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

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?

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.

did NOT finish

so I hold out to chapter 4, but then had to give it up.
first this is a story hard to get into as it is more like a script to a tv sseries than a book. it is superficial and even though it is written in first person narrative, we still do not get that much personal information of what the main character is feeling.
he is helping solving a case, and interviewing the father he has no personal feelings to speak of even when he rambles bout his son choosing to be gay and all prostitutes are drug users. a bit later they interview the friend and he laughs out loud because he says 30 is old. it seems rather inconsistent and puts me of the whole thing.
this book is not for me.
I will not recommend it, and do not understand the high ratings.

A promising start

I have a weakness for psychic stories, so I jumped at the chance to listen to this book, and I had a great time doing it.

Liam Baker was living day to day, still mourning the death of his lover not quite a year earlier. The only think keeping him sane was helping his friend and LA homicide detective Kimball Thompson solving murders and putting the guilty behind bars.

Thompson is running on empty. The latest murders are headscratchers to say the least, and with few, if any, leads to go on things are looking pretty grim to catch the killer before he strikes again. When he targets Liam, Thompson is racing against the clock to find the killer before it’s too late.

I wish this book was longer, but probably not for the reason that you first might think. It wasn't that I just loved it so much that I couldn't get enough, it's because I was left with this unfinished feeling, left with questions I still want answers to. Not in the form of a cliffhanger or anything, just explanations that never really came. I also felt like the past wasn’t explained either, we never really know what happened to William, but maybe that will have a more presence in the next book?

The mystery aspect was both interesting and a bit of a letdown. I loved the aspect of it, the number five and the pink feathers was great details, but I also wanted the mystery to have more of a presence. I wanted to feel the suspense, the horror of it all. I wanted to be there. As it was, it felt like a lot of stuff was glossed over, and never realized to its full potential.

Kale Williams did a wonderful job narrating this book, He kept me fully engaged throughout the book and made it a pleasure to listen to him. It was everything I want from a narrator – different voices for the different characters, but more importantly, Williams narrated with feeling. There was no monotone narration of the words near this book, and I for none will keep a lookout for more of his narrations in the future.

Shadow's Edge was a promising start to a new series and it kept me interested enough that I will look for the next book in the series so see what other adventures these two might find.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes

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.

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

wonderfully written mystery

loved the characters and plotting of the story. look forward to the next book.

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.

great mystery with a twist

loved the story - good mystery - believable psychotic bad guy - all in all a terrific listen - will be buying the next one

Good narration, but bland writing

It's such a shame that the writing in this book was so bland and lazy. It was as if the author was writing to a template. The characters were not believable and all interaction, contrived. The murder plot was also predictable, and the ends not tied properly. We still had no idea of the killers name and how he was connected to his victims. It was made out that the killer had been watching Liam and Thompson, but it wasn't revealed if he was a cop, doctor, or whatever...as I said, lazy plotting.
The narrator was very good and he was the only reason I kept on with this book to the expected end.

Brilliant

I received this in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I felt invested in the characters and really loved the mystery side of it. I love a good slow burn story and this had me hooked.
Highly recommend this book.
In addition the narrator was excellent and enjoyed the nuances he gave each character.

Great start of the series!

4.5 Stars!!!

Liam has seen dead people since he was a kid and has been helping his dead lover's partner, LA Homicide Detective Kimball Thompson with some cases he's been working on with a high success rate. Liam has been grieving for the nine months since the loss of William, unable to move on until Thompson decides it's time for him to start dating again and, shaking Liam to his core. Between Thompson dating the perfect Denny and the serial killer they're trying to catch, who seems to also be a psychic and more powerful than Liam is, Liam's life is thrown into a turmoil the likes of which he's not sure he'll be able to get out alive.

I loved Liam and Thompson. They were just so perfect for each other. They had a great rapport, worked well together solving cases and there was this underlying sexual tension between them, even when Liam wasn't ready to acknowledge it. The pacing was very realistic, a bit of a slow burn, but just perfect considering what they'd gone through. Thompson was reliable and I just loved how supportive he was of Liam. And Liam, once he finally realized he had feelings for Thompson, was all in and worked on putting Thompson's doubts at rest. 

I didn't quite like that Liam kept calling Thompson by his surname, but I love them enough not to have that be that much of an issue for me. What was a bit more an issue for me was the way the things with Denny, Thompson's date, were dealt, but I guess that's more of a personal issue than anything else.

S.C. Wynne did a great job with the case Liam and Thompson were working on, keeping me on my toes and wondering until the last page! I would've liked a bit more of closure at the end, but it worked well overall. The book was amazing! Fast-paced, well-written, kind of creepy in some parts but well-balanced with the romance developing between Liam and Thompson.

I read the book almost 3 and a half years ago, so it was a treat to listen to the audiobook in preparation for book 3 to be released. Kale Williams did a fantastic job with both the story and all the characters, bringing the story to life in all it's suspenseful glory.

Very recommendable!

A Great Psychic Mystery

This is the first book by the author S. C Wynne I have read/listened to and I loved it.
I really liked both of the main characters, Liam and Thompson, the Psychic and the cop and I look forward to listening the the next book in the series.
Kale Williams did a fantastic job bringing the book to life and I can’t wait to hear him narrate Shadow’s Return.

Mystery & Romance

Told from Liam's point-of-view, I enjoyed the way S.C. Wynne slowly reveals his backstory. It's very well done. Shadow's Edge is really more about Liam recovering from the loss of his partner, and the development of his relationship with Thompson. There's a nice mystery as well, and Liam's psychic abilities are pretty cool - I hope we learn more about them in the next episode of the series. I'm looking forward to hearing Kale Williams perform Shadow's Return.

Incredible

Listening to shadow's edge was incredible I loved following everything being brought to life

I was so hooked I could not stop listening following the story being brought to life i felt like I was their every step of the way the mystery the storyline the chemistry intensity just everything

Kale Williams did a wonderful job of bringing liem and Thompson to life

Very interesting book

The book was really enjoyable. I loved the combination of mystery and romance. It was well written. The narration was great as well.

Enjoyable Story

A well written story with and interesting  concept.  The characters are likeable and the narration is very good.

great narration and story with potential

Very good narration and a mystery that had potential if no tension. Unfortunately the romance was a touch squicky with empathis put on nine months being overlong to morn a lover and lack sex! ..and the love interest having no first name- unless you count it being in the blurb?