Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The sparks fly in this red hot paranormal thriller, August 28, 2007
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
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Margaret Orford of Allbooks Reviews highly recommends this, June 5, 2008
A serial arsonist is on the loose, and they may strike again. Jasi's team of psychically gifted individuals is set on the case. Another member, albeit sceptical, is later added to the case, even though this adds unwanted friction within the group dynamics. The team uses their gifts to gain valuable clues, leading them down a twisty path across British Columbia to the most likely suspect; but the clues do not always point in the right direction. The arsonist will strike again. Will Jasi and her team discover who the culprit is in time? Or will they be too late?
Tardif writes a unique crime thriller set in British Columbia. Her use of psychically gifted characters adds to the uniqueness of the story, as well as adding extra layers. Through the use of the characters' gift, the reader can see the twisted minds of the criminal as well as the victims, who are just as twisted, if not more so, than the criminal. Jasi's team is a very tight-knit group, who have worked on several cases together. The new member to the team adds some tension and conflict between the members. This added friction contributes another dimension to the story. Tardif leads the readers on an exciting adventure as the characters gain clues, struggling against time to solve the case before the arsonist strikes again.
Cheryl Tardif was born in Vancouver, B.C., and has lived at different locations across Canada and Bermuda. She has also published the novels Whale Song and The River. There are more books in the works and waiting to be published, including the much anticipate second book in the Divine series, Divine Justice.
A crime novel at its best, with a Canadian twist, this book is a really thrilling page-turner, and is highly recommended by: Margaret Orford, Allbooks Reviews.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I wanted to blaze through this one!!! (4.5 stars), December 17, 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!
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