The Colours of Death

Title: The Colours of Death
Author: Patricia Marques
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Year: June 2021
Pages: 372
Genre: Thriller/Fantasy
Reading Time: 19 June - 11 July
Binding: NetGalley arc

Stars:
★★★★☆

Blurb:

The Murder
In the Gare do Oriente, a body sits, slumped, in a stationary train. A high-profile man appears to have died by throwing himself repeatedly against the glass. But according to witnesses, he may not have done this of his own accord.
The City
Lisbon 2021. A small percentage of the population are diagnosed as Gifted. Along with the power comes stigma and suspicion.
The Detective
In a prejudiced city, Gifted Inspector Isabel Reis is hiding her own secrets while putting her life on the line to stop an ingenious killer.
A violent and mysterious crime. Suspected Gifted involvement. A city baying for blood. And a killer who has only just begun . . .

Review:

 I haven't delved in to a thriller in some time and this book has just served to remind me why I really, really enjoy the occasions I do pick one up. Not to mentioned this mystery is edged with fantasy elements, such a wonderful blend of my favourite genre in here. The fantastical element is a real stroke of genius worldbuilding, I'd liken it to the X-Men with fewer variations of types of mutants but all the same prejudices and attempts to even the playing field. It's always an interesting concept to explore what happens to those that develop in to more than just human and how those of us previously at the top of the food chain will react to that position being threatened. It creates a tensely loaded environment which is perfect for a thriller/mystery set in modern day Lisbon.

 Adding in our main character as a detective, what more could you ask for? Taking me back to my CSI watching days we follow Isabel as she delves in to a more complex job than she's ever had before with added complications of her own life. As a Gifted investigator she's paired with a new Regular partner, to keep her in check or cause her more trouble? All part of the fun and a relationship I very much enjoyed seeing develop. There isn't an awful lot to say about many of the characters, they all strike me as what you'd expect and I enjoy there's not an attempt to overcomplicate or move away from the real story by having too many twists and turns.

 It looks as though this is Marques' debut and even with an arc version I really enjoyed the writing, a good balance of description and story progression. As I usually note, if I don't notice it then it's working well. There weren't any actions that didn't end up with a point and other actions were that of making us understand a character's habits as we should in a detective story where we need to see the finer details.

 I really thought at one point I had the whodunnit nailed but nope! Relatively close but not the full picture, another win for Marques.

 Another point I noted, very little or no romance. I have predominantly read YA over the last few years and it practically always involves some romance. This was refreshingly free but gave us some interesting little spats and teasers with old and new relationships. Don't expect anything.

 I really, really enjoyed this book. My only complaint is a sharp ending that didn't allow me tie some loose ends I'd like to have seen. One very pointedly not revealed and some others just left in the past. I wanted that satisfaction though!