Rating: 4 stars (Spotlight Review)
Corine Solomon was given a special gift at age twelve: she gained the ability to learn the provenance of an object simply by touching it. Unfortunately this gift comes with a price. Whenever Corine "handles" an object her hands burn and scar. This doesn't stop people from asking for her help though. Now, after hiding herself in Mexico for eighteen months, Corine's former lover, himself gifted with preternatural luck, has located her and needs her help. His mother has gone missing in Laredo and it seems that she has left a trail of clues that only Corine can unravel.
After a violent incident that left Corine hospitalized for several weeks, she decided enough was enough and she ran. Leaving her lover and manager Chance behind, she secreted herself away in Mexico where no one knew of her gift. When Chance appears, with the news of his mother's abduction, Corine knows that she has no choice but to help; her own love for the woman is still strong and compels her on.
What Corine and Chance don't count on though is the dark magic that is being used to hide the old woman and keep them off her trail. The force arrayed against them is willing to raise demons, and even zombies to stop them. To make matters worse, the serial killer that Corine helped put away is on the loose and heading straight for her. Corine's gift and Chance's luck may not be enough to find his mother before it's too late.
Bravo to Ann Aguirre for this spectacular start to what looks to be a promising series. Corine is a truly engaging and witty character that you can't help but adore. Her relationship with Chance, while tense and tangled, is believable and strangely endearing. While the book features a whole cast of interesting characters they all mesh well together and make a surprisingly complete ensemble that works. While the situation may be supernatural, Corine is very much a regular girl and will appeal to readers of all types. I'm looking forward to much more from this series.
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Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Roc; 1 edition (April 7, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451462645
ISBN-13: 978-0451462640