Return to the powerful, turbulent Psy/Changeling world created by the “amazingly talented”* Nalini Singh, as a human detective finds himself working the most unlikely of cases—in the dark heart of a Councilor’s domain…Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor’s closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of a catastrophic mental fracture…Sophia Russo is a Justice-Psy, cursed with the ability to retrieve memories from men and women so twisted even veteran cops keep their distance. Appointed as Max’s liaison with the Psy, she finds herself fascinated by this human, her frozen heart threatening to thaw with forbidden emotion. But, her mind filled with other people’s nightmares, other people’s evil, she’s standing on the border between sanity and a silken darkness that urges her to take justice into her own hands, to become judge, jury…and executioner…
Max Shannon just arrested one of the most evil serial killers America has ever raised. Bonner is the son of a very rich family, blond blue-eyed, a real poster boy. His family still thinks he is innocent, but he has tortured and murdered lots of woman over the years. While the Psy were still compiling enough data to get a profile, Max found and hunted down the killer. And now they are trying to find out where he has buried his victims. So their families can get some closure. Even though Bonner has only been convicted of one murder, everyone knows he is guilty of so many more. But he just won’t cooperate. And the Justice Psy’s who have tried, cannot get access to his demented mind. But now a woman Psy is trying, a woman with scars, unique. Just the kind who fits his victim profile … so he wants to play games with her.
But Sophia will not help him get his pleasure from her. And Max feels himself very strangely attracted to Sophia. A human cop and a Psy? That is so not done. The Psy don’t feel, they don’t have emotions. But something she says to him, makes him believe she is different. Sophia is attracted to Max as well, and doesn’t know what to do about those feelings. She cannot touch people. One accidental brush will send her over the edge to insanity. Her shields are failing, her mind is full with other peoples memories, and not the good ones. All the criminals she has encountered, their darkest deeds, the memories she extracted, they still spook around in her mind.
And now Councilor Nikita Duncan has asked the both of them to investigate the suspicious deaths of her senior advisors. There has to be a traitor in her team, but she cannot figure out who it is. Some one is after her, and killing every one close to her in the process.
With Bonner safely behind bars, Max and Sophia have the time to investigate. Max has a natural shield, no Psy can break. And Sophia can be near him without suffering from it. He can even touch her, though it hurts at first, this sensation of skin on skin, for some one who hasn’t been touched for years.
They soon come up with some discrepancies in the personnel files, but when Nikita’s daughter Sascha is the next target, the Changelings are thrown into it. Already old friends of Max’ they decide to help them. Dorian is an expert with computers, and he can find everything on the Internet, a medium the Psy don’t use much as they have their own Psy-net.
So when something leads them to Pure-Psy, and Councilor Henry Scott, Nikita knows who is after her. And who will be with her when the Council will have to decide what to do about the failing Silence. Change will have to come, but will there be a war too?
A very good story, again. I really love this series. It is original, the main story line keeps evolving within the books, though every book has its own love story as the main focus. It really is intriguing, and I am very curious about how this all will end. Sascha, Faith and their mates have a nice secondary role in this book. And we get a little peek in the mind of that latest Councilor, Kaleb Krychek. Still a very big mystery.
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