Debut author S. D. Tooley's new series stars Detective Sergeant Samantha (Sam) Casey. Sam has a gift inherited from her Native American forefathers. She is able to place her hands on victims and "see" how they died and details about their last moments. An outcast while growing up, Sam turned to law enforcement, which provides a legitimate use for these types of skills.

Sam's godfather has had her transferred to another precinct where she must now work under Chief Murphy and with cops Frank Travis and Jake Mitchell. Unfortunately, she has already "met" them while posing as a blackjack dealer at a private party given by P. K. Hilliard, a gubernatorial aspirant. Murphy was a guest at the party, and Frank and Jake were working security.

Sam was at the party representing a private client and working outside the scope of the police department. She accomplished her goal of stealing damaging photos from a wall safe, while noticing the same lightening bolt pin. She also planted a telephone bug, printed data from his computer and was just leaving as Jake attempted to stop her. Sam made her escape, but fears he will remember her, notwithstanding her disguise.

As a mystery buff, a heroine who commits felonies to obtain evidence troubles me. Additionally, in the scope of her duties as a police sergeant, the "information" she illegally gathers, if discovered, would poison a prosecutor's case.

When a semi collides with the concrete center support pillar of an overpass, the concrete crumbles and the remains of an African-American man buried within the pillar are discovered. In his hand is a pin shaped as a lightening bolt. He is identified as a deserter from the Korean War and is believed to have been entombed for more than 20 years.

The focus shifts to a valley in Korea and a small unit of black soldiers that was almost decimated in a massacre. The common thread is the lightening bolt pin, but the web embraces high-ranking army officers, the President, and even Sam's own father, an investigative reporter who had been killed in a car explosion.

When the Dead Speak features a very complex plot, with an extremely large cast of characters. It is difficult to develop all the characters in 290 pages that harbor 85 chapters and an epilogue. Although Sam is bright, funny and a risk taker, even her character is never clearly defined. However, if you are a reader who likes fast moving books with a touch of both the supernatural and romance, this book is perfect for you.

--Thea Davis