I’ve been a Kay Hooper fan for a long time. When I read Pepper’s Way back in the early ’80s, I knew I had to find more books by this entertaining writer. She’s passionate, provocative, and prolific—three great writer gifts in my opinion.
Her early romances were lively and engaging, especially those written for the Second Chance at Love series. She moved between this line and Loveswept, and actually released eight books in 1988! Eight books! She must have worked almost constantly. I know series romances are shorter, but that’s still a lot of writing.
Like Kay, I’ve always had an interest in the paranormal and relished Dark Shadows, The Twilight Zone, and Night Stalker, both the movie and the TV versions. My favorite movie is The Gift, which is about a poor single mother with a strong psychic gift.
This means, of course, when I read Kay’s book, Stealing Shadows, I waited eagerly for the next two books in this trilogy and was thrilled to learn the stories would continue with Noah Bishop heading an elite FBI team of agents with special crime-fighting skills. I’ve read and reread these books simply because I enjoy the stories so much.
Each book in this series introduced a new character with a new paranormal skill. It was fascinating to watch this group grow and thrive under Noah’s guidance. But what made them even better was each book also included a romance between the main characters.
I liked the way Noah watched over his team. He’s on the periphery, if not in the middle of the action, in each book, and it provides a wonderful continuity.
To whet your appetite in case you’ve never checked out this series, here’s a sample from Blood Ties, the third of the Blood trilogy, which begins with Blood Dreams and continues wit Blood Sins. In Noah’s absence, his wife, Miranda, is leading this team to solve a series of horrible crimes in small-town Serenade, Tennessee. The other agents are Quentin Hayes, Hollis Templeton, Diana Brisco, and Reese DeMarco. This scene will definitely leave you wanting more:
“It might be the best,” Brooke said, “if you went to the hospital on this side. To be near. . .”
“My body?” Diana heard a slightly brittle laugh escape her, a sound given an eerie cadence by the hollow almost-echo of the gray time. “What’s the point, when I can’t get back to it?” She was sitting on a cold bench on a hauntingly silent and empty gray time. Main Street in Serenade, where she had been since her second attempt to connect with Quentin had shown her something she very much wished she had never seen.
She had no idea how much time had passed in the living world, even if only for a split second, would she see her terribly wounded body laid out on a slab in some cold and sterile morgue?
Or had she been sitting, frozen, on this bench for long enough that she would see her own funeral?
See what I mean? This woman knows how to write eerie and chilling to keep you wanting to know what’s happening next.
Kay Hooper’s website provides lots of interesting information about her characters, her books, and other questions readers have about what she writes.
Her next book, The First Prophet, comes out November 27, and from the promos I’ve read, you may want to go ahead and reserve your copy now. It sounds chilling and I know it’ll be gripping because it’s a Kay Hooper book! Here’s a snippet from the blurb:
I cannot say why I believe something sinister is going on within the underground psychic community. I have no doubt we’re a long way from learning the complete story, but herein, I believe, is a good place to begin. I intend to take no one else into my confidence.
If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, you’re a robot! The First Prophet will launch a new series called The Bishop Files.
It seems like the perfect book to read while curled up beside the fire on a dark and stormy night. Cue maniacal laughter!
Leigh Neely is an almost-famous former newspaper and magazine editor. She currently does freelance work, blogs at womenofmystery.net, and recently sold the novel she wrote with her writing partner, Jan Powell. Look for Second Nature by Neely Powell in late spring 2013. She also wrote the short story, “A Vampire in Brooklyn,” which is in the anthology, Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices.
Read other posts by Leigh Neely on Criminal Element.