Shadow's Edge: Psychic Detective Mysteries

Psychic Detective Series, Book 1

By: S.C. Wynne

Narrated by: Kale Williams

Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Liam Baker can see things. Dead people like to visit him and tell them how they were wronged. Some might call it a gift, others a curse. But either way, this ability makes him useful to Los Angeles homicide detective Kimball Thompson.

Some madman is slitting the throats of young male prostitutes and then dumping their bodies in the desert with vague clues of pink feathers and the number five. Usually, Liam can talk to the spirits of the dead. But someone is blocking him. Someone is taunting him.

The case is rapidly deteriorating into a violent, psychic pissing contest, and Liam can't see far enough ahead to figure out who wins or who dies.

©2017 S.C. Wynne (P)2018 S.C. Wynne

Great start!

I enjoyed this short but intriguing introduction to Liam and Thompson. From the very beginning with Kale Williams at the helm I couldn't stop listening... and because I have unanswered questions I immediately purchased the 2nd book in the series - well played S. C. Wynne 😏.

5 stars - I would listen again

Good story

Overall it's a good story, interesting twist on why the killer did what he did.
My biggest problem was the whole woe is me, I lost my first love now I will make everyone miserable. Oh and run off to do stupid stuff then get mad and defensive people point into.
Thompson is a Saint for sticking with it.

The narration was spot on, I've always enjoyed Kale Williams voice and this one was just as good as everything else I've heard

I am in love with this series. I need more!

I woke up this morning with Liam and Thompson on my mind. If that doesn't tell you how I felt about this book before you read another word of my review... know that.

What do you get when you take a grieving psychic who the dead talk to and one gruff police detective who has unrequited feelings for said psychic and have them work a case that could cost them their lives? You get one hell of a romantic mystery that I adored.

Nine months ago, Liam Baker lost the love of his life William and in that time, he’s not been the same. Liam has tried to take his life and if it weren’t for William’s friend, Detective Kimball Thompson there to save and take care of Liam, Liam wouldn’t be living at all. Literally.

I liked that Liam and Thompson have a shared history before the story begins. I didn’t need to see them meet or have their first awkward moments, I liked them being comfortable as work partners and as friends given the circumstances. As the story is told through Liam’s POV, we get how he sees his life and how he sees Thompson, a bit confusing but also the rock that grounds him when he’d rather fly away from the pain of losing William.

I dug Liam and his psychic ability. I’ve always liked books, movies or TV shows that use a psychic to aid law enforcement to find killers and this is just another I have added to the my list. I have to say, I dug that it took place in California and maybe close to where I am. Giving distance with time instead of miles is such a California thing to do and the mention of the desert so close to Los Angeles has me doing my own distance calculations.

"Perhaps good things really did come in packages you'd never expect. Maybe sometimes, those packages were steadfast rumpled men with orange auras so bright they hurt your eyes".


I loved Thompson. OMG he was amazing with how he took care of Liam and you felt how much he was in love with him from the first time Liam says Thompson rescued him after William died. I wanted nothing more than Thompson to be happy but the UST between these two was killing me. Goodness, yeah thank goodness for love triangles and men that make Liam wake up and take notice of what is right in front of him.

And yet I get Liam. There is no time stamp on grief and how long it takes one to get over losing a loved one. Though we never get details of how William died, one can deduct it was in the line of duty since Thompson is a cop and that's how he knew William. You don't need to know much about William in this story other than he brought Liam and Thompson together and how much they both feel his loss.

New to me narrator Kale Williams did an amazing job bringing the story to life. Each character was distinctive even down to the odd accent that had my weird brain thinking of an Eddie Izzard skit about a voice box being stuck on demonstration. Williams gave the story the intensity, intimacy and mystery it needed to fly off the page and straight to my ears making my day at work doing a boring report so very worth it.

I love UST and it was given in major doses in this. Yeah. The tension and heat coming off of Thompson was stunning and once Liam opens his eyes, he got all petty and jealous which was so much fun to see.

The mystery of the serial killer with the clues left and then the twist that comes about was done well. It amped the story up another level and kept me on my toes. The killer was cryptic with his messages and while it was awful to see the murders or the murdered showing Liam what they wanted him to see, it was necessary. I only have two minor things that made me pause while reading. One was the reasoning of the murders. It was weird since none of the clues alluded to the pagan holiday but again, small niggle that didn't take away from the story at all. The other was Thompson’s name. I get law enforcement and military use last names or even shortened last names instead of someone’s given name. My father was named William but called Robbie because his last name was Robertson. But… Thompson never becomes Kimball even after the men are intimate. I guess I was waiting for that moment, for Liam to drop the formality and use Thompson’s name. But again, nothing that took away from the story, just something my brain latched on to.

I am so happy that this is a series and that book two is already out. Though I listened to this one, I am not sure I can wait for the audio to get more of Liam and Thompson.

Wow!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Of course, the story kept me captivated until the end. I was sad when the story ended only because I wanted to listen to it more.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shadow's Edge: Psychic Detective Mysteries?

When the two main characters finally realized that the other reciprocated their feelings.

What about Kale Williams’s performance did you like?

The narrator was amazing! The characters were separated so well that it was hard to tell that only one person was performing. If you did a blind listen not knowing how many performers there were you would think that there were at least two people performing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had a few sad moments when William was brought up but most of my feelings were frustration with the main characters for not seeing or acting on their feelings right away.

Any additional comments?

Whenever Liam or Thompson brought up William I always had the thought...Did anyone else catch that Liam is actually a nick name for William?

I would listen to books from this author again.

Would you listen to Shadow's Edge: Psychic Detective Mysteries again? Why?

I hope there is another book in this series soon. I found myself wanting to clean my house so I could continue to listen and find out what happened next. I can't wait to see how the relationship between Liam and Kimball grow.

Good story. Good narration.

This was an entertaining listen from one of my favorite narrators. The story was engaging, and the characters were interesting.

This book is a good example of how to build an interesting story without expending too much energy on superfluous details. I gain just enough information to understand that I am listening to a book about a detective and psychic team up trying to catch a killer without being inundated with details on police procedure.

Worth the listen if you like Kale Williams' narration, and you are looking for a slightly creepy mystery/romance.

Solid start to a series

3.5

This fast-paced, easy read is a solid start to a series. The story follows Liam, a psychic whose main ability is to communicate with “murdered souls” and starts with victim number three of a serial killer case. Liam has wrapped himself in his grief after the death of his partner, William 9 months before, and for the past 3 months has been using his work as a consultant with Detective Kimball Thompson as a lifeline.

The romance between Liam and Thompson has an interesting evolution. Thompson has feelings for Liam, but when Liam admits that he is content to hold onto his grief, Kimball decides he needs to move on and begins dating someone else. When Liam is forced to confront why this bothers him so much, he begins to open up to the idea of moving on. Liam reluctantly coming to terms with having feelings for Thompson was handled well, until the end, which jumped a bit abruptly into love IMO.

As for the serial killer storyline, it was an interesting concept and the killer having powers that could counteract Liam’s was interesting, but the resolution was a bit of a letdown. For all the buildup with the killer’s MO and his abilities, I guess I was expecting a bit more from the final confrontation and the killer’s motive than the standard.

However, it was an enjoyable story and Kale Williams does an excellent job with the narration; I look forward to reading the next in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed an audiobook copy of this book.

:-)

Any additional comments?

This is the first SC Wynne book I've read/listened to, but I'm already checking out the backlist for my next read.

The mystery revolves around a serial killer targeting young men. The case starts off as a bit of a hodge-podge. I chalk that up to an awkward vibe between our two leads, Psychic Liam and Homicide Detective Thompson. Their backstory was well-done but took more page time than I expected. A shared tragedy had both men scared to stay put and scared to move forward. To say it messed with their heads would be putting it lightly.

An inspired break in the case moves the story forward. The premise worked on so many levels. The clues, once they started coming together, were clever and interesting. The killer was smart, with a bag of tricks that kept me guessing. Liam and Thompson never did the expected. They took their knocks and came back out swinging. I had no doubt they'd figure everything out. And I'm glad the author didn't end on a huge cliffhanger. Glancing at the blurb for book 2 I see that we aren't quite done with the killer's overall story arc, but the reader isn't left dangling at the end of book 1.

I'm not completely sold on Liam and Thompson's relationship. I see the spark. Thompson's devotion. And Liam's progress, especially after a surprise guest near the end. But their feelings are complex, and heavy with past hurt. It'll take more than just a few days to put them on solid ground. That may have been the author's intent, though, since it's obvious there is much more in store for them. I'm looking forward to it!

An added bonus is that I listened to this as an audiobook. The narrator did a great job. I had no problem following along, and when I pick up book 2 (which is not available in audio yet) I have a feeling I'll be reading it with his voice in my head.

Overall, such a good, solid story. I didn't expect such a complicated start to their relationship, but the mystery was everything I could have asked for.

truly enjoyed this story

enjoyed this story and i will be buying the e-book for the second part so i can continue Liam and Thompson's story.

Shadows edge

I thoroughly enjoyed this listen. I was fast paced action all the way through. I would recommend this read for adult listeners because of adult situations.