Shadow Touch

Shadow Touch (2006) Marjorie Liu

Artur Loginov is an ex-Russian mobster with the gift (or curse) of psychometry–he gets impressions and information from touching objects. He works for Dirk & Steele, which fronts as a private investigation agency, but is far more than that.

Elena Baxter works as a volunteer in hospitals, which gives her access to patients–especially children–with incurable illnesses. Illnesses that she can attempt to cure with powers she doesn’t truly understand, and powers she believes no one else in the world has.

The second Dirk & Steel book I liked better, much of which is because I think Artur and Elena are far more interesting characters, with complicated pasts and powers that someone bent on Bad Things would easily attempt to gain.

I also really like the supporting characters, who are as complicated and interesting as the main characters.

Another thing I liked was the fact that Elena isn’t a fighter, but also isn’t a quaking violet who waits to be rescued. That’s a fine line to walk, and I appreciate when its done well.

Running was not always the coward’s route; it was a matter of survival. The fewer violent encounters one invited, the longer the life.

Elena wished she were more of a fighter. Those action movies always made it look easy. A good kick, a hard punch, a little guts and glory.

Reality meant a lot of running, a good dose of exhaustion accompanied by danger and pure gut-wrenching fear.

I also liked the way that threads were left open, but not in a cliff-hanger kind of way. Because sometimes like happens like that.

I did find it interesting that the bits about the agency made far more sense reading the books in order. It didn’t cause issues the first time I read these books (completely out of order) but I also never had the same feel for the over-arching story that I do reading the books in order.
Rating: 7/10

Publisher: HarperCollins

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