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Diana Tregarde Investigates by Mercedes…
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Diana Tregarde Investigates (edition 2006)

by Mercedes Lackey

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2506106,161 (3.98)5
Member:kmartin802
Title:Diana Tregarde Investigates
Authors:Mercedes Lackey
Info:SFBC (2006), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 800 pages
Collections:Your library
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Tags:Fantasy

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Diana Tregarde Investigates (Children of the Night, Burning Water, & Jinx High) by Mercedes Lackey

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Three (the only three, unfortunately) books of Diana Tregarde - urban fantasy before urban fantasy was in fashion. Diana's a witch (both a Wiccan, vaguely portrayed, and a magic-user) with an extra power and duty through her role as a Guardian. Here you encounter the three stories in internal chronology order (they were published 2, 1, 3), which I think makes them richer. I've read all of them so often they're hard to review - though I must admit that I discovered a few new things (or at least, things I'd forgotten) in this readthrough. Children of the Night - Diana is a couple years out of college, living in New York and working on a romance novel (possibly her first - not clear). She manages to encounter, through her own activities and those of friends, three different types of vampire - one irredeemably evil, one mixed (multiple individuals with their own agendas), and one...pretty much a good guy. And that last is the standard blood-drinker - which Diana didn't believe existed. Then things get interesting... Burning Water - Diana, now an established romance writer, is called down to Texas by an old friend, now a cop, to help him deal with something that's looking nastier than a simple serial killer to him. He's got good instincts. Ritual murder (somewhat explicitly described), plus recruitment of Native Americans (whether they want to join up or not), is designed to raise a god - one who thinks said ritual murders are a good idea and doesn't think much of whites (or natives who don't support him, for that matter). Again, things get interesting. And then Jinx High - Diana is again called on by a friend, this time to Tulsa. His son is being targeted by...something, he can't tell what. And neither can Diana. In all three books, we the readers get to see what the villains are up to while Diana and friends flounder...here, that gets rather nasty, as we see what she's up to and how she thinks (or not). The climax comes at the school dance, with some rather dramatic magic pyrotechnics. I love this series and I love Diana - there are some short stories out now, and maybe possibly the author will decide it's safe to write another Diana book (she stopped the original series because some of her readers seemed convinced, to the point of sending her death threats, that the magic was real and she was suppressing them from their magic...sheesh). I'd love to see more of what Diana's been up to... Separate (I can't say more detailed, this time) reviews on the individual books. ( )
  jjmcgaffey | Dec 16, 2010 |
Let me get this out of the way up front: I'm not a fan of Mercedes Lackey. I've given up on her fantasy series; I put them in a pile with Star Wars novels and the books of Brian Herbert for giveaway or composting. However, this trilogy isn't too bad. It's readable and moderately engaging, and other than an interlude with a Thelemite that deeply offended my friend in the O.T.O. its take on the occult is tolerable. Has some similarities to the (far better IMO) Dresden Files. ( )
  midikiman | Jun 20, 2010 |
An omnibus containing all three of Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde novels. The series follows Di, a witch and sometime-paranormal investigator, as she cracks a series of supernatural cases. Reviewed separately below:

In CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, Di finds herself up against a different sort of vampire.

If you're an urban fantasy and/or paranormal romance fan, you might want to pick this up just to see how the genre started out. Lackey began writing her Diana Tregarde books in the late 1980s, and you can tell that the genre was still just finding its legs. There are a lot of ideas here that have become well-worn tropes, though. The whole Wicca-as-firey-bolts thing, (which I'm personally rather uncomfortable with), rears its head, as does the vampire lover - the 200-something French vampire lover at that. (Oh, 200-something French vampires! Seriously, who wasn't vamped during the French Revolution?) And of course, we've also got a kick-ass heroine who does karate, throws psi-bolts at her enemies, and remains vulnerable on a personal level. It's proto, but it's recognizable proto.

Of course, there's also plenty here that might put readers off. I myself find Lackey's use of italics and internal monologing a little tough to swallow. The story itself isn't the deepest thing out there, either. And there are just a few too many backstory bits that feel gratuitously inserted.

But on the whole, this was a quick and enjoyable read. If you're looking for a lighter read, you could do worse.

3 stars.

--------------------------------

In BURNING WATER, Di's friend Mark calls her in to deal with a supernatural menace on the streets of Dallas.

This book is rather unusual, as paranormal mysteries go: it features a strong female lead with some kick-ass magical skills, and it's in no way a romance. Di makes it clear that she's not interested in sleeping with Mark, who has his sights set elsewhere anyways. They're friends, sure, and they're willing to back each other up, but there's not a shred of sexual tension between them.

It's also a bit of a divergence in that the kick-ass girl isn't really the main character. (Or a girl, for that matter. Both Mark and Di are in their late 30's). It's her series all right - it says so on the cover - but Mark's our way into the story. His POV is far more prevalent than Di's. We see most of the action through his eyes, not hers. His emotional link with the baddie's family also provides us with an emotional link to the story.

Otherwise, it's a fairly standard paranormal mystery... except that it's not much of a mystery because the reader knows exactly who's behind the killings. There's no guess-along element, which means that there's very little suspense. We aren't hoping against hope that Di and Mark will track down the killer before s/he strikes again. We're mostly just frustrated because they're on the wrong track entirely. Lackey does eventually explain why it takes them so long to cotton on to what's going down, but I found it too little too late. Actually, there's a lot here that comes in a bit too late, or that's never fully explained. And I mean, I can live with that, but I need to at least feel like the author's given me what I need to figure this stuff out for myself. I'm not sure that Lackey did so here.

Maybe that's a little harsh. It is a decent book, if you're fond of paranormal mysteries, and the Aztec angle is rather different from anything I'd personally read before. For the most part, though, I'm a little disappointed. I really like guessing along. I like figuring out whodunnit. When the author tells me straight out in the first chapter, then fails to really develop some of the other stuff I was interested in... well, that kind of takes the shine off it all.

Maybe I'll like it more the next time through.

2.5 stars

-------------------------------------

In JINX HIGH, Di investigates some suspicious dealings at a friend's son's high school.

I think this was my favourite of the three. It's not great literature, but it was a fun, entertaining read. Once again, Di herself isn't at the centre of things; Deke, her friend's son, serves as our gateway into the story. He's evidently the one we're meant to identify with, and he fills the role reasonably well. Ditto for Monica, the new girl on campus who's set her sights on him. They're both reasonably likeable kids with enough flaws that they don't come across as idealized types.

I also appreciated the story's structure. Lackey takes longer to reveal the culprit this time around. We do discover their identity long before Di and Larry, but we still learn a few key facts right alongside the protagonists. I much prefer this approach. It's not quite guess-along, but it's close enough that I was still pretty happy with it.

I enjoyed all the writerly stuff, too. I wonder how much of the criticism Di gives Monica reflects what Lackey herself received while she was working on ARROWS OF THE QUEEN?

On the down side, there are plenty of areas where Lackey could have delved much, much deeper. She sets up several situations quite nicely, then fails to deliver the goods. And there was one really weird consistency error that had me scratching my head.

Overall, though, I'd recommend this to any paranormal mystery fan looking for a quick, entertaining read. It's not mindblowing, but it's a decent way to spend a few hours.

3 stars

All these reviews originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina. ( )
1 vote xicanti | May 23, 2009 |
Before Buffy or Anita Blake, there was Diana Tregarde. A bit dated by some references, but a great protagonist and interesting secondary characters. ( )
  eviltammy | Feb 15, 2008 |
If Mercedes Lackey had kept writing this series, Anita Blake would have some serious competition. Diana is aromance author, who also happens to be a Guardian - one who protects humanity from supernatural dangers. Three great books back in print! This hardcover omnibus from SFBC is very nice, without the usual cheesy cover. They are also available in trade papberacks. Highly recommended. ( )
  jshillingford | Jun 28, 2007 |
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