Divine Intervention

When Cheryl Kaye Tardif writes a book you know it will grip you right from the beginning and take you on an intense and fascinating ride. This book is no exception, but readers should keep in mind this book was written in 2004 as a futuristic techno-psi-thriller and has now almost caught up with itself. I loved this book, even though it may be a little dated futuristically. In fact, that was part of its allure for me, it takes place in British Columbia and references some of the past I know. I feel connected to this story. It's curious to see what might have been, technically speaking, in 2012 and where we actually are (to the best of our limited knowledge) in 2011. As the average reader knows, when it comes to technology and psychic resources for certain areas of our lives, we are definitely left out of the loop be it governmental, military, or even local policing.

Regardless, this is fun, intense, serious, futuristic fiction done up with great characterizations, full of futuristic tools. I say tools because these are the good guys, no bombs here. They are police, firemen, and secret law enforcement agents under the recently formed CFBI, a Canadian counterpart to the FBI. In "Divine Intervention" this group has just taken charge of two cases from different parts of British Columbia after evidence in both cases points to a serial arsonist murderer. What is different in this group is the covert Psi factor.

The group we follow is part of the PSI division, Psychic Skills Investigators, secreted in an underground complex under the direction of Matthew Divine. Very specialized in different areas, this close-knit group is comprised of Agent Jasmine McLellan, leader, profiler Ben Roberts, and Natassia Prushenko. Jasmine, Jasi to her friends, is a Pyro-Psychic who "reads" fires, her psychic ability to see through a killer's eyes and mind is drawn out by the smell of fires. Ben is a Psychometric Empath, able to read thoughts and emotions by touch. Natassia is a Victim Empath, touching a cadaver, she "relives" the victim's last sights and thoughts. Is the high profile but insufferable Premier of B.C. a suspect or a victim? What is the real reason his father was murdered? Who would have any reason to kill a foster mother and 4 year old child? How do these all fit together? These are the questions they must find answers to, and there is every reason to believe the murderer will claim another victim very quickly. There is one clue only when the team starts its investigation.

This book is exceptionally well-written, interesting in its handling of unusual circumstances, and equally unusual characters. It is taut, cohesive, yet personal. I enjoyed the thoughts going through Jasi's mind when she wasn't working, and "hearing" her read seems like a jolt of reality, this girl is definitely seeing through the killer's eyes and speaking his/her thoughts and words. The author has a way of creating reality from paranormal or psychic abilities and puts the words in her characters' mouths. I was completely glued to the book. I heartily recommend Cheryl Kaye's books, no matter the subject. I have the feeling she could write about any subject and make us want more.

The character Jasmine McLellan is wonderfully complex and likable. I can easily see her "starring" in many sequels.
Chery Kay Tardif is an amazing story teller and this is another page turner.
I look forward to her new books more than any other author.

Jasmine McLellan and her team of psychically-gifted CFBI agents race against the clock to discover the identity of a serial arsonist/murderer. The reader is swept along through plot twists, profiling, even politics, as 'Jasi' herself, enters the mind of the killer.
Highly emotional, yet intriguing, "Divine Intervention" is the first of the 'Divine Series' by Ms Tardif, who has already made a name for herself with "Whale Song" and "The River".
"Divine Intervention" is set in southern British Columbia, Canada, in the not-too-distant future, and is as well-written and moving as her previous novels. For excitement and thrills, it surely doesn't disappoint!

I have to be honest Im not generally one for material regarding psychics but am interested in suspense and crime and what not. My father brought me home a signed copy of the book and I started reading it and within the first chapter I was hooked I just couldn't put it down. If you want a good read I would definately suggest this book 100%

If you are a mystery fan then Divine Intervention will definitely appeal to you. But this story is more than your average murder mystery. It is a futuristic mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the very end wondering just who did it.

Like a fly getting trapped in a spiders web this story will keep you entangled right until the very end.

Whale song was great, but Cheryl Tardifs stories just keep on getting better. I cannot wait until her next one.

Ian Lyon - A poet, artist and soon to be author.

Finally, a Canadian novel by a Canadian author that captures Canadiana in its finest. Cheryl Kaye Tardif's most recent novel is comparative to Nora Roberts' In Death series that is penned under the pseudonym of 'J.D. Robb'.

In the first of Tardif's Divine series, Divine Intervention introduces the reader to an elite group of psychic government agents. The chemistry between Jasmine McLellan, the pyro-psychic who enters a serial killer's mind, and Brandon Walsh, the Chief of Arson Investigations, is hotter than a Florida heatwave.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif successfully manipulates the characters, their emotions and actions, and takes you to a startling climax that will leave you suspended. The shocking twist at Divine Intervention's conclusion will rip your emotions bare as you enter the world of a serial arsonist bent on revenge.

I enjoyed this novel immensely and will be awaiting Tardif's next book with hot, sweaty palms. Cheryl Kaye Tardif is destined to be a great Canadian author--and is the new 'Canadian J.D. Robb'.

Divine Intervention was a hugely pleasant surprise. Cheryl Tardif has definitely found her genre with this new crime novel set in the not-so-far future. The story is about Agent Jasmine McLellan, who works for a highly special branch of the Canadian Federal Bureau of Investigations. She is a Pyro-Psychic, one who can read crime scenes involving fires, telling what caused them, and sometimes who and why. The reader begins the novel as Jasi is coming off downtime from a huge case, and is abruptly thrown into a new one. Someone in B.C. has already murdered three people by fire, and the case is given to the PSI unit of the CFBI to find the killer. It is now up to Jasi and her colleagues, with the aid of the insufferably attractive Chief of Arson Investigations Brandon Walsh, to track down the murderer-before it's too late.
I found Divine Intervention to be extremely hard to walk away from. I kept wanting to read just one more chapter. With the believable characters, and scorching plot twists, I was truly sorry to see the book end. Anyone who is a fan of J.D. Robb will thoroughly enjoy this one- especially any who have been waiting for an excellent voice to bring alive a genuinely Canadian crime novel. I, for one, am now itching to read more about Jasi and the rest of the PSI team. Divine Intervention will undeniably leave you smoldering-and dying for more.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif's hot futuristic thriller, Divine Intervention, radiates suspense and mystery. Divine Intervention transports the reader to a tomorrow with comforting echoes of today, but also with strange possibilities that challenge expectations.

Tardif's passionate crime solvers are anything but ordinary, in any time: three high-strung special investigators endowed with psychic powers, which enable them to pierce the veil separating the physical world from a fleeting dimension of shadowy thoughts and events. Their extrasensory vision isn't perfect, though, and Jasi, Natassia, and Ben must always supplement their gifts with old-fashioned detective work and strategic, if sometimes unpleasant, alliances to make up the balance. Paradoxically, their unusual abilities can render them dangerously vulnerable, transforming the hunters into the prey, the magicians of emotion into nearly helpless pawns.

The author skillfully ties and unties knots in a plot line stretching back decades to a source of evil now unleashing fiery destruction and horrible death amid the scenic wonders of British Columbia. Tardif fuels her story with relentless pacing, marvelously cryptic clues, frequent surprises, and convincing details of criminal investigation and firefighting. The narrative temperature reaches feverish intensity when multiple conflicts threaten to ignite and obsessive attractions cloud rationality with sensual steam.

As a mystery author and lover of a well-told tale, I found much to admire and enjoy in Divine Intervention by Cheryl Kaye Tardif.

(Reviewed by Jimmy Fox, author of genealogical mysteries: Deadly Pedigree, Lineages and Lies, and Jackpot Blood)