Tail of the Dragon by Connie Di Marco

This is the first story that I have ever read by Connie di Marco, and this is the first ever astrological mystery novel that I have ever read. I have to say this story was truly fascinating from start to finish. This author weaves an engaging mystery; this book was so hard to put down.

Julia is enjoying her freedom doing astrological readings for her clientele and writing responses to questions for the Zodiac column in the paper. She loves her job, but when some bills pile up she's a little relieved when her old boss calls her asking for a favor. Too bad on her first day there a dead body is discovered in one of the offices. Things only go downhill from there. Julia learns that more than one person in David's firm has been threatened and when Julia goes digging for a common thread to connect them all she finds her own life may be in danger.

Julia is an engaging character and as I read I could honestly almost believe that she was a real person that you could go out on the street and meet. I found myself fascinated by her usage of not just the Zodiac but astrology to discover things about the people around her (once she learned a few personal facts about them of course). Even though this book is part of a series, I love that it can be read as a standalone and I be able to follow along with everything that is going on.

I appreciate the author bringing in Julia's love life as well. This helps to round her out as a character. She's still struggling with the sudden loss of her fiancee, and while it was almost 3 years prior she still struggles with the pain. I like how even though others dismissed her theories concerning the individuals being targeted that Julia never lets up. She comes off as determined but not hard-headed about it.

This story has a few twists that I thoroughly enjoyed and one that I didn't see until it was almost too late. I love a good mystery novel that keeps me in suspense and from figuring out who the bad guy is before the author is ready for me to do so.

There honestly isn't anything overtly that I didn't like about this book. The book has been professionally edited, and there the storyline never wanders around. I appreciate how the author stays focused on the storyline and gives us an engaging novel from start to finish. My only wish is that I wish that Julia hadn't been so afraid of the dragon in her dreams. Especially when she learns the meaning of them from her grandmother's friend.

I will warn that this story has some tragedy in it. These tragic moments are more than a couple, and they made me sad, but all-in-all, for me, they truly added more depth and humanity to the story. Which, for me, only went to enhance the story more.

I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I love a good mystery novel with some thrilling moments, a bit of romance and edge of your seat page turning. This book absolutely fits the bill. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy books by this author or who are just looking for a good mystery novel to sink their teeth into.