#BlogTour: THE COLOURS OF DEATH by Patricia Marques @marquesp09 @HodderBooks @JennyPlatt90

Publication: 17th June 2021 – Hodder & Stoughton

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…

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

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I am delighted to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of The Colours of Death, the incredible debut novel by Patricia Marques.

Set in an alternate world divided between Regulars and Gifted, The Colours of Death is a fantastic mix of thriller and fantasy that kept me completely captivated from the first to the last page. Gifted have the power of either telekinesis or telepathy, but they are not very trusted by the Regulars and are registered and constantly monitored.

The protagonist of the novel is Inspector Isabel Reis of the Polìcia Judiària of Lisbon. Isabel is a Gifted and she can read other people’s thoughts and see their memories. Following a tragic accident caused by a Gifted who lost control of their power, there are now more restrictions against the Gifted, so Isabel is partnered up with Inspector Aleks Voronov, a Regular. Their first case together is the death of a man who apparently threw himself against the glass of a train window. Did he really kill himself or did someone throw him against the window?

I really liked the character of Isabel. She struggles with her power, wishing to silence the voices in her head, although it is often useful in her job, and she has a complex relationship with her family which becomes a secondary plot of the story, but what I enjoyed most is her relationship with Voronov. They have an easy relationship from the beginning and they work well together, and, despite Isabel’s initial reluctance, they learn to trust each other.

The story is twisty and addictive and I loved everything of this novel, from the beautiful and evocative descriptions of Lisbon to the large amount of food that Isabel gulps down, from the suspenseful mystery to the well-developed characters. I really hope that The Colours of Death is the first book in a series as I’d love to read more about these characters… and by this author.

A huge thank you to Jenny and Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a beautiful copy of this novel.

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Half-Angolan and half-Portuguese, Patricia was born in Portugal but moved to England when she was eight. As well as an MA in Creative Writing from City University, she holds a BA in Creative Writing from Roehampton. She lives in London and The Colours of Death is her first novel.