Murder and Moonstones by Cindy Stark [Review]

Murder and Moonstones (Crystal Cove #1) by Cindy Stark
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 29, 2021

Crystal Cove
1. Murder and Moonstones - Paperback | Kindle
2. Brews and Bloodstone
3. Curses and Carnelian
4. Killer Kyanite
5. Rumors and Rose Quartz

Cindy Stark
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Opal never expected to find a dead body shortly after returning home to Crystal Cove. But there it was, floating in the water. Still, if she’d needed a sign that she was meant to use her magic to help her grandpa solve the town’s troubles, she couldn’t ask for a better one.

Except, her police chief grandfather wants her far from danger, and his assistant police chief, though too sexy to ignore, is keeping some of the evidence to himself.

Either way, Opal’s having none of it. She’s going to prove she’s a valuable asset, and the best way to do that is to solve the crime. The police are dragging their feet, and Opal knows if they don’t crack the case soon, someone might get away with murder. If she needs help, she’ll call her BFF who may just be a psychic.

Thoughts on Murder and Moonstones: I liked this book for the most part (because it hit the high notes of a cozy mystery with an otherwise unsuspecting lady in a small town helping solve a suspicious death), but I was REALLY turned off/grossed out by Opal's boneheaded decision to cast that memory spell on her ex. There were some pretty squicky non-consent lines she crossed in doing it that sort of tainted the story for me. However, I'm holding out hope that what she did totally blows up in her face and she'll face the consequences of it down the road.

That said, Opal needs to do A LOT of growing up if she plans on helping her grandfather and the police department in the future. For all she moved away from town specifically to learn about her abilities and hone her skills, she felt very immature in her desire to show her grandfather she was an adult with said abilities. Or maybe not in her desire to be seen as an adult, but in the way she went about trying to show it.

I enjoyed the book for the most part, but I'm mostly moving forward with the series to see if Opal gets her just desserts in crossing that line. The setup for that happening looks promising (and, really, how can you hide that you just wiped your entire existence from someone's memory when the bulk of the town knows you were together in the past) and I'm curious about the ghosts (because ghosts!). In the end, I think Opal needs to grow up a bit if she wants to make the type of difference she wants to make in town.