Book Review: Clarity, Kim Harrington

Reading Level:     Young Adult

Hardcover:            242 Pages

Publisher:             Point/ Scholastic, Inc

Parasols:               4

In sleepy Eastport, MA, situated on posh Cape Cod, nothing good ever happens.  You have your basic summer tourist and your boring locals who await for the summer tourists to go back home.  Except for the Ferns.  They live for the summer crowds to read fortunes, show them past loves lost, Readings By The Fern Family.   What the locals consider a family of freaks.

Clarity "Clare" Fern is pychic, Starla "mom" Fern, is a telepath and Periwinkle "Perry" Fern is a medium.  So when the sleepy town is rocked by a murder and the addition of another "Psychic" things for Clare gets quite muddy.  Enter gorgeous Gabriel Toscano and his father, a former NYC detective and ex-boyfriend still pining for Clare, and you have one big mudfest.

Reading a book by an author that you know and talk to, and meet up with and are considered friends with is difficult.  On one hand you want to be fair and honest, but yet you don't want to upset the balance of the friendship.  It's a slippery slope that I feel most bloggers feel.

However, Kim really has nothing to worry about (thought I'd make her sweat it out :)), this book is very entertaining, an easy read and well written.  Her humor that I've witnessed first hand shines through the story. Clare is a great protag who makes mistakes.  She's not perfect, she gets in trouble with her mother.  Cares a lot for her brother and is concerned when the murdered girl was last seen with her playboy brother.  Clare teams up with Gabriel to help his dad solve the crime.  However, the senior Toscano doesn't believe the hocus pocus with which Clare can help solve crimes (Psychometry).  Clare can touch things and see what had happened.

I was literally at the edge of my seat toward the third act of the story.  It was fast paced, Kim planted red herrings after red herrings to throw people off the scent and it all worked well.  

I have to mention Justin Spellman, the ex still pining for Clare.  I like him.  He's a good kid who made a mistake and because of Clare's specialty, he got busted.  I'm torn between a Clare/Justin hook up or Gabriel/Clare hook up.  Darn you, Kim!  We just go the title to the next book in the series, Perception.  Which I think is a great title and in keeping with the theme of the books!  

For those of you who are local (Massachusetts) Kim Harrington will be signing copies of her book during the launch of her debut novel.  Here are the details:

Tatnuck Booksellers

Rt 9 & Lyman Streets

Westborough, MA

March 5, 2011

1pm - 3pm