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Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #7
Hunting Fear
Lucas Jordan has an extraordinary psychic skill that police all over the country find invaluable: he locates missing people. And since being recruited by Noah Bishop for his FBI Special Crimes Unit, Lucas has learned to hone his remarkable ability so that what he does seems little short of miraculous.
He's called in on what appear to be a series of ordinary kidnappings-for-ransom, but almost immediately Lucas realizes the situation is far from ordinary -- and more deadly than anything he's ever faced before. Because a brilliant, twisted madman is out to win a sick game, matching his wits against the best hunter he can find: Lucas.
From the Hardcover edition.
He's called in on what appear to be a series of ordinary kidnappings-for-ransom, but almost immediately Lucas realizes the situation is far from ordinary -- and more deadly than anything he's ever faced before. Because a brilliant, twisted madman is out to win a sick game, matching his wits against the best hunter he can find: Lucas.
From the Hardcover edition.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 17, 2004
308 people are currently reading
3055 people want to read
About the author
Kay Hooper
97 books2,439 followersKay Hooper (aka Kay Robbins) was born in California, in an air force base hospital since her father was stationed there at the time. The family moved back to North Carolina shortly afterward, so she was raised and went to school there.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.
Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.
Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.
Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.
Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
September 5, 2025
I sense you'll enjoy this one!
HUNTING FEAR opens as Noah Bishop of the FBI puts together a uniquely skilled team - a group of talented psychics with a variety of extrasensory abilities - to assist in the investigation of crimes that have eluded the efforts of more traditional police techniques. Lucas Jordan, whose specialty is finding lost people by tuning into their emanations of fear and terror, is assigned the task of tracking down a serial kidnapper who demands a ransom and then kills his victims in rather gruesome fashion after he has received the ransom. The team's investigation takes them to Golden, North Carolina, where Jordan crosses paths with Samantha Burke, a former lover also gifted with psychic ability, working as a clairvoyant seer in a traveling carnival sideshow. County sheriff, Wyatt Metcalfe, although a dedicated capable lawman is also clearly a scoffing, cynical disbeliever in the paranormal abilities of the Special Crimes Unit and directs his investigation of the most recent kidnapping towards the staff of the traveling carnival whom he sees as troublemaking itinerant gypsies.
It soon becomes clear that the kidnapper has turned his crime spree into a personal one-on-one game with Lucas Jordan who seems unable to bring himself to face the physical and mental pain necessary to access his psychic talents - mentally touching the terrified victims by accessing their terror and fear of death. The stakes are turned up a notch and the novel careens towards an exciting finish when policewoman Lindsay Graham, Metcalfe's partner and lover, is kidnapped and imprisoned in a glass tank buried deep in a local abandoned mine.
Although not entirely a disbeliever, I started the book and, having finished, remain skeptical. That said, Hooper does a superb job of using the paranormal as a wonderful literary device to create a taut suspense thriller without going completely over the top and entering the realm of the entirely incredible! The plot line, primarily driven by realistic well-crafted dialogue, is fast-paced, easy reading and exciting. Colourful characters become warm-blooded, very real people in the minds of the readers simply by mental extrapolation from the words that come out of their mouths. Wyatt Metcalfe, in particular, is the memorable standout member of the cast in terms of his strength of character, realism, passion and obvious personal growth from the beginning through the climax of the novel. The narrative interludes describing the workings of the psychic phenomena (such as they are currently perceived and understood) are informative and add nicely to the apparent reality of the novel.
No doubt about it ... belief in the paranormal is not a pre-requisite to enjoyment of HUNTING FEAR and it can be recommended to any reader who enjoys their suspense thrillers. Hooper's novels should enjoy equal space on your book shelf with the likes of David Baldacci, Tess Gerritsen, Jonathan Kellerman and James Patterson. I'll look forward to reading CHILL OF FEAR, the second novel in her three part FEAR series.
Paul Weiss
HUNTING FEAR opens as Noah Bishop of the FBI puts together a uniquely skilled team - a group of talented psychics with a variety of extrasensory abilities - to assist in the investigation of crimes that have eluded the efforts of more traditional police techniques. Lucas Jordan, whose specialty is finding lost people by tuning into their emanations of fear and terror, is assigned the task of tracking down a serial kidnapper who demands a ransom and then kills his victims in rather gruesome fashion after he has received the ransom. The team's investigation takes them to Golden, North Carolina, where Jordan crosses paths with Samantha Burke, a former lover also gifted with psychic ability, working as a clairvoyant seer in a traveling carnival sideshow. County sheriff, Wyatt Metcalfe, although a dedicated capable lawman is also clearly a scoffing, cynical disbeliever in the paranormal abilities of the Special Crimes Unit and directs his investigation of the most recent kidnapping towards the staff of the traveling carnival whom he sees as troublemaking itinerant gypsies.
It soon becomes clear that the kidnapper has turned his crime spree into a personal one-on-one game with Lucas Jordan who seems unable to bring himself to face the physical and mental pain necessary to access his psychic talents - mentally touching the terrified victims by accessing their terror and fear of death. The stakes are turned up a notch and the novel careens towards an exciting finish when policewoman Lindsay Graham, Metcalfe's partner and lover, is kidnapped and imprisoned in a glass tank buried deep in a local abandoned mine.
Although not entirely a disbeliever, I started the book and, having finished, remain skeptical. That said, Hooper does a superb job of using the paranormal as a wonderful literary device to create a taut suspense thriller without going completely over the top and entering the realm of the entirely incredible! The plot line, primarily driven by realistic well-crafted dialogue, is fast-paced, easy reading and exciting. Colourful characters become warm-blooded, very real people in the minds of the readers simply by mental extrapolation from the words that come out of their mouths. Wyatt Metcalfe, in particular, is the memorable standout member of the cast in terms of his strength of character, realism, passion and obvious personal growth from the beginning through the climax of the novel. The narrative interludes describing the workings of the psychic phenomena (such as they are currently perceived and understood) are informative and add nicely to the apparent reality of the novel.
No doubt about it ... belief in the paranormal is not a pre-requisite to enjoyment of HUNTING FEAR and it can be recommended to any reader who enjoys their suspense thrillers. Hooper's novels should enjoy equal space on your book shelf with the likes of David Baldacci, Tess Gerritsen, Jonathan Kellerman and James Patterson. I'll look forward to reading CHILL OF FEAR, the second novel in her three part FEAR series.
Paul Weiss
March 7, 2015
2/5 STARS - the very best I can do!
OK ... this is one of those books where I wonder if I read the same story as everyone else. According to the Goodreads statisticians, Hunting Fear has just over 6,000 ratings for an average rating of 4.2/5.0. WOW! I felt very generous by awarding it 2/5 STARS. What up? What planet am I on? What am I missing? Are those 6,000+ folks reading a different version? I don't know. I'm dazed and confused!
I apologize to the many Kay Hooper fans out there but ... a team of psychic federal agents? Seriously? This simply did not work for me at all!
The story core is pretty straight forward. Lucas Jordan, a gifted psychic working solo as a private investigator on missing person and abductions cases, was recruited five years ago by FBI Special Agent Noah Bishop into the Bureau's very new but purposely covert Special Crimes Unit of psychic agents. In order to secure funding for a newly minted psychic unit and mute public scrutiny and skepticism, Bishop keeps the unit and its activities under the radar.
For the past 18 months Jordan has been chasing a serial kidnapper around the country, always one step behind the perpetrator, unable to leverage his psychic abilities to collect any solid leads. What's uniquely maddening about this case is even after the kidnapper receives ransom payments for the victim’s release, the victims are murdered. And the murders are executed in very bizarre ways, using remotely timed contraptions that behead, drown, exsanguinate or asphyxiate.
In steps Samantha Burke, aka Zarina, a genuine, gifted psychic with Carnival After Dark, which happens to be playing Golden, NC where the latest kidnap/murder event has occurred. Samantha and Lucas were in a broken relationship three years prior so they are very familiar with each other’s talents, personalities, and paranormal styles. Working with other agents within the SCU and the local sheriff's department, Sam and Lucas pit their skills and expertise against a serial killer who treats each gruesome murder as just another move in a grand chess game against Lucas.
This thing went off the rails for me as soon as I knew psychics were involved and crashed and burned when Zarina, the carnival act and former lover of the head of the Golden, NC investigation, makes her appearance. Not that I don’t consider the possibility of psychic phenomenon, clairvoyance, extrasensory perception and parapsychology. You never know right?
What I struggled with was the superficial, almost mundane, matter of fact treatment of the crimes, the victims and even the killer. I felt zero emotional relationships with anyone in the story. Is there such a genre as crime mystery-lite? Disturbing acts of violence like slow drowning, premature burial, ingenious devices of self-inflicted exsanguination, where victims endure the pure terror by knowing their eventual fate and unable to do anything but hope for rescue, received no special exploration at all, just another piece of the puzzle.
Do you remember the Batman series of the 1960s? For folks less than 30 years of age, this was a prime time TV series where the dynamic duo chased varied and assorted criminals (Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Cat Woman, to name a few) in Gotham City. Each episode ended in a cliffhanger where Batman or Robin or both were left in some moral danger, often times within some strange and unusual death machine, which resolved itself the following week. Google it for details.
Anyway, images of Burt Ward and Adam West popped into my head as I read this book. Weird or what???
So Samantha Burke aka Zarina makes the scene ...
![]()
Sam and Lucas team up and strategize ...
![]()
...as new victims are drugged, kidnapped and set up in bizarre instruments of psychological torture and death
![]()
By book's end, the good guys prevail, the case is solved and it's time to move onto another adventure.
![]()
So, you ask, why did I read this book? Darn library book sale that’s why! At my library's 2014 annual Spring Book Sale http://www.westath.org I purchased this book on the third day of the sale, Saturday, when everything was 4/$1. Yup for a mere $0.25 I decided to try Kay Hooper. With all due respect to Kay and her loyal readers, once is enough. I’m moving on. Good bye Ms. Hooper
OK ... this is one of those books where I wonder if I read the same story as everyone else. According to the Goodreads statisticians, Hunting Fear has just over 6,000 ratings for an average rating of 4.2/5.0. WOW! I felt very generous by awarding it 2/5 STARS. What up? What planet am I on? What am I missing? Are those 6,000+ folks reading a different version? I don't know. I'm dazed and confused!
I apologize to the many Kay Hooper fans out there but ... a team of psychic federal agents? Seriously? This simply did not work for me at all!
The story core is pretty straight forward. Lucas Jordan, a gifted psychic working solo as a private investigator on missing person and abductions cases, was recruited five years ago by FBI Special Agent Noah Bishop into the Bureau's very new but purposely covert Special Crimes Unit of psychic agents. In order to secure funding for a newly minted psychic unit and mute public scrutiny and skepticism, Bishop keeps the unit and its activities under the radar.
For the past 18 months Jordan has been chasing a serial kidnapper around the country, always one step behind the perpetrator, unable to leverage his psychic abilities to collect any solid leads. What's uniquely maddening about this case is even after the kidnapper receives ransom payments for the victim’s release, the victims are murdered. And the murders are executed in very bizarre ways, using remotely timed contraptions that behead, drown, exsanguinate or asphyxiate.
In steps Samantha Burke, aka Zarina, a genuine, gifted psychic with Carnival After Dark, which happens to be playing Golden, NC where the latest kidnap/murder event has occurred. Samantha and Lucas were in a broken relationship three years prior so they are very familiar with each other’s talents, personalities, and paranormal styles. Working with other agents within the SCU and the local sheriff's department, Sam and Lucas pit their skills and expertise against a serial killer who treats each gruesome murder as just another move in a grand chess game against Lucas.
This thing went off the rails for me as soon as I knew psychics were involved and crashed and burned when Zarina, the carnival act and former lover of the head of the Golden, NC investigation, makes her appearance. Not that I don’t consider the possibility of psychic phenomenon, clairvoyance, extrasensory perception and parapsychology. You never know right?
What I struggled with was the superficial, almost mundane, matter of fact treatment of the crimes, the victims and even the killer. I felt zero emotional relationships with anyone in the story. Is there such a genre as crime mystery-lite? Disturbing acts of violence like slow drowning, premature burial, ingenious devices of self-inflicted exsanguination, where victims endure the pure terror by knowing their eventual fate and unable to do anything but hope for rescue, received no special exploration at all, just another piece of the puzzle.
Do you remember the Batman series of the 1960s? For folks less than 30 years of age, this was a prime time TV series where the dynamic duo chased varied and assorted criminals (Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Cat Woman, to name a few) in Gotham City. Each episode ended in a cliffhanger where Batman or Robin or both were left in some moral danger, often times within some strange and unusual death machine, which resolved itself the following week. Google it for details.
Anyway, images of Burt Ward and Adam West popped into my head as I read this book. Weird or what???
So Samantha Burke aka Zarina makes the scene ...
Sam and Lucas team up and strategize ...
...as new victims are drugged, kidnapped and set up in bizarre instruments of psychological torture and death
By book's end, the good guys prevail, the case is solved and it's time to move onto another adventure.
So, you ask, why did I read this book? Darn library book sale that’s why! At my library's 2014 annual Spring Book Sale http://www.westath.org I purchased this book on the third day of the sale, Saturday, when everything was 4/$1. Yup for a mere $0.25 I decided to try Kay Hooper. With all due respect to Kay and her loyal readers, once is enough. I’m moving on. Good bye Ms. Hooper
March 29, 2016
I love the Bishop series by Kay Hooper . This one was a good thriller but I wish she had developed the characters a little better . I finished the book but knew very little about Lucas or Sam . Overall a good read but I have liked her other books in this series more
February 14, 2020
Hunting Fear is book one in the Fear series and book 7 in the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit by Kay Hooper. Lucus Jordan and Jaylene Avery"s investigation into a serial kidnapper brought them to Golden. However, unbeknown to Lucus and Jaylene, a friend of theirs Samantha, who also in town and the prime suspect in the murder of Mitchell Callahan. The readers of Hunting Fear will continue to follow Lucus, Jaylene, and Samantha's investigation into finding the serial Kidnapper before more bodies turn up.
Hunting Fear is another fantastic book to read by Kay Hooper. From the first page of Hunting Fear, I was hooked and was unable to put the book down. I like the way Kay Hooper incorporates the twists and turns in Hunting Fear. I love Kay Hooper's portrayal of her characters and the way they interact with each other throughout this book. Hunting Fear is well written and researched by Kay Hooper.
The readers of Hunting Fear will learn about grieve and how it can affect everyone around them. Also, the readers of Hunting Fear will learn about working in a carnival and how people treat them.
I recommend this book.
Hunting Fear is another fantastic book to read by Kay Hooper. From the first page of Hunting Fear, I was hooked and was unable to put the book down. I like the way Kay Hooper incorporates the twists and turns in Hunting Fear. I love Kay Hooper's portrayal of her characters and the way they interact with each other throughout this book. Hunting Fear is well written and researched by Kay Hooper.
The readers of Hunting Fear will learn about grieve and how it can affect everyone around them. Also, the readers of Hunting Fear will learn about working in a carnival and how people treat them.
I recommend this book.
January 25, 2023
Hunting Fear
4 Stars
SCU member, Lucas Jordan, possesses the unique ability to sense a victim’s terror and uses it to find those who are missing. However, Lucas’s skill is put to the test when a seemingly routine case of kidnapping for ransom turns into something far more dangerous and personal.
Series Note: This is the first book in Hooper’s Fear trilogy but the seventh book in the Bishop Special Crimes Unit series. While this is the first time Lucas and his love interest, Samantha, are introduced, there are minor references to characters from previous installments.
As with the earlier books in Hooper’s SCU series, the twists and turns of the narrative and the diabolical nature of the crimes lead to a fast paced and engrossing read. The romance, however, takes a back seat to the action.
Most of the characters are fleshed out well, and it is easy to empathize and sympathize with their predicaments. Nevertheless, the hero is not as well-developed and the lack of characterization impacts the reader’s ability to follow the clues to the culprit’s identity. Likewise, Lucas's relationship with Samantha lacks foundation and background, so their conflict comes across as superficial and tiresome.
Consequently, readers expecting romance with their tension and suspense will be disappointed as this book, and the series as a whole, are firmly in the genre of paranormal mystery rather than romantic suspense. However, those interested in a solid thriller with excellent secondary characters and some gritty murders should pick it up.
4 Stars
SCU member, Lucas Jordan, possesses the unique ability to sense a victim’s terror and uses it to find those who are missing. However, Lucas’s skill is put to the test when a seemingly routine case of kidnapping for ransom turns into something far more dangerous and personal.
Series Note: This is the first book in Hooper’s Fear trilogy but the seventh book in the Bishop Special Crimes Unit series. While this is the first time Lucas and his love interest, Samantha, are introduced, there are minor references to characters from previous installments.
As with the earlier books in Hooper’s SCU series, the twists and turns of the narrative and the diabolical nature of the crimes lead to a fast paced and engrossing read. The romance, however, takes a back seat to the action.
Most of the characters are fleshed out well, and it is easy to empathize and sympathize with their predicaments. Nevertheless, the hero is not as well-developed and the lack of characterization impacts the reader’s ability to follow the clues to the culprit’s identity. Likewise, Lucas's relationship with Samantha lacks foundation and background, so their conflict comes across as superficial and tiresome.
Consequently, readers expecting romance with their tension and suspense will be disappointed as this book, and the series as a whole, are firmly in the genre of paranormal mystery rather than romantic suspense. However, those interested in a solid thriller with excellent secondary characters and some gritty murders should pick it up.
September 1, 2018
This is an exciting crime thriller with detectives that have psychic abilities. The plot had some unexpected twists and left the killer's identity hidden until near the end of the book. The methods of killing are particularly gruesome and frightening, including a timed guillotine, drowning in a tank that fills slowly and being buried alive.
This is the first in a series of books with the Special Crimes Unit (a special group within the FBI of detectives with psychic abilities). It seems like each book follows a different special agent.
This is the first in a series of books with the Special Crimes Unit (a special group within the FBI of detectives with psychic abilities). It seems like each book follows a different special agent.
August 6, 2010
I am a big fan of Kay Hooper and this book does not disappoint. Hunting Fear is the first in what is sort of a series within a series. The broader series is about a special unit within the FBI, formed by Noah Bishop. All its members have some sort of psychic ability, including "seers" and "mediums". These agents use their abilities to hunt down the worst and most elusive criminals.
The Fear series follows agent Lucas Jordan, as he tries to find a serial killer who makes a game of murder. Lucas' psychic talent relies on his ability to tap into the fear of the victim. However, tapping into that fear comes at a great personal price.
The plot never has a dull moment. The characters are each well developed and their relationships are as much a part of the story as the murders. While Hunting Fear is part of a series, a reader could easily pick this one up and read it as a stand-alone.
The Fear series follows agent Lucas Jordan, as he tries to find a serial killer who makes a game of murder. Lucas' psychic talent relies on his ability to tap into the fear of the victim. However, tapping into that fear comes at a great personal price.
The plot never has a dull moment. The characters are each well developed and their relationships are as much a part of the story as the murders. While Hunting Fear is part of a series, a reader could easily pick this one up and read it as a stand-alone.
April 14, 2009
I've read some of the BCU books in the past, and I don't know what I expected this one to be. It's gruesome, and bad things happen to characters that you like. It's kind of like it's a light mystery/romance trying to be a suspense novel. It doesn't quite fit either place. But I will probably read more of these in the future. Because I can't help myself, not because they are great books.
August 25, 2017
"Aunque el inicio no genera grandes expectativas, es una historia que te va atrapando poco a poco hasta conseguir que no puedas parar de leer. Puede que no sea la maravilla del año, pero entretiene y la trama da un par de sorpresas inesperadas"
Reseña completa: http://entrelalecturayelcine.blogspot...
Reseña completa: http://entrelalecturayelcine.blogspot...
September 15, 2019
3.5
Lucas Jordan a psychic who feels people's fear, is good at finding missing people. He's been tracking a serial kidnapper/killer for the past 18 months and has finally stopped in the small town of Golden, where it seems, the endgame is going to play out. He's surprised when Samantha Burke, carnival psychic (and genuine one) who was once his lover before he walked away because she'd gotten too close. She's still bitter about his leaving but determined to help on this case, claiming she'd been drawn by a vision that she refuses to share with him. He's suspicious of her and her motives, but won't refuse the help he needs against a killer who is always one step ahead of him. Samantha will have to work to open Lucas up to his gifts, to eliminate the block that keeps him from using his talent most effectively. But to do that may mean getting closer and risking herself more than she ever planned.
I feel like I say this every time. The suspense here is spot on. It's fully engaging, it's truly suspenseful and page-turning and there really is a mystery here...we (nor the characters) have any idea who is responsible and this becomes a roller-coaster of emotions as we try to figure it all out. The romance to a lesser degree engages. At first, the tension between Samantha and Lucas was interesting and the reasons behind the second chance romance are sort of just crumbs really...it takes a good portion of the book before you fully understand what happened between them and how Samantha really feels about it all. In fact, her real motivations are pretty darn suspenseful in their own right. But before we'd gotten to the resolution of their tension, it kinda got annoying for me and I just wanted them to move on from it and get back to the case. Nor do I feel like I ever really engaged with Lucas or connected to him because, as he keeps himself closed off from Samantha, he also feels closed off to the reader. I felt like I didn't know anything about his background or his motivations...and by the end, it felt like this story needed more to be told. The tension between them isn't fully resolved - he never really internalizes what his actions did to Samantha or apologizes for it. Even the mystery is only partially resolved since . So while this was good (and the suspense was REALLY good), it needed a bit more to be really good.
Lucas Jordan a psychic who feels people's fear, is good at finding missing people. He's been tracking a serial kidnapper/killer for the past 18 months and has finally stopped in the small town of Golden, where it seems, the endgame is going to play out. He's surprised when Samantha Burke, carnival psychic (and genuine one) who was once his lover before he walked away because she'd gotten too close. She's still bitter about his leaving but determined to help on this case, claiming she'd been drawn by a vision that she refuses to share with him. He's suspicious of her and her motives, but won't refuse the help he needs against a killer who is always one step ahead of him. Samantha will have to work to open Lucas up to his gifts, to eliminate the block that keeps him from using his talent most effectively. But to do that may mean getting closer and risking herself more than she ever planned.
I feel like I say this every time. The suspense here is spot on. It's fully engaging, it's truly suspenseful and page-turning and there really is a mystery here...we (nor the characters) have any idea who is responsible and this becomes a roller-coaster of emotions as we try to figure it all out. The romance to a lesser degree engages. At first, the tension between Samantha and Lucas was interesting and the reasons behind the second chance romance are sort of just crumbs really...it takes a good portion of the book before you fully understand what happened between them and how Samantha really feels about it all. In fact, her real motivations are pretty darn suspenseful in their own right. But before we'd gotten to the resolution of their tension, it kinda got annoying for me and I just wanted them to move on from it and get back to the case. Nor do I feel like I ever really engaged with Lucas or connected to him because, as he keeps himself closed off from Samantha, he also feels closed off to the reader. I felt like I didn't know anything about his background or his motivations...and by the end, it felt like this story needed more to be told. The tension between them isn't fully resolved - he never really internalizes what his actions did to Samantha or apologizes for it. Even the mystery is only partially resolved since . So while this was good (and the suspense was REALLY good), it needed a bit more to be really good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2022
Esta no es mi primera vez leyendo a Hooper, ni siquiera es la primera vez que leo algún libro de esta saga.
Otra vez, este libro y el siguiente, venían en un lote de libros de segunda mano que compré por otro título. Así que ha sido el azar el que me ha llevado a elegir esta lectura. Mi primera experiencia con esta escritora no fue buena, es más que probable que nunca hubiese vuelto a leerla. Mi tbr es interminable, en serio.
Esta historia es bastante básica. Los personajes son planos, la trama es superficial de una forma muy rara. Es todo como muy meh. Sí es verdad, que por su sencillez, se lee fácil y rápido. Engancha, sí. Aunque en ningún momento terminó de meterme de lleno en la historia. Se podría decir que se queda bastante corta. Eso, en general. En lo referente a la relación amorosa es poco menos que inexistente. Yo no me la creí en ningún momento. Puede ser que querer descubrir quién es el asesino y cómo lo hace te haga querer leer hasta el final, pero, para mí, ha sido un final (me repito) meh 😂
Hay que tener en cuenta que esta saga tiene un toque paranormal. Hay que suspender la incredulidad, sí o sí.
La edición que tengo es la de bolsillo de Terciopelo. Que tiene, por cierto, la letra enana y, por lo tanto, muy incómoda de leer. La verdad, es una edición nada atractiva estéticamente. El encabezado y la numeración de las páginas se está borrando con el tiempo, así que no tiene demasiada calidad.
La traducción está bien. Firmada por Victoria Horrillo. La verdad es que como el libro tampoco destaca por cómo está escrito, la traducción poco puede lucirse. Imagino que está bien porque no lo recuerdo y eso es una buena traducción, la que te hace olvidar que lo es.
Todavía no sé si me desharé de este libro. Cuando lea el segundo lo decidiré.
Otra vez, este libro y el siguiente, venían en un lote de libros de segunda mano que compré por otro título. Así que ha sido el azar el que me ha llevado a elegir esta lectura. Mi primera experiencia con esta escritora no fue buena, es más que probable que nunca hubiese vuelto a leerla. Mi tbr es interminable, en serio.
Esta historia es bastante básica. Los personajes son planos, la trama es superficial de una forma muy rara. Es todo como muy meh. Sí es verdad, que por su sencillez, se lee fácil y rápido. Engancha, sí. Aunque en ningún momento terminó de meterme de lleno en la historia. Se podría decir que se queda bastante corta. Eso, en general. En lo referente a la relación amorosa es poco menos que inexistente. Yo no me la creí en ningún momento. Puede ser que querer descubrir quién es el asesino y cómo lo hace te haga querer leer hasta el final, pero, para mí, ha sido un final (me repito) meh 😂
Hay que tener en cuenta que esta saga tiene un toque paranormal. Hay que suspender la incredulidad, sí o sí.
La edición que tengo es la de bolsillo de Terciopelo. Que tiene, por cierto, la letra enana y, por lo tanto, muy incómoda de leer. La verdad, es una edición nada atractiva estéticamente. El encabezado y la numeración de las páginas se está borrando con el tiempo, así que no tiene demasiada calidad.
La traducción está bien. Firmada por Victoria Horrillo. La verdad es que como el libro tampoco destaca por cómo está escrito, la traducción poco puede lucirse. Imagino que está bien porque no lo recuerdo y eso es una buena traducción, la que te hace olvidar que lo es.
Todavía no sé si me desharé de este libro. Cuando lea el segundo lo decidiré.
Read
April 25, 2018340-page build up to a 10-page finale. And the "psychic" angle proved to not be the determining factor in finding the killer. Slightly disappointed.
June 30, 2022
Solid killer vs. Cops. The twist is the Federal agents who have psychic powers.
July 1, 2012
I had mnixed feeling about this one. It was exciting, tension filled and intriguing. The paranormal abilities of the characters were cool. I liked minor characters like Wyett, Lindsey and Caitlin. I thought the villain and his crimes were suitably blood-chilling. All in all I thought it was an exciting, well executed plot.
But I found Lucas surprisingly under developed. In spite of him beind described and intense and focused, but found him lacking in personality. And... I found Samantha unbearable. I kept waiting to hear what Lucas had done that was so unforgivable and when it came out, I was like, "That's all?" I felt like telling her to grow up. And I do understand that she kept important information from Lucas, she but it was pretty much under orders, and it was supposedly for his own good and for the greater good. And that her "needling" him was supposedly the only was he would be able to unlock his psychic powers But some reason. -to me she just came off as arrogant and condecending. And in the ned when he really did need to use his powers, it didn't really see how her needling helped him...
So I guess this worked for me as a nice little thriller but it frankly would have been better off with no romantic overtones, because I really couldn't see any reason for Lucas to fall for Samantha since she was so obnoxious or for Samantha to fall for Lucas because he so blah
But I found Lucas surprisingly under developed. In spite of him beind described and intense and focused, but found him lacking in personality. And... I found Samantha unbearable. I kept waiting to hear what Lucas had done that was so unforgivable and when it came out, I was like, "That's all?" I felt like telling her to grow up. And I do understand that she kept important information from Lucas, she but it was pretty much under orders, and it was supposedly for his own good and for the greater good. And that her "needling" him was supposedly the only was he would be able to unlock his psychic powers But some reason. -to me she just came off as arrogant and condecending. And in the ned when he really did need to use his powers, it didn't really see how her needling helped him...
So I guess this worked for me as a nice little thriller but it frankly would have been better off with no romantic overtones, because I really couldn't see any reason for Lucas to fall for Samantha since she was so obnoxious or for Samantha to fall for Lucas because he so blah
November 29, 2009
Hunting Fear was really good. I did, unfortunately, figure out the villain about halfway through, but it didn't hamper my enjoyment.
It wasn't super fast-paced, but it moved along steady enough to keep me unable to set it down easily. I actually read the majority of it today, unable to set it aside until I saw how it all played out.
One thing I did like is the lack of shock-value crime details. Some books, it seems, need to conjure images of horrible murder scenes to make an impact on the reader. This book didn't go for any of those "cheap" thrills. The wrongdoer was a brilliant person with great thought put into his acts of "violence." He actually wasn't particularly violent, per se, though people did die. He was more painstaking and planned.
One thing I would like to see more of, since I'm planning to read the rest in this series, is clues. Since these books deal with a bit of the paranormal, the clues were just dropped on the reader without much investigative opportunity. I like to dig into the mystery as much as the character, so I missed that part of the usual crime/suspense/mystery. However, it was written well enough that I didn't miss it until I was already done reading it.
It wasn't super fast-paced, but it moved along steady enough to keep me unable to set it down easily. I actually read the majority of it today, unable to set it aside until I saw how it all played out.
One thing I did like is the lack of shock-value crime details. Some books, it seems, need to conjure images of horrible murder scenes to make an impact on the reader. This book didn't go for any of those "cheap" thrills. The wrongdoer was a brilliant person with great thought put into his acts of "violence." He actually wasn't particularly violent, per se, though people did die. He was more painstaking and planned.
One thing I would like to see more of, since I'm planning to read the rest in this series, is clues. Since these books deal with a bit of the paranormal, the clues were just dropped on the reader without much investigative opportunity. I like to dig into the mystery as much as the character, so I missed that part of the usual crime/suspense/mystery. However, it was written well enough that I didn't miss it until I was already done reading it.
March 2, 2015
A friend gave me this book and it sat in my bookshelf for a long time before I read it. If I'd known it was this good, I would have read it sooner!
It centres around an FBI unit made up of psychics, although they keep a pretty low profile because of public skepticism. They're hunting a serial killer who kidnaps a victim, collects the ransom and then leaves the victim somewhere to die to see if the psychic can find them. At the start of the book, only one victim has lived so the pressure on the unit is huge to catch the killer.
This is the first in a trilogy and I look forward to reading the others. The book is well written and the story and characters are believable.
It centres around an FBI unit made up of psychics, although they keep a pretty low profile because of public skepticism. They're hunting a serial killer who kidnaps a victim, collects the ransom and then leaves the victim somewhere to die to see if the psychic can find them. At the start of the book, only one victim has lived so the pressure on the unit is huge to catch the killer.
This is the first in a trilogy and I look forward to reading the others. The book is well written and the story and characters are believable.
December 6, 2017
I loved Jason and Sam and I loved this story it was very intense and a bit more scary then the book before it just because of the mode of the killers attacks. Watching the relationship grow between Jason and Sam was really interesting and I loved that she was a carnival seer and you got the whole credibility issue with psychics and I think it was portrayed very well. I will admit that the ending was extremely satisfying and opened the door for the next book.
February 26, 2016
Thought I was onto a winner here. Such high ratings. Twaddle, boring, pedestrian. A bunch of psychics who have no idea of anything and then hey presto, "follow me, I know where he is". Waste of time
February 19, 2019
Lucas Jordan was finally convinced by Bishop to join his FBI unit in order to hone his psychic skills. His focus was on kidnap victims, picking up their fear and terror rather than hearing their thoughts. Five years later Luke is investigating a series of kidnappings that all ended with the victims murdered after the ransom was paid.
Carnival psychic Samantha Burke tried to warn the local police about Mitchell Callahan's impending kidnapping, but couldn't provide his name at the time, only a detailed description. Despite Sheriff Metcalf's suspicions about her, Sam returns to tell them about seeing the next victim, Carrie Vaughn. And to inform Luke that the kidnapper is playing a game with him. That the count of actual victims is as high as twelve spread out throughout the country.
Then Detective Lindsay Graham, the sheriff's lover, is taken instead of Carrie. This forces a reluctant Metcalf into letting Sam help with the search, hoping to find Lindsay before the clock runs out.
Gut-wrenching methods of death, all the victims merely pawns in a sick, twisted game of chess aimed at Luke. In many ways one of the most terrifying killers in the series because the victims don't matter, they are just a means to an end.
Bishop is a devious son of a bitch (and that phrase right there is why I no longer post reviews on Amazon directly; they don't allow anything approaching profanity, even "hell" or "damn"). His games of withholding information, whether it is something seen in a vision or just who else has been sent to a particular location without telling the assigned investigators, are annoying as hell.
The relationship between Luke and Sam really didn't work for me. I liked Lindsay and Metcalf quite a bit, and I can even see the possibility, faint though it might be right now, of the Sheriff and Caitlin hooking up sometime in the future. As to Luke and Sam, maybe it was the way their backstory was revealed, or how little was revealed, but I didn't see any true chemistry between them as has been true with the other pairings in earlier installments of the series. There was actually more chemistry between Luke and Jay, his partner. Because of that, I had to lower my rating for this book. 4 out of 5
Carnival psychic Samantha Burke tried to warn the local police about Mitchell Callahan's impending kidnapping, but couldn't provide his name at the time, only a detailed description. Despite Sheriff Metcalf's suspicions about her, Sam returns to tell them about seeing the next victim, Carrie Vaughn. And to inform Luke that the kidnapper is playing a game with him. That the count of actual victims is as high as twelve spread out throughout the country.
Then Detective Lindsay Graham, the sheriff's lover, is taken instead of Carrie. This forces a reluctant Metcalf into letting Sam help with the search, hoping to find Lindsay before the clock runs out.
Gut-wrenching methods of death, all the victims merely pawns in a sick, twisted game of chess aimed at Luke. In many ways one of the most terrifying killers in the series because the victims don't matter, they are just a means to an end.
Bishop is a devious son of a bitch (and that phrase right there is why I no longer post reviews on Amazon directly; they don't allow anything approaching profanity, even "hell" or "damn"). His games of withholding information, whether it is something seen in a vision or just who else has been sent to a particular location without telling the assigned investigators, are annoying as hell.
The relationship between Luke and Sam really didn't work for me. I liked Lindsay and Metcalf quite a bit, and I can even see the possibility, faint though it might be right now, of the Sheriff and Caitlin hooking up sometime in the future. As to Luke and Sam, maybe it was the way their backstory was revealed, or how little was revealed, but I didn't see any true chemistry between them as has been true with the other pairings in earlier installments of the series. There was actually more chemistry between Luke and Jay, his partner. Because of that, I had to lower my rating for this book. 4 out of 5
September 7, 2018
From the very first book, from when Bishop started pulling together his special unit of psychics, I wondered if any of the agents would come from carnival or "professional psychic" backgrounds. I always wondered why people who already make a living using psychic abilities wouldn't be included in the unit. Here we find an answer.
Especially people who are involved in carnivals are seen as entertainers, actors. Their abilities aren't believed even by many of the people who pay them for their services. It's just a matter of amusement. Thinking of it that way, it makes sense why Bishop wouldn't want people with that background in his unit. Once you're already in the public eye as a perceived entertainer, it's hard to overcome that and be taken seriously as a law enforcement professional. Especially when a unit is just starting out, it's so important that they be careful and deliberate with their image. Once they have a solid background of successful cases, the idea can be revisited.
That's what we have here. Samantha is an incredibly talented psychic who happens to be working with a carnival. She and Lucas find themselves in a frustrating position of having to work together to try and figure out who is kidnapping people in this sleepy little town. It's not a criminal seeking ransom, because even paying never seems to save the victim.
In this seventh book of the series, I found the criminal story to be less compelling than many of the other books, but the personal relationships and in-depth look at the beginnings of the Special Crimes Unit more than made up for that. Once again, Kay Hooper has created a beautifully balanced story that left me eager to read the next book as soon as possible.
Read this and more of my reviews at:
www.memoirsofabookwyrm.com
Especially people who are involved in carnivals are seen as entertainers, actors. Their abilities aren't believed even by many of the people who pay them for their services. It's just a matter of amusement. Thinking of it that way, it makes sense why Bishop wouldn't want people with that background in his unit. Once you're already in the public eye as a perceived entertainer, it's hard to overcome that and be taken seriously as a law enforcement professional. Especially when a unit is just starting out, it's so important that they be careful and deliberate with their image. Once they have a solid background of successful cases, the idea can be revisited.
That's what we have here. Samantha is an incredibly talented psychic who happens to be working with a carnival. She and Lucas find themselves in a frustrating position of having to work together to try and figure out who is kidnapping people in this sleepy little town. It's not a criminal seeking ransom, because even paying never seems to save the victim.
In this seventh book of the series, I found the criminal story to be less compelling than many of the other books, but the personal relationships and in-depth look at the beginnings of the Special Crimes Unit more than made up for that. Once again, Kay Hooper has created a beautifully balanced story that left me eager to read the next book as soon as possible.
Read this and more of my reviews at:
www.memoirsofabookwyrm.com
Want to read
December 25, 2022
Hunting Fear on Books On Track
Previous books:
✦ Sense of Evil (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit, #6; Evil, #3) ~ ★★★ (15/11/2022)
✦ Whisper of Evil (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #5; Evil #2) ~ ★★★ (11/08/2022)
✦ Touching Evil (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #4; Evil #1) ~ ★★★ (27/07/2022)
✦ Out of the Shadows (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #3; Shadows #3) ~ ★★★ (25/07/2022)
✦ Hiding in the Shadows (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #2; Shadows #2) ~ ★★★ (03/01/2022)
✦ Stealing Shadows (Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #1; Shadows #1)~ ★★★ (02/01/2022)
January 18, 2024
This book has a good pace to it that is in line with your standard crime novel. I enjoyed the supernatural aspect of it in regards to the use of psychics to help solve crimes. However, it did have a bit of a dullness to it that made the crime being investigated feel boring. It felt like the climax of the book was not very exciting and the resolution wasn't satisfactory when the perpetrator was discovered.
I give kudos for the writing style and pace, but the story could have had more twists and unexpected surprises to up it to the next level. I didn't feel at all scared at any time and I really wanted to know more about the killer's thought processes. It would have been really cool to have some chapters from the killer's perspective or have one of the psychic investigators have a vision that taught us more about the culprit's thoughts and actions.
Overall, a relatively mediocre read that did not make me want to pick up more in the series.
I give kudos for the writing style and pace, but the story could have had more twists and unexpected surprises to up it to the next level. I didn't feel at all scared at any time and I really wanted to know more about the killer's thought processes. It would have been really cool to have some chapters from the killer's perspective or have one of the psychic investigators have a vision that taught us more about the culprit's thoughts and actions.
Overall, a relatively mediocre read that did not make me want to pick up more in the series.
April 29, 2018
Non so se si è capito dal titolo ma l’ho trovato troppo lungo, troppi dialoghi inutili, a tratti l’ho trovato noioso e il fatto che dentro un thriller l’autore abbia voluto inserire anche il lato romantico ha fatto si che perdesse mordente e suspance e soprattutto il ritmo incalzante che dovrebbe avere un thriller.
Ho fatto fatica a leggerlo, solo alla fine si è risollevato un po’. Come thriller non mi è piaciuto, e Lucas mi sembrava ‘abbottonato’ , l’unico che dava un po’ di colore a tutto il romanzo, è brutto a dirsi ma era proprio l’assassino, l’unico con una mente brillante e con delle trovate niente male, cosa che non si può dire di Lucas il super agente dell’FBI che si aggirava senza meta e sperduto in questo micro paesino degli USA. Gli Agenti dell’FBI in questo romanzo ne escono con le pive nel sacco!
Ho fatto fatica a leggerlo, solo alla fine si è risollevato un po’. Come thriller non mi è piaciuto, e Lucas mi sembrava ‘abbottonato’ , l’unico che dava un po’ di colore a tutto il romanzo, è brutto a dirsi ma era proprio l’assassino, l’unico con una mente brillante e con delle trovate niente male, cosa che non si può dire di Lucas il super agente dell’FBI che si aggirava senza meta e sperduto in questo micro paesino degli USA. Gli Agenti dell’FBI in questo romanzo ne escono con le pive nel sacco!
June 6, 2016
Lucas Jordan of the FBI’s Special Crimes Unit is good at finding people. His ability to feel the emotions and especially the fears of victims works as a direct GPS system in tracking down those who are lost. But a recent string of serial kidnapping slash killings has eluded him and the SCU for a couple years now. At least there hadn’t been any leads until it seems that the culprit has finally settled into the small town of Golden, North Carolina.
Coming back in contact with Samantha Burke, a fortune teller for a traveling carnival who is also a genuine psychic with precognitive abilities, Luke learns that there is much more to this serial killer than he might have thought at first. Sam confirms that this killer is playing a sick twisted game based on challenging, not simply law enforcement, but specifically Luke who has built a fairly solid reputation for being able to find people who are lost.
Having had a vision with dire consequences, Samantha willingly joins the investigation despite the hostility she receives from local law enforcement, in order to help capture this serial killer as well as attempt to keep her vision from coming to pass. In this game that the killer is playing, Luke and Sam must set aside their past conflicts and problems in order to capture this monster before he moves on again and before the stakes become even higher.
As like the first six books I have read in the Bishop/SCU series, I really DO enjoy the world and the characters revolving around it. And after the preceding two sub-trilogies, I have a feeling I’ve grown more and more attached to the concepts, the premise, the characters, and the paranormal theories presented in Kay Hooper’s long-running series.
In a way, becoming more familiar and more attached to a series’ world and characters and concepts can very easily bias my opinions in favor of each book as it progresses. In other words, if the book is mediocre, but good, I will probably bump the rating up because I enjoyed it so much more than if I’d just learned about the world yesterday. If the book is indeed good on its own merit, I may end up gushing about it to everyone. If one of the books happens to be mediocre and not so good, I’ll give it a pass rather than blowing it off completely.
Of course, knowing that this is how my brain works, I try my best to be more objective… sometimes.
For this particular book, I will admit that I immensely enjoyed Hunting Fear, although there were, obviously, certain issues of the Bishop/SCU logic I questioned, even if half-heartedly. It seems the easiest way to enjoy a book from a series you’re enjoying is to turn your brain off and just think about all the things that you happen to enjoy.
And enjoy I did, but mainly because Hunting Fear is probably one of the better of the Bishop/SCU books thus far. And this only slightly has a little to do with influenced bias.
I’ve noted that a lot of other reviewers didn’t quite take to Samantha nor Luke, but surprisingly, I really liked their interactions and I especially liked Samantha as well. Strong and capable, she has a snarky personality, but is good-hearted enough not to let her own grudges or resentment or frustrations keep her from helping others. She speaks out for herself when it is necessary rather than letting someone like the police sheriff continue to insult her due to his own personal history of dislike for carnies and fortune tellers. But she doesn’t push back unless she’s forced and simply takes these verbal assaults in stride, knowing that there is nothing she can do to change other people’s minds and knowing that Sheriff Metcalf has his reasons, even if it doesn’t justify his nastiness.
While the romance might have been slightly lukewarm and maybe a bit underdeveloped, I DID enjoy the partnership, the bickering, and the chemistry between our romantic main couple. To be totally honest, Luke doesn’t stand out all that much as an individual, and it irked me a little bit that he was the first to take a jab at Samantha and her wacko Madam Zarino fortune telling persona. It was a bad first impression, because as a psychic himself, he should know better than anyone else that it’s already hard for people to take any psychic seriously.
Then you learn that Luke knows about Sam’s past and how she ended up working for a carnival in the first place, and then you feel even more irritated that he’d unhesitatingly thrown the first verbal insult before anything else had been said.
There was no need to fan flames like that just because he’s got his own issues. His little dickhead greeting was uncalled for. Of course, I give him credit for at least vouching for Sam’s genuine psychic abilities and maintaining that stance.
Otherwise, that’s pretty much it for him.
As per usual, side and minor characters present were very relatable and likeable. Even the pessimistic and antagonistic Sheriff Metcalf grows on you despite his continued nastiness towards Samantha and his prejudices against carnival folk. You can tell that he’s a good man; he’s just haunted by history, as are many others with their own conflicts and issues.
The mystery itself was predictable in its course; and though the identity of the serial killer might have felt like it sort of came out of left field, I wasn’t at all surprised at how everything tied together in the end.
Final Thoughts: As per usual, a well-written, entertaining, and page-turning Kay Hooper paranormal mystery and romantic suspense that I found very enjoyable, even if not quite memorable.
As it stands, Samantha Burke is one of few characters in the Bishop/SCU world I like a lot.
Coming back in contact with Samantha Burke, a fortune teller for a traveling carnival who is also a genuine psychic with precognitive abilities, Luke learns that there is much more to this serial killer than he might have thought at first. Sam confirms that this killer is playing a sick twisted game based on challenging, not simply law enforcement, but specifically Luke who has built a fairly solid reputation for being able to find people who are lost.
Having had a vision with dire consequences, Samantha willingly joins the investigation despite the hostility she receives from local law enforcement, in order to help capture this serial killer as well as attempt to keep her vision from coming to pass. In this game that the killer is playing, Luke and Sam must set aside their past conflicts and problems in order to capture this monster before he moves on again and before the stakes become even higher.
As like the first six books I have read in the Bishop/SCU series, I really DO enjoy the world and the characters revolving around it. And after the preceding two sub-trilogies, I have a feeling I’ve grown more and more attached to the concepts, the premise, the characters, and the paranormal theories presented in Kay Hooper’s long-running series.
In a way, becoming more familiar and more attached to a series’ world and characters and concepts can very easily bias my opinions in favor of each book as it progresses. In other words, if the book is mediocre, but good, I will probably bump the rating up because I enjoyed it so much more than if I’d just learned about the world yesterday. If the book is indeed good on its own merit, I may end up gushing about it to everyone. If one of the books happens to be mediocre and not so good, I’ll give it a pass rather than blowing it off completely.
Of course, knowing that this is how my brain works, I try my best to be more objective… sometimes.
For this particular book, I will admit that I immensely enjoyed Hunting Fear, although there were, obviously, certain issues of the Bishop/SCU logic I questioned, even if half-heartedly. It seems the easiest way to enjoy a book from a series you’re enjoying is to turn your brain off and just think about all the things that you happen to enjoy.
And enjoy I did, but mainly because Hunting Fear is probably one of the better of the Bishop/SCU books thus far. And this only slightly has a little to do with influenced bias.
I’ve noted that a lot of other reviewers didn’t quite take to Samantha nor Luke, but surprisingly, I really liked their interactions and I especially liked Samantha as well. Strong and capable, she has a snarky personality, but is good-hearted enough not to let her own grudges or resentment or frustrations keep her from helping others. She speaks out for herself when it is necessary rather than letting someone like the police sheriff continue to insult her due to his own personal history of dislike for carnies and fortune tellers. But she doesn’t push back unless she’s forced and simply takes these verbal assaults in stride, knowing that there is nothing she can do to change other people’s minds and knowing that Sheriff Metcalf has his reasons, even if it doesn’t justify his nastiness.
While the romance might have been slightly lukewarm and maybe a bit underdeveloped, I DID enjoy the partnership, the bickering, and the chemistry between our romantic main couple. To be totally honest, Luke doesn’t stand out all that much as an individual, and it irked me a little bit that he was the first to take a jab at Samantha and her wacko Madam Zarino fortune telling persona. It was a bad first impression, because as a psychic himself, he should know better than anyone else that it’s already hard for people to take any psychic seriously.
Then you learn that Luke knows about Sam’s past and how she ended up working for a carnival in the first place, and then you feel even more irritated that he’d unhesitatingly thrown the first verbal insult before anything else had been said.
There was no need to fan flames like that just because he’s got his own issues. His little dickhead greeting was uncalled for. Of course, I give him credit for at least vouching for Sam’s genuine psychic abilities and maintaining that stance.
Otherwise, that’s pretty much it for him.
As per usual, side and minor characters present were very relatable and likeable. Even the pessimistic and antagonistic Sheriff Metcalf grows on you despite his continued nastiness towards Samantha and his prejudices against carnival folk. You can tell that he’s a good man; he’s just haunted by history, as are many others with their own conflicts and issues.
The mystery itself was predictable in its course; and though the identity of the serial killer might have felt like it sort of came out of left field, I wasn’t at all surprised at how everything tied together in the end.
Final Thoughts: As per usual, a well-written, entertaining, and page-turning Kay Hooper paranormal mystery and romantic suspense that I found very enjoyable, even if not quite memorable.
As it stands, Samantha Burke is one of few characters in the Bishop/SCU world I like a lot.
May 25, 2018
Lucas Jordan works under Special Agent in Charge Noel Bishop in the Special Crime Unit. they are a special unit because the work on cases that are a bit "different" then the normal. in order to work these cases you need to be a bit "different" Each member is psychic. Logan's gift is finding people. when Lucas and his partner is sent to Clayton County, North Carolina, to help local police when people are kidnapped then murder at the same time as carnival psychic Samantha Burke. Samantha is having "visions" about who is going to be kidnapped and how they will die. Local police dont trust her but Lycas and his partner knows she's the real deal and they find out that not only is this killer link to Luke's past but he has definite plans for Sam.
April 29, 2019
I couldn't put this psychological thriller down. Woven into this amazing plot was the addition of a seer, or reader of futures. Samantha travels with a carneval from town to town and is considered a suspect in the first kidnapping events. She decides to help the police by experiencing images and emotions as she holds evidence and touches items important to the investigation. I enjoyed the details revealed about the responsibility of this special skill. I am not sure that it is easy to live with this skill. Especially interesting was the mixed reaction to Sam's participation in the crimes by the police department. Fast paced, and includes romance, chase, good characters, and mind games....good read...
May 27, 2019
The hero is in a "game" with a serial killer who kidnaps his victims, collects ransom, then kills them anyway, with special machines he creates so he can pretend he doesn't actually kill them. The hero is an FBI agent with the psychic ability to connect with people who are afraid. The heroine is a carnival fortune teller who really can see the future and she turns up to warn the bad guy's latest victim. But of course he doesn't listen and gets kidnapped anyway. The hero and heroine have met before, and matters didn't turn out well, so sparks fly from the moment they meet again-- not the good kind. She's really mad at him. And the story goes from there, as they solve the crime and work out their own issues.
June 20, 2019
I liked this story in the series. For once, it wasn't a book about kinks and how shameful they are in the eyes of the author.
It was a game of chess between the kidnapper/killer and Lucas, an FBI agent with a knack for honing in on someone's fear in order to be able to find them. His partner was quirky, but I was sad to see her not more active in the story. I guess in light of Samantha's presence, a turban wearing mystic who works for a carnival as a fortune teller and is the love interest in the story, Jaylene gets nothing of note to do.
I enjoy Lucas and Samantha and their history. It brings the SCU's history in a bit more and how when they began, they could not associate themselves with the dubious or dramatic due to needing their reputation to be pristine and speak for itself.
It was a game of chess between the kidnapper/killer and Lucas, an FBI agent with a knack for honing in on someone's fear in order to be able to find them. His partner was quirky, but I was sad to see her not more active in the story. I guess in light of Samantha's presence, a turban wearing mystic who works for a carnival as a fortune teller and is the love interest in the story, Jaylene gets nothing of note to do.
I enjoy Lucas and Samantha and their history. It brings the SCU's history in a bit more and how when they began, they could not associate themselves with the dubious or dramatic due to needing their reputation to be pristine and speak for itself.
August 15, 2017
The 7th in the Bishop files series and an interesting twist. A diabolical serial killer has targeted a specific special agent to be his "competitor" in the game of murder and it is up to the special agent and team to figure the rules of the game out and how to alter them in order to win the game before another person is kidnapped and murdered. I typically quite enjoy the paranormal twist in this series, but for some reason this one just seemed to be a bit flat. The character development was good, but the plot was just a bit too twisted and overlayed with heaps of personal backstory of all the characters. It was still quite entertaining, but it isn't my favorite of the series.
November 4, 2021
Another great story from this series! Very engrossing, edge-of-your-seat suspense! The character that ended up being killed brought tears to my eyes - yes, I keep telling myself that these are stories about serial killers, but still.... And, yes, no amount of loss or suffering creates monsters - it's their choices and the evil in their souls. Also, as great as the characters are, Hooper also (maybe inadvertently) showed how annoying, selfish, and pigheaded the men can be; Sam had a lot of grace, decency, and forgiveness in her - honestly, she deserved way more groveling apologies than she got!
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