Sadly, I couldn't really get into this book
It is well-written but just a bit too weird for me. I'm sure a lot of people will love it though.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book, it was a solid story, but I did feel like I was involved in reading something from the X-Men!

I found the start of the book quite hard to get into because it just jumped in, there was no lead-up, etc, and you didn't get any background until quite a few pages in when you actually went back in time to see what was special about Isabel and others like her 'the gifted'

Not sure the drama with her ex-boyfriend and sister is needed unless this is something that will be investigated more in other books?

Liked the relationship between Isabel and Voronov, something there but not overly so, and as a massive dog fan liked the fact that Isabel did what she did (no spoilers!)

Would read another book from the author

Lisbon - present day. A small percentage of the population have telepathic or telekinetic powers who are known as The Gifted and Inspector Isabel Reis is one of them. She is called to a violent death on a train at Gare do Oriente and is accompanied by her non gifted new partner Aleksandr Voronov. The victim proves to be head of Portugal’s National Testing Unit, Gilde Santos. The unit studies, registers and monitors high level gifted like Isabel. The ensuing story is fascinating and compelling.

It’s refreshing to read something that has a different premise from the usual crime fiction, this one is a sort of sci-fi fantasy, dystopian crime thriller! I love the Lisbon setting, we get a good tour of it with visual descriptions and some accompanying mouth watering Portuguese food!! The main characters are good and I enjoy following the changes in the relationship of Isabel and Aleks as the investigation deepens. Isabel is direct, truthful and hardworking and the descriptions of what it’s like to have these powers are excellent. I like that there’s an air of mystery surrounding Voronov who you grow to like as a character. The toll it takes on Isabel as she senses so much of what’s around her is vividly articulated and gripping. For most of the novel the pacing is good, it occasionally drops off as we get some details we don’t really need in order to follow the plot line. In places it’s chilling, very creepy and there are some scary sections that send a freezing cold ripple down the spine. The storyline takes several twists and turns and one direction you don’t see coming. Whilst I do like the intriguing family dynamics that having a gifted member could provoke, I don’t think backtracking to Isabel’s childhood adds a great deal to the unfolding drama as it temporarily suspends the action. The ending is good and it’s fitting although it could have been more dramatic. I really hope there’s a follow up as I love the concept and I want to see what happens next for Isabel and Voronov.

Overall, if you want to read something a bit different then this book fits the bill.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the arc in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel. A mystery with some sci fi/fantasy elements with police procedural all rolled in to one. I was so sure I wanted to read this despite it being out of my usual comfort zone but it was excellently paced and the setting of Lisbon was gorgeous.

Isabel Reis is a police officer in an alternate Portugal where people are regular or gifted. Reis is gifted with telepathic powers but the world she lives in is hostile to gifted people and scared of them. They are investigating a death that appears to be the work of a very powerful gifted individual- too powerful, She is working with a new partner she is wary of and struggling with her own gift at the same time. The case rips along and is left ripe for a sequel. I enjoyed the relationship growing stronger between the partners and the unmasking of the villain, I would recommend this to people who enjoy stories with a paranormal twist. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The debut novel of Patricia Marques is set in one of my favourite cities in Europe, namely Lisbon.
I liked the description the author used because I could travel in my imagination in the exact places in Lisbon and all transmitted the vibe and energy of the city. From my point of view it is a dystopic novel presenting the Lisbon in times where the human population evolved and a small percentage of people could be classified either as a telepathic or a telekinetic person. Since all was still new, these persons had a target on their back and were stigmatized and criticized by those who were scared and could not explain this type of abilities/power.

The main character, Isabel Reis is a strong woman, with a tormented past (I liked that we could have some short chapters that explained some situations from her childhood and some glimpse to see from where she had developed those feelings for her mom). The association with her new partner at work – a Russian guy Aleks Voronov – a “muggle” with no gifts but wanting to help her – is like the salt and pepper for the action of the novel.
I will not give 5 stars out of 5 because the ending was a little too much. I would have expected to be given some cliffhanger for the following novel, but I would have preferred some clarity for the closed case.

This is crime fiction with a twist. Dectective Inspector Reis is in pursuit of a killer. Nothing new there but the murders take place in an alternative Lisbon, Portugal where the population is split into gifted or non-gifted and Inspector Reis is registered as gifted due to her being a telepath. Without revealing any spoilers, this was a gripping and highly invented thrill ride. I can't wait for more.

A great concept, a solid read that didn’t quite reach the heights I had hoped.

Set in Lisbon Portugal where a small percentage of the population are classed as gifted. They have the power of either telepathy or telekinesis and their powers are rated from 1 to 10.
They are viewed with suspicion by many and in the strongest cases seem to disappear after being held by the authorities.

This is a sci-fi/detective novel as our main protagonist, Inspector Isabel Reis is one of the gifted.
She is called at the start of the book to a suspicious death which on the face of it looks like suicide but when she digs a bit more, it looks more and more like it could be a murder committed by a gifted person.

I enjoyed this one overall but was left feeling a little underwhelmed. Isabel is an interesting enough character and we get plenty of her back story here. The investigation starts off with great excitement but meanders along throughout book without any real excitement or tension. It feels like the story is simpler than it thinks it is and the book ends up being padded out a bit.

The pacing is a little linear and the jumping out of the investigation to focus on Isabels private life does feel a little soap opera like and a little unnecessary.

Some really good ideas here and a decent enough story. Probably would have been a much better read if it lost some of the page count.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An unusual premise to this book, which intrigued me through. Set in a very different world, this novel is a police procedural like no other.

A recommended read.

A really great mystery, full of suspense and with the differences between the "gifted" and the "normals" being understated enough that it was actually quite believable!
This is a real page turner

Set in Portugal, mainly Lisbon this book is something different from the normal detective story.
Some of the population are ‘Gifted’ with either telekinesis or telepathic powers however a lot of the population are scared/wary of them and don’t see them as gifted but something to be avoided.
Isabel Reis, a Lisbon Police Inspector, is brought in to investigate a murder on a train with suspected ‘Gifted’ involvement.
I love the writing, relationships, the descriptions and the storyline. I didn’t work out the culprit until well into the second half which is good for me.
My only gripe is the ending was a bit weak but overall I loved this book even though it is not my usual read.
Highly recommend and look forward to the next instalment. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review. 4 Stars ⭐️

A sci-fi/crime combo so a very different read to the normal police procedural. I had no objection to the present tense writing style. I did find a lot of the description unnecessary.. Set in Lisbon (of which I know something) it didn't really connect with me as a city I knew. That felt slightly odd. Whilst I can well imagine government interference in the lives of the gifted I didn't think it was required for Isabel to continually medicate and be left with a constant headache as she tried to control her gift. I sort of felt that she would have mastered it by the time she became an adult.. It is. all in all. a very interesting premise. The author has a good idea and I think a second book might well be better to give more depth to the created world and characters and to move the story on

The colours of death
A riveting mystery thriller. I really liked this book - it drew me in very quickly .
Its a police procedural novel but very different in a different world. I liked the strong main characters and hope very much that the story will continue as I want to see where it goes.

This is based in Lisbon but that is where normality ends. There is a species of human who are known as Gifted and who are either telepathetic or telekinetic. They are a registered species who can gain insight into the minds of normal people. They are all registered by the state through the National Testing Unit. One is the lead detective, Isabel. She has to investigate a series of weird people who are thought to be doing illegal research. Some of the lead researchers are murdered. Those who are gifted suffer all kinds of out of body experiences which can be hard to believe. The book is well written but the context of abnormality is a distraction from what could be a good story. It takes a huge leap of the imagination to want to persist with it.

Strange but compelling. Its a hard book to talk about and since I havent read much fantasy before I didn't know what to expect. The word Gifted was in the title but I had no idea what this was before I started to read the book. What a fascinating concept this was! Told with flowery and fantastical writing that sold the story. It was a crime story but so much more. I will read more from this author.

My thoughts about this brilliantly written gripping police procedural serial killer thriller was outstanding with its hardhiting story and suspense that blows you away this book is definitely highly recommended I would like to say thank you to Hodder books for kindly giving me a chance to read and review this outstanding thriller 💥💥💥💥⭐⭐⭐⭐🔥🔥🔥🔥

My fault, but I don’t think I read the description of this book properly! I saw 'gifted detective' and 'brutal murder' and thought ‘this is one for me’! If I’d realised that ‘gifted’ meant having telepathic or telekinetic powers I wouldn’t have made the request. I’ve actually made it clear in my bio that I don’t read science fiction-type stories. The descriptive writing was great, but I wasn’t keen on the third person present tense. I’ve given this 3 stars because I can’t blame anyone but myself for not liking it! I’m sure that readers who enjoy a bit of science fiction will love the book. For me, it would have been a really good read without ‘the powers’! By the way, I realise this is an ARC but, even so, I was surprised at the large number of grammatical errors it contained. I have a list if the author or publishers would like a copy.

This is a sci-fi crime investigation in Lisbon involving some people who have special super powers. Investigator Isabel is one such ‘Gifted’ person and some of her suspects might also have these powers. The novel is written in real time present tense , a style which takes a while to get used to. It feels more like watching a tv programme and consists mainly of conversation and frequent unnecessary description which contributes little to the plot or moving the action forward; so much so that I was tempted to skim read some pages.
There is an attempt at a back story about Isabel and her family relationships but nothing that contributes to her characterisation. Other characters seemed shallow too.
The action speeds up and becomes more gripping in the last quarter of the novel. If it had been shorter and more to the point it could have been a more interesting and unusual book.

I found this book very difficult to get through as it was written in third person and present tense. It kept throwing me out of the world. However, the plot, concept and setting were all new and refreshing to me. They were also pretty well done. I would read this again.

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley. This was a fabulous read. I haven’t read author previous to this book but I’m glad I’ve had the chance!