I enjoyed this book. It was a nice quick read. A Claire Abbot Mystery. I have never read any books by Gail Anderson-Dargatz. I found myself not wanting to put the book down.

This mystery was of an arsonist setting fires. Claire Abbott has visions and she thought she knew who was the firebug. I will be looking for more books by Gail Anderson-Dargatz ( )

This is the second book in the Claire Abbott mystery series. It's also a “Rapid Reads” book, so meant as a quick read or for adult literacy learners. I have an Advanced Reader's Copy here.

Claire is a reporter in a small town. She is dating one of the firemen, Trevor, but Matt is interested in her, as well, so she decides to date both at the same time, while constantly being warned that she'll have to choose between them. There is also an arsonist in town and she is trying to figure out who it might be.

It was ok. I read and enjoyed the first in the series more. It is very simple and it took less than an hour to read. I was able to figure out the arsonist without too much trouble. ( )

Playing With Fire by Gail Anderson-Dargatz is part of the Rapid Read series published by Orca Books in Vancouver. The objective of this publishing venture is to write short, easy-reads for people who don't normaly read a great deal, or who want something quick and fun for a short trip like a plane ride. I really don't feel I am the target audience for this type of fiction. I chose the book from the offered list because it was a mystery by a writer I have heard good things about. Dargatz was apparently nominated for
a Giller award several years ago. But this short novel reads like a Harlequin romance. I guessed the
culprit in the mystery half-way through the novel and the romance was so steamy and over the top that I felt like the author was breathing down my back.There is a slight twist for the mystery and perhaps some readers, younger readers would find this to be a lot of fun. Everything is wrapped up nicely by the end of the book, the decision of who the protagonist should fall in love comes into place by the end and even the villain of the book, the arsonist repents for his misguided ways. It is all very gentle and moderate. Again I am not the ideal reader for this type of work so I gave it my best, but it really didn't move me in any way.

I received this book to review for LibraryThing. I also reviewed the first book about Claire Abbot,"Search and Rescue", and found it more interesting than this one since I was able to guess who the "bad guy" was right from the beginning. Claire Abbot is a journalist with a sixth sense in a small Canadian town. In this book her sixth sense leads her to the arsonist in town with a few misteps on the way. There is also a romantic element which would appeal to teenage girls. This is part of the Rapid Reads series designed to appeal to reluctant or ESL readers but interesting enough to appeal to anyone wanting a quick read. I'm looking forward to the next addition to the series to be published in 2017. ( )

the publisher of PLAYING WITH FIRE, by gail anderson-dargatz, orca book publishers, isn't kidding with the label of "rapid reads." i opened the book at 3:40p and turned the final page by 4:00. PLAYING WITH FIRE is a quickie mystery, the second in a series featuring small town newspaper reporter claire abbott.

as expected, the story line moves quickly & there is minimal character development (although i wouldn't mind seeing more of claire's quirky mother). the narrative is chatty & reliant on descriptions like "yummy" & "manly". claire has begun experiencing "visions," but even without paranormal insight, the identity of the firebug is evident early on.

however, this series serves a vitally important function: as a hi-lo (high interest/low reading level) book, the intended audience is adults who have recently learned to read, or adolescents who are struggling readers. while claire's age, "31 next spring," might be offputting to the latter group, PLAYING WITH FIRE is similar in tone to janet evanovich's stephanie plum books, & will encourage adult new readers to continue to explore the printed word.