A man is murdered on aboard a train at Lisbon’s Gare do Oriente, this is no ordinary homicide. He seemingly beat himself to death against the window of a carriage packed with horrified commuters.

 An unusual murder calls for an equally unconventional detective to lead the investigation. Step forward Inspector Reis, one of a handful of ‘gifted’ officers attached to the Portuguese Judicial Police.

 In this her first crime novel Patricia Marques has created both an intriguing premise and a central character with the depth to helm a long running series.

 Marques gives us a world divided between the ‘regular’ majority and a ‘gifted’ few able to read minds or move objects without touching them. Reis is a telepath able to read the minds of others, a useful skill in a cop you might think.

 The reality is rather different, Reis is locked in a constant struggle with her ‘gift’, which seems more like a curse when she can’t switch off the din of other people’s thoughts. It also makes her relationships with her colleagues less than straightforward.

 This is an assured debut that delivers both as a brilliantly original crime story, and as a book with some thoughtful things to say about difference and prejudice.

The Colours of Death

Patricia Marques