Whispers of the Dead by Spencer Kope
Fiction
Starring: FBI agent Jimmy Donovan, who has a knack for profiling, and Magnus “Steps” Craig, Donovan’s partner, who has the special ability of seeing an individual’s “shine” – a unique color and texture signature specific to each person. Both work for the FBI’s Special Tracking Unit and first appeared in Collecting the Dead.
What it’s about: Jimmy and Steps investigate after a styrofoam ice box containing a pair of severed feet is left at the house of a federal judge. The “ice box killer” leaves behind a trail of ice blue “shine” for Steps to follow when more severed feet show up.
Reviewers say: “Thriller devotees will devour this unpredictable mystery, wanting more from Steps and Jimmy” (Library Journal). “With its deadpan banter and gritty narrative, Kope's second case has a Dirty Harry vibe and finds a sweet noir groove” (Kirkus).