Into the Abyss (Psychic Visions, #10)

Jericho is a psychic hunter, he has been after this particular serial killer for years to no avail. The Ghost was pretty much just that, devastation with no evidence.

Tavika, Tavi, is a detective, she went into this field because her family was killed by the serial killer known as the Ghost. When Jericho asks to see her, he isn’t exactly subtle. He lets her know in no uncertain terms that she going to be next and she is psychic and she’s more than a little attracted to him.

That in itself reins Tavika’s imagination in, as she denies the whole psychic part venomously. She won’t have her reputation sullied by even the hint she is anything like her family. She has buried that part of her and intends to keep it that way. That doesn’t mean she has no talent, she’s just not obvious about using it.

Jericho is more than a little persistent when it comes to Tavi, he’s seen a bit of both of them together just as he’s seen she could be the next victim. The Ghost must be stopped and she is the one who can do it. He pretty much decides to move in after getting a food delivery from her neighborhood he didn’t order.

Now Tavi isn’t pleased at all with this turn of events, and I really enjoyed the interaction between them, especially when her cat Solomon enters the scene.

This is a favorite scene.

Very gently she set her cup down on the table. She really wanted to throw it against the wall and scream and kick something. Preferably Jericho. “You’re telling me he was actually in your hotel, yet you didn’t see him? And you didn’t go after him?”

“No, he was at the reception desk of the hotel while I was in my room. I did not see him. And it would be very nice to go after him, but there’s a reason why he’s called the Ghost, remember?”

Of course she remembered. It was because he left no tracks and used multiple disguises. The end result was law enforcement had nothing to go on. Even if they confiscated the video cameras, if there were any, the Ghost would no longer look the way he had in the video.

“He’s been watching you.”

Her gaze flew back up to his in shock. Slowly she shook her head.

He nodded. When she shook her head again he jumped to his feet and paced the small room.

“Why is it you insist on being thickheaded and stubborn?”

“I’m thickheaded and stubborn?” she asked. “You storm into my life today with a bogus story and a crazy attitude. I have never seen you before. I don’t know you. I don’t trust you. And now you come back tonight telling me a serial killer who people have been hunting for close to twenty years is now watching me.” She snorted. “Why don’t you just crawl back into whatever hole you crawled out from and go find yourself a different hobby? Because you really suck at this one.”

He glared at her. Then smiled.

One that made her spine shiver. She studied him warily. “I don’t like the look of that smile.”

“Too bad. If you won’t listen to me, and my duty is to keep you safe, then I’m going to stay here tonight. I need a place anyway.” He walked over to the couch, bounced on it a couple of times, nodded and stretched out. “This will do just fine.”

She gasped in outrage. “Get out of my apartment.”

“No.” He laughed. “What will you do about it? Call the police?” He reached forward, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. “I could use a good game.”

She stood fuming at the end of the couch. He was right. What was she going to do? Call the cops? Hell no. Besides, he’d just tell them a story like he told her. It would be all over the precinct tomorrow. That was the last thing she needed.

“Okay fine, I believe you. I’ll take care. Make sure I’m not being followed.” She added the last in a sarcastic tone of voice. But he wasn’t even looking at her. “Hey, did you hear me?”

“I heard you.” He flicked through the channels. Just when she was ready to scream in frustration or pick up something to toss at him Solomon strolled off her bed and walked over between them. He sat down in front of Jericho and leveled back that golden gaze at him. Jericho immediately sat up. “Holy shit.”

Interesting reaction. She watched carefully as the two made eye contact. She’d never seen Solomon act this way. Then again she didn’t bring visitors home. She had the occasional relationship, a hot and heavy weekend that never made it past the tangled sheet stage. And that was definitely not the relationship she had in mind for Jericho. No, ruthlessly she shoved the energy back down. Dear God, he was potent.

“His name is Solomon,” she said grudgingly. Jericho’s mouth opened and then snapped shut. She wasn’t sure if he was shocked at the size of Solomon or if there was something else going on. She walked around the two of them to check out Jericho’s energy. He kept a tight rein on it, holding it close against his body, like so many other psychics she knew. Hers was no different. It was dangerous to be open and friendly. She kept hers locked down tighter than most.

Solomon’s energy was exactly the same. But there was a crackle in the air, as if Solomon and Jericho were actually having a conversation.

Curious and a little mystified she sat down at the end of the couch.

“Solomon?”

The cat broke the intense connection and turned his golden eyes on her. Then he walked closer and landed in her lap, put his head up on her chest and his engine kicked in. She could do nothing else but wrap her arms around him and hold on tight.

Jericho looked at her and then his gaze slipped to Solomon and back up to her.

“How long have you had him?”

“Why?” She refused to answer his question. “Now that you know Solomon lives here, would you please just leave?”

That look in his eyes softened. “I wish I could. I really do. But now that I know the Ghost has found where you live and has studied your habits, where you shop, where you eat…” He shook his head. “There’s no way I can do that.”

“You think you’re guarding me? Protecting me?”

His grin flashed, sending little electric shots into her nerve endings. “I know you’re tough, sweetheart, but I can still beat you after three rounds.”

Immediately her feistiness surged to the surface. “You’re on.”

He laughed. “You’re so easy to manipulate.”

“No I’m not.” Inside she was ashamed. He was right. He hadn’t had to do very much, and she was already jumping at him.

Her cell phone went off then. She stood up, still holding Solomon in her arms, and walked across to pick it up from the table.

Dispatch answered, “Detective Bantrell. A second body has been found at the same house you were at earlier today.”

The dispatcher rattled off the same address. She slowly hung up the phone, questions running through her mind in an endless loop. “What the hell?” she whispered.
Mayer, Dale. Into the Abyss: A Psychic Visions Novel. Valley Publishing Ltd. Kindle Locations (620-665). Kindle Edition.

As the clues trickle in Tavi finds herself questioning the things she knows, and the things she has buried. Jericho of course is pushing but he’s doing it because she has to figure out the why of her past to capture the killer.

We get glimpse of what the killer is thinking throughout, it entices me to guess at the who. Of course I’m wrong.

We get to ‘see’ quite a bit of Stefan in this one too, he tries to temper Jericho’s pushiness while also providing some insight.

Plenty of suspense and intrigue as we get to see Tavi’s talents emerge. The interactions between her and Jericho are both amusing and eventually rather sizzling.

I can’t wait to see who we meet next in this series.

4.5
I really loved this book. Into the Abyss is the 10th book in the Psychic Visions series. Psychic Visions is my favorite series by Mayer, but the last few books too seemed to be missing something for me. However, Into The Abyss was a definite home run for me. I really liked the slower build of Tavi and Jericho’s relationship. I also liked that, while Stephan made an appearance he played a much more peripheral role.

Tavi is a strong heroine, who has been hiding her ability since she was a child, when her family was murdered. This is a fast paced, suspenseful novel, that will keep you guessing. I think it can be read as a stand alone.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Into the Abyss.