The Color of Trauma

by Hollie Smurthwaite

Overview

A woman who can experience and remove other people's traumatic memories is coerced into helping a Chicago homicide detective catch a serial killer.

"An impressive slice of suspense fiction anchored by two fiery heroes with brio to spare." - Kirkus Reviews

". . . I was on the edge of my chair for the last thirty pages." - Windy City Reviews

Experiencing another's past could end her future . . .

Kiera is a memory surgeon. With her gift of removing and holding other's traumatic memories, she's helped dozens of women but hasn't helped herself. Now Dean, a Chicago homicide detective, is asking for even more: for her to look into the memories of a coma victim to help him catch a serial killer.

Clues and romance unfurl, but as Dean and Kiera get closer to each other, the killer gets closer to Kiera.

The Color of Trauma is a thought-provoking paranormal romantic suspense novel. If you like unconventional heroines, dark themes, and psychological dramas, then you'll love Hollie Smurthwaite's suspenseful story.

Content warning: Explicit sex scenes, references and depictions of physical and sexual violence (NOT between the protagonists), PTSD reactions, minor drug use, profanity and not just a little.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781737118930
Publisher:	Hollie Smurthwaite
Publication date:	08/30/2021
Series:	The Psychic Colors , #1
Pages:	358
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Hollie Smurthwaite is the author of The Color of Trauma, a romantic suspense novel and winner of the 2020 Soon to be Famous Illinois Author Project contest for adult fiction. She lives in Chicago with her husband, son, and too few pets. She is active in the writing community as a member of Off-Campus Writers' Workshop, Sisters in Crime, Chicago Writers Association, Alliance of Independent Authors, and a co-organizer for Just Write Chicago, a Meetup group. In past lives, she's been a checkout clerk, massage therapist, office manager, recruiter, magazine staff writer, and belly dancer.

Editorial Reviews

2021-09-20
An empathic memory reader teams up with a tenacious detective to try to stop a ruthless murderer in this debut novel.

Smurthwaite’s paranormal/suspense series opener imagines a memory tracker collaborating with the police. In a semifuturistic Chicago, Kiera Brayleigh is a 20-something “memory surgeon” who uses her psychic abilities to alleviate people’s psychological traumas. An anomaly in the medical world, she remarkably absorbs memories and traumas into her own body, then expels them, making her an invaluable commodity to grieving families and crime-busting cops. Hot on the heels of a local serial killer with a penchant for stalking and raping his female victims is veteran Chicago Police Department homicide detective Dean Matthson. Out of desperation and a dogged need to put an end to the bloodshed terrorizing the city, he appeals to Kiera for her supernatural assistance in reading the memories of a recent attack victim who’s now in a coma, regardless of how unethical they both feel about the methodology. Kiera relives the violence through the victim, who perishes soon after, and coupled with Dean, she begins to diligently piece together clues derived from that session. While Kiera and Dean’s relationship blossoms from a working one to something more romantic, the killer learns of her talents and zeroes in on using her for more malevolent purposes. Throughout the book, part of Kiera’s allure is her vulnerability, relatability, and lack of patience when encountering issues out of her control, particularly during her group therapy sessions. She becomes flustered, self-medicates for anxiety as needed, and has the truly compassionate heart necessary to put her special skills to work. These realistic qualities will endear her to readers who have experienced those same frustrations and need for closure in real-life circumstances. Smurthwaite builds a credible amount of tension as the story progresses while keeping the interactions between Kiera and Dean passionately smoldering. A kidnapping and a deadly ultimatum form the rather pat conclusion, but the author demonstrates great talent in this genre, and further installments will afford her more opportunities to hone that natural literary skill.

An impressive slice of suspense fiction anchored by two fiery heroes with brio to spare.

Kirkus Reviews