Marked

Adam Ward, Level Eight telepath and beleaguered Atlanta police department freelancer, is back, in Hughes’s hard-hitting, tightly written third Mindspace Investigations novel (after Sharp). Opening with a gruesome murder scene, the plot rolls into motion with a frantic message from Adam’s ex-fiancée, Kara, about the suspicious death of her uncle, who ranked highly in the Telepathic Guild. Adam’s life is also complicated by his tenuous, yet emotionally charged relationship with detective Isabella Cherabino, with whom he unwittingly created a telepathic link, earning her well-deserved mistrust. As Adam dubiously agrees to look into Kara’s uncle’s death, he is immediately hurtled back into the Guild’s ceaseless power struggles and a chaotic world being rocked by the threat of a contagious madness. Powered by incisive writing, conflicted characters, and strong plotting, this effort solidifies Hughes’s place on the urban fantasy shelves. (Apr.)