruesome, unsettling series of murders of women and the paranormal, psychic connection. But the ending seemed to come out of nowhere! Not so much a twist in the plot but more of a quick and convenient resolution

Maybe I shouldn't say quick and convenient. It made some sense based on the paranormal theme of the book and the references to reincarnation and some 70 year old unsolved murders with sickeningly similar attributes.

One of the positive takeaways from this novel is how the characters with special psychic or paranormal abilities try hard to balance the up and down emotions they struggle with because of their gifts. You can't help but to sympathize with how their gifts impact their lives, how much it takes out if them, and how to feel accepted or at least able to discuss this intelligently with some of the other characters.

One of the negatives was that there were far too many characters (psychics and law enforcement) to remember. It was very confusing at times to me. I lost track. I was never sure who to cheer and who to jeer.

I have only read a few books by Kay Hooper and I wonder if I'm reading the wrong ones. This is about Bishop's special branch of the FBI but he hardly ever appears in the books I've read, this one included

There are lots more to choose from so I expect I will continue to check them out occasionally.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching Evil is book 4 in the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series by Kay Hooper. Maggie Barnes was working with the Seattle PD to find the men who were raping and blinding young women in Seattle. However, the investigation was no closer to finding the person. John Garrett sister was one of the victims, and he wants an answer, so he asked his friends Quentin Hayes. FBI Agent Quentin Hayes and his Partner FBI Agent Kendra Eliot dropped everything when John called. The readers of Touching Evil will go on a rollercoaster ride to find the rapist. Also, the readers will be surprised by the twist at the ending Touching Evil.

I love reading books in this series, and Touching Evil did not disappoint. I like Kay Hooper portray of her characters and the way they intertwine with each other. Touching Evil is well written and research by Kay Hooper. At no time was I not engaged with the plot of Touching Evil and I was unable to put the book down.

The readers of Touching Evil will learn the problems people have who have skills that others do not understand. Also, the readers will learn about the importance of friendship. Reading Touching Evil, you will learn about law enforcement procedures in the United States of America.

I recommend this book.

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

A potentially interesting mystery, ruined by overreliance on "fate"/"destiny". The implications of "fate", "destiny, and "karma" in a novel about women being raped, tortured, and killed are really vile in some fairly obvious and not-so-obvious ways. Guess it was just those women's destiny to be raped and have their eyes burned/gouged out so that a different woman could learn a lesson. They must have been terrible in a past life to end up with that karma, same as every other member of an oppressed or marginalized group. Absolutely vile. Really it just seems like the author made her psychics too powerful and so needs to fall back on "fate" as an excuse for why they can't fully use their powers solve the crime. On a more basic level having everything "set in stone" in-universe really makes it hard to get invested in a story. The idea that good and evil must be in balance makes it even worse, because it means nothing can ever truly improve in this book's universe.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A serial rapist has Seattle in a panic. Maggie Barnes, empathic sketch artist for the police, is usually able to draw accurate composites from the details she garners by entering the victims' minds and "seeing" what they saw. This time, however, the rapist blinds his victims before brutally assaulting them, leaving Maggie at a loss. Alyssa Bresnahan's tone and tempo provide subtle shading to Hooper's terrifying tale. Bresnahan brings credibility to John Garrett, whose sister was attacked; to the FBI's Psychic Task Force; and to the physically and emotionally scarred victims. The violence may be excessively graphic and the conclusion too contrived, but the combination of a monstrous villain, suspense, romance, and a touch of the paranormal and Alyssa Bresnahan's spot-on performance makes this a chilling listening experience.

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kay Hooper's books are all fabulous reads.

She writes fast-paced mysteries with a supernatural bent.

The team dynamics are perfection and the sexual tension just adds to the story.

I highly recommend these books. They are perfect for reading at the beach or for spending the day curled up in front of the fireplace.

Merged review:

Kay Hooper's books are all fabulous reads.

She writes fast-paced mysteries with a supernatural bent.

The team dynamics are perfection and the sexual tension just adds to the story.

I highly recommend these books. They are perfect for reading at the beach or for spending the day curled up in front of the fireplace.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching Evil
4 Stars

Quickie Review

Good thriller with interesting characters and a clever plot.

Nevertheless, the romance is somewhat contrived and there could have been more clues to the killer's identity. The climax is compelling and the resolution very satisfying (one of the more unique I have encountered in this genre).

It should be note that the book contains grisly details and gory descriptions so it is not for the weak of heart.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this supernatural mystery/thriller. It had me guessing who the murderer rapist was through the entire novel, when I usually have that person figured out early on in most cases. However, for me- it was not thrilling or scary like other reviews stated and I found myself rather bored. What kept me going was my desire to find out who the villain was. I did also enjoy the characters.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are sometimes super weird. Also, the binge reading I'm doing means that characters have started to blend together. Wasn't there someone named Andy in the last book I read? Oh well, onward to more Kay Hooper!

(twins in this book are sad and unfortunate)

[Melenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

October 2014 — Pretty great :)

June 2018 — This is one of my favorites in this series.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, not the greatest Mistry book or suspense but just okay, had no clue about it or that it was fourth in the series but still is alright I probably won't read any of the others

[Anne Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good mystery type story. Unlikely to be made into a movie but entertaining.

[Lizabeth Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone has been attacking, raping, and mutilating the eyes of women in the Seattle area. Maggie Barnes helps the police as a sketch artist, one that can get improbably accurate sketches of suspects in crime, but this time she's having zero luck helping.

Hollis Templeton, the latest victim, has had an eye transplant which, if successful, will be the first of its kind. She managed to survive because of a voice telling her to fight, a voice no one else can hear.

John Garrett's sister was another victim, one that committed suicide shortly after speaking with Maggie. Wealthy and powerful enough to get permission to involve himself in the case of the Blindfold Rapist, John is puzzled by Maggie's ability to do what must be a emotionally draining job. Aware that the police, while doing the best they can, are stumped, John calls for help from an old friend, FBI Special Agent Quentin Heyes, a member of Bishop's SCU of psychics.

Very different if you look past the crimes and the use of psychics to try to solve them. Instead we're shown how evil can be reborn time and again if not stopped by the force of good that will equally return throughout the ages. Maggie, an empath, is that force of good, trying to atone for not stopping the evil in earlier time.

While I like Maggie, she did one of the stupidest things ever near the denouement of the book. Think dumb blonde in the horror films walking through a door they were previously warned to stay out of. I get why she did it, but it was still stupid and dangerous.

A great opportunity to know two more members of Bishop's team. Beau, Maggie's brother, is also an interesting character, known by Bishop who tried to recruit him in the past. But what I really want to know is who his friend is. Loose threads!

You might notice that I haven't tagged this as romance. While John and Maggie do get together, it really isn't even a tiny part of the story. The chemistry is there, the narrative isn't. 4.5 out of 5.

[P1xt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite in the series thusfar. Maggie is a fantastic character, but Hollis really should have been 'the star of the show', she's the best character thusfar, across all of the first four books.

As always, the mystery is on point, the paranormal aspects are on point. Thankfully, in this book the 'romance' took more of a back seat and didn't jump out and ruin the book for me.

It may be that I just never read romance so I'm not in tune with what romance readers want to see in a story, but I really have no appreciation for how 'a formula' is applied to tack a romance on to every book in this series (at least on to the four I've read thusfar.) It seems that the reader is introduced first to a female protagonist, one with some paranormal ability that will be pivotal in solving the mystery of the book. Then, within a chapter, our heroine meets 'the patronizing asshole'. The mystery unfolds, usually a good one. Then, just as the case is about to be solved, when it would be a good time to really dig into details about 'the bad guy' or other stuff, our heroine jumps in bed with the patronizing asshole because 'she has to' (like she has no free will and his magnetism is just so overwhelming that the only thing that could possibly make her life complete is a roll in the hay with him.) Thankfully, I've learned the formula, can pick out the patronizing asshole within a paragraph of him being introduced, and know to just skip the part later in the book where he, usually the least interesting character in the book, becomes irresistible for no apparent reason and absolutely MUST be slept with immediately.

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie is a sketch artist working with the local police to find a serial rapist turned killer. She doesn't admit it up front, but she's a psychic with empath ability and uses that to create her spot-on sketches. John Garrett's sister was one of the victims who ended up killing herself, so he's used his wealth and political clout to inveigle his way into the investigation. He's intrigued by Maggie and her abilities - so much so that he invites her to join his private little investigative team (including two of Bishop's FBI team working off the clock) to work alongside the police. Maggie has her own reasons for being so invested in finding this killer and agrees - she's determined to destroy the evil that is now killing women and set right a balance that is off.

This is a solid story in the series, but not my favorite. I liked Maggie and Garrett as characters, but I don't know that their romance was building through the story (so much as a friendship), so when they finally went there, it kinda felt out of the blue. Their chemistry wasn't quite strong enough to suggest it I think. I was fascinated with Maggie's abilities and I liked the inclusion all the cops working as a team - the police procedural aspect of this story was actually quite suspenseful. The suspense story itself was equally as strong, though I suspect a bit more graphic than I remember previous stories being...although we are dealing with "evil" now. The past life angle was a bit "meh" for me, but made the suspense pretty interesting, with the victims all being look-alikes of previous victims. I found myself highly intrigued by Beau and whoever this mystery character Galen was and was a bit disappointed that absolutely no questions were answered there. Hopefully we'll find out who Galen is and maybe Beau will be in a future book?

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the scariest things for many people is to be completely out of control of their lives. To be so at the mercy of others - particularly when those others wish to do them harm. When people do their worst, some of us survive, though, and come out of the experience very much changed. Hollis is one of those survivors. Dragging herself by the tips of her fingers from the depths of hell, to be found and taken back to safety. But she will never see the world the same again. Her would-be killer made certain of that when he took her eyes from her.

This entire book was breathtaking for me. It begins with such a hard-hitting scene and continues to wow and surprise all the way to the very end. By this fourth book in the series, I somewhat expected to see mostly repeat characters and recycled plot lines, but Kay Hooper is much too good a writer for that. This book was astounding. The reader meets new members of the SCU team, and there are such unexpected twists in the story that I never once felt like, "Oh, I knew that was coming."

The characters are so well-developed, they feel like they could be people I might meet any day. They are at the same time amazing and ordinary, with common complaints, fears, desires, and incredible abilities and strengths. I was utterly wowed. I have to say that Kay Hooper is officially one of my favorite authors.


Read this and more of my reviews at:
www.memoirsofabookwyrm.com

[Mel Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second Hooper book. I actually read Sensing Evil first after I had found it in a bookstore. At the time I knew nothing about the series.

I have to say I'm actually happy I read them in that order as I was introduced to Hollis in a very different way than most readers of this series. In this you learn her origins and the horrendous crime she was victim to.

I loved this read. I think the mechanics of psychic and otherworldly powers is explained very well and I love the nuances in ability that are displayed between characters. Each have fine skills and have different methods and means in which they present themselves. In this book, Maggie's are absolutely my favorite.

I think the plot was great, though similarly to my thoughts on Sensing Evil, I found the major climax of solving the case and resolving it to be rather short and wished it had been fleshed out more. There's a lot of buildup and then it takes about a chapter to wrap everything up.

If you like Criminal Minds or really any procedural crime show I think you'd really enjoy this. I've really liked this series and am excited to read more from Hooper, especially within the SCU/Bishop universe.

[Nan's Nookery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest here, the star of the show in this book, wasn't even one of the main characters. Hollis is a godsend of a character and completely made this book. From her first scene to her last she stole the show. With her brave and daring escape from a madman at the beginning, through her dealing with everything that has happened to her, she's a remarkable character.

Maggie is fun too, she's well characterized, and I really enjoyed her psychic ability, especially paired with being a sketch artist for the police.

John... was a boring character? I felt pretty ambivalent towards him for the entire read, and never really bought into his Christina's brother story line, it was a little shallow.

The romance was also rather non-existent, and shallow.

But the mystery was fun, and the paranormal was on point. Still a good fun read, not my least favourite of the series, but neither my favourite.

[Francesca Morelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

E' il primo libro che leggo di questo autore, almeno di quello che ricordo.
L'ho scelto perchè leggendo la trama ho visto che era un thriller ma non avrei pensato che durante la lettura mi sarei imbattuta con il paranormale.
Ora un pizzico di paranormale non fa mai male, ma in questo romanzo, che si legge velocemente ed è gradevole, di individui che hanno una estrema sensibilità, secondo mè, c'è ne sono troppi per essere credibili.
Un serial killer a cui viene data la caccia negli anni, e una serie di donne che si reincarnano....che sono oggetto di attenzione del medesimo.
La lunghezza del libro mi sembra adeguata nè troppo lungo e nè troppo corto, però dovrebbe essere catalogato nel genere paranormale.

[Tracy Brant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great mystery and suspense

But a bit too gory for me. I can read/handle reading about a mother and her unborn child being murdered, but I don't what to know the gory details, how long it took, the weapons he used, how many times he raped her after removing the baby.... It's too much for me. And, there was NOOO romance or passion. They just... Got together sorta. Which was ok I guess for this book cuz I can't imagine wanting a passionate love affair right after visiting such a gory multiple murder scene. I like the romance/ passion in a story so I probably won't be reading the rest of the series, but if your ok with the God's and you like a good 'who done it' this is great for u.