Touching Evil

Book Description

Sometimes evil lingers so close, you can feel it....

Seattle police sketch artist Maggie Barnes has an extraordinary gift. She listens as traumatized crime victims describe their ordeals — and then uses those horrifying recollections to draw dead-on sketches of the assailants.

Some cops think Maggie is telepathic, that she can actually enter the victims’ minds. Only Maggie knows the truth behind her rare talent ... and she isn’t telling.

But her secret may be exposed when a madman seizes Seattle in his terrifying grip. He abducts women and blinds them, leaving them barely alive.

The police have one hope: the lone victim who might recover her sight. But they don’t know that Maggie has her own dark connection to the monster — an eerie link that may stretch back to a string of unsolved murders.

To stop the escalating terror, Maggie will have to push her abilities to the breaking point — even if it means confronting a predator whose powers seem to have no bounds....

Customer Reviews:

Great paranormal suspense, so-so romance.......2007-06-16

"Touching Evil" was a rather fascinating book. The reviews I've read of it are rather polar. A lot of people loved it, and a lot of people hated it. I think it's the kind of book that would only appeal to certain people.

The story as a whole is very paranormal, dealing with extra-senses, reincarnation, and ultimate evil. There's a lot of technical jargon spattered throughout the book. Many found that to be distracting and unnecessary, but I thought it was interesting. Hooper obviously did a lot of research for the book and made everything seem very plausible. If you don't like paranormal, or don't like technical details, then you probably wouldn't like the book, but if you enjoy either of those, you'll find it appealing.

Plot-wise, it was a bit of a gruesome tale. It deals with a psycho who is going around raping, torturing and blinding his victims. Definitely not a pretty story. But it was a well-crafted plot, with nice twists and turns. It's a surprise at the end who the bad guy is.

On a romance scale, the book was lacking...but then, the book isn't labeled as a romantic suspense. Still, I expected there to be a little more. I liked the developing bond between Maggie and John. It had potential, but it's not really given time to properly develop before it's rushed into the love stage. Their "love" near the end of the book just seemed rather sudden and ill-fitting. I wasn't quite buying it. Another thing I didn't care for was the use of Kendra and Quinten in the book...not their use on the whole, but their introduction into the story. I got the feeling they'd been conceived in one of her other books, but if so, Hooper did a poor job of conveying their previous connection. I just felt like I was missing something on them.

The book is the first in Hooper's Evil trilogy, and though I liked it, I don't have any undying need to read the others. If I come across them, I'll probably pick them up, but I won't go searching for them. As far as I know, there's not a serious connecting story arc, so there just doesn't seem to be a hardcore reason to rush off and read the others.

On the whole, though the romance angle was lacking, the book was a good suspense and I enjoyed it.

Scary.......2007-01-18

A serial killer who kidnaps women and cuts out there eyes. A telepathic artist who is helping the police find the serial rapist/killer. COOL!

I liked this book and it is very scary and has a telepathic and reincarnation twist to it. If you think it is a realistic story then.. well no you won't like it but if you let your imagination flow then you will love it. Kay Hooper writes a lot of books and keeps adding characters and introducing them and melding them into her other stories. Read all of her books and you will look for more of them to read.

Not very believable.......2006-04-13

There are two kinds of people, those whom believe in paranormal things and those who don't. I'm the ones who don't. Even though I like to read these kind of books because at some times I have some doubts. But when you tell me that somebody can get cut and heal out of nothing, just because his/her mind wants to it's just pathetic and very difficult to believe. Also the book's finish is out of reality albeit everything else will keep you wondering what'll happen in the next page.
Definitely much better than 'Sense of Evil'

Who Knew There Were So Many Psychics in Seattle?.......2005-12-07

Now I knew there were tons of psychos out there in general, but psychics in one town? This book started out very promising and gave me chills simply because the victims resembled those of Ted Bundy or the Manson Family. However, in all of Maggie Barnes and company's adventures with this case, I kept wondering who in this book WASN'T psychic. Hell, even one of the surviving victims became psychic after being brutalized by this creep. Okay, she wasn't psychic; she was guided by the killer's sister in a past life. Hey, I'm not making this stuff up!

I can accept clairvoyants because they have truly helped solve real crimes, such as the Gacey murder, and so I went along with the idea of Maggie Barnes' artistic ability combined with "seeing" to help solve crimes. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep track of who was who in the book very well, and then Kay Hooper threw in karma and reincarnation. It got to be too much, but I was still glued to the gruesome story of a serial rapist/killer who cut the eyes out of his victims. "Lovely" touch there with the pregnant victim having her baby chopped out of her womb a la Sharon Tate.

OKAY, SPOILER TIME:

The ending was what really made me angry. This guy (who is Maggie's boyfriend's supposedly deceased brother-in-law) does all these vulgar, gross, horrifying things, then when confronted by Maggie (who was conveniently this guy's wife in their past lives), one of his surviving victims with a successful eye transplant, and the ghost of his sister screams "NO, NOOOOOOOOO!" before being shot at the end? That's IT? Who knew an evil butcher could turn into such a whimp when told by his victims that they "see" him? The only thing I "saw" was that the killer was only mentioned once before earlier in the book so that he could have been anybody at all, because you would have missed him if you blinked.

To sum it all up, I guess you could say the premise was good, but the execution fell flat quickly. Like others here, I was left scratching my head, feeling dissatisfied and confused with a story that should have been more solid. In fact, the only thing I came away certain of with the gory nature of the crimes is that Kay Hooper must have a huge crush on Charlie Manson.

Suspense that borders on creepy.......2005-10-01

Beyond not being able to put it down without finishing. After the rest of my family went upstairs to bed, I actually had to go upstairs too, as every noise in the house or outside freaked me out - but I couldn't stop reading.

Average customer rating:

Needs a better editor
Pretty disappointing
It could have been better
quick read!
Old idea with opportunity for uniqueness ended disappointing overall

Touching Evil
Rob Knight
Manufacturer: Torquere Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 1934166030

Book Description

Greg has a special talent he'd give anything to be rid of. After an accident many years ago that left him in a coma, Greg woke up to find that he could touch things and know what had happened to them. Too bad he can't control the talent enough to keep it from overwhelming him. He's lived with it long enough that it he can make it day by day, but when he starts being stalked, he has to depend on his friends to help him cope. The only good thing his gift has brought him is Artie, an overprotective cop with a psychotic cat and a great bedside manner. Artie is all about helping Greg cope, and about finding out who's threatening his friend. Through grisly gifts and terrifying attacks, Artie stays by Greg's side. Even ordering take-out can be an ordeal for Greg, and Artie is happy to run interference. Greg hasn't touched anyone without pain in years, but with Artie he finds he has someone to lean on, even as the stalker finds new ways to torment him. Can the two of them find a way to solve the mystery of Greg's tormenter before one of them gets hurt?

Customer Reviews:

Needs a better editor.......2007-08-28

The idea of this book is quite interesting, the characters very likable... and in the hands of a better author or at least someone with a better editor/beta it could have been an amazing piece of fiction. But as it is, I give it only three stars. Why?

Mostly because of the way it's written. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about spelling errors. I'm talking about the words and phrases the author chose. Like for example "There is milk at the house" instead of "I have milk at home". Or "Artie loved on him". Or words like "jonessing"... The book simply didn't flow. Rather often, you screeched to a halt, stumbling over a very weird phrase. It felt like it was written by someone whose first language wasn't English. And it's too bad.

Pretty disappointing.......2007-06-03

I bought this book on the account that it got 5 stars from some folks, but I did not read the comments. I'll be sure to do that now. I had high hopes for this book, but when I actually got to reading it...well, as someone above mentioned it was like someone writing a fanfic for some unknown series. The main characters, Artie and Greg, are not very developed in my opinion. Although I love to read good erotic scenes, there were so many of them smashed into this 243 page book that it seemed as if the book concentrated more on the (not well-written)sex rather than a plot and character development. Much of the dialogue was not meaningful and often repeated in the book till it got repetitive. But even with all its flaws, it was alright enough for me to read in a couple sittings without much problem. If you're looking for a book that is quick and easy to read with lots of sex, this might be the book for you even though the mystery part is poorly done. Should you be looking for something engaging with well developed characters and plot, look elsewhere and save your money.

It could have been better.......2007-03-26

It kept me reading, so it's not Godawful, but... I had some issues. First of all, it's like a fanficcer got published, and she's just writing an AU for some strange fandom I'm not familiar with, but it has some connections to Dead Zone and maybe even The Sentinel. Because seriously? The psychic had an accident and went into a coma and woke up with awesome 'powahz', and it's been years since he was able to touch someone, and now he has to use the cop to 'ground' himself. Yeah, it's like that. And how sad is it that I thought that the one-eyed cat was the best character?

If you're looking for a good who-done-it, then look elsewhere. The story was about a gay detective and a psychic, and who ended up doing all the work? The detectives PREGNANT PARTNER!! There was no real solving of the case. There were no clues that the reader could follow to solve the mystery. It was all about the sex. Yes, I have issues with the amount of 'erotic scenes' in this book, as they served no real point to the plot, not really.

Also, I swear, sometimes, I thought the story only went through one beta, as I felt that there were commas littering the pages like blood droplets on a cutter's floor. Srsly. I'm not the best with grammar or spelling and -I- was noticing some problems. And while some of it can be attributed to the author's 'style' some of it was just choppy and not cool. For instance, she wanted to set different tones to the different POVs, but the tones bled over to each other, and were sometimes completely absent. There was also a lot of repetitiveness that I just didn't feel needed to be there, like their constant re-hashing of "It's been a log day." Really? How so? Okay, granted finding some stranger's body parts does qualify as `a long day', but still. If we'd seen more of the actual police investigation, if we see more of the grunt work, I might be more sympathetic to Artie's state of mind. As it stands... not so much. Also, the dialog needs some brushing, as it's very rough in areas, and I felt that it hurts the flow.

Before you, the buyer, think that this isn't worth anything, I will say that it kept me (mostly) entertained. There was no moment where I had to put down the material and step away, no overly embarrassing moments, and it was very vanilla (which I like). There's some Hurt/Comfort going on here, and some affectionate play between the pairing. It's also miles above some writers (het/gen) that have been at this craft for years.

quick read!.......2007-02-20

This book is excellent on all levels. Well written, clever premise, characters you care about, plot that keeps you interested. I read this straight through in one afternoon because I could not put it down! I kept waiting for it to disappoint in some way like many other books in this genre: too much sex (yes, that's possible!), weak plot point just to separate the main couple, contrived danger to one or both parties, an ending that's just..... wrong. None of that happens here. This is a great love story set against the hunt for a gruesome serial killer and both parts work.

Greg and Artie are great characters with cop Artie in the role of protector to housebound psychic Greg. You will love them both. And their relationship has really already developed as they have worked together on other cases. They act like a couple before they even are one. It's very sweet. It's only when they discover that Greg can handle Artie's touch that their relationship develops into more than friendship. Then it's sweet and hot!

I hope the author is writing something else right now. A sequel would be nice - this could easily work as a series - but whatever it is, I'm there!

Old idea with opportunity for uniqueness ended disappointing overall.......2007-02-14

This Dead Zone remake really had the opportunity to be a unique, fascinating and meaningful addition to a woefully small (yet growing) number of Slash/Yaoi/Gay literature of quality. When I purchased this book, I did so off of the recommendations from the members of this site, which normally ends with me in smiles. Unfortunately, this time that wasn't the case. Maybe I'm far to picky, and maybe those who generally read this Genre of lit are jaded by what is, and isn't available in it. Being a writer myself, who is in the process of putting out quality m/m fantasy/sci-fi fiction I know how difficult it can be to write any form of erotica and be taken seriously, and I will always offer my kind gracious care and support to ANY writer, most especially one after my own heart. That said, I'll tell you what was missing for me.

Every night I read for about an hour before bed. Normally I can get at least 130 pages in that short time. This, however, was not the case with this book. I tried, hard, but I kept falling asleep! After four nights in a row I am at 55 pages. The grasp of English is choppy, in fact there were parts that had me wondering what exactly he meant. Some words he misused, and it left me cringing. However, I wanted it to be good so badly I kept trying, mostly for this author because I have so much compassion for fellow authors. The characters weren't different enough for me. They should have be, as they were set up as two very different people, but to me they had the same "sound" so much so I sometimes lost who was talking when and were, and ended up confused and frustrated due to lack of clarity in the writing.

I never got to the erotica, and I will not be picking up the book again. At this point, however, I am really kind of glad I never did get to the sex. Mostly because while many people think writing sex should be easy - it's not. If you haven't mastered the basics of the written word and the style it takes to take that written word and mold it into a stunningly told story you will not be able to bandy about sex in a believable way that doesn't come off as redundant. That said, reading the previous reviews a second time I find that my original assessment is write, even with 4 stars the word redundant has been used in these past reviews.

The story is also over-done. Major mental injury causes psychic powers which then are used to torment poor fella by evil murdering bad-guy. Or something like that. The DeadZone, if you know what I'm talking about.

[...]

The Evil Trilogy: Touching Evil, Whisper of Evil, Sense of Evil (Set of 3 Suspense Novels)

Average customer rating:

The Evil Trilogy: Touching Evil, Whisper of Evil, Sense of Evil (Set of 3 Suspense Novels)
Kay Hooper
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: B000J4IHCA

Product Description

Set 3 Evil Series - Touching Evil Whisper of Evil Sense of Evil

3 PBs by Kay Hooper: Hunting Fear, Stealing Shadows, Touching Evil

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3 PBs by Kay Hooper: Hunting Fear, Stealing Shadows, Touching Evil
Kay Hooper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VV6MI2

Product Description

Paperbacks

Ireland: Its Evils, and Their Remedies: Being a Refutation of the Errors of the Emigration Committee and Others, Touching that Country

Average customer rating:

Ireland: Its Evils, and Their Remedies: Being a Refutation of the Errors of the Emigration Committee and Others, Touching that Country
Michael Thomas Sadler
Manufacturer: Murray
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IFVZ3I

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Touching Evil
Kay Hooper
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0739420240

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Touching Evil
Kay Hooper
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1402512813

Product Description

A CHILLING TALE OF A SEATTLE CRIMINAL WHO STALKS & INJURES WOMEN.

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Touching Evil
Norma Rosen
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press
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Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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TOUCHING EVIL (EVIL, NO 1)
KAY HOOPER
Manufacturer: Bantam
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HF459U

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Touching Evil
Kay Hooper
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
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Binding: Paperback
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The Tangled Lands
Will Shetterly
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Shetterly, Will | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0441798047

Average customer rating:
Tangled Up in Beulah Land
J. P. Mowbray
Manufacturer: Doubleday Page & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GTNAIO

Average customer rating:
Tangled Up in Beulah Land
J.P. Mowbray
Manufacturer: New York: Doubleday Page & Co. 1902
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXES7A

Average customer rating:
Tangled in the web. (housing developers' Web sites): An article from: Builder
Melissa Herron
Manufacturer: Hanley-Wood, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00097R002
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Average customer rating:
Tangled up in Beulah Land,
A. C Wheeler
Manufacturer: Doubleday, Page & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00087A10O

Customer Reviews:

ROTF funny.......2007-09-07

If you don't mind having to put it down regularly because you are laughing too hard to hold it, then this is the book for you. This, along with the earlier book Hoka! Hoka! Hoka! are must reads for anyone who likes to just get down and laugh. My only other recommendation would be to pick up a copy of The Sound and the Furry, which brings the entire collection of Hoka stories together.

Hilarious!.......2004-11-07

Orbiting the G2 star, Brackney's Star III, is the earthlike planet Toka. And, inhabiting the world of Toka are the Hoka, a small, teddy bear-looking race, who are surprisingly strong for their size. Unfortunately their longsuffering human plenipotentiary, Alexander Jones, the Hoka are the most imaginative race in the galaxy, as soon as they discover a new book of fiction, they adopt the roles and live the story...invariably with comedic results!

This book is a collection of three Hoka novellas. The first story is "Full Pack (Hokas Wild)", which was first presented in the book Hoka!, and describes what happens when the Hokas discover the Jungle Books, and meet up with a group of aliens that look like a tiger, a gorilla and a snake (or should I say Shere Khan, the Banderlog, and Kaa?). In the second story, The Napoleon of Crime, also from Hoka!, Hokas across the planet are suddenly introduced to military history with potentially disastrous consequences; can Jones save the day yet again?

The third story, Star Prince Charlie, which is longer that the other two combined, takes the action off planet. When young Charles Stuart and his Hoka tutor visit the planet New Lemuria, he finds it a world on the edge, waiting only the prince of prophecy who will overthrow the hated tyrannical king. And then, Charlie's Hoka notices how close everything is to the story of Scotland's Bonnie Prince Charlie. Once this ride begins, all Charlie can do is hang on to his hat...and his head!

Each of these stories is literally laugh out loud funny, with lots of action thrown in. Most story collection out there are a mix good and not-so-good stories, but that is not the case with this book, all three are hilarious! This is a great book, one that I highly recommend to everyone! (If you like this book, and you will, check out the books Hoka! and Hoka Hoka Hoka.)

They're back..........2001-02-27

That's right, the Hokas are back. This is the second book with the teddy bears running awok. Watch them act out both childern's books and history, come right to the edge of doom and than pull back with little or no help from humans. Funny AND a delight to read.

The "Demon Teddy Bears" are back! Hooray!.......2000-02-01

With the earlier publication of "Hokas, Hokas, Hokas" by Baen, all of Anderson and Dickson's wonderful "Hoka" stories are back in print. This volume includes "Full Pack", "The Napoleon Crime", and the novel "Star Prince Charlie." There's an awful lot of humor and joy in these books, along with the usual taps on my "think" button that these authors can't help but hit. If I'm very very good in *this* incarnation, I hope to reincarnate as a Hoka.

Average customer rating:

must have

Great Food in Boston

Crazy

It's about "time" is the right word.

It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life

It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life
Michael Schlow , Michael Schlow , and Mario Batali
Manufacturer: Steerforth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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The Best American Recipes 2005-2006: The Year's Top Picks from Books, Magazines, Newspapers, and the Internet (The Best American Series (TM))

ASIN: 1586420879
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Book Description

This unique cookbook will be used again and again for its inspirational stories, informative sidebars, helpful tricks, and most of all, for its broad range of never-fail recipes that are easy to follow and always special. It’s About Time contains more than 150 meticulously tested recipes that range broadly from 30-minute meals and summer barbeques to elegant entertaining. There’s even a chapter on spending an entire day in the kitchen – a bottle of wine, music on the stereo – engaging in some much-needed “culinary therapy.” It’s About Time honors the traditions and social importance of food and eating while recognizing the realities of life today. Visually stunning and indispensably useful, it breaks the cookbook mold in ways that are exciting and refreshing.

Customer Reviews:

must have.......2007-07-25

I am a chef and this is hands down one of the best cookbooks I have in my collection. Very versatile and different approaches to cooking the "sme old things". Every recipe has come out better than imagined. GET THIS ONE TODAY!

Great Food in Boston.......2006-12-19

We ate at Great Bay on a visit to Boston this weekend. I perused Mr. Schlow's cookbook before our dinner. I am looking forward to preparing a number of the dishes. It seems to have recipes that I can use on "hurry up" nights, and others that I can linger over.

Crazy .......2006-06-24

I am one of those nine to fivers but when I am home I become a chef. At least that is my fantasy while my family shovels down things I would have never dreamed of when I was a child growing up in the same town as MSchlow. Mike is right on the money. And I am not just blowing smoke up his (*^%%. I have a ton of great books, great cook ware and I've been "doin it". This book helps those "want to believe they are chefs" like myself jump up a level and feel proud of their creations. Whether you go strictly by the book or you use some of the fantastic tips from Michael, you will keep this book on the top of the stack! Bravo!!

It's about "time" is the right word........2005-10-03

Superb , enchanting , family biography and phenomenal "cooking experience" book ! Don't miss this great volumne of recipes that warm the heart and the palate. Love to MOM , JUDY !!!! and super NED !!

It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life.......2005-09-19

The book is Fantastic. I have really enjoyed reading it. The recipes are wonderful.
Chef Schlow's restaurant in Boston, Radius, is one of our favorite places to eat. We have wonderful memories.
Chef's recipes are delicious and simple to prepare.
Thank you Chef.

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