Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clarity Fern, better known as Clare, is not normal. She can see things just from touching an object. She comes from a family with extraordinary abilities, but most people in her hometown of Eastport just see them as freaks. So, Clare ends up dividing her time between helping out with the family business, a psychic thrill for tourists, and avoiding the cruel taunts of her peers. But when a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare can no longer pretend to be on the outside, especially when Justin, the mayor’s son and Clare’s ex-boyfriend, begs her to use her abilities to help solve the case. And when Clare finds out that her psychic brother Perry is the main suspect, she knows she has to get involved in order to protect her family. Working with Justin and Gabriel, the son of the new detective who doesn’t believe in psychics, Clare finds herself being tested from all sides. Just how far will the killer go to stay hidden, and how far can Clare go before she’s in too deep?

Clarity is a surprisingly well-written debut for a psychic mystery. I say this for several reasons. First of all, I’ve read a handful of psychic murder mysteries already, so I assumed that Clarity would be like all the others. Secondly, Clarity is Harrington’s debut novel, so I didn’t know how well a first-timer could do with a topic that’s been done so many times before. Therefore, the depth and originality in this story came as a very pleasant surprise. The psychic element is not overdone, and though it is integral to the story, it is not the only main focus. I have to say that was a very good choice on Harrington’s part. As much, if not more, of the story is dedicated to Clare’s personal and social life as is to the actual murder mystery. I truly enjoyed reading along as Clare evaluated her relationships with her brother, her ex-boyfriend, and the new guy in town. Everything about Clarity just flows so well, and Harrington is successful in meshing Clare’s personal life with the murder mystery, which I have found is actually somewhat rare. I applaud Harrington’s wonderful and enjoyable debut and look forward to more from this great new author.

Clarity will be enjoyed by fans of Sight by Adrienne Maria Vrettos, Numbers by Rachel Ward, The Sight by Judy Blundell, Dark Visions by L.J. Smith, and Death at Deacon Pond by E.M. Alexander.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher Scholastic