I love a police procedural and with the added element of the psychic assistant really made this layered story a joy to read.

Highly recommended

Blending the uncanny with police procedural, this book really stands out from the crowd. I was hooked from the start, and the layered story just kept me turning the pages, eager to see where I would go next.

Vivvy is the frankly amazing heroine of this book; she is an acclaimed astrophysicist with a side line in uncannily accurate predictions. When local police are hitting a brick wall in their cold case investigation into a missing child, she is brought in to see if she can reveal any new avenues to pursue.

This sets of a train of events that put her in danger, from both the criminal and right wing conspiracy theorists. She is also grieving the loss of her mother and trying to untangle the dysfunctional relationship she has with her childhood crush and her sister. This creates a brilliantly tense and unnerving atmosphere, where I was never quite sure if Vivvy's strange talent is just coincidence, amazing research skills or the supernatural.

It's a book I did not want to end; Julia Heaberlin just gets better and better.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Vivvy Bouchet is a very clever astrophysicist but she is also a reluctant psychic, at the age of 10 after having a premonition she had saved the life of her childhood friend Mike who now some years later is a Texas police officer and he turns to Vivvy for help in a high-profile cold case of a missing three year old girl.
This book completely took over my life I was so absorbed in the story and the lives of the characters and as the story progressed all I could think about was just where this read was going to go. This is a superb piece of writing and although a mystery thriller it is so so much more more than that, the book is filled with amazing characters that jump of the page as the story progresses they are so brilliantly written.
It’s am intense read and it’s impossible to portray just how addictive the book is , I didn’t want it to end but I also needed to know how it would end and so now I’m sad to have finished the book but also thrilled at what a breathtaking experience it was.
So an unmissable read that deserves more than 5 stars, I loved everything about it ….What a read !
My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Vivvy is a great character and the weaving of her sixth sense powers into the police investigation is achieved in such a way as to make them entirely believable, regardless of how you feel about it outside of the book.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of her life as an astrophysicist an of her childhood as the daughter of a psychic and how she struggles to deal with her gifts in both fields.
Drawn back to her childhood home following her mothers death she finds herself reluctantly embroiled in the cold case search for a missing child.
Full of complex relationships, both with each other and with the truth the cast of characters battle together over whose truth is the right one.
An interesting take on the solving of a cold case

A fast-paced missing person mystery with a mean and moody police detective and a reluctant amateur sleuth who sees dead people and flashes of the future. (But don't call her psychic; she hates the term. ) Ideal for thriller readers who like lots of real-life references and nods to conspiracy theories.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

Vivvy Bouchet is a brilliant Astrophysicist and a gifted psychic. When she was a child she saved Mark -a local boys life because of a vision she saw -they have been friends ever since .Now he is a policeman and she consults on cold cases with him .When looking through crime scene photos -she identifies one of the victims as being alive -even though her mother is serving time in prison for her murder.
Another fantastic atmospheric thriller from Julia Heaberlin -she never fails to deliver and I can't wait for the next one .

Astrophysicist and psychic, Vivvy Bouchet, is drawn back to her hometown of Fort Worth after the death of her psychic mother. It’s here where she reconnects with Mike Romano. Vivvy saved Mike’s life with one of her predictions when they were children. Now a cop, Mike approaches Vivvy to help with an unsolved missing girl case.
Lizzy Solomon disappeared from her Fort Worth home some years ago - her mother Nicolette was imprisoned for the crime, even though no body has ever been found - and Nicolette is still loudly protesting her innocence.

Vivvy reluctantly agrees to help, but she has no idea exactly what she’s letting herself in for!

Science clashes with the unexplained to produce a unique psychological thriller, with large as life characters, and some great twists and turns - all of which will have you gripped. Definitely recommended.

Another fun and well-paced thriller from Julia Heaberlin.

I fell in love with her work after reading We Are All the Same in the Dark (always a recommendation from me) and I then went on to read her previous novels.

This is a whirlpool of excitement: it pulls you in and spins you around, juggling a handful of smaller narratives, and drags you under.

As with her previous novels, Heaberlin’s characters are a lot of fun. However, there is one character here - a “right-wing pundit”- that is so ridiculous that he's almost out of place. But then again, I guess that's the point: they are ridiculous and out of place? The political skewering was as subtle as a knife to the side. But, as someone outside of the American “bubble”, I'm sure things are much worse than what I see on the news... Anyway, this isn't a conversation for now!

The overall narrative was very good and the handling of the smaller details was strong, though it could've easily been much longer and it would've been nice to see more of the characters and spend more time with them.

I liked the balance between the psychic content and the scientific content and feel like it addressed some interesting points.

I've said it once and I'll say it again:
I'm here for Heaberlin and will read everything she writes. One of my few auto-buy authors.

At the age of ten Vivvy Bouchet saves Mike Romano’s life because of a prediction she makes that seems out there and impossible. In the present day, Vivvy is an astrophysicist and just wants to get on with her life but Mike, now a cop, believes she has psychic powers though she dislikes that word intensely. Mike asks for help with a high profile missing girl case, that of Lizzie Solomon who disappears from her locked Fort Worth home in broad daylight. Based on circumstantial evidence Lizzie’s mother Nicolette is convicted and imprisoned but maintains her innocence. Vivvy reluctantly agrees to try to help but when Bubba Guns, a YouTube podcaster discovers her involvement he becomes her nemesis, spouting any number of ludicrous conspiracy theories forcing Vivvy to fight back.

Julia Heaberlin is a truly amazing writer who never fails to enthral me with her powerful storytelling. She pulls me in from the start of this astonishing book which is beautifully written with some of the narrative being quite lyrical. This is a tightly and cleverly plotted novel with multiple Russian doll style layers through which the author explores hype, truth or conspiracy and looks at the boundaries between science and things it cannot explain giving plenty to think about. I’m sure we could all name a barking mad Bubba Guns style character whose views defy logic and fact and who can best be described as a tyrannical bully with a slavishly following which inevitably spells danger. Despite this some of the tensest scenes are when he’s on the pages, it’s inhale your breath suspenseful ‘gold’ albeit fools gold.

The characterisation is outstanding, I love Vivvy’s brilliance, in fact, I love everything about her and she’s part of a complex triangle with Mike and her sister Brig (Brigid). Another great character is cop Jesse Sharp with your views on him swinging like a pendulum. The dialogue is especially good when he’s around and much like Vivvy, he is complex and there’s the added bonus of intensity between those two.

At times, the atmosphere is electric which is heightened by weather conditions or buildings such as the neglected Victorian property where Lizzie once lived. The gripping mystery surrounding her deepens and deepens, there are numerous plot twists some of which are so good my mouth drops open in astonishment! Parts of the finale are not entirely unexpected but you arrive there creatively and cleverly. Some aspects keep you guessing and surprise you right to the end.

Overall, an excellent novel and one I have no hesitation in recommending. It would be great if Vivvy and Jesse appear in future novels as there’s still plenty of mileage there.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Deliciously Immersive..
Conspiracy, misinformation, secrets and lies abound as the line between fact and fiction blurs in this edgy, keenly observed suspenseful mystery. A reluctant psychic also a scientist, a Texas police officer with a past, a cynical detective and a successful podcaster of conspiracy theories combine with a view to solving one high profile cold case. Dark and menacing, atmospheric and compelling with a perfectly paced plot populated with a deftly drawn, credible cast and a fluidly penned, often intense narrative. Deliciously immersive.

Fast paced and addictive with multi-layered, original characters and stonking good plot. This is catnip for thriller readers, who need no longer put up with formulaic plots and 2D characters. Highly recommend.