Marked
Written by Alex Hughes

”Marked” is a sci-fi, detective book written by Alex Hughes. It is book 4 of the Mindscape Series with “Clean”, “Sharp” and “Payoff” being the previous three installments. It´s is the adventues of the telepathic detective named Adam Ward as he investigates crimes while navigating the politics of two worlds, the world of the normals (or non-telepaths) and the world of the telepaths. The story takes place in Atlanta. “Marked” is a fun, fast read with interesting world-building, particularly the world of mindspace.

Up until now, Adam Ward has decided to take rehab seriously and been scared into sobriety by a vision of himself homeless and strung out on drugs. He has survived departmental budget cuts at work (since the Guild pays for his job benefits he is a cheaper employee to the police department). Adam also put in for a private detective´s license to help secure his employment with the department. He also has a psychic link with his partner Cherabino which turns out to be a double edged sword.

“Marked” takes off when Adam gets a call from Kara, his ex. She needs his help to solve the murder of her uncle, a man who Adam liked very much. This leads him into a political hornet´s nest in the Guild that threatens his life. It also jeopardizes his employment with the police department, which jeopardizes his career and sobriety.

Adam makes some bold yet risky decisions that give him more control over his life and solves the murder of Kara´s uncle. The descriptions of mindspace and the different abilities of Guild members make this an interesting story and have the reader wonder how normal people don´t fear telepaths more. Is a war between The Guild and normal people inevitable? I particularly love to see Adam exercise his abilities on a crime scene. The way he picks up the fleeting images and impressions of mindspace is just brilliant, and I have to repeat myself by saying that Adam is a likeable but flawed hero because he is a highly moral character who struggles with the consequences of his mistakes. He isn´t cynical, cruel or sociopathic and he doesn´t blame the world for his problems even though he is sometimes clearly the victim of discrimination and corruption.

This book is a fun read.

(Commentary by www.ink2quill.com )
I2Q

I2Q Blogs / The Written Medium adam ward / alex hughes / isabella cherabino / Marked /