by Lily Oak

Created on: March 14, 2011

The book’s blurb;

“Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around - and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn’t need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.

Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards - and Tara’s increasingly ominous dreams - suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationship with the mysterious order known as Delphi’s Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen.”

‘Rogue Oracle’ is the second book in Alayna Williams’ ‘Delphic Oracle’ series. In short it is fast paced and imaginative. The main character Tara is easy to identify with and extremely easy for the reader to form an attachment to. The market for sci-fi / paranormal crime fiction is very well populated and it’s hard for readers to find something original, that they haven’t seen before, but this ticks all the boxes.

Alayna writes characters fantastically. All of them in Rogue Oracle, from the Tara and Harry, down to the minor supporting characters, are very believable, to the extent that they really bring the plot to life, and pull you into the book. Given this fact it would have been very easy for Alayna to rely on character interaction to carry this book. But, what she actually does is team them up with a unique and original plot line that will keep you guessing all the way through.

The only thing I can say to the detriment of this book is “I want more!” From the intriguing dark, dingy offices to the criminal investigation team, to the mysterious, feministic Delphi’s Daughters, this book is packed with people and places you crave to learn more about. Luckily Alayna has no plans to stop writing any time soon, and there will be more to fill our cravings in the future. In the mean time you can also check out the first book in the series ‘Dark Oracle.’

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