3.5 StarsHaunted hotels with long histories and lots of secrets, paranormal murder mysteries with psychic FBI agents, and a woman who can see ghosts and walk with the dead... Chill of Fear pretty much has Ani-bait written all over it… despite the fact that the summary doesn’t really do much justice for the depth of story that this book covers. Then again, having so much plot going on in the background as well as so much plot going on in the forefront only tends to make one a little confused. Even though all the side stories converged at the very end, I still felt like some things could have been left out.But no matter, Chill of Fear was very enjoyable. And although there was a lot of tacky dialogue and a lot of convenient “fated to be” placements of events, I chose to go with the flow and enjoy the book.Our characters were great, even if Diana was a bit stubborn and her stubbornness carried on for longer than I would have liked. The historical murder mysteries were interesting, the story progression was smooth, and the atmosphere DID manage to get a bit creepy at times. Unfortunately, there was a lot of “the Universe” in play for use as a deux ex machina throughout; even for a book surrounding a psychic with precognitive abilities and another psychic who can communicate with the dead, using “the Universe” as a means to explain all your answers can seem like a bit of a cop-out.In contrast, however, I still DO enjoy the more “scientific” explanations that the Bishop/SCU world gives for the existence of psychic abilities--that all humans have the latent ability to be psychic, but that others are just more sensitive to the electromagnetic waves generated when we use our brains. This is disregarding the fact that some of the psychic abilities present (such as precognitive abilities) cannot seem to be accounted for by psychics being extra attuned to the electromagnetic pulses generated by other people as well as residual electric stimuli left from extreme emotions.Because it doesn’t explain how you can see the future.But whatevs. I still continue to enjoy these books.Chill of Fear follows Quentin Hayes and Diana Brisco as each finds themselves at a place called The Lodge, a secluded, yet fancy little mountain resort, that has a long history of secrets as well as rumors of hauntings.Quentin has been returning to The Lodge intermittently the past few years since he became law enforcement. Twenty-five years ago, a young girl had been murdered and there has never been any trace of the killer. For twenty-five years, Quentin has felt that it was his responsibility to bring justice to Missy’s death--he was the one who had found her body, he had unofficially adopted her as a little sister for that summer they’d met, and he blames himself for not listening to Missy when she tried to tell him that there was something at The Lodge that genuinely had her frightened for her life.Diana Brisco has spent her entire life medicated for what society deems as abnormal mental health problems. Ever since the age of eleven, she has always been experiencing blackouts, seeing and hearing things that shouldn’t be there, and generally making all the people around her nervous with her restlessness. The only problem is that, despite having been conditioned to believe that she has an illness that needs to be fixed, Diana has always felt that she was normal and able to function properly as a normal human being.At present, Diana is attending a painting therapy course at The Lodge. After her last doctor took her off of all her medications, she actually feels more in control of her life and wants to do what she can to keep from being heavily medicated ever again. And it is at The Lodge that she meets Quentin who recognizes her immediately, not as a person with an illness, but as a fellow psychic who just needs to realize her abilities and learn how to cope with them.Diana is a medium, it turns out. And “the fates have aligned” at this present time to bring Diana and Quentin together at The Lodge to put to rest questions that have been plaguing their lives for the past many years: Diana’s psychic abilities and her connections to The Lodge, Quentin’s unending search for answers to Missy’s death as well as the deaths and disappearances of many other children that may be associated with The Lodge, and an evil presence that seems intent on remaining at The Lodge forever.Final Thoughts: There is an awful lot going on in Chill of Fear that probably could have been left out or shortened. And on top of that, the twists and the conclusions relied very heavily upon “the Universe” and how “things must happen the way they happen” and other such reasons to do with fate and pre-ordained events. I’m not sure I know how to feel about that.Chill of Fear had a lot of potential to blossom into an eerie, spine-tingling murder mystery and haunted hotel type of storyline, but everything hinged on the existence of an evil presence that was really only there in hindsight and as a background player and finally presents nearing the ending when all is said and done.The creepiest parts of the book were random and were the fairly classic, “I think I see something in my peripheral, but it’s not there when I really look”, with lights turning off and whispers floating in the air, and even a thunderstorm to mess with a psychic’s electromagnetic waves.Nonetheless, this book managed to keep me hooked and turning the pages to reach the conclusion. I enjoyed the book, I enjoyed the characters, and I still continue to enjoy the world of the Bishop/SCU series.
Quentin Hayes and Noah Bishop are part of the FBI’s Special Crimes Unit. Members use there special “talents” to investigate the paranormal. Hayes keeps returning to an aging resort in Tennessee where a child died twenty-five years ago when he and his family were vacationing. Diana Brisco has been haunted by strange nightmares and visions most of her life so her doctor suggests she spend some time at this retreat drawing as a way to relax. Immediately things start happening. She draws a picture of Quentin whom she has never met. She sees people in period clothes. With everything that happens to her she tries to dismiss them. After all, people had told her she had mental problems like her mother which is why she had been medicated most of her life. Now drug free, she is still having nightmares and out of body experiences. Hayes helps her to face the fact that she isn’t crazy. She is a medium. She has a talent that the Special Crimes Unit can use. The ghost of a child leads her to his bones. This helps her to finally realize that maybe her father was wrong. Maybe she does have a talent. This is a creepy tale that moves along at a fast clip. The only thing missing was Diana’s father. She had called to tell him she knew nothing was wrong with her mentally, that she had found a photo with her and one of the ghosts which she now realizes was her sister. Her father tells her to stay put. He is headed to Tennessee to talk to her but there the author ends it. This loose end is never fully explained so the reader is not sure why the father kept the sister a secret, and if he had any involvement in anything that had transpired.
What do You think about Chill Of Fear (2006)?
Kay Hooper's Chill of Fear is about Quentin and Diana and their special binding to an old Hotel. Quentin is an FBI agent and part of the Special Crimes Unit (SCU) who is obscessed with a murder from his past. Diana is a woman looking for a cure for what she thinks is mental illness. The two are brought together at The Lodge by forces unknown to them in order to help solve a string of murders, as well as find answers to both of their pasts. I enjoyed the book, it was light and a quick read. While it starts off a little slow, once you get to the heart of the book it is difficult to put down. The plot twists work, and I didn't feel like it was ever completely obvious who the murder was, or what exactly was going on at the hotel. There are several elements of the supernatural (part of what Hooper's SCU series is really made for), which I didn't know when I started reading it, but it wasn't a turn off like that sometimes can be. Mystery, ghost story, action, and drama, this is a good book for a weekend or light read.
—Suzanne
A really good suspense with plenty of paranormal...just the right amount of physical danger and psychic/ghost creepiness. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like Quentin was fleshed out very well, so it was hard to identify with him outside of the, "isn't he a nice hero?" reaction. Diana on the other hand was very fleshed out and was a very strong, likeable heroine. There's an undercurrent of romance brewing between the two, but nothing overt (view spoiler)[ until the last page (hide spoiler)]
—Maura
When I bought this book 3 years ago I had placed it on my bookshelf with good intentions of reading it sooner. I am kicking myself now for taking so long. This book is about a Special Crime Unit of the FBI that is composed of psychics. These psychics solve crimes and fall in love and generally help each other to excel with their psychic abilities.This book is about Quentin Hayes trying to solve a crime that he had the misfortune of witnessing as a child. One of his best friends is murdered and he happens to find her body. For 25 years he has worked hard looking for clues to her killer. Then finally a young woman named Diana Brisco, who also has psychic abilities, comes to The Lodge where the murder took place. While falling in love with Quentin she realizes her psychic abilities are not a sign of mental illness as her father has always told her.There are many twists and turns. You have no idea who to believe. While Diana is walking between this world and the next she realizes many things about herself and her family. She is stronger than she ever believed possible. This is not a book that would win prizes but it is one to curl up with when you aren’t feeling too well and just want to be entertained.I am definitely going to get the rest of the books in this series. It was a fun book.
—Peggy Ferrell
