2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Peripheral People by Reesa Herberth & Michelle Moore

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Peripheral People: A Ylendrian Empire Novel by Reesa Herberth & Michelle Moore
Gay Sci-Fi / Futuristic
Paperback: 350 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (January 26, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1626492697
ISBN-13: 978-1626492691
Amazon: Peripheral People: A Ylendrian Empire Novel
Amazon Kindle: Peripheral People: A Ylendrian Empire Novel

Corwin Menevie and Nika Santivan are decorated veterans of the Imperial Enforcement Coalition, and are perfectly capable of solving cases the old-fashioned way. When they’re paired with Westley Tavera and Gavin Hale, the most powerful Reader/Ground team to emerge from the Psionics Academy, it could either be the best thing that’s ever happened to crime fighting, or the makings of a quadruple homicide.

During a routine investigation, West’s talent puts them on the trail of a brutal serial killer who traps his prey in a deadly mental playground. Then the killer starts baiting the team, laying psychic landmines at crime scenes and exposing IEC secrets. The strain of the case binds the agents closer together—so close that Nika and Gavin start sharing a room, and even the curmudgeonly Corwin finds himself as occupied with West as he is with the murders.

But as West’s visions of death grow more violent, the only way out for all of them may be straight through the mind of a monster. If they’re not careful, they may forget which side of the hunt they’re on.


Peripheral People was an intelligent and absorbing thriller that kept my interest from start to finish. The plot moved along at a cracking pace and I loved the character development and romance between the two leads. The supporting characters were interesting and three dimensional. I will probably read more from this author.

A perfectly created world. I'd not read any of this series, but soon understood what was going on. The main characters were shown clearly and had distinct, individual personalities. The world-building was excellent, and I had no trouble believing West and Corwin could travel psychically into others' minds. The book wasn't quite perfect - one or two occasions it seemed to get bogged down a little with interpersonal relations rather than getting to the heart of the plot and solving the mystery, but overall it's one of the best I've read in this category.

I read this book and re-read it. This held my interest from the start for the interesting characters, and their past, plus the tension between the main guys..