Mind Games

Mind Games is the debut novel by Carolyn Crane and the first book in her Disillusionist Trilogy. From the back cover.~

JUSTINE KNOWS SHE’S GOING TO DIE. ANY SECOND NOW.

Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity’s worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she’s always craved. End of problem.

Or is it? In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine’s first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard’s help, Justine has freed herself from her madness-only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone’s worst fears.

I loved Mind Games. I’ve been following Carolyn’s blog for a couple of years, so I’ve been waiting for her first book to be published for some time. I knew I loved her voice on her blog, and it is totally there in her book too. Justine Jones knows she will die at any moment. She never imagines her hypochondria could actually be used as a weapon, until she is introduced to Packard. Packard teaches her how to channel her fear into another person, who also suffers from hypochondria to make their own fears increase. Justine doesn’t feel right about using her fears to hurt someone else at first, but she feels better with each session she delivers.

Mind Games is a sexy urban fantasy story. Justine is torn between her attraction to both Packard and the dashing police chief, Otto Sanchez. She also must come to grips with working outside the law to take down criminals who have slipped through the cracks. I have to say this is my first Urban Fantasy story, but it won’t be my last. Double Cross, the second book in the Disillusionist trilogy is scheduled for release on September 28, 2010 and I’ve already added it to my TBB list.