Customer Reviews

Shadow Touch (Dirk & Steele, Book 2)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Elena Baxter is a freak. She can heal with her touch. When she gets abducted for her abilities, of course it's a terrible thing, but the silver lining is she finds out she's not alone. There are others out there with extraordinary abilities. People who can read minds, people who can shape-shift, and people who can sense things by touch. This information totally rocks her world, but before she can explore the possibilities further, she has to escape from her prison.

Artur Loginov knows there are others out there like him; he works for Dirk & Steele, a top-secret psychic detective agency. He, too, has been abducted for his abilities - his mysterious and sadistic captors want to extract information about Dirk & Steele from him. Artur needs to get out before they take over his mind, and, preferably, stop whatever other plans these people have for his kind.

Elena and Artur meet in a corridor in their prison, and with one healing touch, embark on one of the most unusual courtships I have ever read. The way Liu can build up such fire and sympathy with just one touch is incredible, and the way she can sustain it through a frantic chase across Russia speaks to her strength as a writer, particularly in character development. I know these people as well as they know each other, and I am fully committed to going the distance with them on this adventure. I am not usually a believer in love that crops up in the midst of a dangerous situation, but Liu made me believe it. After all, two people who can see deeply into each other's psyches really can know each other inside and out in a short period of time.

The love story was terrific, chock-full of chemistry that definitely made good on all its promises. The action was kick-a$$. The skeins of the story were very strongly woven together, with any loose ends being hints of future plots rather than dropped elements or holes in the writing. Readers are left wanting to know more about the other members of Dirk & Steele, more about the founders of the firm, and more about Amiri and Rik, the shape-shifting fellow prisoners. This reader in particular is dying to know more about the mysterious Rictor: is he a guard, a captive, something not even remotely human?

There was a small tie-in to TIGER EYE, but SHADOW TOUCH stands alone very well. There's enough romance to satisfy the pickiest of romance readers and enough action to attract non-romance fans to the genre (Rachel Caine, Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and X-Men fans come to mind).

Marjorie Liu returns to the world she created in TIGER EYE where shapeshifters, healers, telepaths, and more exist. Artur Loginov has the power to know other's thoughts and actions through the sense of touch. Elena Baxter has the power to heal. The Consortium wants to understand, control, and use these powers to take over the world so therefore both Artur and Elena are drugged, kidnapped, and taken to a lab in Russia. In the lab where they are being examined, they meet two shapeshifters, Rik (a dolphin) and Amiri (a cheetah), as well as Rictor who isn't human or shapeshifter but can instantly vanish and read minds. Artur and Elena bond when Elena heals his mind and they join together with Rik, Amiri, and Rictor to escape the Consortium's clutches. Unfortunately, Artur discovers that the Consortium's head, Beatrix Weave, intends to unite all of the Russian Mafia crime lords and begin her conquest of the world. Artur finally manages to contact the agency he works for, Dirk and Steele, and Beatrix's plans are stopped. Liu has numerous twists and turns throughout the novel that kept me anxiously turning the page to discover what would happen next. This is the second book in the Dirk and Steele series and I am already eagerly looking forward to the next addition to the series.

Elena Baxter heals with her hands. Artur Loginov has killed with his, but most importantly sees into the minds and memories of others with a simple touch. After finding themselves kidnapped, tortured, and held captive in a secret facility, Artur and Elena forge a bond that helps them escape the facility their being held in. However, they escape to find out that the people who held them have set sinister plans into motion. I loved this book!!!! Marjorie Liu managed to pull me into her story with her wonderful writing skills and characters that are well developed and endearing in their own ways. I commend Marjorie Liu in creating a book that does not fall into a 'cookie cutter' mold. Shadow Touch (the second book in the Dirk and Steele series) is very different from Tiger Eye (the first book in the series), but just as well written. I also enjoyed the way Marjorie has introduced characters and bits of information that make you ask the question ' what will come next?'. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action and the paranormal with some romance along the way.

Artur, one of Dirk & Steele's investigators, is kidnapped from his home and taken to a secret location to be studied like a lab rat. His captors belong to a shadowy criminal organization, named the Consortium, headed by a powerful psychic named Beatrix.

The Consortium is collecting people with special psychic abilities to study, to recruit and to control. But they have special interest in Artur. He holds a secret that no one else knows, one that the Consortium will do what's necessary to get out of him.

Artur soon discovers others with similar special abilities and even shape shifters in the secret location he's being held. During his stay, he crosses paths with a beautiful woman who is also a captive. Elena has a powerful ability to heal people. Like Artur, the Consortium has a special interest in her. When Artur and Elena meet in the hallway, she heals his wounds and inadvertently establishes an unbreakable psychic link with him that helps join their psychic strengths as they fight their captors.

Artur and Elena eventually escape their captors with the help of a mysterious character who refuses to reveal who or what he is. It's not long after their escape that they discover Beatrix's evil plans. She is greedy for power and her plan is to use mind control to unite the mafia organizations in each country under her control.

With the help of other Dirk & Steele investigators, Artur and Elena try to thwart Beatrix's plans, but their attempts go awry when Artur is captured once again and the Consortium uses him as bait to lure Elena back into their clutches.

This was an exciting read; full of adventure and romance. I couldn't put it down. If, however, I had to compare it to another Dirk & Steele book, like The Tiger Eye, I'd say that it pales a bit in comparison. Despite that, I highly recommend it.

Ok for those of you who have never read marjorie m. liu you are seriously missing out . she is a rare and hard to come across diamond in the paranormal genre , once you get your hands on her books you don't want to let go .
I work in a little local bookstore and while I was reading marjorie 's book shadow touch ,which is the second in the dirk & steele detective paranormal series and I actually found myself cussing the customers silently when they would come into the store because it meant I had to put the book down and normally I don't have a problem with this because I do that all the time , I get to read during slow periods but when customers come in I am more than eager to help them find whatever they would like but when I reading the shadow touch book I found I did a total 360 , I didn't want to put it down but had to , bummer !!!! so for anyone looking for a really good paranormal romance book , marjorie's books are the ones to grab for without any hesitation .

book synopsis :
Psychic healer elena baxter thought she had managed to keep her extraordinary gift a secret . however after she is kidnapped , elena realizes that someone knows. but what do they want with her ? dirk & steele psychic operative artur loginov is working on tracking down a serial killer .when he too is kidnapped . upon awakening in captivity , artur is stunned to discover that an evil consortium is abducting paranormal individuals and conducting horrific tests on them . the fact that members of the consortium themselves are paranormal only make things worse . artur's brain has been so damaged that he almost dies , but an encounter with elena saves his life - she heals him and in doing so , creates a telepathic bond . escape becomes their first priority as artur , elena and a few shapeshifters make a break for it . but learning what the appallingly powerful head of the consortium is about to unleash may force a change in plans.
book two in this mindblowing series proves that liu is a world class talent . her stories are filled with extraordinary characters and plotlines that are ingenious and riveting . waiting for the next book in the series will be torture . (synopsis for the book is quoted from the romantic times magazine )

SHADOW TOUCH, a paranormal romance by Marjorie M. Liu, is engaging and interesting. I also found it a much better read, prose-wise, than its prequel, TIGER EYE, which very much reminded me of the writing of overly descriptive, overly poetic students in a creative writing class.

Liu's writing is more in control with SHADOW TOUCH, and it is both compelling and fresh in tone. Put another way, I didn't find myself skipping over endless paragraph after paragraph of writing for the sake of writing, like in the first book.

Plot-wise, SHADOW TOUCH is the story of ex-Russian mobster, Artur Loginov, who is kidnapped for his special (or cursed) ability to see other people's memories by touching them. While imprisoned, he meets up with Elena Baxter, a hospital volunteer who was kidnapped for her abilities to heal. Together, they join forces with two shape-shifters to escape their prison and help rid the world of an evil magical being.

Artur and Elena fall in love, and it quite the original love story, indeed. The way Liu merged their two abilities into a meeting of the heart and souls was fascinating and new, and you can actually "see" the two of them fall in love. This is not a lust-at-first-sight story. This is a bond between soul mates, and Liu does a fantastic job describing it.

Being that this is a descriptive book and it revolves around torture and violence, there are some moments that are disturbing to read about. One Amazon reviewer mentioned that there was a ghastly rape scene in the introduction, which actually kept me from reading this book right away, as I didn't want to deal with something so traumatic. However, the rape does not happen to a main character, nor is it ever written about in detail, so it is not as horrible as the reviewer described. I was more disturbed by the animal cruelty in this book, which thankfully was kept brief. However, if you are sensitive to gore, cruelty, and violence, I'd advise you consider reading another book. This one may be too overwhelming.

I'd also advise you to read the first book, TIGER EYE. There are more than a few references to events or characters from TIGER EYE, so reading it beforehand will help you understand the magic-filled world Liu has created. TIGER EYE also provided an intriguing introduction to Artur, who I found to be the most fascinating character in the book. I'm glad he got his own story in SHADOW TOUCH, which was satisfying emotionally. His heroine, Elena, is a great match for him, and both are characters I'd love to meet in real life.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I wonder who it will be about. Rik? Dean? Rictor? Too bad I'm not a mind reader....

I read this book all in one sitting and was taken to another world. I hope to see more books on the other characters in this series.
Happy writing!

Artur Loginov was once a Russian mobster with the uncanny skill of "hearing" other people's memories by simply touching them. Perhaps it is the sadness and nostalgia in some of the recollections he hears or more likely the rampage of terror that murdered so many, but Artur turns himself around by becoming a private investigator, working for global Dirk & Steele.

When he is abducted, Artur assumes his previous life has caught up with him, but also knows to adhere to his vow to keep silent at the cost of his life about Dirk & Steele, who provided his first reason to live by allowing him to belong to something. He changes his mind about why he was kidnapped when he meets the other "guests" at the facility where he is being held. They, like him, have psychic skills. He especially finds himself attracted to Elena Baxter, whose feelings of being alone touch Artur's soul. Her gift of healing amazes even a tainted soul like Artur. The duo team up with shapeshifters to escape the prison only to realize that only Elena and Artur as a team can stop their former warden host from achieving a most malevolent objective.

The sequel to the wonderful TIGER'S EYE, SHADOW TOUCH, is a great romantic fantasy thriller that is must reading by sub-genre fans. The story line makes believers of the audience that X-Men like people exist. The action is fast and furious, but it is the characterizations that make this such a wonderful read. When Kirk & Steele enlisted Artur they fulfilled a basic human need to belong, but Elena provides him with an even more basic need. Maslow aside, Marjorie M. Liu provides a fabulous tale that will bring her plenty of kudos and award nominations.

Harriet Klausner

In this second novel concerning the Dirk & Steele Detective Agency, Marjorie M. Liu brings a rich and vibrant world to life. We met Artur Loginov in Tiger Eye and I'm happy to say he is just as intriguing in this book as he was in Ms. Liu's debut novel. Artur, a former Russian Mafia hit man, uses his psychometric talents to help solve crimes (usually violent ones.) By touching anything with his bare skin, he can immediately "read" it: its past and its history. His talent is slowly killing him, causing hemorrhaging in his brain. Yet, he will not stop his work with Dirk & Steele; by doing so, he can repent for his crimes as a youth.

Elena Baxter, by contrast, is a healer: she can heal someone with her touch. She volunteers at local hospitals in the terminal wards, and helps as she can. It is after one such good deed that she is snatched by a mysterious group of people. She ends up in a facility, where she is to be poked and prodded until she agrees to use her gifts towards her captors' benefits.

Artur too is kidnapped, sold out by his first love. Waking up in the same facility as Elena is being held, he refuses the invitation to work for his captors. To break him, they remove his clothing, forcing him to walk barefoot on the same floors as those who work in the facility and other captives have walked. His talents force him to relive their thoughts and actions. As he passes Elena in the hallway, his brain finally breaks and he collapses. She heals him, forming a bond between them. Together, along with two other captives (more shapeshifters) and one of their captors who aids them, they are able to overcome their hardships.

As with Tiger Eye, the characters are all brought to life; primary and secondary. Reading the book, one feels as if they know the characters. Artur has scars; he is not a nice guy and he has done some bad things. Despite this, he is still very sympathetic and one can't help but root for him and Elena as the book progresses. This is essentially a suspense novel with the paranormal thrown in. It also has an unexpected twist at the end that leaves the reader wanting more.

The other really nice thing about the novel is that one doesn't need to read Tiger Eye in order to get what is going on. The world that Ms. Liu has set up is gritty and real. The action is fast paced and believable. Her attention to detail and the creation of believable characters are what makes this books great. I am very happy to see that this, the second book in the Dirk & Steele series has lived up to the potential Ms. Liu showed with her debut novel. Go out and read it!

I awaited Ms. Liu's second book in the Dirk & Steele series with great anticipation. This story hits the ground running into all sorts of paranormal challenges for Artur and Elena. SHADOW TOUCH's complexities are totally enjoyable as it explores the use of gifts for good or for evil. The love and trust which Artur and Elena come to share is convincing, and overcomes the odds against them - this book has a very satisfying conclusion. BUT, now I have more questions about those extraordinary people who work for Dirk & Steele! Liu's secondary characters AGAIN make me anxious for more of her delightful D & S stories.