Touch of Madness (Thrall, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

C. T. Adams (Author), Cathy Clamp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 2007

Kate Reilly is having a bad month
 
She's on trial for murders she didn't commit. She's next on the list of a serial killer. The parasitic vampires known as the Thrall want her to investigate the murder of their young, and will use any means necessary to force her to bow to their demands.
 
And--possibly worst of all--her boyfriend Tom's werewolf pack is trying to break them up so Tom can mate with a werewolf to ensure the survival of his pack.
 
Now Kate must fight for Tom--and fight for her very survival in this brand new paranormal romance from the unbeatable, bestselling team of C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp.
 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Adams and Clamp's latest, psychic tough gal Kate Reilly returns to find trouble coming from all directions: her gorgeous boyfriend's werewolf pack is trying to break the couple up; she's being sued for her part in a gruesome death; and the Thrall—evil, parasitic vampires who, last time out, tried to make Reilly their new queen—demand her help in finding a batch of missing vampire eggs.[...] Reilly soon discovers that she's the target of a multipronged manhunt and must outwit killers bent on her destruction. Picking up where their bestselling Touch of Evil left off, Adams and Clamp jump straight into the action. Fans will happily rejoin Reilly's story, which features great chemistry between the leads and a swift pace; unfortunately, the overly complex plot will prove a challenge to those not already familiar with the unconventional rules of Adams and Clamp's world. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Adams and Clamp continue the paranormal romance series that began with Touch of Evil (2006). In this installment, Kate Reilly is on trial following a debacle involving a hospital study. Her brother, Bryan, is also in trouble. The leader of the werewolf pack wants Tom to reproduce, but Kate is sterile, and she keeps having dreams in which other Not Prey turn up dead. The great appeal of this series is that Clamp and Adams create a fully imagined world and bring multiple, disparate plots together to satisfying effect. Tixier Herald, Diana
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Paranormal Romance (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765356635
• ISBN-13: 978-0765356635
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,022,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touch of Madness erupts with excitement, May 24, 2007

By 

Kelley Hartsell "Kelley" (Irving, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Touch of Madness (Thrall, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Touch of Madness erupts with excitement from the very first paragraph and doesn't let up until the exciting conclusion.

Kate Reilly has had some pretty bad days, but life is about to get even worse. Still reeling from her last battle with the Thrall, parasitic vampire hives who tried to make her their Queen, now she is forced to deal with them again. When a meeting about a scientific experiment involving the Thrall hatchlings and a few Not Prey (explained in Touch of Evil) humans goes horribly awry, Kate finds herself on the witness stand, accused of murder and destruction of hospital property.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the Thrall want Kate to track down their stolen eggs before they die. Forced into a corner, Kate takes the case and finds herself facing an even more dangerous enemy. To top it off, her werewolf boyfriend Tom's pack will do anything necessary to split them up so Tom can fulfill his duty to help the pack grow. Still more is about to confront Kate as she makes some shocking discoveries about just what she can do with her psychic abilities. Can her life get any worse?

CT Adams and Cathy Clamp excel at world building and Touch of Madness is proof of this. Keep in mind it does help to read Touch of Evil first due to so many of the rules of the Thrall society being explained in great depth in that book. So if you haven't read it, you may want to pick it up first to avoid any unnecessary confusion. This second installment in The Thrall series expands on the universe introduced in the preceding novel while revealing some new facets to Kate Reilly's world. And I still have to say they have one of the most unique and fascinating vampire societies I have ever come across, and it's nothing like any others I've read.

Fans of fast paced adventure novels, coupled with strong paranormal elements, and a heck of a lot of relationship steam will love Touch of Madness. Kate sure doesn't have it very easy with everything thrown at her throughout the story and in turn, readers don't either. Every time I thought the pace was going to slow down long enough for me to catch my breath and relieve cramped muscles, another twist was thrown into the story that sped up the heart rate yet again.

While this is a plot driven story, relationships between all of the players are crucial to unfolding events. We are introduced to additional Not Prey cast members from all walks of life, and several countries, who add to the story. Even those ones who may not show up for very long affect the outcome of Kate's story. One of my favorite secondary characters is barely even explored, but still managed to catch my attention. We also get to visit with some friends from Touch of Evil and learn more about them. I don't want to say too much about what happens to these characters though because it will spoil the book for some people.

Of course, Kate and Tom play starring roles. There romance is still going strong, in spite of repeated attempts by Tom's pack and Kate's family to interfere. Their affair is sizzling hot; full of passion as we see them fall even deeper in love. However, as much as their connection drew me in, I actually found myself almost more emotionally invested in the relationship between Kate and her brothers Joe and Brian. Why? Well I don't want to say too much, but I felt for Kate in what she went through with them. Trust me, you'll find yourself a little choked up as well when you come to what I'm hinting at.

I'm very happy to say that with the way Touch of Madness concludes its chapter in The Thrall series it is very clear CT Adams and Cathy Clamp have plenty more in store for us with Kate's story!

© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2007. All rights reserved.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fans of enthralling supernatural thrillers will appreciate this fine stand alone tale, June 10, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touch of Madness (Thrall, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Dr. Miles MacDougal invites the members of "Not Prey", humans who survived a vampire attack, to attend a meeting at a Denver hospital. Among those coming to the session is courier Kate Reilly and Detective John Brooks, who both recently battled the Thrall of vampire Queen Monica and won; Kate destroyed the nest and killed the queen (see TOUCH OF EVIL). Kate attends only as a favor to her brother Joe who works here.

Miles introduces his colleague Dr. Samantha Greeley, who explains she has 100 parasite incubated eggs of the late Monica. This shocks everyone attending and most leave. Samantha becomes infected and disappears while videographer Mason Watts is killed. While someone steals the eggs and Kate's significant other Tom the werewolf is having trouble with his pack as they want him to mate with one of their own and not a purebred human, the new vampire queen P. Douglas Richards and his top aid ex NBA superstar Lewis Carlton want Kate to discover who stole the eggs.

Readers will root for the strong heroine as she searches for the missing eggs and struggles in her personal relationships with her lover and her older brother, as both object to her independent nature. However, the key to the exciting second Thrall thriller is the werewolves and vampires seem real with their respective complex societal customs. Fans of enthralling supernatural thrillers will appreciate this fine stand alone tale, but reading the previous novel helps the audience better understand the mythos and relationships.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, September 4, 2007

By 

Lisa "paranormal freak" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Touch of Madness (Thrall, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

The second in the series after Touch of Evil, Touch of Madness was very entertaining. This book went more into Katie and Tom's relationship. Tom is a shapeshifter and Katie is Not Prey. The Thrall, which are vampires and are run by a Queen (much like a bee hive) have recruited Katie to find their stolen young from a medical lab. This book, while still very good, didn't have the suspense and action the first book had. But, it still kept my interest and I enjoyed reading this story.