Synopsis:

In an alternative present-day Lisbon, a small percentage of the population have been diagnosed as Gifted – having telepathic or telekinetic powers. Along with the power comes a stigma and suspicion that Gifted Inspector Isabel Reis with the Lisbon Police Force knows only too well.

When Isabel is called to investigate a mysterious and violent death which hints at Gifted involvement, she knows it’s more than just her personal reputation on the line. In a society where Gifted individuals are already viewed with mistrust, Isabel is hiding her own secret and knows she has to tread carefully as a conspiracy emerges and the body count rises.

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Publication date: June 16th 2021

I really enjoyed this book and wish that I’d slowed down my reading of it long enough to write notes but that ship has now sailed! It’s exceptionally well written and (clearly!) held my rapt attention, the pace is slower than I normally enjoy and developments are revealed at a very steady pace, but the character building is so well done I was happy to take my time over it. 

Isabel, the main character, is a very guarded person. She’s an Inspector with telepathic powers who is currently investigating a dead which may have some paranormal involvement. Alongside this, she’s dealing with her powers, prejudice against her for having powers and difficulties within her family. She’s slow to trust people so we only get what she gives us, which gradually increases as the story progresses.

The headaches she suffers from gradually increase and I could empathise greatly – trying to get anything done with chronic headaches is a nightmare and I could almost feel what was being described. 

In this world, there are some people known as Gifted who have powers which are either Telekinetic or Telepathic and rank between 1-10 in terms of strength. Obviously, they’re regarded with mistrust, because… humanity. And there’s a very X-Men them-and-us stance in the world, with bigots and sympathisers in all corners. 

Only time will tell what kind of person her new partner is but I have high hopes! 

The case is solved at the end of the book, but loops back to another case from the beginning – leading me to hope that this is the beginning of a series because I’m eager to see what the future has in store for these characters!