HINDSIGHT - Melanie Casey

Saw this book referred to somewhere as CSI meets Medium in print. Which will mean something to exactly the sort of readers that HINDSIGHT is pitched directly at.

Needless to say that's not me. Whilst my paranormal allergy has been mitigated slightly over the years by some extremely good books, it alas hasn't stopped the scratching when the story is 100% built around the paranormal aspects being such a central investigative tool. Granted in HINDSIGHT the local cops also start off not that impressed with the idea that Cass Lehman can see violent pasts as she moves into the location where they happened. Cass comes from a family of women each with their own paranormal gifts, so the restrictions her visions put on her daily life are not that surprising for her mother and grandmother. They are considerably more challenging for Detective Ed Dyson and his partner to get their heads around.

When a young woman is found dead in an alley and the tramp who witnessed something that night is killed in a car accident, Cass is thinking about the possibility of a serial killer working in the district, even while most cops are more than happy to write off the death as connected to her witness in protection status. There is, however, something devastating simple that connects this latest death to a series of previous disappearances, including Ed Dyson's own wife.

The story is well told, and the characters well drawn. There's the Medium paranormal and the CSI investigation aspect with a bit of <insert romance tv of your choice) as well. Whilst the plot relies heavily on revelations from Cass, there are some solid, real police procedural aspects. There is, unfortunately, yet another madder than mad serial killer at the core that's increasingly underwhelming. I was also a bit bemused about a clue that stood up and shouted so loudly at one point my ears were bleeding, although it seemed to take an age for anybody in the investigating team to find the 2 and 2, let alone drag out the abacus.

Whilst HINDSIGHT is definitely not the book for me, you can see how it would appeal to readers who like paranormal storylines, especially with a touch of romance thrown in.