Customer Reviews

Touching Evil

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

 

 

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

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.

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!

I really, really enjoyed this book. Not just because it had lovely, hot scenes of men screwing madly, though that always is a plus. No, the enjoyment came because I'm severely addicted to books that have characters who can use more than their five senses. There's no good reason for this addiction, it's just something that I've always liked.
Throw in a cat with a bad attitude and I'm hooked.
There's so much to enjoy in this book. I keep hoping that the author is going to write more with these two characters, but until then I'm going to keep reading my copy until the pages are ready to fall out.

This Dead Zone remake really had the opportunity to be a unique, fascinating and meaningful addition to a woefully small (yet growing) number of Slash/Yaoi/Gay literature of quality. When I purchased this book, I did so off of the recommendations from the members of this site, which normally ends with me in smiles. Unfortunately, this time that wasn't the case. Maybe I'm far to picky, and maybe those who generally read this Genre of lit are jaded by what is, and isn't available in it. Being a writer myself, who is in the process of putting out quality m/m fantasy/sci-fi fiction I know how difficult it can be to write any form of erotica and be taken seriously, and I will always offer my kind gracious care and support to ANY writer, most especially one after my own heart. That said, I'll tell you what was missing for me.

Every night I read for about an hour before bed. Normally I can get at least 130 pages in that short time. This, however, was not the case with this book. I tried, hard, but I kept falling asleep! After four nights in a row I am at 55 pages. The grasp of English is choppy, in fact there were parts that had me wondering what exactly he meant. Some words he misused, and it left me cringing. However, I wanted it to be good so badly I kept trying, mostly for this author because I have so much compassion for fellow authors. The characters weren't different enough for me. They should have be, as they were set up as two very different people, but to me they had the same "sound" so much so I sometimes lost who was talking when and were, and ended up confused and frustrated due to lack of clarity in the writing.

I never got to the erotica, and I will not be picking up the book again. At this point, however, I am really kind of glad I never did get to the sex. Mostly because while many people think writing sex should be easy - it's not. If you haven't mastered the basics of the written word and the style it takes to take that written word and mold it into a stunningly told story you will not be able to bandy about sex in a believable way that doesn't come off as redundant. That said, reading the previous reviews a second time I find that my original assessment is write, even with 4 stars the word redundant has been used in these past reviews.

The story is also over-done. Major mental injury causes psychic powers which then are used to torment poor fella by evil murdering bad-guy. Or something like that. The DeadZone, if you know what I'm talking about.

[...]

The idea of this book is quite interesting, the characters very likable... and in the hands of a better author or at least someone with a better editor/beta it could have been an amazing piece of fiction. But as it is, I give it only three stars. Why?

Mostly because of the way it's written. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about spelling errors. I'm talking about the words and phrases the author chose. Like for example "There is milk at the house" instead of "I have milk at home". Or "Artie loved on him". Or words like "jonessing"... The book simply didn't flow. Rather often, you screeched to a halt, stumbling over a very weird phrase. It felt like it was written by someone whose first language wasn't English. And it's too bad.

I bought this book on the account that it got 5 stars from some folks, but I did not read the comments. I'll be sure to do that now. I had high hopes for this book, but when I actually got to reading it...well, as someone above mentioned it was like someone writing a fanfic for some unknown series. The main characters, Artie and Greg, are not very developed in my opinion. Although I love to read good erotic scenes, there were so many of them smashed into this 243 page book that it seemed as if the book concentrated more on the (not well-written)sex rather than a plot and character development. Much of the dialogue was not meaningful and often repeated in the book till it got repetitive. But even with all its flaws, it was alright enough for me to read in a couple sittings without much problem. If you're looking for a book that is quick and easy to read with lots of sex, this might be the book for you even though the mystery part is poorly done. Should you be looking for something engaging with well developed characters and plot, look elsewhere and save your money.

I liked this one, I really did. I felt for the character Greg who couldn't touch much of anything without gloves. Picking up most objects provides him with horrific, invasive visions. To my delight I discovered that the police naturally want to use Greg's very helpful talents. He has few friends and hasn't left his building in over a year. Artie, a detective, is one of those friends. The relationship between the two men is growing and about to head in a new direction, becoming physical. I loved the way that was handled here.

Then the trouble starts. Poor Greg is being stalked. By a madman. A real nutter, who is a serial killer, and creepy enough to raise the hair on the back of my neck. The killer is leaving unwelcome clues where Greg can't help but stumble over them. The results shatter Greg's carefully contained life. How it is all resolved makes good reading. Throw in a large, one-eyed cat with a serious temper and flashing claws, what could be more fun?

The plot of 'Touching Evil', although it may sound a bit familiar to Stephen King fans, is actually fairly original and quite good. Rob Knight's stark, spare, stream-of-consciousness style prose works very well for the story. The main characters are very human and sympathetic, and the story is suspenseful with occasional touches of humor. The paranormal element is believably integrated into the story, and is experienced by the main character in a very vivid, unusual manner.

However, I have to agree with the previous reviewers that the erotic content tends to overwhelm the plot. This book could have been quite a bit longer and more detailed, and while the sex scenes are enjoyable and well-written, the basic story is good enough to stand on its own. I felt some characters' motivations were not sufficiently explained, and all the characters, including Artie, Greg, and the villain, could have used more backstory.

Unfortunately, this book will leave you wishing the author had spent a little more time and effort writing it, but it's still a very pleasant reading experience.

Greg Pearsall was a brilliant biology professor when he suffered a fall that caused him to be in a coma for several months. When he awoke, he found he had acquired the ability to find out about people, places and events past, simply by touching something they previously handled or touching/being touched by someone. Unfortunately, he could not turn off this "gift" and the sensations become overwhelming to the point where it debilitates him, forcing Greg to turn into a recluse. He rarely leaves his apartment over the bookstore he owns, and tries to avoid contact with people and items not familiar to him, even having to wear gloves to count money.

Detective Artie McAdams became aware of Greg's ability when he contacted the officer with a tip on an existing case based on something he had "seen" using his power. First convinced the man was a lunatic, Artie was convinced of Greg's power, and became a good friend to him, shielding Greg from unwanted contacts, the media and others who would exploit his ability. But when Greg received a bloody book at his shop, and his touch made him privy to the sick actions of a serial killer, Artie became even more of a caretaker, and their friendship deepened into a relationship between the two men. When Artie suggests that Greg take a break from his place and its memories, and takes him back to his own apartment which he shares with his psycho Siamese cat, Duke, the killer, who has a connection with Greg's past and had been watching the store all this time, gets busy and leaves Greg a bloody and grisly mess to discover upon his return.

A very creative, imaginative, grisly and outright terrifying mystery, with characters that could be utilized in future installments. The book is accurately classified by some sellers as an "Erotica/Mystery" which strikes me as a strange combination, one that would seem to hinder the author's ability to be taken seriously. Indeed, the frequent, sexually explicit (and largely redundant) scenes are way too numerous and extensive, in my opinion. For example, after the first 62 pages of the book sets the groundwork for the mystery, the two men "hook up" and the book gets bogged down with a ridiculous 40 consecutive pages of who-does-what-to-whom explicit sexual activity. While the developing relationship is part of the story, I would have preferred to see that toned down considerably, and instead devote some time to perhaps some information on Artie's past, which seems to be lacking in the story.