About Perfect Knowledge
by Alex Standish
270 pages / 60000 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-251-4
Ebook zipped file contains -
html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub
Taking a road trip across country is something that Evan Pierce has
always wanted to do. What he doesn’t expect is to get involved in a gang
shooting in Denver, or ending up in the hospital for the next three months.
When he wakes up from his coma everything is different. His dreams are
someone else's reality, visions of past events. When Evan teams up with
private detective Chase Hansen, who's in charge of finding a missing girl,
sparks fly between them. What started out as a road trip might have turned
Evan's life into a mess, but it may also give him a sense of purpose, a new
home, good friends, and a lover.
Review
Jane Davitt, author of Hourglass, writes: Imagine recovering from being
the victim of a shooting to discover that you're suddenly getting psychic
visions of people in trouble or danger. In 'Perfect Knowledge' by Alex
Standish, that's the situation in
which artist Evan Pierce finds himself. The book dives straight into the
plot as Evan hooks up with a detective agency to help him resolve his
debilitating visions by locating a kidnapped girl.
I really enjoyed the host of lively, interesting characters that people this
book. The detectives, Toby, Kayleah, and their boss, Chase, all have
engaging personalities and the welcome that they extend to Evan underlines
the sense of family running through the story.
The attraction between Chase and Evan is quick to develop but even quicker
to deepen into something meaningful. They're an impulsive, intensely
romantic pair and I loved the concern that they both show when the other is
at risk. The heat between them is immediate and as sweet as it is hot.
The book takes us through three cases, showing the team working them and
each was intriguing and suspenseful, introducing us to more secondary
characters who stand out as memorable in their own right.
This book was a wonderful blend of suspense, action, and romance.
Sample
Chase took a deep, sharp breath when Kay parked the
Jeep, just as a shower of glass and debris fell from the front of the
burning building. It was a vision of hell; the two upper floors were
completely wrapped in flames and the whole structure seemed about to crumple
like a house of cards.
"My god..." Chase whispered from the passenger seat, watching the chaos of
firemen, curious bystanders, and reporters crowding the area.
Chase exited the Wrangler slowly, allowing Kay to support him as they made
their way into the confusion. He identified the fireman in command and,
regaining his much needed strength, he stalked towards him, Kay hot on his
heels.
"I'm Chase Hansen, private investigator. Two of my men are inside."
The firefighter nodded. "Stan Marshall. Mr. Forrest and Mr. Pierce, we know.
I just talked to one of my men. They're still trapped in the elevator, but
they're okay. Apparently, the power went out just as the elevator was
reaching the third floor. They managed to open the security doors, but there
isn't enough room for them to pass through."
"So what are you doing to get them out?" Chase growled. He knew it wasn't
the man's fault, but his lover and his best friend were inside that burning
hell and he wanted something done. Before he took matters into his own
hands, even if that meant going into that hell by himself.
"Everything we can, sir," Marshall replied, understanding clear in his
voice. "I won't lie to you. The conditions inside that building are
unbearable. It's an old structure, it doesn't respect the legislation
regarding fire hazard, and nearly every material in there is flammable....
And besides being out of control, the fire has been eating away at the
warehouse for over twenty minutes now. I've had to get my men out of the top
floors already. But I won't give up on your friends."
Chase nodded, a feeling of helplessness washing over him. He looked up at
the burning building. He couldn't lose Evan now, not when they had just
found each other, when they had so much to look forward to.
And Toby, his best friend, the one person who had stood beside him through
thick and thin during their PD days, who probably knew him better than he
knew himself. He couldn't lose them, he just couldn't.
"God, Chase," Kay said, voice quivering. "They've got to make it. I can't
live without those two idiots anymore."
Just then, a fireman ran up to them. "Sir, I think we found a way to reach
the two men," he panted. "Simpson found the stairs leading to an old
machine-house in the basement. There's a way to lower the elevator a few
feet manually. If two or three of our guys joined Dylan on the third floor
and then as the elevator went down pulled them out..."
Marshall nodded. "Could work. Is Simpson still in the basement?"
"Yes, sir. He's just waiting for the order to go ahead."
"Okay, do it. I want you, Thad, and Edgar, with Dylan."
"Yes, sir."
Chase watched the firefighter go with his heart in his hands. He knew it
would be Evan and Toby's last chance at rescue. More and more debris were
raining down on the street below, large chunks of brick collapsing from the
façade and shattering on the pavement.
"God damn it," Marshall snapped, turning to another one of his men. "Henry,
sound the alarm to clear the warehouse! I want everyone out of the there,
except for the team handling the civilian rescue. That whole building's
about to collapse."
Chase closed his eyes at those words, feeling Kay's hand wrap painfully
around his arm. He wondered if he tried to pray for Evan and Toby, if God
would bother to listen. It had never seemed to work before.