Dark Waves: Mind Hackers Series

PARANORMAL: The mind is a mysterious and dangerous thing. Audrey Gilbert works as a paranormal psychiatrist at the Corvey Institute in Chicago, specializing in the treatment of psychics who work for the Cognitive Mind Unit. When one of her patients suffers an unexpected mental break, Audrey is blamed and offered an unusual chance at penance: travel to the remote town of Marblehead, Ohio and bring back a rogue, level ten psychic, named Kevin Jorgensen. Kevin is reclusive and annoyed. He knows he is damaged goods, since his last psychic assignment went awry. The voices inside his head tell him so, but he doesn’t want any shrink messing with him. However, when Audrey shows up at his home, he finds her hard to turn away. Why is her presence comforting?

“Dark Waves” is a short mystery with a strong psychic element. Instead of a physical whodunit, the questions are, well, literally inside the characters’ heads. What made Kevin withdraw from CMU, and why has Audrey, who seems so unqualified, been sent to recover him? In a world where the most powerful psychics can erase, lock away, and rewrite memories, traditional sleuthing methods may not hold. Kevin and Audrey will need to deploy psychic countermeasures. There is a sweetness to Kevin and Audrey’s mutual attraction that belies the forbidden aspect of their professional relationship. But Kevin soon turns things around by having Audrey take to the couch to get her head examined! Reading this feels like a mental mind game. A fun and absorbing read!

Joan Lai