I was quite surprised at how much I liked this book. It is quite dark and it isn't full of various supernatural beings trying to have sex with each other (what you usually find in this genre). It actually felt more like a mystery than an urban fantasy, or ghost story. Actually, it wasn't a ghost story at all, and barely an urban fantasy... there are no special abilities here, other than those of the main character, and the only other 'oddity' in the setting was the technical capability that caused the 'mystery' in the first place (so, in many ways, it is closer to sci-fi supernatural than fantasy supernatural).

The characters are extremely well-drawn (well, the main ones anyway), and we like the good guys and we even understand the bad guys, to a point. I almost hate to say it but I was surprised to find out it was a female author (though that explains the very fully fleshed main character). Yes, that is sad, but the bulk of the women writers I read in this genre are always going on about who is wearing what, how hot a particular man is, and discussing the color and movement of characters' eyes. None of that here - just a dark story with a sad premise and a satisfying conclusion. ( )

This series reminds me of the Harper Connelly series in where there is no supernatural in it except for the main protaganist. Jack's psychic powers come into play during a family tradegy that leaves him an orphan of the state. Jack runs away from the state boys home and finds a carnival where he lives and as an adult opens a psychic shop. He is visited by the brother of the one friend he made at the boys home and finds himself recruited unwillingly to their project. It seems his old friend was working on astral projection for the military and died during an experiment. Now his spirit is trying to get back and is causing a lot of vilolent death. Jack has to shut this down even if he doesn't want to since the project is blackmailing him with getting his younger sister out of jail. I liked the book and it does have a small happy ending even if some things Jack learns about himself are not pleasant.
( )

Jackson Lee has a gift that he and the few people who get to know him, considers more of a curse. With the touch of an object, or worse, skin on skin, he knows everything the other person has ever done or thought. The psychometry makes itself known at the age of fourteen on the day he comes across his young sister’s shoe in a field. When he picks the shoe up, he sees that she drowned in a well. On that day his stepfather kills his mother and he has to kill his stepfather. He’s then placed in a home for troubled teens and everything he faced explains the trust issues, angst, lack of friends, and overwhelming sarcasm that he lives by.

As an adult he markets himself as a psychic telling people how to find lost objects and such and makes a decent living doing it; until he’s blackmailed by the government into helping them with a project.

Jackson Lee is a difficult character to like, and he sounds a lot like Cal Leandros from the author’s successful series. It takes a long time, but we finally get to see a more humane side of him; one that even surprises him. It also takes some time for the other main character, Hector, to grow on you. But he comes around much quicker.

The story itself, especially what they need his help on, is unique to anything else I’ve ever read. That aspect was interesting. You know there is a saboteur on the project, but I hadn’t been able to guess who that was.

Only 3 stars because I could have easily walked away from this book. But it finally started to grab me with only about 25% left in the story. But I can honestly say I liked that last part so much I'd read a sequel if one is published. ( )

After Nightlife, Rob Thurman quickly became one of my favorite authors. She writes mostly in urban fantasy, though her Korsak series is science fiction. All Seeing Eye is squarely in the mystery genre, although it does have a "supernatural" element. Jackson Lee has a talent - psychometry, the ability to read the past from touching things (people, objects). Initially, the book reminded me of Charlaine Harris' Grave series. However, Thurman has written a much better mystery to go along with her protagonist's extra-sensory perception.

Jackson makes his living as a psychic. He is satisfied with his life, until Hector, the brother of a kind, young man het met in a state home shows up at his door. Hector needs his help, and is not above blackmailing Jackson to get it. While trying to scientifically engineer astral projection, Hector's brother Charlie died and was left lost in the ether. Only, he keeps trying to get back by homing in on places of violence and forcing the reenactment of those events. Hector wants to release his spirit. Jackson wants to go home. Until he learns it wasn't an accident, and Charlie was murdered. And the murderer certainly doesn't want Jackson discovering the truth.

This book was a real page-turner. I read through most of the book before figuring out the villain, and Thurman still managed to throw in a surprise at the end. The book was fast-paced and the setting well defined. In the beginning, Jackson is something of a Cal Leandros clone. He's sarcastic, doesn't like people except for his "sister," and hates what he is. I love that in Cal, but was hesitant about this becoming a retread. Thankfully, by the end Jackson has changed, and accepts new-found friendships and has hope for the future. His ability has a lot of potential for further stories, and the writing is strong enough to sustain it. Overall, highly recommended and I cannot wait for more! ( )

Jackson Lee Eye is a man with a thing about touching --- he doesn’t do it. When he does, he can see everything that happens in that person’s life; the good, the bad, and the mundane. It started when he was 14. He found the shoe of his younger sister Tess lying on the ground, and picking it up, saw her dead in a well. That vision, and the aftermath, haunts him every day of his life. After finding the shoe, he saw his mother murdered and he himself pulled the trigger on his step-father. After years in a state home, he escapes and makes a living using the only skill he has, the ability to read people. When a scientist comes knocking on his door asking him to become part of a study, he goes on high alert. As it turns out, he’s being blackmailed by the government. Forced to help the military bring an end to an experiment gone wrong, he finds himself re-living the events of others and he knows this little experiment will leave him with nightmares for the rest of his life.

This was the book I was in the mood for. I wanted a little creepy, a little dark, and I got it. And the characters --- well, at least one --- were likable. Jackson Lee Eye and his dog Houdini were very likable characters and the others provided the creep factor I was looking for.

I expected a twist and got it, and it happened in the way I wanted it to which made this a very satisfying read. In fact, I devoured the book. I don’t have an explanation for this but I always, no matter what, enjoy stories where one or more of the characters are a psychic. I have no reason why but I just love it. And I loved how Jackson reacted to each person and what he/she was hiding. In some cases, the sociopathic natures were more interesting than the characters themselves because I kept waiting for these people to reveal themselves.

Being a person that reads the last few pages of a book early on, I was slightly surprised to see a little twist at the end that I didn’t catch. Yep, I may not like surprises all that much (really, I read the last page before I hit page 10, what would you expect me to say here) but I liked the one I came across here. I guess you can say it’s still nice to be surprised by characters.

I’m being evasive and that’s intentional. I try my best not to give away spoilers and this story unfolds in a way that I don’t want to give away because that’s the fun of it. If you’re looking for a good October book, one to curl up with on a windy fall evening, well, here’s one. It’s a fast moving thriller that will make for a good evening read. ( )