Tuesday's Child (Psychic Visions #1) by Dale Mayer

Purchase this eBook from Amazon or Smashwords

Synopsis from GoodReads: 

What she doesn’t want...is exactly what he needs.

Shunned and ridiculed all her life for something she can’t control, Samantha Blair hides her psychic abilities and lives on the fringes of society. Against her will, however, she’s tapped into a killer—or rather, his victims. Each woman’s murder, blow-by-blow, ravages her mind until their death releases her back to her body. Sam knows she must go to the authorities, but will the rugged, no-nonsense detective in charge of tracking down the killer believe her?

Detective Brandt Sutherland only trusts hard evidence, yet Sam’s visions offer clues he needs to catch a killer. The more he learns about her incredible abilities, however, the clearer it becomes that Sam’s visions have put her in the killer’s line of fire. Now Brandt must save her from something he cannot see or understand…and risk losing his heart in the process.

As danger and desire collide, passion raises the stakes in a game Sam and Brandt don’t dare lose.

**I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review**

**********************

Review: I was so excited to dive into this book! Although I read a lot of different genres now, my first love was the mystery/suspense/murder type novels involving the police or FBI. In fact, Kay Hooper's Bishop/Special Crimes series is one of my favorite series of all time, and it also deals with psychics. In Tuesday's Child we meet Samantha Blair, who has an unusual "gift"; she ends up trapped in the minds of victims. They are always violent crimes and she is able to see what they're seeing...and feel and experience all of the pain and injuries that are inflicted. Feeling that it's her duty to report these murders, she goes to the police, knowing that she'll be met with scepticism and disbelief. Fate intervenes and Detective Brandt Sutherland comes sweeping into her life. Like everyone he's confused by Sam's abilities, but her accurate descriptions of the crime scenes don't lie. If Brandt wants to catch the brutal serial killer he's been chasing, he's going to have to rely on Sam's visions. Will they be able to stop him, or will Sam pay the ultimate price?

1) Character Development: I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Samantha ("Sam") was extremely tough and resilient. A person would have to be to live through what she has. It seemed like every time people found out about her abilities, they shunned her and she was forced to move and start her life over anew. Having to experience the terror and pain that the victims went through would be extremely difficult. Instead of acting like a victim herself, Sam tried to help the police solve these crimes and make the most out of her "gift". It would be hard to go to the police though, when either they don't believe in the abilities or they make her a suspect. I liked Brandt immediately because he had worked with psychics before and didn't automatically discount Sam, even though he was a bit wary of what she was telling him. He was like a rock for Sam, always there for her whether she wanted him to or not and he felt the need to take care of her which was really sweet. Then there's Stefan, a fellow psychic, who Brandt calls in to help Sam gain control over her abilities. Without his help she most likely would have died, with the suffering and injuries taking a larger toll on her each time. There were quite a few other secondary characters, such as other detectives and Brandt's mother, but you'll have to read the book to find out more about them.

2) The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: First, The Good - The characters were amazing, I never had any trouble connecting with them at all. The blossoming romance between Sam and Brandt was a nice touch and I thought they balanced each other out nicely. I loved how this story was different than the others I've read; Sam not only was inside the victim's mind at the time of the attack, but she also felt every injury and the wounds manifested themselves on her skin as well, further threatening her life. The author's writing is very smooth and the entire book flowed well; I had trouble putting it down! The Bad - I don't really have much negative to say about this book. One thing is I wish Stefan would have made more of an appearance in this book. I liked his character and I felt like we didn't get to see enough of him.  I would have enjoyed a scene or two of him working with Sam to see how she gradually learned more control. Also, I felt a little disappointed about the killer, or rather the identity of the killer. I'm not going to go into any more detail than that because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. The Ugly - Nothing to say here, really enjoyed this book!

3) Romance Sizzle Or Fizzle?: I would definitely say sizzle. Sam and Brandt's romance was a gradual thing, even though there was a definite connection between the two from the beginning. Brandt didn't push her into anything, because he knew she wasn't really used to getting close to people. I just found them to be incredibly sweet and perfect for each other.

4) Uniqueness Of Plot: The story wasn't incredibly unique, as I've read quite a few psychic novels previously. But the degree to which Sam's abilities went, the fact that she not only felt but experienced the same injuries as the victim was very different and I enjoyed reading about it.

5) Final Thoughts: From the first page I knew I would enjoy this book. Suspense novels with psychic characters always grab my attention because it gives a new dimension to the search for the killer. I loved the characters, the story, and the romance. Wonderful first read in this new series, I look forward to seeing what's next!

Rating: 4/5 stars

If you'd like to learn more about the author, Dale Mayer, check out her webpage and Twitter account.