For Washington, DC police detective Brittany Johnson, this was no ordinary triple homicide. It had political implications: the three victims belonged to a diaspora community dealing with increased tension from another ethnic community based in the melting pot of the nation’s capital.

Yet this case was not merely political, but strange. The three dead men were armed and forensics showed that they fired several rounds at their attacker. How did they miss? What exactly killed them?

As Johnson digs deeper, she will encounter both the very pinnacle of existential fear ant the summit of passionate, unconditional love.

Thoughtreal spins an X-Files–like story of law enforcement officers trying to track down people with the power to create and destroy with their minds and imaginations. Michael Gryboski has thought up an intricate narrative that avoids potential tropes while touching on issues like ancient racial conflicts and shallow modern relationships, while exploring how different religious worldviews can lead to very different outcomes. Readers may only stumble when information about a character or location is delayed, or when the story’s perspective suddenly shifts. Nonetheless, most adult readers will be captivated by this story.

Best for: Adult readers.

Discern: A few profanities, one short making-out scene with a few details, and some violence and deaths.