If you’ve read as many romantic suspense novels as I have, psychic heroines are probably starting to seem as commonplace as Navy SEALs, cops and cowboy heroes. While there have been a number of excellent books with this premise – notably Linda Howard’s Dream Man, Maggie Ferguson’s Looks Are Deceiving, and my personal favorite, Anne Stuart’s Special Gifts – it’s been a while since I’ve read a really good one. Until now. In Now You See Me, Tina Wainscott proves there are still great stories to be mined from this familiar territory.

One Christmas, eight-year-old Olivia Howe was kidnapped by a man who psychologically tortured her for days. Narrowly escaping with her life, she was left blind from the trauma, but also with a newfound psychic ability. When another young girl is kidnapped in a toy store sixteen years after Olivia’s ordeal, Olivia “sees” it happening. She is unable to convince the security guards at the store that a kidnapping is underway. Then the girl turns up missing and the police come knocking on Olivia’s door.

Detective Max Callahan is a natural choice to lead the investigation. He’s a legend in this Florida community for solving the kidnapping of a young boy, a victory that came at great personal cost. While his partner immediately believes Olivia has to be involved in the kidnapping, Callahan isn’t so sure. Trusting his instincts, he begins to work with her on a case that becomes increasingly personal for each other them and forces them both to confront the nightmares in their pasts.

The author dodges two genre clichés right off the bat that immediately gained her some good will from this reader. After reading countless books where the hard-nosed hero refuses to believe the heroine is psychic and is immediately suspicious of her, Max was a welcome change of pace. He may not rush to believe Olivia, but he’s willing to keep an open mind and follow his instincts. It was also a relief that Olivia is not the usual fragile psychic heroine who hates her abilities. She’s far more resilient and proactive than many seeing heroines on the market today, and I appreciated how Wainscott was able to put her in danger without making her seem weak.

The suspense plot is very well done, rivaling most mainstream thrillers I’ve read lately. Wainscott keeps the story moving and plot developments coming at a rapid rate, revealing new elements not only about the case, but about the characters long after most authors have finished with their perfunctory development. The level of characterization is one element that helps Now You See Me stand out. This case obviously speaks to what Max and Olivia experienced in the past. Their very real emotions and responses are never lost amid the procedural aspects; likewise, this part of the story doesn’t soften or slow the edgy suspense side.

Unlike many books where relevant information is withheld from the reader in an attempt to keep the ending a surprise, Wainscott never cheats. Information comes out precisely when it should and not a page sooner. The reader is constantly learning new information about the main characters, the killer, and the motivations for the crime, yet the solution is still a surprise until just before the ending. The story builds to the best kind of thriller climax, where the author keeps ratcheting up the tension to a fever pitch.

My only problem with the book was that though the characters are likable and well-drawn, their relationship occasionally seemed out of place with the tense suspense plot. For instance, I had a hard time sustaining any interest in the inevitable lovemaking scene knowing there was a little girl being held in a cage who was going to be murdered in a few hours while these Max and Olivia were having sex. The connection between the main characters is clear. Given everything we learn over the course of the story, I just wasn’t convinced it was a romantic one.

In some ways, Now You See Me reminded me of Maggie Shayne’s The Gingerbread Man, but with a stronger heroine and a more intense suspense plot. Readers who prefer their romantic suspense to be heavier on the love story might be somewhat disappointed, but I thought Now You See Me was one of the better thrillers, romantic or mainstream, I’ve read this year.