I really enjoyed this alternative crime drama. It is set in Lisbon in the present day but with a difference. A small number of the population have special powers; either telepathy or telekinesis. They are viewed with undisguised suspicion by the rest of the community. They are known as The Gifted and Inspector Isabel Reis is one of them. She is called to an unsettling death which has taken place on a busy commuter train. The victim is the Head of the National Testing Unit which registers and monitors The Gifted. Shortly afterwards a second death occurs involving an associate of the Unit. What follows is an intriguing and absorbing story.

Isabel and her partner Voronov are responsible for the investigation into the deaths and the dynamic between them is really well portrayed. Isabel is honest and direct and there is a mysterious aspect to Voronov. The atmosphere which develops is creepy and quite scary in places. The pace is perfect and there are clever misdirections. The observations about the marginalisation of some members of society are quite pertinent. The ending is fitting and points to a sequel. I hope that is the case because I would definitely read more by this author.

In summary, this was a really good and unusual read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting take on crime fiction - set in Lisbon - there is a community of Gifted people, including Inspector Isabel Reis. They have telepathic or telekinetic powers that in reasonable levels makes them just about acceptable to most of society. The suggestion is that if their powers are at a high level they should disappear from society as they are a threat to 'Regular' people. An interesting twist on how people who are 'different' are felt to be a threat to the rest of society - especially when people start to die in suspicious circumstances.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Patricia Marques/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is not your usual crime fiction story but a mix of police procedural and science fiction.

I don't read a lot of supernatural books so this almost passed me by but I'm so glad I took a chance to read something a bit different because it's thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable.

With great characters that you quickly become invested in, well paced, a great setting and an intriguing and unique plot, this is a great book which I found entertaining and gripping.

This is, I believe, the start of a series and I for one am looking forward to seeing where it goes in the future.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for inviting me to read and review The Colours of Death; this is no way affected or influenced my review in anyway.

Loved this book! There are regular people and gifted people. The gifted have one of 2 abilities. Regulars are wary of the gifted. Set in Lisbon the PJ have gifted officers but they need to have a regular partner.
Someone is killed.....appears to be a gifted person who has done it....isabel, a gifted telepath, and her partner voronov must find out fast who is the culprit, shortly after though there's another murder.............
Loved the twists and turns. Didn't see the culprit coming. I would like to find out more!!!!

An unusual crime fiction with an element of sci fi in there too - In Lisbon in 2021, some people are The Gifted , with telepathic powers. The combination of the two genres is an interesting one, it makes the story move in a way that Im not necessarily used to, but I enjoyed reading it, mixing sci fi, an alterative contemporary setting and a well-plotted murder. Thanks to the publishers for sending me the ARC

This was such an interesting read. I was really in the mood for a good police procedural (due to binge watching Criminal minds) and this was the perfect book. It is a really nice mix of police investigation and small sci-fi elements to give it a unique and complex storyline. It is also set in Lisbon, Portugal. This was also interesting or me personally as I don't think I have read a book set in the city and it was really fun to get an insight into the city and its people.

While this mystery itself was a little predictable the way that the plot worked its way to the various conclusions are really entertaining. There is a real methodical order to the investigation allowing us to really focus on the characters an there lives. Isabel herself is gifted and we really get to explore her life and how her gifts have effected it. We get flashbacks to her childhood when her gifts were assessed and catalogued and how they affected her relationships with her family, friends and loved ones throughout her life. We also explore the political landscape and how that effects Isabel doing her job. All of this makes Isabel a really detailed and complex character that I really liked reading about. She is good at her job, but struggles coping with her gift. This gave Isabel a noir detective style feel, exchanging the stereotypical alcohol crutch with the problems with her gift and its control.

For me the interesting worldbuilding, the complex characters, the weaving mystery and even the detail of the investigation all comes together to a fantastically well written and well structured debut. I found it such an absorbing read that I just wanted to keep reading, learning about Isabel, figuring out the mystery. Its a great crime fiction novel and has a fantastic sci-fi edge that would be a good start for people wanting to get into the genre.

The Colours of Death by Patricia Marques is a sinister, original thriller that truly extends the capabilities of the mind!

Detective Inspector Isabel Reis is called to investigate the death of a passenger on an early morning train in very unusual circumstances. It soon becomes clear that there is more to this crime than meets the eye. Isabel is plagued by terrible headaches and is also taking another drug required to keep her balanced, but her new partner not unexpectedly would like to know more.

I was totally bought into this thriller even though it included a little bit of supernatural that would not be my usual genre. The investigation kept moving at a good pace whilst Isabel’s relationship with her partner continued to be an interesting thread. I could feel the sheer exhaustion experienced by Isabel and felt myself relaxing a little on her off days. This is an impressive and intriguing thriller!

@hodderbooks @marquesp09

The Colours of Death is the first instalment in a proposed new series set in an alternative present-day Lisbon, Portugal, and an original and skilful amalgam of the science fiction and crime thriller genres. It features a world where a small percentage of the population has been diagnosed as Gifted - having telepathic or telekinetic powers. Along with the power comes a stigma, fear and suspicion that Gifted Inspector Isabel Reis knows only too well, as those not bestowed the talent, known as regulars, tend to resent and terrorise the Gifted with Portugal’s right-wing political party PNP instigating the ill-feeling using their anti-Gifted agenda, spearheaded by the party leader, Bento Soares, which has taken a strong hold with the Portuguese people. Isabel is employed by the Police Judiciaria in Lisbon where she is partnered by a regular, Inspector Aleksandr Voronov, who will ensure she adheres to the stringent rules and regulations imposed on the gifted within the police force. When the pair are called to investigate a mysterious and violent death in a railway carriage at the Gare do Oriente, they find the victim, Mr Gil dos Santos, had suddenly risen and begun repeatedly smashing his head against the window on a packed train causing hysteria from other passengers.

It had apparently been reported as a crime hinting at Gifted involvement and may have been caused by omnipotent telekinesis. The release of his name sparks further unrest when the news spreads that the murder victim was one of the heads of the National Institute of Testing, an organisation that oversees every inch of the lives of the Gifted minorities. They keep a registry of those who are Gifted as well as details of their powers and maintain oversight of those on the list. But there have also been unsubstantiated yet unrelenting rumours of oppression against the Gifted in society including carrying out clandestine experiments on them and strange disappearances. Reis knows it's more than just her personal reputation on the line. In a society where Gifted individuals are already viewed with mistrust, Isabel is hiding her own secret and knows she has to tread carefully as a conspiracy emerges and the body count rises. This is a compulsive and captivating debut novel with a beautifully woven plot, superb writing and a rich atmosphere, all of which held me captive from the outset. It's thoroughly original and has a glittering freshness to it, all the while introducing us to a cast of characters who will likely return in book two.

Wonderfully inventive, it has the pace of a thriller, the feel of a procedural and a unique, speculative twist on our world that completely sets it apart. Reis is a complex, intriguing and three-dimensional protagonist and her backstory really allows you to get to know her and her motivations, her family and her upbringing. The intense pressure the Gifted ones feel when it comes to trying to keep their gift under wraps and maintain control is felt throughout the pages; it is certainly made to feel like a type of discrimination. It's a scintillating and utterly entertaining supernatural-tinged crime thriller, and it'll be interesting to see what direction Marques takes it in for the second instalment. Highly recommended.

This is quite an unusual story in that it’s a different murder mystery. Set in Lisbon, characters featured have particular talents. It’s not a supernatural thing and the way these are depicted is what makes it an engaging and immersive read. I’ve never visited Lisbon, but I had a strong sense of place from the descriptions. The plotting is intricate and there are twists I didn’t expect. Strong characters and an unusual plot make this a rewarding read. Interesting and I enjoyed the unravelling of the tale around the dead man.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Interesting and unusual thriller they never really got going for me.. The story was a little farfetched and the characters a bit slow to gel.

Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was kind of intimidated by the sort of vague synopsis. But I’m happy to report that I loved The Colours of Death so much that it quickly became a new favourite of mine.

It’s a bit of a genre-bending novel which I think was done really well. It’s got the mystery element at the heart of the story but it also has strong SFF vibes going on too which was perfect for me. As you’d expect from a mystery, it’s well paced with lots of suspense, plot twists and red herrings but with a speculative spin. If you enjoy mysteries and/or speculative fiction, you need to read this one ASAP.

Isabel quickly became my favourite fictional detective of all time. I liked that the book revolves around her which means that you get a lot of her history, her relationships with others and society at large. And you also see how other people perceive her because of her gift and there’s this anti-gifted movement which is linked to the case in a few ways so she’s dealing with a lot and has been for most of her life. But ultimately, she’s incredibly likeable and easy to sympathise with even though she can come across as negative at times.

I’m so glad that this is the first book in a series because I cannot wait for more Inspector Isabel Reis!

An unusual and interesting mix of paranormal and thriller.
It's well thought and developed, interesting world building and great characters.
It's fast paced and kept me guessing.
A good story, gripping and entertaning.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoyed this book alot more then I was expecting. I loved the whole gifted and regulars thing. It made the story so much more interesting. I would recommend this book and would be interested in reading more of the authors work.

It was nice to read a crime novel with some differences for a change.
The Colours of Death is a Portuguese novel in translation and it was refreshing to read about a different country and culture within the familiar police narrative. I say familiar, but there is a big fantasy element to this story, as many of the population are now evolving with telekinesis and telepathy and these gifts can be put to good or evil. Imagine Alien Nation mixed with The X Men.
The two partners in the investigation are one Gifted woman, Isabel, and a regular man, Voronov. They are familiar to many other thrown together investigators in the genre but still believable and vulnerable.
The denouement was slightly disappointing I felt, in that the murderer was built up to have such strong powers I was wondering how they were going to capture them but it was quite quick and didn’t quite rack up the tension as it could have.
It was an enjoyable read, however, with the variations on the genre making it interesting and involving.

3.5 stars
This is a good read.
This is a crime thriller with a sci-fi twist as the book tells us about people who are 'gifted' with either a telepathic or telekinetic power.
Inspector Reis is gifted but she’s also suffering from severe headaches, so wants to get this sorted out.
The death at the beginning of the book seems suspicious to Reis and her new partner, and as the case progresses they wonder if it was a murder committed by someone gifted at a very high level.
This is a different crime thriller but it is an enjoyable read.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was such a weird book but in a good way? There were tons of twists and characters that made you second guess everything and Marques definitely knows how to write speculative dialogue that's for sure. I loved the premise of the book and the execution was great. I'd recommend going into this without knowing too much because that way a few things might shock you even more.

I really enjoyed this book and wish that I’d slowed down my reading of it long enough to write notes but that ship has now sailed! It’s exceptionally well written and (clearly!) held my rapt attention, the pace is slower than I normally enjoy and developments are revealed at a very steady pace, but the character building is so well done I was happy to take my time over it.

Isabel, the main character, is a very guarded person. She’s an Inspector with telepathic powers who is currently investigating a dead which may have some paranormal involvement. Alongside this, she’s dealing with her powers, prejudice against her for having powers and difficulties within her family. She’s slow to trust people so we only get what she gives us, which gradually increases as the story progresses.

The headaches she suffers from gradually increase and I could empathise greatly - trying to get anything done with chronic headaches is a nightmare and I could almost feel what was being described.

In this world, there are some people known as Gifted who have powers which are either Telekinetic or Telepathic and rank between 1-10 in terms of strength. Obviously, they’re regarded with mistrust, because… humanity. And there’s a very X-Men them-and-us stance in the world, with bigots and sympathisers in all corners.
Only time will tell what kind of person her new partner is but I have high hopes!

The case is solved at the end of the book, but loops back to another case from the beginning - leading me to hope that this is the beginning of a series because I’m eager to see what the future has in store for these characters!

Lisbon Portugal. A futeristic thriller. A small proportion of the population are gifted, either telepathic or with telekinesis.
In the Policia Judiciaria inspector Isabel Reis is telepathic. There is a scoring system with up to five being ok, but between five and ten needing monitoring.
Isabel has been struggling to contain her gift. Ordinary people are suspicious of gifted ones. But gifted cannot read minds without the persons agreement. Her beloved father is dead and she has a bad relationship with her mother. Her sister and half brother try to smooth the situation.
Gifted officers have to have a regular partner i.e. none gifted. She has just been assigned a new one by the chief. He is inspector Alek Voronov. There has been a murder commited by a gifted with telekinesis. The murdered man is Gil dos Santos and unfortunately he is head of the National Testing unit for the gifted community.
Isabel and Alek come up against people who do not trust nor like gifted people. Can Isabel trust her new partner? Why is she getting severe headaches? Soon they realise they are up against a high level gifted with amazingly both gifted aspects which is unheard of! Will they be able to stop further murders?
A new author with her first book. I am not a fan of science fiction, but this one redeems itself by being a police procedural. The ending seems to suggest another book featuring Isabel, as there are some aspects which need resolving. An interesting idea, worth a read and see what you think.

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Books.

I was unsure as to whether i’d be interested in this due to the sci-fi elements but the blurb sounded interesting.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I loved the concept but the ending disappointed me. I feel like I expected more.

Sadly I found this book a bit to much of a slow burn. After 20% I was unable to like either Reis or Voronov and I found the whole thing all a bit flat.

The premise is interesting and I have no doubt this book will go on to receive rave reviews and even a cult following but not one that I’m enjoying,

Thanks to Hodder Books and NetGalley for the invite to read this one.