I am no longer interested in reviewing this book. This could be a promising book but it is not for me.

This is a cross-genre book that has murder mystery and fantasy elements. I thought it was quite unique. Enjoyed the writing and the plot. I'd read again from the author.

This is a strange book in that it’s not really a police procedural murder story but asks the reader to suspend their disbelief in telepathy and telekinesis. The ‘Gifted’ are those with these powers but are closely monitored by higher governmental powers. There is a death at the start of the book which could have only been achieved by a Gifted person and the book follows Isabel (Gifted) and her new partner (Regular) in their investigations. The writing is somewhat erratic and asks the reader to accept that some relationships and back stories will come together eventually. However this made for a disjointed and confusing narrative and I don’t this it enhanced the book by drip feeding the information.

Mystery with a touch of fantasy elements is something unique and not something that I read often.

So while it did take me some time to actually get into the plot, once I figured out what was going on, it was quite enjoyable, The writing and all the descriptions were excellent, which is in fact the main highlight of the book.

There’s a hint at a sequel which will be interesting to look forward too!

Thank You NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC!

This is an intriguing novel set in an alternate universe Lisbon where a small percentage of the population have psychic powers and are treated with mistrust by the rest. When a man inside a train carriage is lifted by invisible forces and slammed against the carriage walls until he’s dead, psychically gifted Inspector Isabel Reis is put on the case.

This is a good and original sci-fi which touches on various issues, not least the prejudice minorities face. The gifted community are treated with suspicion by most, and hatred by more than a few, especially after an event in the past where a powerfully gifted girl caused a disaster. In this way their treatment is reminiscent of how Muslims are treated today: a tiny minority commit atrocities and yet the majority suffer intolerance because of it. The victim is linked to the head of a powerful anti-gifted party and this too has strong similarities to the anti-immigrant nationalist parties we have today.

There’s a slight oddity to the narrative in that we never learn the wider context - how the gifted came into existence (it’s a relatively new phenomenon) and whether they exist anywhere else in the world. Indeed, the wider world outside of Portugal is never mentioned. That said, this doesn’t spoil the story at all, it just leaves the reader with some unanswered questions.

A great read this, and presumably there’ll be a sequel. If so there’s plenty of space for the author to flesh out the world she’s created.

The Colours of Death by Patricia Marques was the first book I have read from the author and it was a really good book to read. Especially as it's not usually a book I would choose But I loved the cover - Yes I know "not to judge a book by its cover" OOPs I did.
This book is set in an alternative city of Lisbon in Portugal. Isabel has been called to investigate a mysterious and violet death, this is a strange death and it all hints to Gifted involvement, Isabel knows she will need help and advise on this one,.especially as she doesn't want to put her personal reputation on the line. This is a area she which is unknown to her and she will need to get advice from some Gifted individuals are already viewed with distrust in the eyes of others around her;
Isabel is also hiding her own secret and knows she has to tread carefully as a conspiracy emerges and the body count rises

"A small percentage of the population have been diagnosed as Gifted - having telepathic or telekinetic powers."

WoW........I highly recommend this book and looking forward to read more books in the future from Patricia Marques

Big Thank you to Netgalley,the author and Hodder and Stoughton for my chance to read and review this book

Inspector Isabel Reis is one of The Gifted. Lisbon today but not as the world we know. The Gifted have telekinetic or telepathic abilities and are being monitored to ensure nothing happens to cause destruction. Isabel is set with a new partner, Voronov, and their partnership is a challenge.
When a violent death is reported Isabel struggles with herself in order to find a killer.
This was a cleverly written read and so descriptive that you can imagine the Portuguese scenes. Not your run of the mill crime book but well worth reading. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't delved in to a thriller in some time and this book has just served to remind me why I really, really enjoy the occasions I do pick one up. Not to mentioned this mystery is edged with fantasy elements, such a wonderful blend of my favourite genre in here. The fantastical element is a real stroke of genius worldbuilding, I'd liken it to the X-Men with fewer variations of types of mutants but all the same prejudices and attempts to even the playing field. It's always an interesting concept to explore what happens to those that develop in to more than just human and how those of us previously at the top of the food chain will react to that position being threatened. It creates a tensely loaded environment which is perfect for a thriller/mystery set in modern day Lisbon.
Adding in our main character as a detective, what more could you ask for? Taking me back to my CSI watching days we follow Isabel as she delves in to a more complex job than she's ever had before with added complications of her own life. As a Gifted investigator she's paired with a new Regular partner, to keep her in check or cause her more trouble? All part of the fun and a relationship I very much enjoyed seeing develop. There isn't an awful lot to say about many of the characters, they all strike me as what you'd expect and I enjoy there's not an attempt to overcomplicate or move away from the real story by having too many twists and turns.
It looks as though this is Marques' debut and even with an arc version I really enjoyed the writing, a good balance of description and story progression. As I usually note, if I don't notice it then it's working well. There weren't any actions that didn't end up with a point and other actions were that of making us understand a character's habits as we should in a detective story where we need to see the finer details.
I really thought at one point I had the whodunnit nailed but nope! Relatively close but not the full picture, another win for Marques.
Another point I noted, very little or no romance. I have predominantly read YA over the last few years and it practically always involves some romance. This was refreshingly free but gave us some interesting little spats and teasers with old and new relationships. Don't expect anything.
I really, really enjoyed this book. My only complaint is a sharp ending that didn't allow me tie some loose ends I'd like to have seen. One very pointedly not revealed and some others just left in the past. I wanted that satisfaction though!

First of all, thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For me, in general, I really like this story. The plot is clear and does not really feel rushed. I really feel Isabel's character, she is not an easy person to be around with but I can really feel her struggle with her gift and emotions. I can understand her pain with her history of upbringing and what she had to face as a Gifted on a daily basis. Her partner and her team members are also interesting characters for me. Isabel and her partner Voronov's dynamic is also nicely written. She is honest and blunt while he is still quite a straightforward type of person, he still has a mysterious side to him. I am also quite interested in the description of places, food, and people in the novel because this is the first book that I read that is set in Portugal, thus it is really cool to learn new knowledge from the description. I would rather the tone for the story, in general, is quite intense, given that the killer is really dangerous. From the ending, I think there is a sequel to this book, and I am looking forward to it.

The Colours of Death is a murder mystery with a twist which delivers though sometimes the final solution seems a little weak against the telepathic detectives.

The characters are well established and very well drawn given them a very humanistic approach. Isabel Reis, with her human frailty and special powers gives her a strength and weakness that makes her incredibly memorable. The family are well constructed along with her colleagues. Focusing on the characters weakness along with the strength gives them a realistic approach.

The plot pays close attention of police detail and murder investigations giving the reader an insight into this world. The political climate in this world gives it another dimension that fully fleshes out this world making it very interesting and gives food of thought of how this world works within this reality. Setting the story in Lisbon also gives it something special, while given it an exotic feeling is able to keep the science fiction aspect told into our world today.

Overall, this is a good book. The conclusion feels could have used a little focus as the many moving parts may have got in the way so the surprise ending was not as surprising as I would have hoped but it was a lot of great content though to keep one entertained and feeling tense.

Unique, clever and well written are just some words to describe this book. A fantastic start to a possible series of crime/sci-fi books.
The main character is inspector Reis is like-able and her past and present describe perfectly through out the book. The unique plot of a crime committed by the “gifted” really drew me in at a steady pace. The setting was based in Lisbon, Portugal 2021 but not as we know it, where the gifted are often feared by the regular people and a murder has happen, the victim being one of the heads of the testing unit, who govern the gifted.

Set in Lisbon in a dystopian future where some people are  gifted, either telepathic or telekinetic. A series of crimes are mysterious deaths happen across the city that may be linked to the Gifted, but how do you solve a crime when someone can read your mind?.
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The idea of extra-sensory detectives has been successfully explored by several authors – check out Kay Hooper’s SCU series, Spencer Kope’s Special Tracking Unit, or Nik Morton’s psychic spy Tana Standish. The uber-abilities of the investigator are usually employed within a special psy-cop unit, but with The Colours Of Death author Patricia Marques takes a notably different approach.

In this unusual combination of a police procedural and alternate reality, the action is set in a contemporary Portugal – in a society not unlike ours, but one where a small proportion of the population are ‘Gifted’, either with telepathy or telekinesis. This scenario mixes the allure of traditional EuroCrime – a foreign but faintly familiar location – with the sinister overtones of an oppressed minority.

The Gifted are rigidly controlled; identified in childhood; tested, quantified and scrutinised for life. Inspector Isabel Reis is one such telepath, shunned by her own family and struggling to understand the changes going on with her Gift. She’s been self-medicating with unlicensed drugs to keep her rapidly evolving abilities under wraps. She’s a diligent and effective police officer who should be able to use her Gift to enhance her investigative aptitude… but frequently it does more harm than good at the moment.

In this unstable situation, where the vast majority of the population distrust and avoid their Gifted counterparts, the last thing anyone needs is a vicious murder in public – one which directly indicates a Gifted killer. In her investigation, Reis must confront prejudice, fear and outright hostility – and come to terms with her painful personal history and an equally uncertain future.

While this is an interesting concept, it’s far from original; see the opening paragraph for just a few examples. Honestly, I’m amazed by how many big-name authors wrote blurbs for how ‘breathtakingly original’ this is. Perhaps they don’t get out much?

The author’s writing wasn’t sharp enough to give a real edge to proceedings. Nor did her version of Lisbon feel particularly authentic or exotic; it felt lightly-sketched as if penned after a weekend’s city break rather than imbued with lifelong experience of the society.

Equally, Isabel Reis isn’t an easy protagonist to latch on to. Much of the book is devoted to her insecurity and emotional instability, and there are a fair few irrelevant detours which slow the pace and do little to enhance the character. The whole ‘societal prejudice against a minority’ felt a lot like jumping on the latest ‘lives matter’ bandwagon – with the Gifts being used as a very thin metaphor for race, sexuality or gender discrimination.

The most interesting aspects of the larger story are left dangling at the end, no doubt to entice us to pick up the next book which will inevitably roll along next year, but I doubt it’ll tempt me. An unexceptional police procedural, mildly spiced by the psychic side of things.

I’m afraid this just wasn’t for me. I was very interested in the synopsis and reviews, but, really struggled with the writing style and after a good few chapters had to give up.
I’m sure it’s me and I’m pleased so many are enjoying it, I just had to admit defeat.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

This book was a bit of a strange one. I'm not sure if I liked it, or if I didn't! The concept is very clever. The population of Lisbon is split into two - Gifted and Regular. The Gifted have powers of Telekinesis or Telepathy, and the strength of their power is ranked and used to determine how dangerous they are. Isabel is a police detective, and is a Gifted Telepathist. She can use her power to read the memories of victims and witnesses of crime to help solve cases. When a high profile figure apparently commits suicide on a train, Isabel and her partner are drafted in to solve the crime. It all sounded pretty exciting to me, but I just found the story to be a bit bland. I didn't take to any of the characters apart from Isabel, and thought there was a lot of meaningless waffle in what might otherwise have been a great read.

A really different crime thriller that was a joy to read. A world very recognisable but with a twist- “The Gifted” with their psychic abilities. I loved the message this book presented and really felt it had some true values and morals throughout. It was gripping and enjoyable. True escapism

Good to read something so different in a beautiful setting. After a slow start I was drawn in and began to understand the characters and the concept of the 'gifted'. I really enjoyed the book and would love this to be the first of a series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Patricia Marques for an ARC in return for an honest review.

What a refreshing read. This is completely different from your standard crime thrillers, it’s a sci-fi crime thriller. It is completely unique. This book kept me interested the whole way through. It is unusual and entertaining, a joy to read.

The story is set in present-day Lisbon, but not as we know it. There is a small part of the population that are gifted, slotting into either being telepathic or telekinetic, neither is good news. Gifts are something that can develop at different times in life, so some try to hide them. If they are gifted, they have to be tested by law, to measure how developed their gifts are. The very gifted never come home. It is more of a curse than a gift, as families turn their backs on them.

The gifted people that remain in society have to make their gift be known, as it is illegal to invade minds, without consent. Inspector Isabel Reis is gifted while her partner Aleksandr Voronov is not. They have been asked to investigate the brutal death of a man travelling on a train. Witnesses’ tell them of a man that seemed to be brutally smashed into a train window over and over, but no one had touched him. Had he done this himself? or were other forces involved?

It isn’t long before Isabel’s gift is being used, to look into the minds of witnesses, to see if they have seen anything that they are not recalling themselves. It is a sort of meld, which is at times frustrating, as she can only see the things in their vision, she can not turn them round to see things from another angle. Some of the witnesses are more cooperative than others, but none of them is happy about it.

I liked Isabel as she not only had her gift but that gut feeling of how she feels about people too. I liked how the story built and became a race against time as more people were brutally killed, with an unseen force. Isabel has an internal battle brewing but feels that she can not trust anyone to talk to about it.

It is a strange world of prejudice, secrets, shame and betrayal. A brilliant believable storyline. Different but not far from reality either.

I wish to thank Net Galley and the Publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I really enjoyed this book...it was refreshing, and gave a police procedural a magical twist. The book is set in a time when many people have acquired telekinesis/ telepathy powers and are known as 'gifted'...they are not trusted and shunned by general society, and tested and controlled by government...
So when a murder occurs on a train, but it appears that no physical contact has been made with the victim, in comes Detective Indpector Reis to lead investigations...and Reis is herself 'gifted'...not totally happy with the ending, but this book deserves a 5* rating for the way the (sometimes stagnant) genre has been totally reinvigorated...slight annoyance in some areas of translation...but this is a great book! Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley.co.uk for the chance to read and review an ARC of this fantastic book!