Tail of the Dragon by Connie di Marco
San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti never thought murder would be part of her practice, but now, Julia’s former boss and current client has asked for help. He has serious problems at his law firm. Two attorneys and a paralegal have received death threats and the only common denominator between all three is a case long settled — the highly publicized Bank of San Francisco fire. Julia’s convinced a woman is behind the threats, perhaps even the widow of the man who died in that same fire, but no one wants to listen — they can’t believe astrology could provide a clue. Before Julia can help her client, two lawyers are dead and her own life is threatened. Can she unmask the killer before he (or she) takes another life?
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery
Published by: Midnight Ink
Publication Date: August 8th 2018
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 0738751065 (ISBN13: 9780738751061)
Series: Zodiac Mystery #3
Tail of the Dragon by Connie di MarcoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Julia Bonatti is back in the latest Zodiac Mystery, and she going to work for former boss, David. Three of his team members are being targeted by someone unknown. The only thing linking all three people is a large case years ago involving a fire in bank in San Francisco that left one man dead. Things really heat up when the death threats turn out to not be threats but, rather, promises. Julia jumps right into the fray to help her temporary boss, and his legal firm, to prevent any more deaths. Someone knows what she’s up to, however, and she finds herself a target in the killer’s games. Using her astrology, Julia must catch a killer before anyone else, including herself, gets injured or winds up dead. No pressure, or anything!
Tail of the Dragon is a good addition to the Zodiac Mystery Series. The twists and turns in the book had my head spinning as I desperately tried to piece things together. The author pulled in several characters that had motive, means, and opportunity to I enjoyed at the ebb and flow of the book and how the author tied everything together. The multi-faceted story kept me engaged and interested throughout the entire book.
I found Julia’s critical thinking skills to be pretty lacking in Tail of the Dragon, though. There were several instances that fully warranted the police being called, if for nothing else, a police report, and she just didn’t. Pretending nothing happened because you don’t want to deal with it is a good way wind up dead.
I was really bummed about the extra helping of astrology talk we got in this book, too. If you’ve read my reviews of the first two books you’ll know that I’m not into astrology. I am, however, open minded enough to read books that feature things that are different from what I believe, practice, or find interesting. For those of us who don’t know a thing about astrology, there was just too much in this book. Most of it wasn’t really explained well enough for non-believers, or those who are unfamiliar, to understand. I was lost every time Julia got in her Zodiac zone.
As someone who isn't really interested in astrology, I had a hard time relating to her in that respect. However, as the story progressed, I was able to push the astrology parts aside and focus on the characters and the plot. I was able to relate to her better throughout the non-astrological sections of the book. During the parts where she had to revisit her past, I really felt her emotions bleed through the pages. She’s still grieving because there really hasn’t been any closure to the tragedy that struck her a few years prior. When information regarding the cold case is found, not only does hope bubble up, but her emotional wounds are reopened.
Regardless of my opinions (and that’s all they are) about the astrology content, I still find the series interesting and read-worthy. I would like to see where the author takes Julia in terms of her love life and the resolution of the tragedy from her past. The author does a great job weaving together different threads so I have no doubt the next book will be just as fun, unpredictable, and suspenseful as Tail of the Dragon and the first two books.
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I enjoy a book that has so many twists and turns that you just have to keep reading to find out how it all comes together and this book sounds like it has it all.
ReplyDeleteHi Amber ~ Thanks so much for hosting my stop today and for reviewing Tail of the Dragon. Sorry you found the astrological references confusing, it's a razor's edge to walk, some people want to know more, some less, and then professional astrologers will pop up to tell me I've made a mistake. You just never know, but I do my best to be accurate.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to be visiting with you again and I'm glad you enjoyed Julia's latest adventure!