Sense of Evil
4 Stars

Hastings, South Carolina seems like a quiet, safe and friendly place to live until the day undercurrents of evil rise up to destroy the idyllic little town. A vicious serial killer is targeting women with blond hair and Chief of Police, Rafe Sullivan, calls in reinforcements from the FBI. Special Agent Isabel Adams is smart, confident and blonde, something that pushes all of Rafe’s buttons. Can the fearless agent and the determined cop stay one step ahead of a deranged monster dead set on filling his quota?

The story is fast paced and the characterization an improvement on the last book. Nevertheless, there are still too few clues as to the villain's identity although it is possible to figure it all out because the explanation for why the victims would willingly go with their killer is all too obvious.

Even though there is definite potential for an intense romance between Rafe and Isabel, their relationship takes a back seat to the mystery, which is unfortunate. The paranormal elements, however, are an added bonus, particularly due to the interesting insight into the possible origin and function of extra-sensory abilities.

All in all, a well-written and suspenseful mystery with engaging characters and it looks like Hooper is back on track with this series. ( )

Mystery and the paranormal. Isabel Adams is the FBI/SCI agent in charge teams with Sheriff Rafe Sullivan to find and stop a serial killer. A killer who has killed several women at a time, twice before. The many twists and turn; clues and red herring; characters that are so different and yet so real, kept the pages turning until the end. ( )

In Hastings, South Carolina, Police chief Rafe Sullivan knows the third blond victim means a serial killer is on he loose. What he cannot fathom is how the culprit persuades these intelligent young women to enter the woods with him. There is no hint of a struggle in any of the three homicides which makes sense to the local cop. Though similar, especially the killer, to a recent tidal wave of serial killer novels, "Sense of Evil" is a well-written entertaining police procedural with touches of romance and the paranormal. The story line is loaded with suspense that is somewhat relieved by the glib and flippant Isabel. ( )

In this Special Crimes Unit series, I got to know more about Hollis (medium and victim of vicious crime) and Isabel (clairvoyant). I found out about Isabel's childhood and how her abilities evolved. I also was introduced to Rafe, a small town police chief who becomes involved with Isabel. There relationship is very interesting. The crime plot - another serial killer - who kills women in groups of 6. In the current case, the killer is targeting blondes. I was introduced to the killer's mind early in the book, but the identity was not revealed till the end. I had no idea! None of my ponderings about who the killer might be was correct. ( )

This book is not as good as others in the series. To much psychic detail. This is a good read, not a great read. ( )