Review: Sensuality, Suspense Demand Surrender
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 4, 2011
Since childhood, Dante Sabanne wields power and responsibility others cannot understand.  When he inherits the Eye of the Magos amulet from his father, he accepts the burden of saving good from evil.  When the amulet is torn from him before he even reaches manhood, the task becomes desperate--the amulet has fallen into darkness, and the world may not find its way back from the malignant forces that threaten it.  And him.  He travels the world searching for the amulet, learning the secrets of poisons, of rituals and of sexual practices along the way.  His quest brings him to Santa Fe, the last place he believes the amulet might be.Justine "Jace" Carroll's promotion to Violent Crimes marks her first victory of rebuilding the life snatched away from her by an alcoholic mother and the baby brother dependent on her for his very existence.  When she steps up to the lifeless body of Sunshine Sam, a street person dead in a Santa Fe plaza, she celebrates the opportunity to confront evil and defeat it--or at least understand it.  Evil, after all, robbed her of her beloved father when she was only twelve.If Sam doesn't seem to be a major casualty of evil, the young women raped at a place called The Club who can remember little of their experiences add to the darkness and urgency of Jace's first case.  The Club is almost only rumor, a place, supposedly, where the rich hang out, maybe a drug club, maybe a sex club--Jace must gain admittance to a society she's not totally sure exists.  The rape victims give way to murder victims, and suddenly--the danger becomes ever more apparent.Jean Brashear's book has the richly drawn, memorable characters that are a trademark.  Dante and Jayce are unique and unforgettable as they deal with an attraction that is other worldly.  Villainous Markos Petrakis epitomizes evil masquerading as civility and success. The Club provides a representation of how closely related good is to evil.  The atmosphere allows masked guests to experiment with their darkest, most sexual fantasies, egged on by the aphrodisiac of drug-laced smoke and throbbing, elemental music that fades and surges in sensual tides.This is a sit down and finish book, suspense building page to page and revelation to revelation.By way of a disclaimer, I won this book by voting online for a cover design, but that doesn't in any way change my assessment--this is a uniquely wonderful book.  You will surrender.