Monday, October 04, 2021

Echoes of the Dead by Spencer Kope

First Line: Dreams are like runaway trains, and we, their passengers.
 
Magnus "Steps" Craig is one member of an elite three-person tracking unit that works for the FBI. Steps is known as one of the best trackers in the world, capable of following a trail no matter the terrain, no matter how old, no matter the weather. How he does it remains a tightly-held secret that only a very few know about. Since childhood, he's had a sort of synesthesia that allows him to see a person's essence as a sort of color or pattern that he calls "shine." 

Now Steps and his partner Jimmy Donovan have left information specialist Diane Parker in Bellingham, Washington, to go to Bakersfield, California, to help police with an investigation that has them stumped. Four friends-- a congressman, a district attorney, a CEO, and the co-founder of a hedge fund-- have disappeared while on their annual fly-fishing trip. It rapidly becomes obvious that time is running out for the men, and Steps and Jimmy work feverishly to save whoever they can. One thing that's crystal clear is that this is no simple missing persons case. It has very sinister motivations that none of them have seen before.

~

It's almost as if Spencer Kope read my mind. I've often wondered about killers who had someone in their childhoods treat them horribly... why couldn't they kill the persons who abused them instead of annihilating so many innocent people? In Echoes of the Dead, he takes this thought of mine, turns it on its head a bit, and runs with it.

Due to his synesthesia, Steps Craig is an old soul in a young man's body, and this fourth book in the Special Tracking Unit series finally shows readers that his personal life is taking some very important, and very beneficial, strides forward. I always enjoy reading how he and partner Jimmy Donovan (one of the few who know his secret) work together, and in this book, they get some first-rate help from a member of local law enforcement.

The violence in Echoes of the Dead seems to have been raised a notch or two, which will make it very uncomfortable for those readers who have a low tolerance for such things, but although I had a moment or two of unease, I am the type of reader who only becomes more determined to catch the killer when this happens. I also noticed something that will please readers who shun anything that has the slightest appearance of the paranormal. In this book, "shine"-- the colorful essence of the killer-- is no longer the primary way to identify the killer. Now "shine" is more of a "stamp of approval" that their leads have brought them to the right person. For me, "shine" works either way because I also like watching Jimmy and Steps try to find legal ways to prove what it's been telling them all along.

Was catching this killer satisfying? You betcha. Now I'm looking forward to the next book, especially because of the cliffhanger this one ended on. Bring it on!

Echoes of the Dead by Spencer Kope
eISBN: 9781250179449
Minotaur Books © 2021
eBook, 336 pages
 
Police Procedural, #4 FBI Special Tracking Unit mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Net Galley

8 comments:

  1. Hmm....the story does sound compelling, Cathy. And you make a good point about the whole question of abuse. Steps Craig sounds like a really interesting character, too. I think I'll wait on this one until I'm ready for a book with a bit of violence in it, but it does sound good.

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    1. It is. Kope has developed some very good characters, and it's good to watch them working together.

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  2. This really sounds good...and makes me wish there were such a real life character hot on the trail of the despicable Brian Laundrie right now. It kills me to know he might get away with what he is thought to have done.

    The cover is a real eye-catcher, too. Going to see, now, if my library knows about these.

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  3. I've read the first two books in this series, but haven't picked up #3 as yet. Will keep this one, #4, in mind. I really like the characters.

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    1. They are good, aren't they? I hope Kope gets around to letting us know more about Diana, the information specialist in the team who always stays in her aerie in Bellingham.

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  4. I loved Kope's first book with Steps. I haven't read this one yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Great review! :)

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    1. Thanks! It's always good to hear from another Kope fan. :-)

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