Review: Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine

Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine
Publisher-Harlequin UK Ltd
Release- Oct 5th 2012
Purchase-Amazon / B & N

Jazz Callender is an ex-cop struggling to prove her partner's innocence after he is sent to prison for murder, and she's willing to take whatever help comes along ... but she's about to make a bargain with the devil. Approached by a mysterious, attractive stranger with a check and a business offer, she finds herself plunged deep into a world where nothing is as it seems ... not James Borden, Attorney At Law, who fascinates her even as she doubts his honesty ... not Lucia Garza, her beautiful, brilliant new partner with hidden depths and secrets ... not The Cross Society, who seems to be able to know more about the cases she's being sent to investigate than Jazz does herself. With each new revelation, Jazz and Lucia uncover a world of psychic predictions and unseen forces, and find themselves playing not just for keeps, but for souls ... With lives at stake, Jazz finds that every choice she makes is dangerous ... even the one to fall in love.

My Thoughts:
I am such a Rachel Caine fan! True, I've only read one other adult book that she's written, which was the first book in her Weather Warden series, which I loved, but I'm the biggest Morganville fan evah!!
And it's that simply fact that I wanted to read this book. See, I'm not a big reader on detective type books and I'm still easing my way into adult reads, but I'll read anything Caine puts to pen.

Devil's Bargain starts off with ex-cop Jasmine Callender (Jazz) at a local bar trying to drown her worries away thinking about her ex-partner McCarthy in prison, when a guy comes strolling in and hands her a red envelope, changing her entire life. She's offered a lot of money to work with a non-profit organization that also sets her up with a new qualified partner. Jazz needs the money. Lucia needs the challenge. They're the perfect team. Only things aren't exactly what they seem and Jazz and Lucia play a bigger role then they could have possibly imagined.

This book is very different then what I thought it was going to be about. It has a little bit of everything. It's a detective novel, a mystery-thriller, part-paranormal and even has a touch of romance. 
I liked the story line. I found it a tad creepy with its dark background and the unsettled feeling of something bigger and unknown following the story around like a black cloud. But I have to admit it took a bit to wrap my head around the whole Actors/Chorus/Leads explanation and the complications and the consequences that surely follows. Yeah, I'm actually not gonna try to explain that. You'll see what I mean when you read the book.
Still, Caine brought a lot of unique and fresh ideas for this particular genre that fans will surly appreciate. While I may not have loved this the way I wanted to, I still found myself consumed from start to finish.

If there is one thing that Caine seems to nail in any book she's ever written is the remarkable way she develops her characters.
They all seem to have something in common. They are all instantly easy to connect with, likable and enjoyable to read about. The characters in this book are no different.
Jazz can seem like a giant pain. She comes fully loaded with pure attitude and sarcastic wit, she's a bit paranoid (okay a lot) but proves how truly bad-ass and capable she really is. She tends to question everything and while I usually would find lack of faith in a character to be annoying, in this case, Jazz was right on the money. The strangeness of it all is very hard to swallow.
I liked her and Lucia's banter and the way they look out for one another. They may have been two strangers thrown together for a bigger purpose but it was good to see them develop a kindred friendship. They really do make an excellent team.
As for the romance? There is some but not a huge amount. I found James and Jazz to be such a funny and unlikely pair. She's wild, careless and unpredictable while he's intelligent, educated and confident. And yet, it turned out to be this really sweet and inevitable thing. Oh! And the fruit basket scene? Adorable! 
One last character shout-out goes to Manny. He has a sad and horrible tale, but I really loved what he brought into this story.

All in all, this turned out to be a really good read. It's action packed, creatively cunning and has a mean punch. It's an interesting whodunit story with a twist of paranormal that only Caine can accomplish.
It may not be a favorite, but it was still quite the experience. Caine continues to amaze me and makes me curious enough to want to know what happens next in; Devil's Due!

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                                                                    3.5 snowflakes