Review: What If Our Minds Became Weapons?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2014
I thought I had a good idea of what I was getting when I began reading this book –  and brought with me a certain suspension of belief – however I was wrong. The main character, Kyle, a psychologist who got it tragically wrong with a client and is thus under investigation, who has been divorced by his wealthy wife and now lives in a three story walk-up - isn’t nearly as self-pitying or damaged as one would expect.Kyle is flawed, yes, but he has a positive, non-mercenary attitude to life, so when a chance to flirt with a pretty student goes terribly wrong and she ends up in a coma, he doesn’t just thank his luck for having dodged a bullet – but is genuinely ashamed at having encouraged her. His guilt draws him into finding out how she was injured, despite that his involvement could be discovered.Kyle’s relationship with his daughter Bree is lovely, so as a reader I didn’t want him to be caught out or blamed when the coma victim’s Uncle Liam decides there is a dangerous killer targeting young people with a weapon that is impossible to detect, or prove, and he needs Kyle to help him.For a debut novel this is excellently structured, with engaging characterisation and a plot where the sense of menace and various twists and turns as the story moves into the supernatural are expertly portrayed. The clues are there but never do they slap you in the face. Despite the off-the-wall premise, I found myself believing in how the antagonist was killing his victims without too much of the ‘as if that could happen’ element this might have given.I was even left at the end wondering if, at some stage of our evolution, the human mind may just evolve to this level, engendered by the theories Kyle and Liam throw out – for instance that people know on some higher level when they are being stared at – Creepy!I can honestly say I’m looking forward to Stephen Paul’s next novel.I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review