"Exciting romantic thriller"

In the past eighteen months, he has kidnapped a dozen victims during a twenty-four hour period, holds them for ransom and when the money is paid, he kills them anyway. The victims have a clock showing how long they have to live. This serial kidnapper and killer leaves no clues and it is only recently that the authorities have detected his pattern.

The circus comes to Golden, South Carolina with one of the attractions being clairvoyant and precognitive fortuneteller Samantha Burke. When her prediction about the kidnapping and death of one of its victims comes true, the sheriff suspects her. Lucas Jordan, a psychic on Noah Bishop's FBI Special Crime Unit, knows that Sam can tell the future because they were once romantically involved. Together they must find the killer before Samantha's vision of the future comes true. Lucas is the only one who can find him due to his special psychic ability but he doesn't know that the killer has specifically picked him for the ultimate cat-and-mouse game.

A unit of psychics in the FBI is made plausible by Kay Hooper's original and unique storytelling abilities. The romance between the two protagonists is also original because she nags and he closes himself off from her, which makes for some very refreshing scenes. The mystery is well thought out and realistic because unfortunately the killer sometimes wins in this macabre game he created. Kay Hooper once again delivers an exciting romantic thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 9, 2004