Touching Evil [Paperback]

Rob Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2008

Greg has a special talent he'd give anything to be rid of. After an accident many years ago that left him in a coma, Greg woke up to find that he could touch things and know what had happened to them. Too bad he can't control the talent enough to keep it from overwhelming him. He's lived with it long enough that it he can make it day by day, but when he starts being stalked, he has to depend on his friends to help him cope. The only good thing his gift has brought him is Artie, an overprotective cop with a psychotic cat and a great bedside manner. Artie is all about helping Greg cope, and about finding out who's threatening his friend. Through grisly gifts and terrifying attacks, Artie stays by Greg's side. Even ordering take-out can be an ordeal for Greg, and Artie is happy to run interference. Greg hasn't touched anyone without pain in years, but with Artie he finds he has someone to lean on, even as the stalker finds new ways to torment him. Can the two of them find a way to solve the mystery of Greg's tormenter before one of them gets hurt?

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Torquere Press (August 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934166030
• ISBN-13: 978-1934166031
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,944,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching Evil-Joyfully Recommended, January 7, 2007

By 

M. Nix - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touching Evil (Paperback)

Several years ago, Greg Pearsall was a brilliant biology professor. Then one night, an accident occurred, and his life changed forever. Waking up from a coma, Greg learns that he can discover the history of an object by touching it. He even gets images when he touches a person, overwhelming him to the point that he hasn't been able to leave his house in a year and a half. The only people he is surrounded by are Alice and Mitch, his partners in a New Age shop and Artie, the homicide detective who is fast becoming an anchor for him.

Arthur `Artie' McAdams is a cop who was approached by Greg once about a pending murder investigation. Convinced the man was a lunatic, he was forcibly swayed after witnessing his incredible talents. Once Greg started helping Artie with his unsolved cases, the two have managed to mesh their lives and are now nearly inseparable. Artie is determined to take care of Greg, to be a barrier between him and the dangerous world around them. Despite his personal feelings for Greg, Artie is sure that he can only ever be a friend for fear of overloading Greg with his touch.
When Greg receives a horrifying bloody book, covered in the terror and desperation of a woman and the sick depraved feelings of her killer, he calls Artie to come help him. As the two become embroiled in the case, they start to realize how deeply they have interconnected their lives. Artie even has his own chair at Greg's home, a chair that Greg curls up in late at night, surrounding himself with the thoughts and feelings of Artie. Greg needs Artie now more than ever, and Artie can finally be with the man he loves. That is, if they can hold on long enough to beat the madman that is determined to capture Greg's attention with his gruesome `gifts'.

Touching Evil is an absolutely exceptional book. I found myself getting so caught up in the story that before I knew it, it was the early hours of the morning and I still had not put it down. I love Greg and Artie, and their relationship is incredible. Although, calling what they have a `relationship' feels too tame for their connection. Because of Greg's talents he can hear Artie's thoughts, which makes for an intense time in the bedroom; but more often, he uses Artie's familiarity as a touchstone to calm himself when he is overwhelmed by everything around him. Greg and Artie understand each other in a way that no one else does. Touching Evil is an incredible book with so many layers, including Artie's hilarious psychotic cat, that it kept me entertained for hours. Both beautiful in the relationship of Greg and Artie, and terrifying in the descriptions of the serial killer's actions, Touching Evil is highly recommended!

Shannon
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It could have been better, March 25, 2007

By 

Summer Starr "Sums" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Touching Evil (Paperback)

It kept me reading, so it's not Godawful, but... I had some issues. First of all, it's like a fanficcer got published, and she's just writing an AU for some strange fandom I'm not familiar with, but it has some connections to Dead Zone and maybe even The Sentinel. Because seriously? The psychic had an accident and went into a coma and woke up with awesome 'powahz', and it's been years since he was able to touch someone, and now he has to use the cop to 'ground' himself. Yeah, it's like that. And how sad is it that I thought that the one-eyed cat was the best character?

If you're looking for a good who-done-it, then look elsewhere. The story was about a gay detective and a psychic, and who ended up doing all the work? The detectives PREGNANT PARTNER!! There was no real solving of the case. There were no clues that the reader could follow to solve the mystery. It was all about the sex. Yes, I have issues with the amount of 'erotic scenes' in this book, as they served no real point to the plot, not really.

Also, I swear, sometimes, I thought the story only went through one beta, as I felt that there were commas littering the pages like blood droplets on a cutter's floor. Srsly. I'm not the best with grammar or spelling and -I- was noticing some problems. And while some of it can be attributed to the author's 'style' some of it was just choppy and not cool. For instance, she wanted to set different tones to the different POVs, but the tones bled over to each other, and were sometimes completely absent. There was also a lot of repetitiveness that I just didn't feel needed to be there, like their constant re-hashing of "It's been a log day." Really? How so? Okay, granted finding some stranger's body parts does qualify as `a long day', but still. If we'd seen more of the actual police investigation, if we see more of the grunt work, I might be more sympathetic to Artie's state of mind. As it stands... not so much. Also, the dialog needs some brushing, as it's very rough in areas, and I felt that it hurts the flow.

Before you, the buyer, think that this isn't worth anything, I will say that it kept me (mostly) entertained. There was no moment where I had to put down the material and step away, no overly embarrassing moments, and it was very vanilla (which I like). There's some Hurt/Comfort going on here, and some affectionate play between the pairing. It's also miles above some writers (het/gen) that have been at this craft for years.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quick read!, February 19, 2007

By 

J. Wachob - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Touching Evil (Paperback)

This book is excellent on all levels. Well written, clever premise, characters you care about, plot that keeps you interested. I read this straight through in one afternoon because I could not put it down! I kept waiting for it to disappoint in some way like many other books in this genre: too much sex (yes, that's possible!), weak plot point just to separate the main couple, contrived danger to one or both parties, an ending that's just..... wrong. None of that happens here. This is a great love story set against the hunt for a gruesome serial killer and both parts work.

Greg and Artie are great characters with cop Artie in the role of protector to housebound psychic Greg. You will love them both. And their relationship has really already developed as they have worked together on other cases. They act like a couple before they even are one. It's very sweet. It's only when they discover that Greg can handle Artie's touch that their relationship develops into more than friendship. Then it's sweet and hot!

I hope the author is writing something else right now. A sequel would be nice - this could easily work as a series - but whatever it is, I'm there!