Book Review: Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; Original edition (March 23, 2010)

Amazon Description:

JUSTINE KNOWS SHE’S GOING TO DIE. ANY SECOND NOW.

Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity’s worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she’s always craved. End of problem.

Or is it? In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine’s first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard’s help, Justine has freed herself from her madness—only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone’s worst fears.
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Mind Games is a truly unique urban fantasy read. The main character, Justine, is a hypochondriac who is in a downward spiral until she meets Sterling Packard. Sterling has found people with extreme emotional problems and given them a way to release those problems into other humans. They are called disillusionists. Everyone has a weakness, and the scum they target are no exception. The disillusionists exploit certain vulnerabilities in their targets to disillusion them as a way to rehabilitate them. Justine is new to the crew and is in a bit of turmoil over whether what they do is really the right thing. She is also determined to figure out what her boss, Sterling, is hiding from them all.

Mind Games is like a breath of fresh air in the urban fantasy genre. It has actually been one of my favorite reads this year and I am excited to read the next book in the series, Double Cross, which comes out in late September.

5/5