Clarity (Clarity #1)

I really enjoyed reading Clarity. It was a mix of fantasy and mystery that was really enticing and compelling.
The plot was really captivating with so many interesting characters and suspects.
I liked Clare's practicality and her unique powers. Her brother was funny. And Gabriel was mysterious.
Looking forward to next novel.

Previously published on my blog: http://fictionfervor.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/review-clarity-by-kim-harrington/

I cannot even begin to explain how much I enjoyed reading Clarity.

I’ve always been a huge fanatic with murder mysteries. I absolutely adore Agatha Christie’s and Arthur Conan Doyle’s murder mysteries (my favorites are And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Hound of the Baskervilles), and so once I found out that Clarity was a paranormal murder mystery, I immediately added it to my to-read list. Immediately. And I was not in any way disappointed. In fact, Clarity surpassed my expectations.

I adore the main character and protagonist, Clare. Though she isn’t exactly psychic – in the beginning of the book, she explains that no one can predict the future – by touching objects, she can find out things about it: who last touched it, what that person was feeling at the time, etc. She and her telepathic mother and her brother Perry, who can talk to ghosts, entertain tourists with their powers for a living. Though their appointments get quite exciting sometimes (take the first clients they have in the book), it’s generally a boring lifestyle for Clare. So when she’s offered the job of using her powers to help the investigation of the murder of a tourist named Tori, she accepts.

Then when she learns that her brother, who likes to “play” with the girls who come to their tourist-attractive town called Cape Cod, was the last person to see Tori, things get complicated. Not to mention that she has to work with both Justin, her ex-boyfriend and son of the town’s mayor, and Gabriel, the hot son of the new detective in town. Talk about tension.

Clare is definitely a fantastic protagonist. Though I wouldn’t label her as “kick-butt,” she definitely can take care of herself, being the determined person she is. And I especially loved her indecision over which boy to choose: Justin or Gabriel? I’d say that I’m Team Gabriel (not only because he’s incredibly hot, obviously, though that might be a large part) probably because I think that although sweet at times, Justin is just irritating.

And the plot of this book? I’ve got one word for you: OHMYGOSHAWESOME. This book literally had me flipping its pages, desperate to find out who the murderer was . . . and the answers to those other mysteries. And though some of them weren’t all that surprising, I was definitely taken back by a few.

The only thing I wasn’t satisfied with was that ending (romance-wise, that is). I’m still wondering where those last pages of the book are, Kim!

Clarity is simply phenomenal. Such a fast-paced book completely shrouded with mystery and full of romantic tension should definitely get more attention than it already has. A must for any paranormal reader, especially those who want something just a little bit different from vampires and werewolves!

Source: copy borrowed from library