Review: Fantastic Second Installment in Psychological Thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 24, 2013
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I did not receive any additional compensation for my opinion of the reading material provided and rated it 5 out of 5 Stars.A twisted serial killer and a sociopath turned US Marshall, along with her team of misfits, all take center stage in Elysium Dreams, the second book in the Dreams & Reality series by author Hadena James.  Continuing the world building she began in Tortured Dreams, Ms. James gives us further insight into Aislinn and the US Marshalls Serial Crimes Unit as they continue to bond and capture the worst offenders known to man - serial killers.  Giving us insight into both Aislinn's and the killer's point of view, Ms. James ramped up the psychological and physical action in this installment in her series.Barely home two days from the last case assigned to the Serial Crimes Unit, Aislinn Cain and the rest of her team, find themselves headed to Alaska to capture a serial killer skinning his victims.  Not a fan of the cold, she's already suffered from hypothermia once, and a little tired and cranky, Aislinn is annoyed to discover the only reason they've even been summoned to help with the investigation is due to a nosy reporter more interested in catching "a big break" than in helping to the catch a killer.  While she may be a sociopath, Aislinn values all living things and has little to no tolerance for "monsters".As Aislinn and her team begin their investigation, it soon becomes apparent their serial killer has a working knowledge of police investigative techniques and forensics.  As the team works together to solve the case, we get to know Aislinn's sidekicks even better.  While Dr. Lukas McMichael is still a big part of the team, and still keeps a very keen eye on Aislinn and what she's going through, this book focuses more on Dr. Xavier Reece, his peculiarities and his growing relationship with Aislinn.  While they are not romantically linked in any way, they do tease each other a lot and we discover that Dr. Reece is in love with Aislinn's cousin and best friend, Nyleena Clachan, who we do see some of in this book.Ms. James also lets us see former FBI Liaison Gabriel Hendricks in his new role as the supervisor of the Serial Crimes Unit.  I'm really beginning to like him as a character on his own and the interactions between him and Aislinn provided some of the comic relief this story needed.  Though to be frank, Aislinn does that for me on her own, she really makes me laugh and if she was real, I'd definitely want to be a part of her posse.Will Aislinn and the team catch the serial killer before his body count hits triple digits?  Will Aislinn manage to come out of this case alive and unharmed?  You'll have to read Elysium Dreams to find out.  I loved it, have already re-read it several times, and I'm already jonesing for Mercurial Dreams, the next book in the series.  As an added tease, Ms. James does provide the first couple of pages of Mercurial Dreams at the end of Elysium Dreams.  If you haven't started reading this series yet - I really don't know what you're waiting for.