As a white Halloween hits Minnesota, the lone FBI Agent in St. Paul, Bernadette Saint Clare ponders the deaths of six female college students in the past few months. There were four watery deaths either in the Mississippi or in bath tubs at the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus while two perished in water at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. Though there is no evidence linking the six deaths or of foul play, she wonders if these so called troubled coeds were murdered by a clever serial killer.

The second FBI Agent Saint Clare thriller after "Blind Spot" is an engaging serial killer investigative tale starring an interesting lead character. The inquiry is fun to follow as the star struggles with simply connecting the dots beyond age, gender, and water to make a case that a serial killer is loose. Entertaining as the storyline is, the paranormal subplot comes from out of jarringly nowhere with no explanation why or how she has a "wireless" ghostly contact to assist her. Still fans of FBI serial killer investigations will enjoy Terri Persons' solid police procedural.
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This is the second mystery involving FBI agent Bernadette St. Clare who has some special abilities - she can see through the eyes of a killer for brief moments when she holds something he/she has handled. Also, she sometimes sees people who have died, and is helped in this case by a dead FBI agent who inhabits her office. Sounds weird, but it works, and adds interest to the mystery. Several co-eds from two different universities have apparently committed suicide by jumping off bridges into rivers, but Bernadette has a feeling they were helped along. A good read. ( )

There is a new victim every month. One by one, emotionally disturbed women are committing water-related suicide. At first hand, there isn't anything that connects them, other than the fact that they died by drowning. However, FBI Agent Saint Bernadette Saint Clare believes that this is no coincidence. There must be a serial killer on the loose. Two main suspects are Dr. Luke VonHader, a psychologist of the latest victim, and Finlay Wakefielder, a professor of two of the victims. Using her supernatural prowess and some help from a deceased FBI partner, Agent Saint Clare uncovers clues that may bring justice to the victims.

Brace yourself for a thrill of a read. This novel was mazelike with a pace so fast it'll leave you dizzy. There is some graphic stuff; the killer was very brutal and unrelenting – it's definitely not for the weak-hearted. I enjoyed this book as well as the protagonist. Bernadette's powers make her intrinsically unusual, but she was a strong heroine; it was really interesting to read about her. I thought her chemistry with her boss was rather dull, but her interactions with Agent Creed (her deceased FBI partner) made up for it. I love the whole plot – how they conducted the investigation even though it was mostly based on Bernadette's hunch, how the suspects reacted to the interrogations, and how they finally discovered the true culprit.

(Note: This was also reviewed for Book Divas - CollectiveX) ( )

FBI agent Bernadette Saint Clare has returned in the new thrilling novel Blind Rage by Terri Persons.

Six college women show up dead in the Twin Cities area having drowned in the Mississippi River. No one saw them jump from the Washington Avenue Bridge, a famous landmark in the University of Minnesota area. Authorities assumed they were all suicides, but rumors of a serial killer loomed over the campus.

At first the deaths appeared to be self inflicted, but authorities soon discovered that all the women had troubled pasts. No suicide notes were found, except a telltale scarf left at the base of a lamp post on the bridge. Was this left by the killer, and how would this help solve the crime?

The Minneapolis authorities are soon baffled and seek the aid of FBI agent Bernadette Saint Clare. Time is running out as yet another victim is found. If she is to help the authorities, she will need to use her unusual powers. Bernadette calls on all her resources, including a cast of colorful characters, a partner who is no longer among the living, and her handsome available boss. She has a hunch the girls did not die by their own hands.

Saint Clare resorts to using her second sight and discovers dark secrets in a psychologist’s past when he prescribed medicine to some of the victims. Could he have played a part in the death of the most recent victim?

Also, at the center of the investigation is a charismatic professor who teaches macabre literature courses, such as “The Poetry of Suicide”. Some of the victims were his students.

Bernadette does not trust either man and aggressively haunts and interrogates them for the truth! This ‘tough-as-nails’ heroine is immersed in complex and disturbing circumstances. Breaking into a mansion on Summit Hill, a ritzy part of town, and spying on a suspect, is one of her forays. Then, she recklessly she enters a houseboat on the Mississippi River and gets herself in deep water.

This psychosomatic thriller will keep you guessing at every twist and turn. A must read for thriller book fans and persons from the Twin Cities area. ( )