January 23, 2017
Bestseller Goodkind (the Sword of Truth series) doesn’t stint on either gore or implausibilities in this over-the-top paranormal thriller. John Bishop, an employee of the Clarkson Center for Developmental Disability, has captured a man whom he considers the devil and kept him in the basement of John’s Chicago home for weeks. John considers informing Detective Janek, for whom he’s been doing some consulting, about this dangerous situation, but he fails to act before the devil kills him and escapes. That the fiend removes both of John’s eyes, partially eating one, is just the first of many shocks. Janek reveals to John’s devastated sister, Kate, that her brother had the ability to look at photographs (but only ones “shot on film and developed directly from the negative onto photo paper”) and identify which ones depict killers. Janek was using John to help her solve crimes, and when she determines that Kate shares her brother’s gift, she enlists Kate to carry on the family tradition. Kate partners with author Jack Raines, an expert on evil who believes that the central theme of all books, movies, and TV is murder. The payoff will sorely test readers’ ability to suspend disbelief. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary.