Devil's Bargain

I really should know better than to pick up a book by Rachel Caine with the intention to read just one chapter before bed because the next thing I know the sun is coming up, and I’m trying to decide between getting a few hours sleep or starting the next book in the series.

Devil’s Bargain introduces Jazz Callender, a disgraced ex cop who receives a too-good-to-be-true offer from an elite New York law firm acting on behalf of an unnamed client. In exchange for funding her own private detective agency, Jazz must partner with a stranger, ex spook Lucia Garza, and carry out the occasional task for them, no questions asked.

Devil’s Bargain is a fast paced, action packed thriller with a paranormal twist.

Caine gives us two kick@ss heroines show more who complement each other both personally and professionally. Jazz is impulsive and rebellious, while Lucía is analytical and decisive. They each have their own reasons for accepting the offer from Gabriel, Pike, and Laskins, though neither are willing to let their employer’s secrets stand indefinitely.

Supporting characters include Manny Glickman, an ex cop and tech genius with his own demons, and James Borden, Gabriel, Pike, and Laskins representative, who serves as a love interest for Jazz. Jazz’s former partner Ben McCarthy also has a passive role as the catalyst for Jazz agreeing to the deal, and her emotional state.

The mystery surrounding the firm, and their client, begins to unravel about halfway through the book, introducing the paranormal element. It’s an interesting idea that Jazz and Lucía struggle to accept, even as it grows increasingly more difficult to dismiss. I think it’s quite an original concept, I understood the characters disbelief but thought the the idea was plausible and intriguing.

Even though it’s one of Rachel Caine’s earliest published books, Devil’s Bargain is almost as polished as her later work, much of which I also love. I really enjoyed the combination of mystery, thriller, paranormal and romance in this book, and I’m eager to start the next, though as there is just the one, I’m hoping Devil’s Due won’t leave me hanging. show less

Read: March 2018
Rating: 4/5 stars

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up Devil's Bargain as I hadn't read any reviews for it. I kept waiting for the urban fantasy side of the story to kick in and it never really did. It reminded me a bit of Rachel Vincent's Unbound trilogy which also steers away from common UF tropes. Devil's Bargain was even more subtle than that, and focuses on Jazz Callender, a former police detective, who receives a mysterious red envelope offering her a large sum of money to set up a private detective agency with a woman she has never met - Lucia Garza.

I really enjoyed this story; it had mystery, the lightest touch of urban fantasy, and romance, but the best part was the friendship that developed between show more Jazz and Lucia. I love reading stories where the female characters actually help and support each other rather than reading about any clichéd bitchy nonsense, something which all too often spoils the UF genre for me. show less

And how disappointed was I when I discovered that, although I received this book from Netgalley, it is not the beginning of a new series but in fact the first of only two books written in this world, and the second book was published over six years ago? I was a bit crushed, is how disappointed.

Out of the blue one afternoon, Jazz Callender is handed a red envelope by a handsome man (in a ridiculous outfit, but I'll let that be a surprise). She's not in the mood for a Valentine from a stranger, and it's the wrong time of year, so it takes some convincing on the stranger's part to get her to open it – and even more convincing to make her take what's inside seriously. The stranger is James Borden, a lawyer with the firm of Gabriel, Pike, show more and Laskins, and what's in the envelope is an offer from said firm: they propose that she take the check for one hundred thousand dollars enclosed and use it to open up a private investigation agency. Two conditions come with the check: cases from their firm would take priority over any others, and she must go into this project with a partner she's never met, one Lucia Garza. It could be a golden opportunity – or it could be an elaborate trap of some kind. Or something else entirely. There's only one way to find out.

The worldbuilding in this book was terrific. The details are doled out carefully, and naturally – Rachel Caine knows what she's doing. She knows how to set the hook, and get a reader on the line, and reel her slowly in … She knows there's no need to dump all the facts on her in Chapter One, or even Two or Three or Ten. Once the reader's caught, she's going to be there, dying to know why Jazz isn't a cop anymore, and why her partner is in jail, and what happened to make Manny the way he is … It's a level of confidence in the patience and intelligence of the reader that isn't seen very often. It drove me crazy – I wanted the answers – but at the same time I was favorably impressed by the buildup. And there was certainly plenty to keep me occupied while I waited – this was an action-packed book. Well done.

The people who inhabit that built world were also terrific. Jazz isn't cuddly, by any means, but she's interesting, and she's sympathetic without asking for anyone's sympathy. She does not trust or take to Lucia at once; their interactions are note-perfect, completely believable. As are those between Jazz and Borden. And did I mention I loved Manny? The second-tier characters could each of them carry a book, easily. They're all competent without being superheroes (except for Manny, and he's admittedly a freak), fallible and vulnerable and coming to the page each with his own fully realized past and present, and future as well. They're not a cookie-cutter Scooby Gang, this lot.

The plot never really lets up. Caine moves it along masterfully at professional-driver-on-closed-road speeds until it executes a three-hundred-sixty-degree spin and stops on a dime, rocking gently. I've meditated before on when and whether to give out five-star ratings, and the philosophy I've developed about it is that if a book fulfills its promise, does everything it's supposed to do as an exemplar of its genre, shows off its writer's abilities nicely, and makes me happy to read it, then it doesn't have to be Tolkien or Austen or Kay: it has earned five stars.

I am very put out with Netgalley for reeling me in with this book as if it were the beautiful beginning of a gorgeous new series rather than the eight-year-old first of two books. Teases.

Great quote: P 30 - Having a family doesn't mean you have a life. Only relatives. show less

Jazz is an ex-police officer whose life was well and truly derailed by her partner being arrested – and convicted – for murder. Quitting her job and leaving some hostile officers behind who would love to lock her away as well, she is determined to have him proven innocent and validate herself, her judge of character and the trust she placed in him. And silent that nagging doubt at the back of her own mind.

Then there comes an offer that seems more than too good to be true. Funding and guaranteed cases to set up a PI firm – something she had tried to do but failed to get the financing for. And there’s only one catch – she needs to work with a partner, Lucia Garza, ex-FBI agent who is looking for a challenge and a less structured show more work place.

They’re both duly wary but they quickly work well together and even if it is too good to be true, who turns down such an offer? Even if there are guys who seem to be willing to fight – and even kill them – since the offer arrived.

But, in between their other cases, they complete their benefactors cases. Cases which seem both trivial and bemusing. It’s only when these seemingly benign cases are connected to a murder; revealing a much larger and more bizarre reason for their recruitment.

For a long time I thought I’d made a mistake with this book. I thought “Devil’s Bargain” was entirely metaphorical and there was no supernatural elements at all. I thought I’d actually picked up a standard mystery without any magic, vampires, angels or even a slightly confused Christmas elf.

And I was fine with that.

Which is saying a lot for me. Unrepentant geek that I am, I have little time or interest in books which don’t contain some element of the fantastic. Aliens, vampires or elves, it has to have something non-mundane to keep me interested. But this book I was quite happy to keep on reading without the supernatural.

The main reason for that was probably the characters. I loved Jazz and I loved how she and Lucia bounce off each other. They did fit together perfectly – and yes, it was a little freaky how quickly and amazingly they gelled (but explained within the book) – but they did gel so well. They’re funny, they’re witty, their skills go together – and even with Lucia having so many qualifications, Jazz still fits in with useful skills and additions, she isn’t the junior partner. We don’t face a classic situation of the cool, competent one and the spunky, inept yet plucky and lucky one. They’re both competent, both capable, both extremely good at their job and both bring unique elements to the partnership. I even love how she bounces off Pansy, and she only has a bit role. In fact, this is what makes the book for me – all the characters, even Manny and Pansy who are in such minor roles, are such great characters in their own right.

Read more show less

Jazz Callender is an ex-cop, but not by choice. When her partner was framed for the murders of three people Jazz went down by association. Now Jazz has no money, no resources and no way to prove her parnter innocent and get him out of jail. Enter sexy lawyer James Borden, with a red envelope and a deal Jazz is having a hard time refusing. The deal is a mysterious agency fronts her the money to open a PI agency with a new partner on the condition that all cases, earmarked by the arrival of a red envelope, take top priority over anything else they may be working on. Jazz's new partner, Lucia, is a definate perk to the deal but as things begin to get stranger both women start to get the feeling that maybe taking the deal for the agency was show more more an act of making a bargin with the Devil.

This was a romance that should have been marketed as a mystery. That certainly doesn't make it a bad story but people going in to the story thinking they will be reading a steamy courtship tale are going to be surprised. Devil's Bargin was much more a story of mystery, suspense and the build-up of the business partnership and friendship between Jazz and Lucia, than a romance between Jazz and James. Once I got past the idea that the romance was secondary I really started to enjoy the story, although mysteries aren't usually my choice.

Now that I've finished Jazz's story in Devil's Bargin, I'm interested in also reading Lucia's story in Devil's Due so expect a review on the second book of this duo in the not too distant future. show less

Jazz Callender has been handed an offer she can't refuse. She needs the money. And they know it. What's she gotta do? Just follow the directions that are given to her via a red envelope. Jazz isn't alone though, she's been given a partner, whether she likes it or not, Lucia who is the opposite of Jazz in every way. But one thing they have in common? They're both being offered something they both really want. All they have to do is sign on the dotted line. And they minus well be signing in blood.

Devil's Bargain is the first book in the Red Letter Days series. It starts off with a bang. Jazz gets down and kicks some ass. All while being buzzed. Pretty badass, right? Rachel Caine slowly drags you into this mysterious world, where people show more are chess pieces and that opponents playing are masterminds, so to speak. Psychic more like it. Moving ponds and knights where they see fit all to gain the upper hand in this deadly game. While this book starts off with a bang, Caine leads you in slowly. But there is no lack of entertainment. Caine has a firm grasp on you, slowly baby feeding you tidbits of information so that you're not lost.

When you start the book you kind of get the feel and you think you know who the bad guy is, but as the story moves along, the game changes. Ponds are taken off the game board. Knights are defending the queen and king. Rooks are moving stealthily...and then BAM the story changes with it. More information is revealed and you're stuck with a "wtf just happened" kinda face. There is romance in this book. Like the story itself, it's slow in building, but it is building. It's not a big part of the story, but I do get happy when these little scenes come up in the book (My ever beating heart dying for romance lol). When the book ends you're left at a cliffhanger. The final red envelope of this book has you at the edge of your seat wanting more.

I would definitely recommend this book. While browsing NetGalley I saw this beaut and just HAD to request it! And I was approved *happy dancing* I'm no stranger to Rachel Caine, I love her Young Adult works (Morganville Vampires) as well as her Adult works (Weather Wardens). Rachel Caine has no problem working her magic with words and delivering a story with a world so different, you kinda actually wish you lived in it. And that doesn't stop with this series. show less

An interesting premise similar to The Adjustment Bureau, but the execution's iffy, with a mean and bitter protagonist leading the way.

Devil's Bargain isn't urban fantasy, not the way it's written. Nothing paranormal is introduced until the second half of the book. A little late in my opinion. And despite the genre classification on Goodreads, it's not romantic. Expectations and enjoyment while reading suffered as a result.

The paranormal lowdown: Two opposing psychics and a theory about what and who influences human events. There are two types of people: Chorus and Actors. Chorus are people going through the motions, and Actors are influencers with the power to change major events. A person can be either one at different times of their show more lives. However, Leads are permanent Actors; almost everything they do is important, radically impacting events. The two opposing psychics are master manipulators, puppeteers if you will, pulling strings to further their own agendas, sometimes clashing. Jazz and Lucia are hired as Leads in this ultimate game of chess by the "good" side, working against the avaricious enemy.

Jazz and Lucia's partnership in their PI firm I liken to that of [b:Rachel and Ivy|30264|Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, #1)|Kim Harrison|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347814206s/30264.jpg|30640], respectively. Lucia and Ivy are both moneyed, well-connected and elegant with mad skills executed with sophisticated grace, and act ever-so-slightly aloof. Jazz and Lucia are their opposite, struggling to get by on little money and hard-earned skills and knowledge, painfully blunt in their social interactions and a self-destructive need to save everyone. Unfortunately, where Jazz and Rachel differ is in Jazz's extremely unpleasant personality. She makes a terrible first impression on everyone she meets. Everyone. Perhaps this is down to her ex-police partner's recent incarceration, but her lack of friends is noticeable and very telling.

Ben McCarthy, the imprisoned partner convicted of murder, I seriously believed to be a figment of Jazz's imagination. Though Jazz thinks of him all too often, no credible character made reference to him for the first half of the book - Manny isn't mentally stable and I thought the tiny scene with Stewart could also be a hallucination. The possibility of a schizophrenic, and therefore unreliable, main character intrigued me. And then we meet him, about 60% in, at the prison hospital after being beaten. Several hints were made indicating he'd been raped but sadly, Jazz never picks up on it. A chance to address a sensitive, important and emotive issue missed.

Counselor James Borden, the lawyer who hired Jazz and Lucia, seemed to have an instant, unfathomable crush on Jazz, and her familiarity with him over several short meetings bred lust, though romance never enters into the equation. Borden put up with a lot of crap from the hostile Jazz, including physical manhandling. Most wouldn't have stuck around and got rid of their girlfriend in anticipation of something maybe happening with her, they'd have walked away or retaliated, physically or otherwise.

Traumatised, and now paranoid, super-geek Manny Glickman was the most interesting character, the only one with a past. He just so happens to be the only character I actually liked. I'm glad to hear he also appears in [b:Working Stiff|11396864|Working Stiff (Revivalist #1)|Rachel Caine|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327231096s/11396864.jpg|13686005] which is currently sitting on my bookshelves unread.

I've been encouraged to view this as a conspiracy thriller with paranormal elements but, honestly, I wasn't thrilled. Temptation to DNF saw me scan a few reviews to see if there was anything objectionable I could use as a reason to walk away other than "this is boring". No specific objective is available for the characters to pursue, only the red envelopes with their oddly benign instructions provide any real mystery; who issues them and why? During that time the audience is strung along with shoot 'em up action which isn't particularly compelling without a reason for the duo to be hunted down and killed, which come much later.

Structurally, I find this novel frustrating. Meeting Ben earlier, having Jazz's investigation into his conviction take centre stage to focus the story, revealing the truth about the red envelopes sooner, and softening Jazz's attitude, would've proved a more engaging read. show less