Review- Christine Feehan's MURDER GAME

MURDER GAME by Christine Feehan, Ghostwalker Series Book Seven Games should be fun, but for two expert teams across the country, they’re murder – because the winning team is the one that gets the most kills. The participants in this violent challenge are rumored to be GhostWalkers. And Kadan Montague isn’t happy about it. Kadan is a GhostWalker and he’s determined to clear the GhostWalker name of the rumors. To do it, he’s going to need the help of psychic Tansy Meadows. But as soon as he sees her, he knows his mission will be more complicated than he imagined – and the “murder game” may not be at all what it seems. Military trained, Special Forces expert, Kadan Montague is just one of a very special elite group of men and women known as the GhostWalkers. Serving his country with honor, he volunteered for a special paranormal government program that enhanced his natural psychic abilities, only to discover that he and his fellow team members were genetically enhanced without their knowledge as well. When disavowed by their government, squad members began dyeing, escape and protecting his own became the primary mission. Now he has a new mission… find the perpetrators responsible for a deadly game of murder and terminate them. Could his friends be responsible and can he carry out his mission if they are? Determined to prove their innocence, he seeks the help of Tansy Meadows, an elite tracker of killers. Tansy has always had a gift… by touching an object she is able to visualize its history. Not just a vision but feel, touch and experience the event, or in these cases the death of every one of the victims. Since the age of thirteen Tansy has been helping the police and FBI track these killers until she is no longer able to separate the past and the present. Nearly driven mad by the voices and scenes of the dead, Tansy wants no part of her former job tracking killers. Now she spends her time isolated in the mountains, photographing the creatures of the wild, at peace for the first time in her life, until Kadan Montague shows up and shatters her solitude. MURDER GAME is the seventh book in Christine Feehans GhostWalker series. In book one of the series, SHADOW GAME, we learn of the existence of the GhostWalkers. Honorable volunteers, wanting nothing more than to serve their country, becoming nothing more than lab rats to be experimented on. With the help of their creators daughter Lilly Whitney, the GhostWalkers along with their commanding officer Ryland Miller escape. Book one is their story and sets the stage for the subsequent novels in this series. With each story we learn a little bit more about the history, talents, abilities and passion of the GhostWalkers and the exceptional women they come to love. We also experience the life and death struggles to survive against unseen enemies as well as getting to know these enemies. MURDER GAME is Kaden’s story. We first met him in book one and he makes numerous appearances as a secondary character in many of the subsequent books. He is cool, calm and unflappable with talents even his fellow GhostWalkers don’t know about. Now he must use all of his skills to protect the one woman capable of finding the real killers and keeper of his heart. I read this book with a preconceived idea of what to expect in the story after reading a friends review and I think in its own way that prepared me more for the differences in this story from the others in this series. One difference is the bad guy. With the exception of book one, Peter Whitney the scientist, genius creator of the GhostWalkers, is the antagonist in the series. In MURDER GAME, a new advisory is introduced but no less deadly in his pursuit of what he wants. What “the puppet master” as he comes to be known wants…. is money, murder and Tansy and it becomes a life and death struggle for all involved to see that Tansy survives. Another difference is the action. In prior books the action is intense with brutal battles and nerve shattering fight scenes in which many of the GhostWalkers participate, enhancing the story line. In MURDER GAME, the action is more mental. Controlling energy is Kadan’s specialty. When Tansy’s mind it assailed over and over by the fresh images of the latest murder victims, it takes everything Kadan has to prevent her mind from shattering. But when the puppet master enters her mind and her dreams its time to call in more help. I love how Christine Feehan brings various GhostWalkers together in each story to fight against the enemy and I was not disappointed to see many of my favorites from other books back as secondary characters. I met again, the Norton twins, Jack and Ken whose stories are told in CONSPIRACY GAME and DEADLY GAME, two of my favorites. Both strong, determined men, who let nothing get in there way when it comes to protecting each other and the women they love. Another favorite was Raoul “Gator” Fontenot from NIGHT GAME. OOOHHH his Cajun drawl and sensuality never fails to leave me with chills as he charms your socks off. His grumbling in one scene in MURDER GAME leaves me grinning. Also showing up is Nicolas Trevane from MIND GAME. Will his sharp shooting skills be enough or will he fail in his duties to protect the other members of his team? Jeff Hollister whom we haven’t seen since book one is reintroduced now that he has finally healed from his near fatal injury. His story has yet to be written along with Ian McGillicuddy and Tucker Addison, both tall heavily muscled men whose muscles ripple every time they move. I agree with Aurian’s review in that I too was disappointed that we did not get to meet the women of these marvelous men in this latest book as we have in prior novels. I have come to look forward to their unique way of handling their men. I found myself liking this story when I had not planned to. I was prepared for a lesser story after reading Aurian’s review and that helped by preparing me for the differences this story had from the other ones. I think because I was prepared I accepted the style change upfront and that allowed me to enjoy the story more as a standalone that as part of the series. The book read very smoothly and flowed well to the end. The storyline was a bit slow to start for the first few chapters but once it picked up it took off and I did not want to put the book down. I cannot honestly say if my overall feelings for this book would have been the same had I not read Aurian’s review and discussed my expectations in the forum but being prepared for this book, I can honestly say enhanced my enjoyment of it and I was not disappointed. 4 Stars