Formerly blind Kendra Michaels brings her extraordinary sensory perception to bear when a string of murders unnerves the San Diego community. The killer is cunning and preternaturally careful; disparate pieces of evidence found at each crime scene seem to have no direct bearing on the case at hand. As the murders escalate, however, Michaels and her good friend private investigator Jessie Mercado determine that each crime's tokens can be traced back to cold-case murders committed around the country over a number of years. When FBI agents from each of the prior crime locations join locals Roland Metcalf and Gina Carlson, Michaels feels the need to strike out on her own to solve the case. Intelligent, independent, and intuitive, Michaels may be the FBI's best chance at catching an allusive killer, yet rogue agent Adam Lynch inserts himself into the investigation as Michaels' protector and would-be lover. Deliberately paced and sufficiently nuanced, the latest installment in the Johansens' Kendra Michaels thriller series, following Night Watch (2016), offers further insights into this powerful character.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2017 Booklist

In Johansen and son's winning fifth Kendra Michaels novel (after 2016's Night Watch), FBI special agent Roland Metcalf visits Kendra, a music therapist with heightened senses, at her San Diego, Calif., studio, to ask for her help with an investigation into a series of bizarre killings. Special agent Gina Carson, Roland's arrogant partner, is skeptical of Kendra's qualifications, until Kendra, who was blind for many years before surgery restored her eyesight, demonstrates her amazing powers by deducing personal information about Gina. After Kendra gets on board, former FBI agent Adam Lynch, who has partnered with her on previous cases, comes to San Diego. Adam acts as Kendra's protector as the sexual tension between the two of them grows and Kendra gets closer to discovering the identity of a vicious killer who seems to know her every move. A long list of well-developed suspects makes this one of the more complex and satisfying entries in this bestselling romantic suspense series. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A serial killer runs amok in San Diego in Johansen and Johansen's latest to feature Sherlock-ian music therapist Kendra Michaels.Kendra (Night Watch, 2016, etc.) was blind until she was 20, and her other senses are highly developed, making her an in-demand resource for the FBI and the CIA, so when FBI Special Agent Roland Metcalf and his new partner, Gina Carson, appear at her studio, asking for help tracking down a serial killer, she reluctantly agrees. The killer is leaving items at his crime scenes that don't seem to fit, and it's not long before they're linked to past crimes. Metcalf assembles a team of detectives who may have come up against the killer's grisly work in the past, while Kendra calls on a friend, tough-as-nails PI Jessie Mercado, for assistance. When former FBI agent Adam Lynch, fresh off a freelance assignment in China, insists on helping, Kendra, who has resisted getting involved with him despite his feelings for her, reluctantly agrees, and the game is afoot. Kendra is an interesting protagonist, and the push and pull between her and Adam adds spice, but stereotypes abound, especially in the group of cops, which includes the grizzled cop haunted by unsolved cases, a swaggering superstar who lays on the charm, and a young techie who dazzles with his cyberprowess. The killer's narrative is interspersed throughout, and it's easy to picture him as an old-timey villain twirling his mustache and laughing maniacally as he plots his next murder and sets his sights on Kendra. The authors do have a gift for zingy dialogue, and a booby trap the killer sets is inventive and genuinely scary. When the ample body count hits very close to home for Kendra and Co., they'll of course need all their resources to catch him. The authors tick off all the thriller boxes and then some, but they offer nothing new to distinguish this book in a crowded field. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.