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Probe #2
Counterprobe
Jane Doe, a probe sent by aliens to explore Earth, is under the watchful eye of Dr. Kevin Blake, government forces and others who would kill to get her secrets or to bury them
- GenresScience Fiction
346 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
50 people want to read
About the author
Carole Nelson Douglas
167 books567 followersCarole Nelson Douglas is the author of sixty-four award-winning novels in contemporary and historical mystery/suspense and romance, high and urban fantasy and science fiction genres. She is best known for two popular mystery series, the Irene Adler Sherlockian historical suspense series (she was the first woman to spin-off a series from the Holmes stories) and the multi-award-winning alphabetically titled Midnight Louie contemporary mystery series. From Cat in an Alphabet Soup #1 to Cat in an Alphabet Endgame #28.
Delilah Street, PI (Paranormal Investigator), headlines Carole's noir Urban Fantasy series: Dancing With Werewolves, Brimstone Kiss, Vampire Sunrise, Silver Zombie, and Virtual Virgin. Now Delilah has moved from her paranormal Vegas to Midnight Louie, feline PI's "Slightly surreal" Vegas to solve crimes in the first book of the new Cafe Noir series, Absinthe Without Leave. Next in 2020, Brandi Alexander on the Rocks.
Once Upon a Midnight Noir is out in eBook and trade paperback versions. This author-designed and illustrated collection of three mystery stories with a paranormal twist and a touch of romance features two award-winning stories featuring Midnight Louie, feline PI and Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator in a supernatural-run Las Vegas. A third story completes the last unfinished story fragment of Edgar Allan Poe, as a Midnight Louie Past Life adventure set in 1790 Norland on a isolated island lighthouse. Louie is a soldier of fortune, a la Puss in Boots.
Next out are Midnight Louie's Cat in an Alphabet Endgame in hardcover, trade paperback and eBook Aug. 23, 2016.
All the Irene Adler novels, the first to feature a woman from the Sherlock Holmes Canon as a crime solver, are now available in eBook.
Carole was a college theater and English literature major. She was accepted for grad school in Theater at the University of Minnesota and Northwestern University, and could have worked as an editorial assistant at Vogue magazine (a la The Devil Wears Prada) but wanted a job closer to home. She worked as a newspaper reporter and then editor in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. During her time there, she discovered a long, expensive classified advertisement offering a black cat named Midnight Louey to the "right" home for one dollar and wrote a feature story on the plucky survival artist, putting it into the cat's point of view. The cat found a country home, but its name was revived for her feline PI mystery series many years later. Some of the Midnight Louie series entries include the dedication "For the real and original Midnight Louie. Nine lives were not enough." Midnight Louie has now had 32 novelistic lives and features in several short stories as well.
Hollywood and Broadway director, playwright, screenwriter and novelist Garson Kanin took Carole's first novel to his publisher on the basis of an interview/article she'd done with him five years earlier. "My friend Phil Silvers," he wrote, "would say he'd never won an interview yet, but he had never had the luck of you."
Carole is a "literary chameleon" who's had novels published in many genres, and often mixes such genre elements as mystery and suspense, fantasy and science fiction, romance with mainstream issues, especially the roles of women.
Delilah Street, PI (Paranormal Investigator), headlines Carole's noir Urban Fantasy series: Dancing With Werewolves, Brimstone Kiss, Vampire Sunrise, Silver Zombie, and Virtual Virgin. Now Delilah has moved from her paranormal Vegas to Midnight Louie, feline PI's "Slightly surreal" Vegas to solve crimes in the first book of the new Cafe Noir series, Absinthe Without Leave. Next in 2020, Brandi Alexander on the Rocks.
Once Upon a Midnight Noir is out in eBook and trade paperback versions. This author-designed and illustrated collection of three mystery stories with a paranormal twist and a touch of romance features two award-winning stories featuring Midnight Louie, feline PI and Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator in a supernatural-run Las Vegas. A third story completes the last unfinished story fragment of Edgar Allan Poe, as a Midnight Louie Past Life adventure set in 1790 Norland on a isolated island lighthouse. Louie is a soldier of fortune, a la Puss in Boots.
Next out are Midnight Louie's Cat in an Alphabet Endgame in hardcover, trade paperback and eBook Aug. 23, 2016.
All the Irene Adler novels, the first to feature a woman from the Sherlock Holmes Canon as a crime solver, are now available in eBook.
Carole was a college theater and English literature major. She was accepted for grad school in Theater at the University of Minnesota and Northwestern University, and could have worked as an editorial assistant at Vogue magazine (a la The Devil Wears Prada) but wanted a job closer to home. She worked as a newspaper reporter and then editor in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. During her time there, she discovered a long, expensive classified advertisement offering a black cat named Midnight Louey to the "right" home for one dollar and wrote a feature story on the plucky survival artist, putting it into the cat's point of view. The cat found a country home, but its name was revived for her feline PI mystery series many years later. Some of the Midnight Louie series entries include the dedication "For the real and original Midnight Louie. Nine lives were not enough." Midnight Louie has now had 32 novelistic lives and features in several short stories as well.
Hollywood and Broadway director, playwright, screenwriter and novelist Garson Kanin took Carole's first novel to his publisher on the basis of an interview/article she'd done with him five years earlier. "My friend Phil Silvers," he wrote, "would say he'd never won an interview yet, but he had never had the luck of you."
Carole is a "literary chameleon" who's had novels published in many genres, and often mixes such genre elements as mystery and suspense, fantasy and science fiction, romance with mainstream issues, especially the roles of women.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 9, 2025
This sequel was a mistake. I don't know what happened, but the author regressed. The prose in "Probe" was inspired. The writing here is like a sick mix of Alan Dean Foster and Vonda N. McIntyre at their worst. The story is unnecessary and pointless. I thought Kevin was bad, but "Dr." Eric Nordstrom is a super creep extraordinaire. (And when the verb "croon" is applied to him, it makes things extra disturbing.) Maybe he was just added in to make Kevin look better by comparison, but the presence of Nordstrom didn't exactly do anything to help Kevin's case. There are so many things wrong with this book.
In chapter one, there are two government men who've (somehow) never even heard of the concept of a "snow angel."
-
From pp. 216-293, the author randomly shifted between past and present tense (regardless of the viewpoint character), which was very off-putting.
-
On p. 209, it's Saturday, and the characters are discussing something that happened on Thursday. However, Kevin's mom erroneously says, "yesterday" (Friday).
-
On p. 340, Jane points "at a particularly handsome pine tree," but it should be a fir (even on that same page, it's twice referred to as the correct species).
-
On p. 251, Kevin puts on his own clothes upon being released from the courthouse. But (apparently) they smell like "urine and vomit, stale smoke and beer." Why? I don't get it. He was arrested in a bank; his clothes were clean.
...
A "black" character is called "the black" in that odd, dehumanizing way (presumably "white") authors were sometimes guilty of. (You never see lines like: "The white in the turtleneck sweater flashed him an awkward, yellow smile before tripping headlong into the crowded elevator.") So why do lines like "... the black across the table mouthed, meatloaf flecking his big white teeth" or "... the industrial-strength black..." exist? It's just wrong. A color isn't a person.
As with "Probe," some people I don't know are mentioned: Walter Mondale, "Captain Queeg," William F. Buckley, Jimmy Hoffa, Patty Hearst, etc. Even after looking them up, I fail to see their relevance.
...
The author got very repetitive/redundant in this one. You'll find a lot of this going on: "You disconnected it yourself. You disconnected yourself."
-
She wouldn't shut up about "mirrors," "déjà vu," "regression," etc.
-
In chapter 25, Jane's eyes/teeth "glimmer" multiple times. But it isn't just that. The specific phrase "a pearly bone-white glimmer" is used at least twice (pp. 215, 217). Talk about déjà vu!
-
(I'm not sure, but I could swear she also uses "cold as mirror glass" more than once.)
-
In the final chapter (ch. 42), the "moon" is mentioned nine times in only five pages!
-
This sentence is doubly redundant: "The town of Crookston didn't look one bit sorry at all." (The "-ton" in Crookston should already denote "town." And either say, "... didn't look one bit sorry" or "... didn't look sorry at all," not both.)
...
"Kevin lay back... The laugh track tittered on cue." (p. 166)
-
"Kevin could only lie on his bunk... He stared at the ceiling and listened to the laugh track." (p. 221)
...
"A fragment of overhead light glimmered in the slits of her eyes." (p. 214)
-
"... her eyes... remained the same . . . all but shut, a pearly bone-white glimmer shining through the thick hairs of her dark lashes." (p. 215)
-
"Her eyes are shut, her lips slightly parted on a pearly bone-white glimmer. " (p. 217)
-
"Her eyes glimmered through the spikes of her lashes." (p. 334)
...
"—nothing Turner had available in this almost-hospital would help her." (p. 328)
-
"—nothing in Turner's pseudohospital setup can save her." (Also p. 328!)
...
"A waning moon hung askew in the west, its Bing Crosby profile beaming vacuously. Its light threw a Rinso-white blue cast on the snow. A ring of ice crystals throttled the moon. Drifting clouds formed another, less geometric ring around the moon." (p. 332)
-
"He felt only fire inside; flames of inner denial snapped sky-high at the moon." (p. 333)
-
"He shouted to the starry night sky, to the sunken-cheeked moon." (p. 333)
-
"I can see the moon at the back of my eyes." (p. 335)
-
"The sickle moon grinned, sinking farther down in the sky but never when anyone was watching it. No one watched it." (p. 335)
-
"It followed him, like a moon its planet, and he could do nothing about it." (p. 336)
-
"Headlights popped over the horizon line like hot, greedy moons—" (p. 336)
...
I strongly dislike this:
"Hattie wanted to know." (p. 176)
"Turner wanted to know." (p. 195)
"Kevin wanted to know." (p. 205)
"... his mother wanted to know." (p. 208)
"... he wanted to know." (p. 238)
"... she wanted to know." (p. 274)
"... she wanted to know." (p. 333)
...
Framing:
"... the vacant rectangle framing an abstract of blue-denimed knees."
-
"... the cop closed the door, framing his parents' worried faces behind a sheet of smeared glass."
...
???:
"He had never seen Jane cry before. Never." (Hadn't he? I could have sworn there was a tear in "Probe.")
-
"—levitate like Lazarus..." (What?!)
-
"Her eyes radiated brunette warmth." (What does that even mean?!)
-
I don't know what "muling" is: "... muling and puking..."
...
Vocabulary:
"himself": 157!!!
"herself": 94
"self" or "-self": 49 (+4 "selves")
"yourself": 43 (+2 "yourselves")
"itself": 31
"myself": 27
"themselves": 16
"ourselves": 7
"thyself": 1
---
"lay": 55 (Three on p. 138, sandwiched between pp. 137 & 139, which have one each! That's five in three pages!)
"lays": 1
"lying": 8
"laid": ?
---
"glance": 56 (Three on p. 219 alone!)
"probe": 50 (Not counting any instances of "Probe," mind you.)
"naked": 25
"hiss": at least 18
"rose" (verb): 15
"dim/dimness": 13
"flare": 10
"lurch": 9
"glare": 9
"wince": 9
"peer": 9
"loom": 8
"gleam": 8
"glow": 8 (+1 "aglow")
"ebb": at least 7
"plunge": 7
"glint": at least 7
"glimmer": 7
"glitter": 5-ish
"gaze": 5?
"lunge": ?
"literal/literally": 4
"lurid": 4
"rake": 3
"perch": 2
"lace": 2
"silver": lots (I don't know what it is with authors and silver.)
---
"now and then": 3 (+1 "now and again")
"here and there": 1 (+1 "Here and There")
"[this] here, [that] there": 2
"to and fro": 1
...
Mistake:
" 'She just panicked... and knocked something into the mirror.'
'What?'
'How do I know what? The IV. It was torn loose.' " (p. 222 - She either meant, "How do I know that?" or just "How do I know?" As it is, it makes no sense.)
...
344 pages, not 346.
4/10
In chapter one, there are two government men who've (somehow) never even heard of the concept of a "snow angel."
-
From pp. 216-293, the author randomly shifted between past and present tense (regardless of the viewpoint character), which was very off-putting.
-
On p. 209, it's Saturday, and the characters are discussing something that happened on Thursday. However, Kevin's mom erroneously says, "yesterday" (Friday).
-
On p. 340, Jane points "at a particularly handsome pine tree," but it should be a fir (even on that same page, it's twice referred to as the correct species).
-
On p. 251, Kevin puts on his own clothes upon being released from the courthouse. But (apparently) they smell like "urine and vomit, stale smoke and beer." Why? I don't get it. He was arrested in a bank; his clothes were clean.
...
A "black" character is called "the black" in that odd, dehumanizing way (presumably "white") authors were sometimes guilty of. (You never see lines like: "The white in the turtleneck sweater flashed him an awkward, yellow smile before tripping headlong into the crowded elevator.") So why do lines like "... the black across the table mouthed, meatloaf flecking his big white teeth" or "... the industrial-strength black..." exist? It's just wrong. A color isn't a person.
As with "Probe," some people I don't know are mentioned: Walter Mondale, "Captain Queeg," William F. Buckley, Jimmy Hoffa, Patty Hearst, etc. Even after looking them up, I fail to see their relevance.
...
The author got very repetitive/redundant in this one. You'll find a lot of this going on: "You disconnected it yourself. You disconnected yourself."
-
She wouldn't shut up about "mirrors," "déjà vu," "regression," etc.
-
In chapter 25, Jane's eyes/teeth "glimmer" multiple times. But it isn't just that. The specific phrase "a pearly bone-white glimmer" is used at least twice (pp. 215, 217). Talk about déjà vu!
-
(I'm not sure, but I could swear she also uses "cold as mirror glass" more than once.)
-
In the final chapter (ch. 42), the "moon" is mentioned nine times in only five pages!
-
This sentence is doubly redundant: "The town of Crookston didn't look one bit sorry at all." (The "-ton" in Crookston should already denote "town." And either say, "... didn't look one bit sorry" or "... didn't look sorry at all," not both.)
...
"Kevin lay back... The laugh track tittered on cue." (p. 166)
-
"Kevin could only lie on his bunk... He stared at the ceiling and listened to the laugh track." (p. 221)
...
"A fragment of overhead light glimmered in the slits of her eyes." (p. 214)
-
"... her eyes... remained the same . . . all but shut, a pearly bone-white glimmer shining through the thick hairs of her dark lashes." (p. 215)
-
"Her eyes are shut, her lips slightly parted on a pearly bone-white glimmer. " (p. 217)
-
"Her eyes glimmered through the spikes of her lashes." (p. 334)
...
"—nothing Turner had available in this almost-hospital would help her." (p. 328)
-
"—nothing in Turner's pseudohospital setup can save her." (Also p. 328!)
...
"A waning moon hung askew in the west, its Bing Crosby profile beaming vacuously. Its light threw a Rinso-white blue cast on the snow. A ring of ice crystals throttled the moon. Drifting clouds formed another, less geometric ring around the moon." (p. 332)
-
"He felt only fire inside; flames of inner denial snapped sky-high at the moon." (p. 333)
-
"He shouted to the starry night sky, to the sunken-cheeked moon." (p. 333)
-
"I can see the moon at the back of my eyes." (p. 335)
-
"The sickle moon grinned, sinking farther down in the sky but never when anyone was watching it. No one watched it." (p. 335)
-
"It followed him, like a moon its planet, and he could do nothing about it." (p. 336)
-
"Headlights popped over the horizon line like hot, greedy moons—" (p. 336)
...
I strongly dislike this:
"Hattie wanted to know." (p. 176)
"Turner wanted to know." (p. 195)
"Kevin wanted to know." (p. 205)
"... his mother wanted to know." (p. 208)
"... he wanted to know." (p. 238)
"... she wanted to know." (p. 274)
"... she wanted to know." (p. 333)
...
Framing:
"... the vacant rectangle framing an abstract of blue-denimed knees."
-
"... the cop closed the door, framing his parents' worried faces behind a sheet of smeared glass."
...
???:
"He had never seen Jane cry before. Never." (Hadn't he? I could have sworn there was a tear in "Probe.")
-
"—levitate like Lazarus..." (What?!)
-
"Her eyes radiated brunette warmth." (What does that even mean?!)
-
I don't know what "muling" is: "... muling and puking..."
...
Vocabulary:
"himself": 157!!!
"herself": 94
"self" or "-self": 49 (+4 "selves")
"yourself": 43 (+2 "yourselves")
"itself": 31
"myself": 27
"themselves": 16
"ourselves": 7
"thyself": 1
---
"lay": 55 (Three on p. 138, sandwiched between pp. 137 & 139, which have one each! That's five in three pages!)
"lays": 1
"lying": 8
"laid": ?
---
"glance": 56 (Three on p. 219 alone!)
"probe": 50 (Not counting any instances of "Probe," mind you.)
"naked": 25
"hiss": at least 18
"rose" (verb): 15
"dim/dimness": 13
"flare": 10
"lurch": 9
"glare": 9
"wince": 9
"peer": 9
"loom": 8
"gleam": 8
"glow": 8 (+1 "aglow")
"ebb": at least 7
"plunge": 7
"glint": at least 7
"glimmer": 7
"glitter": 5-ish
"gaze": 5?
"lunge": ?
"literal/literally": 4
"lurid": 4
"rake": 3
"perch": 2
"lace": 2
"silver": lots (I don't know what it is with authors and silver.)
---
"now and then": 3 (+1 "now and again")
"here and there": 1 (+1 "Here and There")
"[this] here, [that] there": 2
"to and fro": 1
...
Mistake:
" 'She just panicked... and knocked something into the mirror.'
'What?'
'How do I know what? The IV. It was torn loose.' " (p. 222 - She either meant, "How do I know that?" or just "How do I know?" As it is, it makes no sense.)
...
344 pages, not 346.
4/10
January 4, 2021
Weak sequel, but I'll take what I can get.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews