Learning Fear is the third in B.A. Chepaitis's series about a empathic psychologist working with criminals imprisoned in space. Here's a look at the first two books.
The Fear Principle
Jaguar Addams, a maverick Teacher in the Prison Planetoids, is attempting to force con man Adrian Graff to confront his own fears of trust when she is assigned a second case: Clare Rilasco, an assassin caught attempting to kill the governor of Colorado.
Jaguar has a difficult time reading Rilasco, though. The assassin, who has confessed to a number of other murders, is empathically slippery, and the empathic interference of sometime partner-turned-rival Nick Lyola causes Jaguar's two cases blur in uncomfortable ways.
Supervisor Alex Dzarny offers Jaguar a very specialized kind of assistance from above. His power as an empath Adept offers him glimpses of the future, but he must interpret what he sees.
Meanwhile, Rachel, a former convict and now prison staff-member, uncovers dangerous connections between Jaguar's case and certain "Black Ops," or top-secret military projects. And the military don't like to be bothered while conducting Black Ops . . .
The Fear of God
The second novel in the series puts Rachel's life in the balance when a member of the Revelation Sect poisons her during a routine interrogation.
As Rachel lies dying in the hospital, Jaguar brings the cult's leader into a virtual reality "heaven" designed to challenge her religious beliefs, forcing her to reveal both a cure and the terrorist cult's plans. Unfortunately, a VR demon has also appeared in the heaven, and challenges Jaguar's control of the situation.
Outside VR, a special federal agent claims jurisdiction in the investigation and attempts to recruit Alex to her cause, seemingly determined to learn everything she can about Jaguar's special abilities.
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