Clarity by Kim Harrington

Publisher: Scholastic Point
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Pages: 242
Source: library
Buy It: Amazon / Borders / Barnes & Noble

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?
This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.
Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.
And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case - but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother - who has supernatural gifts of his own - becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most? --Goodreads

Clarity can touch certain objects and a vision will come to her. She is a psychic. Well, her whole family is. When a tourist in her hometown, Cape Cod, is murdered, the mayor turns to Clarity to help them solve the mystery.

This book was good. I don’t read many crime/mystery novels because there are just too many on TV these days, so I wasn’t expecting how excited I got when I thought I knew who the killer was. What I loved most was probably the way Harrington almost made every single character a suspect at one point or another. You truly did not know the actual character who killed the tourist until the end.

Clarity was a fantastic character. She was headstrong and devoted. I really loved how her character developed through the plot. Harrington did a wonderful job at describing Justin and Clare’s relationship. It depicted how Clarity was a leader, very inspiring. However with Gabriel and Clare’s relationship, it was a rollercoaster. At first Gabriel was nice, but then you flipped a switch and he was mean, then back again. He was like that for most of the novel. Changing his view about Clare every chapter or so did get annoying but after he finally told his story, it made a lot more sense. Nate, Clare’s and her brother’s friend, was one of my favorites. He was funny, sweet, and loyal (and can I say, “Yummy”). I wish I had got to see him much more in the book, but there is a sequel (I’ll be definitely on the lookout for him in that one). I am jealous of Clare and Perry’s relationship together. Perry is Clare’s brother, a player, who still can act as the protective brother type while picking up girls. I liked that Perry could only come forth with his dark secret to his sister, no one else. I also felt that when I read, I was a part of Clare’s family. It really helped bring the story to life.

Kim Harrington’s writing was exact and lovely. Through her writing, I felt that Clare’s voice came through. Her emotions, more than anything, definitely shined. The ending was shocking. I may be wrong, but if you’re reading a mystery novel and the ending isn’t shocking, then it’s probably not a good mystery novel. I wasn’t expecting that character to show up at the end at all. I loved the entire guessing game throughout the book.

Overall, this book was pretty good. It’s filled with twists and turns, up and downs, and even a killer thrown into the mix. If you like crime/mystery novels than this may be the book for you.

First Sentence:

“‘You don’t want to kill me.’ I said."

-Clarity by Kim Harrington, p. 1

Rating:

Cover: 3
Character: 4
Writing Style: 4
Plot: 4
Ending: 5