Quick Take - Clarity by Kim Harrington

The thing about Clarity 'Clare' Fern is that she's not your average teenager. Sure, she thinks a lot about boys such as how hot newcomer Gabriel is and how much she still really likes ex boyfriend Justin even though they had a pretty nasty falling out. She also gets into verbal fights with the most popular girl from school on several occasions, not to mention how little she wants to hear about her older brother's personal life. So, even though all that makes her seem run of the mill, Clarity is anything but. She has the gift of retrocognitive psychometry. Calm down, it's not as complicated as it sounds. Basically, Clarity just needs to touch something and she might have a vision of something that happened with that object in the past.

When a murder happens in the usually safe tourist trap town she lives in, Clarity is asked to unofficially use her gift to investigate. Teamed up with Gabriel, the lead detective's son, and Justin, her ex whose dad just happens to be mayor, Clarity finds herself in the thick of things. Her gift leads her on a crazy path with a slightly unexpected ending. What I really liked about the book is that Clarity as a character is beyond the normal teenage petty jealousy for the most part. She seems pretty mature for her age and does not read like a lovesick little puppy. She's smart and a little sassy and has more than enough to deal with since her mom occasionally checks out of the real world and her brother is hiding things from her. Not to mention there are multiple red herrings to keep the mystery elements going. While I had a pretty good clue as to who committed the murder by the end, I was still thrown off the scent multiple times and found myself doubting my own intuition. Sure, the occasional teenage angst seeps in and can be a little annoying, but for the most part the story gets beyond that as Clarity has to deal with how her life changes through investigating the murder. A compelling storyline and a main character who doesn't give up in the face of adversity makes Clarity by Kim Harrington a fantastic read. Personally, I would love to see more of Clarity (and books by Kim Harrington) in the future. Highly Recommended Reading.