Holly‘s review of Cold Sight 
Leslie Parrish introduces Extrasensory Agents, a band of psychic investigators interested only in the cases nobody else wants-the coldest ones… After being made a scapegoat in a botched investigation that led to a child’s death, Aidan McConnell became a recluse. Still, as a favor to an old friend, Aidan will help on the occasional ESA case.
Reporter Lexie Nolan has a nose for news-and she believes a serial killer has been targeting teen girls around Savannah, but no one believes her. So she turns to the new paranormal detective agency and the sexy, mysterious Aidan for help. But just as the two begin forging a relationship, the case turns eerily personal for Lexie-and Aidan discovers that maybe he hasn’t lost the ability to feel after all.
This is my first read by Leslie Parrish. Though her previous trilogy got a lot of buzz, I wasn’t in the mood for Romantic Suspense at that time, so I skipped them. If they’re half as good as this one was, I’m truly sorry for it now.
I had reservations going in because the heroine is a reporter and we all know I have major reporter issues. But it was almost like Parrish heard all my bitching complaints and customized her reporter to my tastes. She wasn’t TSTL, or more interested in advancing her career than anything else. It was very refreshing.
Reporter Lexie Nolan knows something is happening the young girls in town. It just isn’t possible that so many have gone missing and they’re all a coincidence. She wrote a piece for the local paper where she works, hoping to shed some light on it, but the sheriff made her look like a fool. Now she’s been demoted and half the town hates her. Still, she knows something isn’t right and she wants to prove it.
When her boss suggests she get in touch with Aidan McConnell, she isn’t sure what to think. Aidan is a physic. He’s also an author and an investigator, and he has a good track record with helping to close cases. But a year ago he disappeared from the public eye after a case he was working on went wrong. Lexie doesn’t put much stock in the woo-woo side of things, but figures another set of eyes can’t hurt anything.
Aidan has been in seclusion for over a year. The last case he was working on as a psychic, he was way off and a child died because of him. The public turned on him and the guilt started eating him alive. He decided he never wanted to be responsible for another human again and closed himself off. He isn’t interested in helping Lexie at all…until he realizes he knew the most recent girl to go missing. Having touched her, he now has a small connection with her, and he can’t walk away.
I really loved Lexie. Y’all should take a minute to go mark this on your calendars…July 2010, Holly loved a reporter heroine. I’m telling you, this is a red letter day. My main complaint with reporters is that they tend to put themselves, there careers and their stories above everything else in their lives. Lexie wasn’t like that. She had integrity and heart. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in, and her main priority was finding the missing teenagers. She was wonderful.
Aidan was kind of dark and brooding, but he still has a wicked sense of humor. Watching him open up to Lexie was really lovely. It wasn’t a “bam” kind of thing, but a slow unfolding. He’s learned to be gun-shy around reporters, especially ones as tenacious as Lexie, but even he couldn’t resist her. One of the things I loved about him is that he didn’t judge Lexie solely on his past experiences. Yes, he was wary of her, but he didn’t pigeon hole her.
There was a really good balance between mystery and romance. They weren’t making out when the bad guy was knocking down the door or thinking about nothing but sex throughout the whole book, but I truly believed in the development of their romance. It happened in a short period of time, but it was totally believable.
The mystery plot was very well done. I thought I knew who the killer was early on, but I wasn’t completely sure. That’s very rare for me. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen and how the killer would be caught. I was also totally wrapped up in Vonnie, the most recent girl to get caught, and her struggle to stay alive. Parrish really captured her strength and determination.
My main complaint was the lack of paranormal..I really wish Parrish had focused just a bit more on Aidan and his team’s physic powers. As it was, the Paranormal Element was light, and the focus of resolving the mystery was on straight investigative work. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, except that I wanted more of the paranormal (these are my favorite kinds of paranormal..I much prefer them to shapeshifters or vampires).
My other complaint is the way Lexie and Aidan’s issues with the sheriff were resolved. I’m sorry, but if my sheriff had ignored the disappearance of 15+ girls, swept evidence under the rug and turned a blind eye to the goings-on of his town, I wouldn’t be so quick to forgive him. I think they were both too forgiving and too willing to give him the benefit of doubt. By the time he started to care it was too little too late.
Overall I found this to be a dark, emotionally compelling romantic suspense with a light paranormal element. I opened this book and didn’t close it again until the last page had been read. Fans of Karen Rose should enjoy this novel. It reminded me a lot of some of her earlier works.
4.25 out of 5
This book is available from Signet. You can buy it here
