THE COLOURS OF DEATH
PATRICIA MARQUES
*****
The Murder
In the Gare do Oriente, a body sits, slumped, in a stationary train. A high-profile man appears to have died by throwing himself repeatedly against the glass. But according to witnesses, he may not have done this of his own accord.
The City
Lisbon 2021. A small percentage of the population are diagnosed as Gifted. Along with the power comes stigma and suspicion.
The Detective
In a prejudiced city, Gifted Inspector Isabel Reis is hiding her own secrets while putting her life on the line to stop an ingenious killer.
A violent and mysterious crime. Suspected Gifted involvement. A city baying for blood. And a killer who has only just begun . . .
MY REVIEW *****
The Colours of Death is a book that’s just a joy to read. Having read a lot of books for NetGalley, there are some that I enjoy but mentally note things to write about whilst reading and then there are those that I just lose myself in. This does however mean I really struggle to write reviews about them other than just typing ‘read this book!’ over and over again!
The Colours of Death is set in an alternate timeline of Lisbon, where some people are able to perform either telekinesis or telepathy and as such are classified as ‘Gifted’. Our main character Isabel is a Gifted police officer. I liked the fact that these skill sets are actually discriminated against within society and Isabel has to be careful how she lets her talents manifest. It’s frustrating that telepathy would make solving crimes a lot easier but she has to get permission to use her powers on suspects and witnesses. As a migraine sufferer I also really appreciated the realistic descriptions of her constant headaches which come with her Gift. I really empathised with Isabel and she is a likeable and strong main character.
The crime itself was gory and there are enough characters to misdirect the reader with some red herrings. The book was also really well paced, with some flashbacks to Isabel's past and descriptions of the world intermingled with the crimes which ramp up as the book goes along. There’s also some interesting revelations made as the story progresses which hint at a sequel (which I would be very excited to read). However, this book does work well as a standalone read which is appreciated as in reading the ARC I acknowledge that a sequel might be a fair amount of time coming!
Overall, The Colours of Death is an intriguing thriller with a sci-fi edge and I hope there’s a sequel coming soon – for now though, read this book! Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder and Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
LINKS TO BUY