Opal Fire by Barbra Annino
Opal Fire: A Stacy Justice Mystery (Volume I) by Barbra Annino is a cozy mystery with a side of paranormal and a chick lit twist. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, fun novel full of quirky characters and sprinkled with humor.
The book opens with a devastating fire at the Black Opal, the bar owned by Stacy Justice’s cousin. When the insurance adjuster won’t pay the claim because he insists it’s arson, Stacy gets to work. Along with using her inside connections on the police force (her boyfriend is the chief), Stacy also finally, albeit clumsily, embraces her family’s gift, witchcraft. While investigating the fire, she discovers a far more serious secret buried in the rubble that ends up putting her own life in jeopardy. Exploding chickens and other antics ensue.
In case you can’t tell from the exploding chickens reference, this is a book that never takes itself too seriously — lots more humorous situations as well as quips throughout — but it never loses sight of the importance of moving along the plot and character development.
Going into this, I knew I could either really fall into the story and characters or just find it kind of silly and get bored quickly; it was all up to the writer and execution — and Annino pulled it off. Beautifully. There’s an air of Janet Evanovich and Stephanie Plum in there, so if you like that series, I’d strongly suggest giving Annino’s Stacy Justice mysteries a try.
I love this kind of book when I’m in the mood for a light-hearted escape, which Opal Fire absolutely delivers, and this is why I’m giving it:
Four espresso cups out of five!
I’m also looking forward to reading more in the Stacy Justice series; this is the first, and it ended with an awesome cliffhanger leading into Bloodstone, scheduled to be released in October 2011. A third book is expected in late December/early January of 2012. Keep an eye on Barbra Annino’s website for the latest information.
P.S. Bonus! Opal Fire is available for Kindle at Amazon for just $2.99!
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