At First Thought — Ken R. Pence

Robert Thales, an otherwise unremarkable cop in a mid-sized city, is developing an ability to read minds. This ability gets him promoted from a report writing car to a solo car in a high crime area. His work in the high crime area gets him noticed â€" not in a good way. The economy of the city teeters except where illicit drug sales and adult businesses are concerned. Criminals can't launder their illicit monies fast enough and the business leaders can't get the loans they need. Financing the new convention center requires billions in municipal bonds and this need is the root of a political takeover. The formerly unremarkable cop is thrown into the middle of the scheme. Everyone is trying to get Thales out of the picture. How can he get the Feds to prosecute a case that nobody wants -- and do something in only one month? Injured, out-of-work, and hounded by hired guns; he may not live long enough to perfect his talent. The reader plunges into the mind of a young street cop who is faced with current and developing criminal conspiracies. The criminal leader becomes obsessed with removing this threat. Business leaders are drawn into a criminal web of murder and extortion through their quest for good investments. Reading minds may help in sexual encounters but its not living up to its potential anywhere else. This 70,000 word novel must be fiction because the D.A. and federal authorities would do anything to stop this type of crime if these crimes were happening today. Wouldn't they?