Customer Reviews

Divine Intervention

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Things get really hot in this paranormal thriller when a serial arsonist murders three people, one of whom is the father of a politician on the rise. Set in British Columbia at a time in the near future, the case is assigned to a very special team of investigators with psychic abilities.

Leading the team is agent Jasmine McLellan, a Pyro-Psychic who can visit the remains of an arsonist's target and reconstruct the crime through the mind of the perpetrator. The other two members are Ben, a Psychometric Empath who can check you out by just touching your bare skin, and Natassia, a Victim Empath, who can reverse the saying that dead men tell no tales. The three form a very closely knit group, so that when they are ordered to temporarily expand the group by one, things get really tense, especially when the newest member is tall, rugged and handsome, but most of all, a skeptic.

The trail blows hot and cold as it leads them across British Columbia, as do the emotions, but the thing is, how many more people does the arsonist intend to kill, and how are the victims connected to each other?

The author combines murder, arson, adultery, blackmail, abuse and much more in this fast-paced book that you'll just have to read in one sitting. The only problem with it is that there is a book two mentioned, and I don't yet have a copy in my hands.


Amanda Richards, August 28, 2007

Some of my favorite authors are Canadian. Cheryl Tardif is a new addition to the ranks of Margaret Atwood, Tanya Huff, and a host of others.

Arson is probably the deadliest five letter word and definitely a curse to any firefighter or criminalist. Solving arson cases and especially preventing recidivism in an arsonist takes special training. A future Canadian FBI has developed a crack team of investigators to help solve these types of crimes. The three are led by Matthew Divine, hence the name of the book. Divine makes no appearances and seems more like the mysterious "Charlie" of the Angels' boss.

Jasi (Jasmine) McLellan, is a Pyro psychic who can breathe smoke from either the conflagration or cremains of a crime and join minds with the arsonist. Natassia, a recent Russian emigre, is a Victim Empath, who literally talks to dead people and 'empties' their psychic aura when she reads them. Ben rounds out the team (and provides a love interest for Natassia) as a profiler and empath. For this book, they are joined by arson investigator, Brandon Walsh, who initially doesn't believe in any of their gifts and serves as an interesting antagonist.

The team's facing a serial arsonist. The crime that comes to their attention is the incineration of Dr. Norman Washburn at his lakeside cabin. The physician is trussed up in IV tubing, soaked with gasoline, and set ablaze. What gets them called in is that the physician is the 'illegitimate father' of a notable politician from that area.

"He needed killin'" is a common phrase in the South and unfortunately, there's not much sympathy for the victim in this case. Nor for one of the prior victims, foster mother Charlotte Foreman, who died in a similar manner, unfortunately, Samantha, one of Charlotte's foster kids, was witness and the arsonist killed her as well.

It's clear that the arsonist is working from a 'dead list' and will strike again so it's imperative the team tracks him down quickly. The issue is--can Jasi work with Brandon when the sparks literally are flying between them? And can they untangle the Gordian knot of clues in before perhaps another innocent victim goes out in a blaze?

It's difficult to write a credible multiple point of view novel, because each character has to have his or her own 'voice'. Ms. Tardif manages to do that with the four primary characters. In addition, Jasi slips into the arsonist's mind and Natassia gives voice to the victims.

The alternate world Ms. Tardif has created is also interesting combined with a very Canadian feel. It still blows my mind that a criminal investigator would be taking a taxi anywhere, I'm so used to the US agents with their G-rides.

My only gripes are more than average copy-editing problems and Jasi missing some critical questions on one cab driver interrogation. I realize she did it to keep the suspense going, but that was at the cost of the character and unworthy of her talents. A veteran agent, like Jasi, would have asked more questions and eliminated the subject right there.

My next stop is to purchase Ms. Tardif's second book, "Divine Justice". Merry Christmas to me!

Finally, a Canadian novel by a Canadian author that captures Canadiana in its finest. Cheryl Kaye Tardif's most recent novel is comparative to Nora Roberts' "In Death" series that is penned under the pseudonym of 'J.D. Robb'.

In the first of Tardif's Divine series, Divine Intervention introduces the reader to an elite group of psychic government agents. The chemistry between Jasmine McLellan, the pyro-psychic who enters a serial killer's mind, and Brandon Walsh, the Chief of Arson Investigations, is hotter than a Florida heatwave.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif successfully manipulates the characters, their emotions and actions, and takes you to a startling climax that will leave you suspended. The shocking twist at Divine Intervention's conclusion will rip your emotions bare as you enter the world of a serial arsonist bent on revenge.

I enjoyed this novel immensely and will be awaiting Tardif's next book with hot, sweaty palms. Cheryl Kaye Tardif is destined to be a great Canadian author--and is the new 'Canadian J.D. Robb'.

Divine Intervention was a hugely pleasant surprise. Cheryl Tardif has definitely found her genre with this new crime novel set in the not-so-far future. The story is about Agent Jasmine McLellan, who works for a highly special branch of the Canadian Federal Bureau of Investigations. She is a Pyro-Psychic, one who can read crime scenes involving fires, telling what caused them, and sometimes who and why. The reader begins the novel as Jasi is coming off downtime from a huge case, and is abruptly thrown into a new one. Someone in B.C. has already murdered three people by fire, and the case is given to the PSI unit of the CFBI to find the killer. It is now up to Jasi and her colleagues, with the aid of the insufferably attractive Chief of Arson Investigations Brandon Walsh, to track down the murderer-before it's too late.
I found Divine Intervention to be extremely hard to walk away from. I kept wanting to read just one more chapter. With the believable characters, and scorching plot twists, I was truly sorry to see the book end. Anyone who is a fan of J.D. Robb will thoroughly enjoy this one- especially any who have been waiting for an excellent voice to bring alive a genuinely Canadian crime novel. I, for one, am now itching to read more about Jasi and the rest of the PSI team. Divine Intervention will undeniably leave you smoldering-and dying for more.

Jasmine McLellan and her team of psychically-gifted CFBI agents race against the clock to discover the identity of a serial arsonist/murderer. The reader is swept along through plot twists, profiling, even politics as 'Jasi', herself, enters the mind of the killer.
Highly emotional, yet intriguing, "Divine Intervention" is the first of the 'Divine Series' by Ms Tardif, who has already made a name for herself with "Whale Song" and "The River".
"Divine Intervention" is set in southern British Columbia, Canada in the not-too-distant future, and is as well-written and moving as her previous novels. And for excitement and thrills, it surely doesn't disappoint! Divine Intervention

Cheryl Kaye Tardif's hot futuristic thriller, Divine Intervention, radiates suspense and mystery. Divine Intervention transports the reader to a tomorrow with comforting echoes of today, but also with strange possibilities that challenge expectations.

Tardif's passionate crime solvers are anything but ordinary, in any time: three high-strung special investigators endowed with psychic powers, which enable them to pierce the veil separating the physical world from a fleeting dimension of shadowy thoughts and events. Their extrasensory vision isn't perfect, though, and Jasi, Natassia, and Ben must always supplement their gifts with old-fashioned detective work and strategic, if sometimes unpleasant, alliances to make up the balance. Paradoxically, their unusual abilities can render them dangerously vulnerable, transforming the hunters into the prey, the magicians of emotion into nearly helpless pawns.

The author skillfully ties and unties knots in a plot line stretching back decades to a source of evil now unleashing fiery destruction and horrible death amid the scenic wonders of British Columbia. Tardif fuels her story with relentless pacing, marvelously cryptic clues, frequent surprises, and convincing details of criminal investigation and firefighting. The narrative temperature reaches feverish intensity when multiple conflicts threaten to ignite and obsessive attractions cloud rationality with sensual steam.

As a mystery author and lover of a well-told tale, I found much to admire and enjoy in Divine Intervention by Cheryl Kaye Tardif.

(Reviewed by Jimmy Fox, author of genealogical mysteries--www.jimmyfox.com)

If you are a mystery fan then Divine Intervention will definately appeal to you. But this story is more than your average murder mystery. It is a futuristic mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the very end wondering just who did it.

Like a fly getting trapped in a spiders web this story will keep you entangled right until the very end.

Whale song was great, but Cheryl Tardifs stories just keep on getting better. I cannot wait until her next one.

Ian Lyon Poet, Artist and soon to be Author.

Where should I start? I was thinking whether it was a paranormal, a romance or a thriller story. Or all together. The CFBI agents had paranormal abilities, and the way they used their gifts and made contact to the paranormal dimensions was interesting in itself. Some investigators would give anything to be able to sense, feel and see how the crime happened, just by touching objects of the crime scene. It would revolutionize the investigation process.

I like thrillers, I like twists and turns, and I like suspense. I got these all in Divine Intervention. As the story unfolds, the team is trying to catch an arsonist and killer. Soon they realise that they are after the wrong person. The team discovers the awful series of events that led to the murder they were investigating.
There was an exciting chase at the end (I could enjoy some more in the book), almost costing the life of McLellan. And there was a real twist at the end, the killer was somebody not expected. I had a small problem with that, though: there should have been some clues along the story, so it would not feel somewhat like deus ex machina.

Being a sci-fi fan (and being a man), I'm not really into romance stories, so it may be only me, but the romance started strangely: Agent McLellan hated Walsh right when they met. Of course Walsh was assigned to the investigation, and they had the chance to argue with each other. I was confused when it turned to love. Ladies, if you read the book, please tell me if I'm wrong on this, and the turn was believable.
Anyway, they fell into love, but then McLellan turned down Walsh when he tried to make love with her. Not that I wanted a sex scene, but after the trouble they went through, they merited to have a good time together.
I liked the romance subplot between the other two agents, Prushenko and Roberts. Two grown ups, who like each other, discover that their feelings can be deeper than they thought, and give it a try.

I found the characterisation well done.

There was an issue with the font size, smaller and bigger parts of the text were alternating, sometimes paragraph by paragraph.

This novel will grab the reader's interest with the intricate, unusual plot. The main character is spunky, tough and fun to follow through the book. The reader will constantly be bombarded with new developments to the mystery, the author keeps the reader guessing in this story. The characters are very intriguing; the main character pulls the novel together, but the secondary characters give it flavor. The author craftily creates the scene for when Jasmine enters the killer's mind; the reader will get a very different perspective, not one found in many novels. The ending is satisfying, the reader will be happy with it. This book is recommended for adults who enjoy intense mystery and action novels.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif has become my favorite Canadian writer with this series and other books. Character and scenario building is always excellent. The villains are never easy to catch or figure out. A bit of humor sprinkled throughout is always a respite from the tension of the chase to find the killer before another victim falls. Jasi, Ben, and Natassia are unique investigators, each with a different psychic ability. Seems many times their job is only made harder by narrow minded people who don't believe in their gifts. Ms. Tardif helps her characters take it all in stride while weaving us through a maze of false trails leading up to an always exciting finale.

Any of the potential suspects in this one would be a good catch. Most of the murder victims themselves don't elicit much sympathy from the reader. One of them is so depressing it will probably make most people rather upset. Tardif draws us into the tale both emotionally and mentally as we try to figure out who does the nasty deeds before she tells us. This is some of the best suspense writing around. - Dee Dailey