Fear the Dark by Kay Hooper

Posted October 20, 2015 by Sophia Rose in Reviews / 31 Comments

Tags: Bishop, Bishop SCU, Fear the Dark, Kay Hooper, Romantic Suspense

Fear the Dark

by Kay Hooper

Series: #16 Bishop, #4 Bishop SCU
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Published by Berkley
Released on October 20, 2015
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher

So I read this blurb that just compelled me to read the book. I saw that, whew, this was already far into a series and established in a spin-off series. What was a reader gal to do? Well of course I snatched it and did some finger crossing that I wouldn’t be hopelessly lost. Small town, spooky vanishings, FBI unit of psychically skilled investigators, yep, just hadta…

So, it didn’t burn me that I jumped into the middle of the series because of the way the author set up the story. She started with the new situation and new characters before bringing into play the established ones. I definitely had the vibe that I was reading about people who got their own story earlier when it came to the FBI team, but it was secondary to the engrossing present situation.

The story opens when small mountain town chief of police, Jonah, gets a call from one of his officers. He arrives at the scene to find a recently abandoned vehicle, evidence that two teens were eloping together, no signs of a struggle, and foot prints that just stop and disappear. This is followed by a rash of people vanishing and no clues left behind. Jonah can’t keep his town safe on his own so he calls in the FBI Special Crimes Unit.

Jonah is joined by Luke Jordan whose psychic ability helps him find people and Jordan’s wife, Sam, who is a strong telepath, two junior members of the team, Robbie and Dante. The FBI team aren’t in the area long before they sense the strong residue of evil and a cunning hunter who is strong and getting stronger. They need to stop him soon.

Alright, this was the perfect blend of atmospheric, sinister, and spooky. I enjoyed tracking with the law enforcement team on their case. The story was so strong that it could have easily overpowered the characters, but the author wrote a strong lead in Jonah and surrounded him with a well-drawn team both of local townspeople and the FBI agents. The story was mostly Jonah’s narration, but it did flip between several others including the villain and one of the victims.

I loved that I wasn’t able to solve it and was pointing fingers a few different directions. It is a gritty and darker story, but doesn’t drop into horror.

Even though, Luke and Sam were new to me, I could tell that they are a well-established couple in the series. I enjoy couples who share a detecting partnership because of the dynamics involved and these two were no exception. Sam is the stronger psychic and prone to push past her limits to help people and Luke is her lead on the team and has the job of knowing the difference between a lover’s worry about the danger and a leader’s concern that his subordinate might be pushing too hard. I definitely want to go back and get the start of their story and the start of the Bishops’ story (couple who are the founders of the special psychic unit), too.

Only niggle was the abrupt ending though I will say that it was the type of abrupt that you usually get in a series when storylines will carry forward so maybe I just need to be patient.

All in all, this was a great introduction to a series of psychic thriller suspenses and I want to go back for the backlist and continue forward. I think these would have appeal to a broad range of readers from lovers of straight thrillers to paranormal mystery lovers and through on to blends of paranormal romantic suspense or thrillers. See? Lots of folks should trysy!

My thanks to Penguin Group for providing the book in exchange for an honest review.

Romance Roundabout #346 RS

New to Me #167

About Kay Hooper

Kay Hooper was born in California, in an air force base hospital since her father was stationed there at the time. The family moved back to North Carolina shortly afterward, so she was raised and went to school there.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay’s personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay’s sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.

Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.

Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay’s desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.

Kay Robbins is a pseudonym used by her.

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Romance Roundabout #346 RS

New to Me #167

About Kay Hooper

Sophia Rose

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