Lance Underphal has been to hell and back. First he went bankrupt, losing his business and everything he had worked hard to build, and then his beloved wife was killed by a drunken cement truck driver. But his discovery of his own psychic powers, and assistance from his late wife’s spirit, has helped him build a dual career in art and psychic detection. He even has, with Sonya’s enthusiastic approval, a potential romance brewing with the beautiful Callie Harper. When Callie’s elderly uncle is killed under mysterious circumstances, and the police take no real interest in the crime, Lance and their friend and former Navy SEAL Jake Jacobs must track down the killers. As the case progresses, it becomes evident that Uncle Harold was hiding more secrets than anyone knew. Meanwhile, Sonya’s sister Hilde has Lance arrested, criminally charged, and civilly sued for the wrongful death of his wife. Will Lance be able to find the truth before he loses everything? Will he and his friends find themselves the victims of the lingering evil surrounding the murder?
GREY DAZE is a vigorous mystery with a vivid and engaging descriptive style that brings the action dramatically before the reader in full color. The story switches back and forth between Jake’s surveillance and quasi-military action and Lance’s quieter, more contemplative style, but the transitions are clearly indicated by a change to first person whenever Lance is speaking. Lance’s gutsy clinging to survival in the face of attacks that would have killed a lesser person is admirable and makes him a character worth rooting for. Jake’s uber-masculine physique and narrative style combined with his soft heart make him a very appealing good guy, particularly for female readers. Callie does less in this book than the other two main characters, but her presence and her actions at key moments are crucial to Lance’s character development. The book, decidedly for adults, has a gritty, raw, and energetic style that keeps the reader turning pages even when the characters are merely sitting on stakeout or discussing their relationship.
At times, the description does tip over a bit into purple prose, e.g., “Jacked up on sugar and caffeine, my mind churns like frenzied piranha in a vat of battery acid.” There’s also not too much of a puzzle to this mystery until the very end. It’s more of an action movie in print form than a mystery, as the reader knows the culprit from the beginning and the remaining mysteries are solved more by psychic powers than by finding and piecing together clues.
GREY DAZE is a fine choice for readers looking for an adrenaline-fueled escape from daily life, with three-dimensional characters and bold, no-holds-barred writing.
~IndieReader.