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Emerald O'Brien's life is finally going well. Happily divorced from her abusive husband, she has opened her shop, The Chintz 'n China, in a small town in Washington State. On the side, she also reads tarot cards for her clients and business is booming. Her children are doing well and she has two handsome men interested in her. Times are good. Then a man asks for a reading and the cards tell of a terrible future. Just as he leaves the shop, his fate comes to fruition and Emerald is left with a small, hand-carved jade dragon that the man accidentally dropped in her store. She gets strange vibrations off the dragon, but being sensitive, she expects such things. Within days Emerald's luck changes. Her shop and home are trashed, she's menaced by a stranger, and one of the men she has come to have feelings for goes to Hollywood to pursue his dream. On top of that, the jade dragon begins to move on its own and its eyes sometimes glow red. Emerald intuits that the dragon is cursed, and it's up to her, with a lot of help from her friends, to figure out the curse and lift its bad luck from her family Author Yasmine Galenorn, a practicing witch and well-known for her natural spells and charms, has written a mystery book with very little of the traditional mystery in it. The main theme of this story is Emerald O'Brien's life, her friends, clothing, meal plans, her children, the occasional astral projection, and finding out about the curse -- pretty much in that order. Most of the book drags as we follow Emerald as she interacts with people and chooses her outfit for the day with an occasional reference to the mystery. But, at the last pages, just as we hope for a merciful finish to the tale, the book picks up and becomes a fast-paced and exciting read. THE LEGEND OF THE JADE DRAGON is marginally a mystery, more a visit with a divorced soccer mom, whose unusual interests include magic. It's pleasant enough, but with a dearth of excitement until the final two chapters. If you get THE LEGEND OF THE JADE DRAGON as a gift, or from the library, read it. The end is fun. But if you're looking to purchase a solid mystery cozy, it would be a good idea to pass on this one.
Reviewed by Sharon Katz, May 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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