Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: Sight Unseen

By Sandy Amazeen Apr 9, 2007, 16:08 GMT

Raven Callahan has a rare psychic gift that enables her to read the emotions tied to inanimate objects like rare paintings or car keys. As an employee of the Antiquities Preservation Institute specializing in “recovering” lost or stolen artifacts, it’s a power Raven uses to assist her in ascertaining an items authenticity. Naturally, such an unusual line of work is bound to put her crossways with law enforcement so the presence of ex-cop Dax Maddox at a high dollar art auction is an unwelcome surprise. When Raven discovers the buyer of a rare painting with his head beaten in, Maddox suspects her of doing the deed in order to gain possession of the piece. With the kidnapping of Raven’s companion Walter, comes the demand for her to steal the painting from its rightful owner and deliver it before time runs out. With the clock ticking on Walter’s life, Raven has little choice but to accept Maddox’s company and dubious assistance in pulling off a heist. Evidence begins pointing toward the possibility that the criminal mastermind who killed Maddox’s partner and left him seeing the world in shades of gray may be the kidnapper they seek.

This fast-paced suspense mixes high-tech gadgetry with old-fashioned detective work and a liberal dose of romance as the two protagonists attempt to deal with their mutual suspicion and attraction to each other. The antagonists are as brutal as they are brilliant in this cat and mouse, twenty year long bid for revenge. Raven’s psychic abilities are kept to the background creating a credible extra layer to this action/suspense story that concludes with the resolution of old wounds.