Book Review For "Miraculous Deception"

Book Review for: "Miraculous Deception"

Written by: PI Barrington

Desert Breeze Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-936000-69-2

Ebook Format

4 Stars

Reviewed by: S. Burkhart

"Miraculous Deception" is a nail-biter of a sequel to "Crucifying Angel" in the Future Imperfect series. Set in the near future in Las Vegas, Nevada, the city is a dry wasteland. The environment has been ruined and there's hardly any money to pay for public services.

"Miraculous Deception" picks up a heartbeat after "Crucifying Angel" leaves off - with Detective Payce Halligan flat-lining on the operating table. Doctor Georgene Channing uses an untested medical technique to keep Payce from dying and Payce falls unconscious.

Detective Gavin McAllister's boss, Charlie, pairs him with another detective, Nick, to solve a new murder. On the surface the case appears easy. A young mother has killed herself and her baby because the baby had cancer. Gavin and Nick mix like oil and water, but both believe there's more to the murder than meets the eye.

In the hospital, Payce is still unconscious, but surprisingly, uses telepathy to talk to Gavin. Gavin is unnerved when he hears Payce in his head, but follows through on her request to move into her apartment.

Enter TV reporter, Amy Strand. Amy begins snooping around the New Creation religious compound. The sect has hired a new frontman, Campbell Slade. Meanwhile, El Jefe, the compound's leader has begun to lose faith in his assistant, Terrian Frye.

Amy soon learns the dead mother/child last lived at New Creation. She tries to touch bases with Gavin and Nick. They have their hands full when they discover Payce is missing from the hospital. Can Gavin and Nick find Payce before the New Creation put their sinister plans into action?

Barrington starts the novel in the thick of the action, saving Payce's life, but just as one problem is solved, another begins. The plot is tight and the pace is perfect.

Barrington's descriptions don't linger, just leaving enough for the reader to paint her futuristic world.

The lead characters are rich and complex. The supporting cast is a strong compliment to the story. Gavin is haunted by the tragedic deaths of his wife and son, fueling his motivation to find Payce. Georgene is overworked and underpaid as the city's coroner, so she also works as a medical doctor and sits on a pharmaceutical board, setting up several conflicts of interests. Terrian Frye's inner conflict is raw and edgy. Amy Strand's motivations are deeper than what she presents on the surface.

"Miraculous Deception" is full of rich characters and edge of your seat suspense. It is "sweet" for romance readers, as Gavin and Payce interact tenderly through Payce's use of telepathy. The ending will leave the reader breathless for the next installment.

StephB is an author who likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing.