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The rather unnerving prologue of this work depicts the last minutes of a drowning man. There is no explanation as to how he arrived in a pool in someone's back yard, but the victim is in pain and when he sees a masked woman approach, he is certain she will rescue him from what seems his almost inevitable fate – but then the 'almost' is removed. Chapter one introduces the protagonist, Gabriel Blackstone, as he cycles through London. He is currently attempting the theft of secrets (stealing information is his livelihood) from one toy company for the benefit of another. He is delighted to learn that the target company uses wireless technology (apparently easy to invade) and to pass the information along to friend and partner Isidore, the hacker extraordinaire, to fulfill their contract. His qualifications established for the reader, Gabriel is approached by William Whittington, owner of a vast fortune, with a request for the data thief to locate his son. The millionaire has inside information about one of Gabriel's unadvertised abilities: he possesses PSI abilities and was once a "remote viewer", part of a non-governmental project, Eyestorm, which could help with tracking down kidnap victims as well as stolen goods. Whittington has, in addition, a bargaining chip which Blackstone eventually finds irresistible: his wife Frankie used to be Gabriel's lover and she persuades the telepath to accede to Whittington's request. Blackstone's commission leads him to Monk House and the Monk sisters, beautiful women who were apparently Robert Whittington's constant companions prior to his disappearance. Gabriel's aim is exceeded when he falls in love with one of the sisters but which, Minnaloushe or Morrighan, he is not sure since the voice of his beloved comes to him through the medium of a dishonestly acquired on-line diary. Gabriel's adventures – especially when he breaks into Monk House – are likely to inspire many "Don't do it!" warnings from readers. He doesn't seem to employ his extra-sensory talents to achieve any advantage but while this doesn't really detract from the tale, I couldn't help but wonder if Gabriel could have used them to determine which sister murdered Robert. The narrative runs in tandem with extracts from the diary which invariably contain the thought "I must meditate upon my name." I don't remember seeing any indication as to why the mysterious sister should have to do so. Perhaps the solution to that mystery was too subtle for me to notice. While the story contains overtones of horror, I have to confess it fell short of work by, say, an author of the calibre of Lovecraft. Nonetheless, it was a good effort and indicative of an auspicious future.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, May 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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