Vietnam veteran Kurt Powell’s addiction almost cost him everything, but a job as federal agent with the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs helped him find sobriety and purpose. Now he tracks down dangerous paranormal creatures as well as humans who abuse their magical powers in illegal ways.Sent from Belfast to the United States as a boy, Desmond Hughes later fell into a disastrous relationship that … relationship that led to horrific murders. He’s spent seventeen years in a bleak prison with few comforts and no hope of release.
A new mission throws Kurt and Des together in a desperate attempt to prevent disaster. Sometimes what’s long been lost can still be found, but the road to redemption is never easy—and a mutual attraction may not ease the way.
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Another good story by Ms Fielding. While the case didn’t amaze of fascinate me as the previous ones in the series, I really enjoyed well-written deep characters that were Kurt and Desmond. There were many a time when author said something profound while making a point about either man in regards to forgiveness, redemption and hard choices. This is the best part of this author’s books – thought provoking narrative.
Told from dual POVs this is a low steam mild angst story of two men beaten by life who are strong enough to start again. I liked that Kurt looked beneath the surface where Des was concerned since Des needed someone to stand up for him and help him understand his past mistakes in order to be able to move on. Desmond caused a lot of feelings from me: uncertainty, dislike and concern, but later on I liked that he was true to his word and took a chance when one was given.
P.S. Chief Townsend is truly an enigma. I wonder what his story is!
Love the Bureau series. Always something new and original. Great Characters.
I love this series, with each new story giving a glimpse of a different time period, and cameos from characters from earlier stories. The set up of an organisation tasked to investigate the paranormal is fabulous. I like how the stories aren’t black and white, with the Bureau being always the good guys, and the paranormal being bad. The Bureau agents are a mix of human and other, and they have given many a second chance in life.
Des and Kurt both have their own demons. One of the first things that struck me reading this book is how much they have in common because of their pasts. Kurt found a way out of his downward spiral through the Bureau, while Des ended up where Kurt might have. I thought Des was an innocent in a lot of ways, and naïve, and given his background, I could understand why he followed Larry, and believed his lies. I liked the idea of redemption being a journey, rather than one incident, with Kurt further along that road than Des. I also liked the way they slowly connected with each other, and Des managed to get through Kurt’s defences.
The secondary characters felt very three dimensional too. I particularly liked Kurt’s ex wife, and Townsend, the Bureau chief. While this is a supernatural road trip story, it also comments on human society in the 1990s. I liked how Des, who has been locked away from the outside world for seventeen years, has no clue about racism and AIDs.
I love the Bureau gadgets. Many of them are a lot of fun, as are their methods for exorcising ghosts. The boxes are totally nasty, and far too powerful to be in the hands of one person. I liked the way the author used magic in the story, and especially the twist with the boxes, and how she tied Des into that.
I’d recommend this story to readers who enjoy a mix of paranormal and science, with fabulous world building, interesting gadgets, and flawed characters who are on a journey to redemption. I’m very happy that this isn’t the final story in this series.