Michael Allan Scott

After a frightening string of four butchery serial murders hits the small Arizona town of Bullhead, just across the Colorado River from the casinos in Laughlin, Nevada, Police Lieutenant Kropp convinces his superior to allow him to bring in psychic consultant Jena Halpern to help solve the mystery, but the sexual, yet divisive relationship only adds to the darkness of the case. As a warning page in the front of the book alerts, the insinuating details in this story may be too dark or sexual for many readers to handle. However, despite the very explicit descriptions of the crime scenes, most of the story focuses on the up and down interactions between Dan and Jena. The resolution of the mystery turns on an unexpected twist that many readers will not see coming, but is dependent upon the psychic mythos.… (plus d'informations)

Lance Underphal’s new friend, Callie, is concerned when she cannot contact her eighty-year-old uncle in San Bernadino, but the police do not seem to consider her worries important enough to check up on him. Meanwhile, Lance is arrested in regards to his wife’s death three years ago. As Lance’s issues are dealt with, PI Jake Jacobs heads off to San Bernadino to check on Callie’s uncle, who Jake finds dead in a decrepit cockroach-infested home. Even though the local police dismisses the death as natural and refuses to investigate, Jake’s instincts and Lance’s visions leads Jake to uncover a deadly gang conspiracy to take advantage of independent elderly, stealing their funds and killing their victims to hide their crimes. Yet, Jake’s investigation has only begun to uncover even darker secrets that generate more fearsome visions of horror to Lance. The author is very adept at delving into dark elements within his paranormal mysteries, especially with his main character’s insecurities and fears in having to deal with a psychic gift he never asked for. The main mystery around the death of Callie’s uncle is very well plotted for mystery readers. However, the secondary story of Lance’s legal problems from arrest to trial is a major stretch from reality and may not be accepted by readers, potentially undercutting the main story.… (plus d'informations)

Lance Uderphal, a news crime photographer, has moved into a solitary mobile home in the desert outside Phoenix in order to try to isolate himself from the frightening psychic abilities that he has developed. However, when he is called to photograph the death scene of a realtor in a foreclosed home on the market, he begins to receive horrifying metaphorical visions from a determined serial killer. This brings pressure from Homicide Detective Frank Salmon, who has a cynical awareness of Lance’s gifts from a previous case, to obtain information from Lance’s visions in order to solve the case. Yet, the visions are too horrifying and threatening for Lance to delve in too deeply in order to uncover the identity of a determined murderer, even as Detective Salmon has to deal with another victim in another foreclosed property, which causes him to cross paths with an old friend, PI Jake Jacobs. The murder mystery is very straightforward and exciting in the chase as it is investigated from multiple parties; Detective Salmon and his team in the police force, Jake Jacobs’ freer private investigation, and Lance’s disturbing visions. Even though the story segments are presented through the different perspectives of various characters, Lance’s specific first-person narrative create paranormal visuals which bring a satisfyingly eerie feel for the reader that truly enhances the story. Readers should just be a little patient with the occasional perspective shifts within a few segments, which should not affect the captivating story. I feel most readers will be caught in the plot twists until the mystery is finally solved; however, as a more experienced mystery reader, I will admit I was able to realize the true direction of where to find the antagonist before the main characters did.… (plus d'informations)