Product Description

With a serial rapist loose on the streets of Savannah, hotshot detective Ryne Robel needs answers, not the psycho-babble head games of forensic profile Abbie Phillips. Abbie must convince him that head games are exactly what this elusive suspect is all about.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48106 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780425230237
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

From Publishers Weekly
Brant's debut, the first installment in the Mindhunters trilogy, begins with the standard short clip from the POV of a serial killer, followed by the introduction of the standard burned-out, ex-alcoholic tough detective, Ryne Robel. To find the killer, Robel reluctantly teams up with elfin criminologist Abbie Phillips. As Abbie and Ryne begin to piece together the clues, crossed wires turn into sparks. Though the novel opens with a generic structure, the writing is vivid and strong. Brant does an excellent job of building the partnership and attraction between Abbie and Ryne, and clearly enjoys showing off their razzle-dazzle police procedural techniques and banter. Readers looking for romance may be put off by the killer's grim torture of his female victims, but suspense fans will love the unexpected twist and pulse-pounding climax. (Sept.)
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Customer Reviews

Great start for the Mindhunters series
While the conflict of the criminologist creating a profile and the detective who doesn't believe in "psychobabble" has been done before, it's handled well here. Ryne isn't over-the-top or oblivious in his doubt--he just needs to be convinced. And Abbie has dealt with doubtful cops before, so she handles it pretty well. The characters have quite a bit of depth and are interesting and enjoyable; the chemistry between Abbie and Ryne feels real, and their mutual desire to ignore that attraction feels believable rather than serving as an artificial means of keeping them apart.

My favorite part of Kylie Brant's Waking Nightmare, however, is Abbie's sister, Callie, who's bipolar (among other things). This is one of the best (i.e., most accurate) depictions I've seen of someone who's bipolar--from a single paragraph of dialogue I immediately found myself saying, "she's hypomanic!" Followed, of course, by amazement that there was so much accuracy to the flow of the dialogue that I could tell that so easily.

While there's plenty of tension and great pacing to the suspense and mystery portion of things, one thing disappointed me. To me, the best part of a suspense/mystery novel is trying to figure out whodunit. This requires a tricky balance of foreshadowing/hints, and red herrings/obfuscation, such that the reader waffles on the identity of the perpetrator until the very end, but feels satisfaction and a feeling of, "of COURSE it was him/her!" at the end. To be fair, this is extremely hard to achieve, and to a certain extent this line will rest at a different place with each reader, so take my complaint with a grain of salt.

Despite that, however, I enjoyed Waking Nightmare enough to immediately pick up its sequel, Waking Evil, so it definitely isn't a deal-breaker problem. Besides--it's more than made up for by how Callie and her illness are handled throughout the book!


[Standard adult material warning: explicit sex between the romantic leads and dark subject matter.]

[Review book provided courtesy of publisher]

exciting action-packed thriller
Savannah, Georgia is shook by a brutal serial rapist. Police detective Ryne Robel leads the investigation, but needs manpower to capture the violent culprit. The tough cop is extremely unhappy when the best the brass can give him is waif like forensic profiler Abbie Phillips of Mindhunters, a private firm.

However, Abbie quickly proves her worth as a criminologist when she figures out the motive of the sociopath. They also learn the predator uses a designer drug that induces extra fear from the victims because the rapist customizes the cocktail to the person. As they begin to work on how a person is chosen, the pair is also attracted to one another. However, taking down this vicious monster supersedes personal desires.

The first Mindhunters romantic suspense emphasizes from the onset the suspense leaving the romance somewhat in the background. This is critical to the thrilling story line as the scenes with the killer in them are nightmarishly gruesome so that kisses would seem inappropriate (except perhaps for Rocky Horror fans). The story line is somewhat standard serial killer police procedural. However, the changing relationship between the lead partners from disdain to respect plus the deep look at modern day criminology make for a great opening act for whodunit fans.

Harriet Klausner

Grippingly suspenseful scenarios
The first sentence will intrigue you and the next one causes chills. By the third sentence, you will be completely hooked on WAKING NIGHTMARE as the frightening development becomes all too clear. Kylie Brant begins The Mindhunters series with convincingly realistic predicaments featuring spiritedly determined characters, where nothing is certain and all can be lost in an instant.

After another brutal rape happens in Savannah, the head detective of the task force investigating these vicious crimes is willing to have another cop brought in to join his group. However, when Ryne Robel learns the new member is Abbie Phillips, he is not overly thrilled. He had wanted an experienced detective, not a petite younger woman who is only a forensic psychologist. Although her company, known as The Mindhunters, is run by a renowned ex-FBI profiler, Ryne does not believe she is qualified to actually help with the investigation but his protests are overruled.

With many previous successful cases, Abbie knows she can be a valuable member to his team by contributing her opinions about the perpetrator. As she studies the connected cases to form motivational reasoning behind each one, she comes to some startling conclusions while proving her worth more than once. Abbie believes the person responsible for the sadistic acts somehow learns of a private fear and uses this knowledge to cause even more anguish to each of his victims. As Ryan and Abbie work closely together to stop the terror seizing Savannah, they come to respect each other, both professionally and personally, while desirous longing continues to mount. Unfortunately, the person they are after does not plan on ever being caught.

Kylie Brant never lets the reader down, as emotions are stirred and imaginations are captured. The creative talent of Ms. Brant is apparent in every story she writes, and her gift has never been more evident than in the first book of The Mindhunters series. With grippingly suspenseful scenarios and numerous potential outcomes, every word of WAKING NIGHTMARE is highly anticipated. Though plenty of clues are given, one does not know for certain where they will lead, and these doubts often turn to surprise when unforeseen revelations are finally divulged. There are countless twists in the story, and many of them will leave you totally stunned. Ms. Brant knows exactly how to keep your attention, as she may give you most wanted answers to a few questions but still keeps you guessing the solution of others. These hidden intrigues let your own imagination take over your thoughts, frequently causing heart-pounding moments as you await their resulting consequences. There is tension from the endless danger, while tension on another level is constantly taking place between Ryne and Abbie. Although they may not always agree on how to handle their case, the simmering sexual awareness they feel for each other is never completely forgotten. When their control over these desires explodes, the scene is blazing yet tender with unspoken feelings. Ryne and Abbie are a memorable couple, as insight into their backgrounds makes them more beloved and particularly true-to-life. These two have to be admired for what they have accomplished, and their openness will touch you with its sincerity. The Mindhunters series starts off with an appropriately named story of suspense, and I look forward to seeing what occurs in the next case. Unfolding mysteries and palpable threats keep WAKING NIGHTMARE captivatingly entertaining, while the passionate romance touches your heart.

Reviewed for SingleTitles