Lightning StrikesLightning Strikes by Theresa Parker
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I had come to the end of the latest Mattie Winston Mystery by Annelise Ryan. I needed a cosy friend. So I was excited when I found the book Lighting Strikes. Andromeda Spencer, the protagonist, sounded like a fun character in this new mystery series.

The plot: Andromeda was struck by lightning and woke from a coma with Extrasensory Perception. She can find anything that has been lost and sees ghosts. Andromeda works with the police locating missing persons. Enter Detective Nick Cavanaugh. He is looking for three missing children, and he does not believe in Mediums or ghosts!

An exciting opening was spoilt in chapter three when we meet the “attractive” Detective Cavanaugh. During their first meeting, he manhandled Andromeda, forced her out in a storm (and she has a fear of storms) and walked into her bathroom while she took a shower and saw her naked. His response? “You can see me naked”. Within 24 hours a sick Andromeda is being taken to a recovery bay in his arms, and he has a pet name for her.

The book continues in this vein. Within 48 hours of knowing Andromeda, he enters her home without permission. Then he enters her bedroom to wake her because she is late for their appointment. Of course, she sleeps nearly nude. There is also much aggression between Andromeda and the Detective for comfort; Example, “grabbing my arm and swinging me around to face him” followed by “pulling me closer to him.”
From Andromeda, ‘I darted forward intent on smacking him upside his head he sidestepped me and slung his arm around my neck dragging me into a gentle headlock,’ and ‘ I wanted nothing more than to punch his lights out.’

Detective Cavanaugh is supposed to be an Alpha male. If the book were real life, his behaviour would be bullying, and he would be up for an assault and battery charge. The worse line in the book refers to the Detective – “If you can overlook the Alpha behaviour I think he is a good guy.”

I believe the author tried to create a humorous love – hate attraction. It does not work. Andromeda refers to it as a “weird relationship”. I call it an abusive relationship!

Detective Cavanaugh was not the only ‘caveman’. All the male characters were dominating and bullying except Andromeda’s father. Even a character called Anthony that Andromeda meets for the first time grabs her arm to stop her walking away. It’s not cute. Abuse is a blight on our society. Later in the book, Anthony deliberately causes pain to Andromeda by painfully pinching her breasts.

The book fell far short of its plot line. It was interesting in places. I would have given two stars but for the abuse throughout. The constant violence was supposed to be playful. It made for uncomfortable reading and detracted from three missing children. I forgot at one point they were part of the story.

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Sexual Content Rating: Medium
Language Content Rating: Medium
Violent Content Rating: Medium
Will I read the second? Not likely
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My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book
1* Finished the book but didn’t like it.
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* A very good read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* An exceptionally good read. A prominent example of the genre.