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Rating: 
Summary: A vast improvement
Review: When the local psychic, Winona Cobbs, comes to Deputy Sloan Ravencrest claiming she had a vision revealing the whereabouts of the mayor's daughter, Sloan has reason to believe that he is being misled. Instead, his instincts and his deduction direct him towards Winona's niece, Crystal, whose own talent is perhaps much more genuine. Crystal has had a vision of the mayor's daughter but she is reluctant to step in and offer her assistance because of a shattering previous experience which left her betrayed and humiliated by the people who supposedly loved her. She believes that this prior example is all the more reason why she should hold Sloan's personal concern, as well as the case, at bay.Marilyn Pappano has written an installment which I believe restores a bit of the faith in this series. Her writing is smooth and engaging and her characterizations are strong. The plot concerning Christina Montgomery's disappearance develops and gives Sloan and Crystal's story an edgy feel to it. But the author doesn't let the Montgomery subplot deter her from credibly developing a relationship between Sloan and Crystal. Sloan is a law enforcer with a good heart and his love for Crystal prompts his desire to protect her even if it means making a couple of foolish promises. If there is a weakness in this story, it comes from Crystal's self-centered, and sometimes narrow-minded, way of considering her self-preservation first, last, and always. Because this manner of thinking is predominant throughout most of the story, the heroine comes across as being overly and inappropriately judgmental. But overall, this is a solid installment that doesn't falter and has many redeeming qualities to it.
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