Psi: Blue

by Robert W. Walker

Half Asian, half Celtic, Psychic Detective Aurelia Hiyakawa is the FBI's secret weapon. As she thwarts horrendous crimes committed by the worst monsters, she struggles to keep ahead of her estranged... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590805089
• ISBN13: 9781590805084
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Echelon Press Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

I Love Rob Walker's Books

I grew up reading mysteries and thrillers. That's probably why I write them. One of the writers who influences my most was Robert W. Walker. His Edge series and Instinct series were among my favorites. These were taut, suspenseful crime novels that pulled no punches. But Rob had more than just those. His Abraham Stroud (Bloodscreams) books were among the most fun horror novels I ever read. They predated the whole current vampire and zombie crazes. His Decoy (Ryne Lanark) series was filled with action and startling violence. His Dean Grant books were prototypes of the CSI/Law and Order shows so popular these days. Rob was doing this before Patricia Cornwell. He was doing it before almost anyone. Now his entire backlist is available for under $3 an ebook. I hope a whole new generation discovers him, just like I did...

Creepy Thriller

If you're seeking something creepy, twisted and bizarre, you'll find it in Robert Walker's latest work of fiction, Psi Blue. Walker is the author of more than 40 novels, including the critically acclaimed City for Ransom, and Psi Blue is his most recent achievement in thrills and suspense, though hopefully not his last. Psi Blue is a psychic sensory thriller filled with truly evil characters and a relentless detective who tracks them straight to their personal hell. Aurelia Hiyakawa, a psychic-sensory investigator for the Quntico, Virginia FBI, is dedicating all she has--including her sanity and sobriety--to track the missing children of Phoenix, Arizona, and thankfully, her instincts--and track record--are always right on. Aurelia, or Rae, is a ghost talking, alcoholic detective with an eclectic family background and a daughter, Nia, who is justifiably filled with teen angst considering the nature of her mother's work. Rae's parents, who appear to her as ghosts, comfort and advise her, and sometimes kick her in the seat of her self-pitying pants, generally about her drinking. Rae's father was a Japanese Buddhist, and her mother, whose religion was a mix of Celtic and Wiccan traditions, practiced the healing arts. Her father was killed by a drunk-driving priest, and her mother overdosed on Valium, but they continue to visit Rae with the hopes of helping her through her ongoing issues over their deaths. Rae, who seems to obsess on the advice of her psychiatrist, is constantly psycho-analyzing herself, a great benefit to her investigative efforts as she is also required to analyze the psychology of the perpetrators she seeks. At times, this book crosses over into the realm of graphic horror fiction with its detailed depictions of violence against children and other victims, but the violence does fit with the carefully developed pathological behaviors of the perpetrators, and would certainly not seem gratuitous or exaggerated to those who have worked as crime scene investigators or detectives. These horrific depictions are also a byproduct of Walker's trademark, profoundly-thorough writing style. Overall, Psi Blue is an impressive, thrilling, nail-nibbling novel filled with just the right balance of suspense and blessed relief.

Reviewed by Barb Radmore

Aurelia "Rae" Hiyakawa is a woman between worlds- the psychic world that overtakes her, the world with her rebellious teenage daughter, the world of crime and the world of romance. The ghosts of her parents mesh with the demands of her daughter as the present, past and future become equally real to Aurelia. Her job with the FBI does not make this easier- as a psychic sensory investigator who works in their crime solving unit.. She works with CRAWL, a machine created by the boy genus Eddy Coffin. When Rae holds personal items from crime scenes CRAWL projects her images through a computer system onto a plasma screen. The images are compelling and real and often hold the clues to solve horrific crimes. She is usually confined to the FBI office but Eddy has designed a portable version that can be used at the scene of the crimes. It is put to the test when Rae, with unwilling daughter in tow, travels to to investigate the disappearances of homeless, street children. The Carnivore Man is slowly luring and torturing street children. It is up to Rae and Redeoux , the policeman assigned to the case, to find and stop him before another child dies. Rae's psychic images are strong but unclear. Careful investigation of the crime area, interviewing the at risk street children and following the clues embedded in urban myth are also necessary to end the maniac's deeds. The violence against children is graphic and disturbing but it is not gratuitous; it is integral part of the plot. The inclusion of this violence is a risky move by a seasoned author. It begins the book and continues throughout. The chilling manner of death is not easy to read, may cause a few nights lost sleep in its detail and uniqueness. It is also the characters of the homeless children and the urban tales they tell that are the strength of the book. The creativity in these components forms the individuality in a genre filled with psychics. The writing of Walker manages the right amount of detail and drama. He captures the intense feelings that come to both Rae and The Carnivore Man, the intensity of fear, foreboding and frustration, all the emotions that come to both the predator and the prey.. The multiple threads to the plot cover it all- mystery, danger, suspense, family conflict and drama. Walker is able to combine all these elements without making it feel forced or strained. A rich, suspense filled noire thriller is the end product of his word skill. I have a feeling we will be meeting Aurelia in future tomes by the prolific Robert Walker. This is one of the few books to be written under his name, he has at least 35 under his 4 pen names (Geoffrey Caine, Glenn Hale, Evan Kingsbury, Stephen Robertson).