“Legend of the Jade Dragon ”

written by Harriet Klausner on 03/03/2004

Legend of the Jade Dragon
Yasmine Galenorn
Berkley, May 2004, $5.99, 273 pp.
ISBN: 0425196216

The owner of the Chintz 'n' China shop, Emerald O'Brien, is also a psychic who had her fifteen minutes of fame when she solved a double homicide thanks to the ghost of one of the victims. Business is booming as a result of that incident and people come from all over to have her do a Tarot reading.

Daniel Barrington arrives at her shop for a reading, but Emerald fears telling him how negative his future looks. When he leaves, Daniel forgets to take his expensive dragon statue with him so Emerald runs after him to give it to him. However, she sees a hit and run driver kill Daniel. From that moment on, Emerald's life spins out of control. Her store is broken into with valuables stolen or broken. Next her home is invaded. Meanwhile that dragon statue is moving about with no help and its eyes are periodically glowing. Can things get crazier and worse? Absolutely as the perpetrator abducts her son.

Yasmine Galenorn provides an offbeat, quirky and delightful amateur sleuth tale that includes interwoven paranormal elements that enhance not overwhelm the plot. The heroine is a charmer as she cheerfully copes with her two brilliant children and manages her business that she built from scratch. LEGEND OF THE JADE DRAGON is a paranormal mystery that enchants the audience with its engaging lead character starring in an exhilarating action-packed story line.

Harriet Klausner