Cold Sight
Grade : B

I've read rave reviews of Leslie Parrish's novels from my colleagues here at AAR, so when I got the chance to review the opening book of her next series, I jumped on it. Cold Sight begins her Extrasensory Agents series, a romantic suspense series touched with a hint of the paranormal. Parrish blends her suspense and paranormal elements well, and I found this dark thriller immensely addictive.

In the small town of Granville, Georgia, Lexie Nolan's reporting career isn't exactly going gangbusters. Not only does she work for a small-town paper, but she has been demoted to community interest duty and no longer gets to cover the hard news stories she loves. Convinced that the unexplained disappearances of several young women in the poorer section of town were not natural, she incensed the local police chief and town leaders with her stories and they discredited her publicly. When a woman calls the paper about her daughter's disappearance and the police lack of response to it, Lexie can't help getting involved.

Her search for answers takes her to reclusive Aidan McConnell. Though Lexie doesn't know it, Aidan has a particular hatred of the media thanks to an investigation back in Savannah that went horribly wrong. Aidan, a former cop, has a reputation as a good investigator and unbeknownst to many, he has some special talents that give him an edge. Though not inclined to talk to a reporter, something about Lexie's demeanor and her concern for the missing girl cause him to reluctantly hear her out. As he listens, Aidan realizes that he has been having nightmares about this very case and he instinctively finds himself being drawn into Lexie's investigation. He also finds himself being very drawn to Lexie.

Though most of the violence does not happen right before the reader's eyes, this is a dark, dark book. It reads like a romantic suspense with a hint of paranormal to it rather than as a primarily paranormal romance. Parrish has a reputation for writing good suspense and she certainly delivers that here. I found some of the aspects of town politics a little over the top for my tastes which made some of the town history/political discussions drag a bit for me. However, I enjoyed the story overall. Aidan is a believably tortured hero and a good investigator and, as a reader, the other members of his team intrigued me. I finished this book wanting to read their stories, too.

Though the focus on this book lies heavily with the suspense, the romantic parts of the plot make for good reading, too. The hero and heroine seem well-suited to one another, and I liked them both. While their romance may not have dominated the book, the suspense focus made sense given the deeply chilling nature of the story. Not all romantic suspense needs a 50-50 balance of suspense and romance plots, and I would say that this is one of those books in which a little inbalance would be needed in order to be believable.

If you enjoy straight suspense or you like your romantic suspense a little on the darker side, Cold Sight is probably just the book for you. Leslie Parrish delivers a good, dark thriller that is just the kind of book I want to reach for when I'm looking for romantic suspense with an edge to it.

Reviewed by Lynn Spencer
Grade : B

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : July 14, 2010

Publication Date: 2010/07

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Lynn Spencer

I enjoy spending as much time as I can between the covers of a book, traveling through time and around the world. When I'm not having adventures with fictional characters, I'm an attorney in Virginia and I love just hanging out with my husband, little man, and the cat who rules our house.
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