TOUCH OF EVIL

Author: C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp ISBN: 0765354004 3/2006 PARANORMAL Publisher: TOR

Six years ago, the love of her life turned her over to the vampire parasites who call themselves the Thrall. Katie survives the powerful bite of the master parasite only to discover that the Thrall’s venom, coupled with her own natural psychic ability, has transformed her. Now she is next in line to be the Thrall Queen--and each day might be her last as a human. Tom, a handsome firefighter, arouses all of Katie’s dormant senses, but her heart shies away. After Dylan’s betrayal, how can she trust any man—even a seemingly perfect and terribly sexy werewolf? Tom’s sincerity--and sex appeal--begins to wear down Katie’s defenses. But his increasingly insistent charm hides a potentially deadly secret: his werewolf pack is hiding the one person who can stop the Thrall from completing Katie's transformation into Queen--and they won't give her up.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I admit my prejudice up front; I love the Sazi stuff from C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp. Tony Giodone, the hero in those, just does it for me! Anyway, take away Tony and insert super heroine Kate and her paranormal enemies, The Thrall, and you have TOUCH OF EVIL. It's good, it's just not as good as the world of the Sazi.

Writing, not necessarily the characters, can be everything to a story and in this case, it is. Without the yarn spinning talents of Adams and Clamp, I can see this book being pretty confusing, despite the fact that the storyline isn't that complex. A contradictory statement, I know, but true, none the less. It's also not what I call character driven, with the exception of heroine Kate, though all the characters are made to do some interesting things and I like them. It's just that the plot is more essential to the story, and the characters, though defined, are merely players in the game.

TOUCH OF EVIL is a book you won't want to put down and also one you will anticipate the follow up to. Especially if you appreciate the gifted writers knack for thinking up new things in a genre that is currently being taken up by everyone.

Shannon Johnson