Opal Fire, a Stacey Justice Mystery, Book 1 by Barbra Annino

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“You might say everything was fine until the fire. I was back in my hometown and living in my grandmother’s guest cottage. I had a steady boyfriend, a steady job and a sturdy dog.”

Barbra Annino is an upcoming author from the United States writing fiction of the humorous mystery type and thoughtfully sent me Opal Fire which is the primary book of the Stacey Justice Mystery series to read, enjoy and review and what a read it was. I was unpredictably blown away by the gentle comedy and compelling story!

I read it during the week, on my lunch break or sitting in the house curled up on the settee and it was just the ideal book to read if you’re in the disposition for a comfortable yet gripping mystery.

The book reminded me a tiny bit of the movie Practical Magic; in a way that the key character tries to evade her true legacy. There were several great lines in there that made me titter, I almost choked on my tea with laughter as I read the line “and had enough makeup on to enter the witness protection program.” I was so glad when the core character started to believe in herself and her enchantment. As I got near to the end it felt like a chase and I just kept turning the pages over and over again to discover who the offender was and oh what a surprise it was. The book finished with the biggest astonishment of all and compels you to read the next book in the series. I even esteemed the authors memo at the end, thought it was a truly pleasant touch. The word to sum up this book has to be……..UNBELIEVABLE!

Opal Fire was an astounding read and made me feel pleased and elated. I absolutely recommend it as a relaxed yet audacious read!