SOLVED. Science Fiction with a Psychic Main Character [s]

[Rachel]

I read this book in high school 2005-2009. It was in my high school library, so it was intended for at least high school age readers, but there was at least one sex scene in the book, so young adult or adult readers.

It was pretty hard science fiction. The main character is a man who has some psychic abilities and he's been on some kind of outer space cruise ship. If I remember correctly he gets hired to investigate an assassination attempt or suspected assassination on Earth, so he reluctantly returns. He may have been hired as a body guard.

There is a lot of prejudice towards psychics on Earth and the government was run by people who were hooked into some kind of computer system. The woman that the main character is working for is eventually uploaded into the system at the end of the book.

One striking scene I remember as well was that the main character was trying to get the government to understand the hatred that psychics faced. He used a virtual reality machine combined with his psychic abilities to force all of the senators (idk if they were called that) to actually experience a hate crime that he underwent.

[Scott]

It's been a long time since I read it but some of your description sounds like Catspaw by Joan D. Vinge.

[Rachel]

Oh my god that's it!!! You're a genius! I've been looking for this book for forever!