Author: Leslie Parrish

Release Date: 5 July 2011

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Extrasensory Agents #2

ISBN: # 978-0451233004

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Paranormal Romance

Format(s): Paperback (357 pages), e-book

We received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.

From the author’s website:

Since being gifted--or cursed--with her ability to touch a lifeless body and relive the victim's final moments, Olivia Wainwright has died a hundred deaths. She hears the screams, tastes the fear; feels the excruciating pain--and every glimpse into this darkness draws her deeper into danger.

Now, though, she's met a man who offers a glimmer of light. Savannah Detective Gabe Cooper might look like a sexy good-old-boy, but his laid-back attitude hides a sharp mind and a protective heart. He doesn't believe in psychics--until he meets Olivia and sees firsthand how her dark gift ravages her spirit.

As their bond deepens, Olivia will have to choose between her cold gift and the warmth Gabe provides. But her past is catching up with her, and Gabe can't refuse when she needs his help solving a crime that's haunted her for over a decade...her own murder.

What Gikany & Una are talking about:

Cold Touch is the second book in the Extrasensory Agents series. Gikany went ahead and read the first book, Cold Sight, while Una just jumped in and started with Cold Touch. We actually like being able to give you blog readers the benefit of two different perspectives when possible (especially since it is a good exercise for Una’s OCD). That being said, so far, it is not necessary to read the first book, you can feel free to jump in with Cold Touch.

We must preface this by saying this series handles some very dark topics, most pointedly, violence towards children and some graphic violence scenes. Cold Touch is, without a doubt, dark and edgy. Being a fairly recent mother, Una was quite wary of this story due to the elements of violence towards children. She used to watch shows like Law and Order: SVU and other crime dramas and be okay with what was portrayed. Since getting pregnant, she can no longer stomach that type of story, since it is usually portrayed so graphically and sadly, gratuitously. Thankfully Gikany read it first and assured her that the violence is not gratuitous in any way. Una agrees, although it is dark, it is not gratuitous, more like a clinical description, just enough to get the point across.

According to the blurb on the back of the book, Extrasensory Agents is a romantic suspense and yet on her website it is considered dark suspense. Not surprising, Una was confused at first while reading it. She had difficultly trying to decide, is it Urban Fantasy, is it Paranormal Romance, or is it Mystery/Suspense? However, in all honesty, you’ll be so completely engrossed in the story, it doesn’t really matter how it is classified. Cold Touch is an incredible ride. The world that Ms. Parrish has created could be, depending on your beliefs, a contemporary one. The gifts that the agents who work for the eXtreme Investigations as private detectives have could be more accurately classified as curses rather than gifts. This is the reason that the series is so captivating. It allows the reader to experience each character and how their story will play out…how they live with the gifts. Mind you, you only get the explanation of the gifts for some of the agents, you’ll have to read their book to get the full sense of what it is they life with.

The story was excellent, a fabulously woven mix of suspense, murder mystery and romance. The writer balanced the different elements well and the flow was perfectly paced. Our two main characters were fascinating, especially watching their careful relationship progress. This is another story that had such a realistic and grounded feel to the main characters, their thoughts and progression of their relationship. The author doesn’t insult the readers’ intelligence and the murder investigation, the kidnapping investigation and the relationship never felt contrived or clichéd. Cold Touch had a few surprises in the story and Una actually found herself unable to put the book down. The way Ms. Parrish weaves the story had us enthralled. This was a true nail-biter to the end. In fact, without giving away any of the ending, you think the story is finished and are surprised at how many pages remains (besides the fact that there is an excerpt from the Cold Sight). Yet, there was still one surprise left to go, leaving the reader, or at least us, with the absolute desire to read the next book when it comes out.

Their Rating:

4.5 stars: Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)