Helpful Score: 3
This is the first in Lackey's series featuring Diana Tregarde, a witch and guardian who fights evil powers. It is different take on magic and mystic power.
Lackey is one of the best storytellers I have read, but she isn't at her best in this book. The situation is intriguing but the execution seemed lacking.
In the first place, the fact that it took Diana so very long to realize she was facing Aztec magic was frustrating. Yes, Lackey did have put in a reason for her inability to make the connection, but it still drove me crazy.
Also, the murders were numerous and gruesome. True she didn't go into unnecessary detail, but the information that was necessary was far more than I wanted.
This isn't a bad book, but it isn't up to Lackey's usual standards.
Lackey is one of the best storytellers I have read, but she isn't at her best in this book. The situation is intriguing but the execution seemed lacking.
In the first place, the fact that it took Diana so very long to realize she was facing Aztec magic was frustrating. Yes, Lackey did have put in a reason for her inability to make the connection, but it still drove me crazy.
Also, the murders were numerous and gruesome. True she didn't go into unnecessary detail, but the information that was necessary was far more than I wanted.
This isn't a bad book, but it isn't up to Lackey's usual standards.
Helpful Score: 2
It's been awhile since I read this series but I really did enjoy it. Nice mixture of the paranormal and a mystery.
Helpful Score: 1
Good. I'll be hunting for the rest of them.
First in the Diana Tregarde mystery and paranormal series, featuring homicide detective Mark Valdez and Diana, who is a witch but also an "occult consultant" and old friend of Mark's called in to help investigate a series of what appear to be cultist murders in the Dallas area. You can tell this is one of Lackey's earlier works. It's fairly simplistic and amateurishly-written without much character development. The 'mystery' really wasn't a mystery at all--poor plotting gave too much away early on, and the ending was very predictable. Another of those novels that read a bit like a bad 'B' movie script. I have the second in series here, but I think I'm going to let it go rather than carry on with the series--here are only 3 books in it, anyway. I did finish this one, but only because it was such a light, quick read. Lackey should probably stick with straight fantasy, I think.
This is the first in Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde Investigation series. Diana's a psychic cop and uses her powers to go up against Texcatlipoca, an Aztec god. Great, great book!
An interesting read!
Diana Tregarde is a fascinating character, a strong female heroinne and this series would be a perfect one that gives girls a strong feminine super hero. The Investigations are unique and the characters are well drawn and interesting. II really enjoyed the story of an ancient Aztec God wreaking vengence on modern day Dallas. Full of magic and sound modern investigation techinques. The story revolves around Mark Valdez a detective with the DPD, who possesses pyshic abilites and while on the trail of a serial killer realizes this calls for help in the form of romance writer Diana Tregarde, a practicing with who happens to be a Guardian, protector of the earth and it's citizens from unsavory and dangerous magics.
Interesting modern day witch teams up with a phychic cop to stop an anchient Aztec god.
Very graphic violence! Interesting, but not really my type of book.
Different, would probably read others in this series...but left something to be desired....
Stephanie C W. (stephanie13w) reviewed Burning Water (Diana Tregarde, Bk 1) on + 300 more book reviews
I liked this story alot ~ I'll have to find more in the series if they are available.
Diana Tregarde, witch and guardian, investigates a serial killer in Dallas and finds an ancient Aztec god.
I love these books! Comparisons with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Tanya Huff's Fitzroi and Vikki are inescapable, but these books came first and one must give Mercedes Lackey her due.
" Something is stalking in Dallas. Detective Mark Valdez feels that evil. He's dealt with the occult before and he knows he's in over his head. So, he calls in a specialist. Diana Tregarde. Romance novelist, investigator of unnatural events. Practicing witch. If any one can determine what malevolent power is loose in Dallas, she can. "
" Something is stalking in Dallas. Detective Mark Valdez feels that evil. He's dealt with the occult before and he knows he's in over his head. So, he calls in a specialist. Diana Tregarde. Romance novelist, investigator of unnatural events. Practicing witch. If any one can determine what malevolent power is loose in Dallas, she can. "
I'm reading the Diana Tregarde novels in chronological order, rather than publication order, so I came to this novel after Children of the Night. Given that, it does feel like a stronger novel -- I was involved right away, rather than spending the first 1/3 wondering if I should bother. Part of that is that I was now used to Lackey's rather purple style, but part was also that there is far less of the stream-of-consciousness italics that so bogged down Children of the Night for me. Part of it is also that the other primary viewpoint character in this novel, Mark, is much more of an active participant rather than victim, as Dave was. Very importantly, there is a reason provided for Diana totally missing the obvious answer to all her of questions for a hundred pages while Lackey got the action going. The fact that an essential clue simply slipped Diana's mind in Children of the Night annoyed me to no end, and while it was just as annoying here, at least she forgot for a reason.
Incidentally, the names in these novels are starting to annoy me. Everyone has an extremely common one or two syllable name, and an obvious nickname. That makes it very hard to separate characters that are introduced at the same time: in Children of the Night I never got the band members sorted out, and in Burning Water I still can't remember which of the Mountainhawk brothers is which. (I also had to flip back through the book and find their name -- again -- to write this review, because it too simply blended into the prose without impressing itself on me.)
Another thing that threw me in both novels was that in both someone that one of the viewpoint characters is close friends with ends up dying -- but due to the circumstances of that death, none of the other characters seem to mind much. That simply struck me as false -- no matter how much a friend may have brought trouble down on him or herself, I can't imagine myself being as blase as these characters are.
Given all that, I did barrel through the novel in a single afternoon. It's lightweight, has some humor to it, and while I wouldn't exactly call these novels mysteries -- the audience always knows exactly what's happening -- they are serviceable supernatural thrillers.
Incidentally, the names in these novels are starting to annoy me. Everyone has an extremely common one or two syllable name, and an obvious nickname. That makes it very hard to separate characters that are introduced at the same time: in Children of the Night I never got the band members sorted out, and in Burning Water I still can't remember which of the Mountainhawk brothers is which. (I also had to flip back through the book and find their name -- again -- to write this review, because it too simply blended into the prose without impressing itself on me.)
Another thing that threw me in both novels was that in both someone that one of the viewpoint characters is close friends with ends up dying -- but due to the circumstances of that death, none of the other characters seem to mind much. That simply struck me as false -- no matter how much a friend may have brought trouble down on him or herself, I can't imagine myself being as blase as these characters are.
Given all that, I did barrel through the novel in a single afternoon. It's lightweight, has some humor to it, and while I wouldn't exactly call these novels mysteries -- the audience always knows exactly what's happening -- they are serviceable supernatural thrillers.
It's a decent if rather simple horror novel, very quick reading. I thought the graphic descriptions of the violence were out of keeping with the rest of it. I haven't read any other Mercedes Lackey, from the rest of the reviews for this book I gather this isn't her finest.
I had a difficult time getting into this book. Why can I completely relate to modern writing and even old style, like Lovecraft or Austen, but give me something after the invention of television but before the Internet, and I am just lost.
Robert and Sherry don't have an ideal marriage. He has talent but no fame and a wandering eye. She has a little boy, a stifled need to create, and turns a blind eye. So when the exotically beautiful Lupe introduces them to her sisters and offers to be Robert's model, while allowing Sherry to study their intricate clothing, it seems too good to be true. And once the murders begin, it is. Enter Mark, the police detective with shielded physic abilities, and Diana, the gifted witch with a soft heart but a mean psibolt. Together, can they discover who or what is behind the strangely ritualistic murders that are growing in number and macabre details?
The very beginning of this book - where Mark recounts how he met Diana - was gripping! Loved it and thought the rest of the book would be like that. Also? I just love the Aztec culture. However, the back of the book lets you know just what Burning Water is, although the characters don't find out until more than halfway through the book. Perhaps that contributed to my opinion that the book moved too slowly (I skipped a big chunk of pages and didn't miss anything important).Also, I completely agree with the Treegarde Creed, as she called it. The last 100 or so pages were great! Even if I had the big secret figured out from the beginning...
Robert and Sherry don't have an ideal marriage. He has talent but no fame and a wandering eye. She has a little boy, a stifled need to create, and turns a blind eye. So when the exotically beautiful Lupe introduces them to her sisters and offers to be Robert's model, while allowing Sherry to study their intricate clothing, it seems too good to be true. And once the murders begin, it is. Enter Mark, the police detective with shielded physic abilities, and Diana, the gifted witch with a soft heart but a mean psibolt. Together, can they discover who or what is behind the strangely ritualistic murders that are growing in number and macabre details?
The very beginning of this book - where Mark recounts how he met Diana - was gripping! Loved it and thought the rest of the book would be like that. Also? I just love the Aztec culture. However, the back of the book lets you know just what Burning Water is, although the characters don't find out until more than halfway through the book. Perhaps that contributed to my opinion that the book moved too slowly (I skipped a big chunk of pages and didn't miss anything important).Also, I completely agree with the Treegarde Creed, as she called it. The last 100 or so pages were great! Even if I had the big secret figured out from the beginning...
I'm reading the Diana Tregarde novels in chronological order, rather than publication order, so I came to this novel after Children of the Night. Given that, it does feel like a stronger novel -- I was involved right away, rather than spending the first 1/3 wondering if I should bother. Part of that is that I was now used to Lackey's rather purple style, but part was also that there is far less of the stream-of-consciousness italics that so bogged down Children of the Night for me. Part of it is also that the other primary viewpoint character in this novel, Mark, is much more of an active participant rather than victim, as Dave was. Very importantly, there is a reason provided for Diana totally missing the obvious answer to all her of questions for a hundred pages while Lackey got the action going. The fact that an essential clue simply slipped Diana's mind in Children of the Night annoyed me to no end, and while it was just as annoying here, at least she forgot for a reason.
Incidentally, the names in these novels are starting to annoy me. Everyone has an extremely common one or two syllable name, and an obvious nickname. That makes it very hard to separate characters that are introduced at the same time: in Children of the Night I never got the band members sorted out, and in Burning Water I still can't remember which of the Mountainhawk brothers is which. (I also had to flip back through the book and find their name -- again -- to write this review, because it too simply blended into the prose without impressing itself on me.)
Another thing that threw me in both novels was that in both someone that one of the viewpoint characters is close friends with ends up dying -- but due to the circumstances of that death, none of the other characters seem to mind much. That simply struck me as false -- no matter how much a friend may have brought trouble down on him or herself, I can't imagine myself being as blase as these characters are.
Given all that, I did barrel through the novel in a single afternoon. It's lightweight, has some humor to it, and while I wouldn't exactly call these novels mysteries -- the audience always knows exactly what's happening -- they are serviceable supernatural thrillers.
Incidentally, the names in these novels are starting to annoy me. Everyone has an extremely common one or two syllable name, and an obvious nickname. That makes it very hard to separate characters that are introduced at the same time: in Children of the Night I never got the band members sorted out, and in Burning Water I still can't remember which of the Mountainhawk brothers is which. (I also had to flip back through the book and find their name -- again -- to write this review, because it too simply blended into the prose without impressing itself on me.)
Another thing that threw me in both novels was that in both someone that one of the viewpoint characters is close friends with ends up dying -- but due to the circumstances of that death, none of the other characters seem to mind much. That simply struck me as false -- no matter how much a friend may have brought trouble down on him or herself, I can't imagine myself being as blase as these characters are.
Given all that, I did barrel through the novel in a single afternoon. It's lightweight, has some humor to it, and while I wouldn't exactly call these novels mysteries -- the audience always knows exactly what's happening -- they are serviceable supernatural thrillers.
I didn't much enjoy this book. I thought the writing was a little amateurish, the story was a bit drawn out and I couldn't wait to finish it. No romance either.
