The Liminal People

From the Moroccan criminal underworld to the streets of London, expatriate American healer Taggert, whose extrasensory powers allow him to manipulate the human body down to the molecular level, is ripped away from his comfortable North African lifestyle in response to a former lover's desperate call for help. When fellow "freak" Yasmine turns to him for aid after the disappearance of her daughter Tamara, a powerful telekinetic and telepath, Tag finds himself facing threats from a host of other "liminal people" ranging from a streetwise teenager and an underground club hostess, to Tag's own mysterious boss. Fast-paced and frequently violent, Jama-Everett's engaging and fulfilling debut offers a compelling take on the classic science-fiction convention of the powerful misfit; incorporates an interesting, multiethnic cast of characters; and proves successful as both an action-packed thriller and a careful look at the moral dilemmas of those whose powers transcend humanity. (Dec.)