Firecracker [Kindle Edition]

Charles R. Verhey (Author)

Book Description

A team of eccentric psychics who assist local authorities with difficult cases has reluctantly hired Aideen Cassidy, a timid pyrokinetic who has managed to accidentally burn to rubble every building she’s ever worked in. “It takes some real power and talent to melt a slushy machine.” Now, after months of scraping by on the last of her savings and spending every day terrified of her own gifts, she’s being given the chance to prove her worth. To be accepted for who and what she is.

But there’s more happening behind the scenes than anyone realizes, and Aideen soon finds herself caught in a conspiracy of evil monsters and dangerous assassins that dates back over six hundred years.

All she wanted to do was fit in. Now the lives of her new friends depend on her talents for fiery destruction...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a fun book that blurs the line between urban fantasy and science fiction. The characters are quirky, the action has a fast pace, and the plot is more than a little twisty. Great popcorn reading." - GoodReads (goodreads.com)

"I was pleasantly surprised to find great characterization, an interesting story, and a spunky heroine... A recommended read for urban fantasy lovers." - Jennifer Bielman (readingandwritingurbanfantasy.blogspot.com)

Product Details

• File Size: 541 KB
• Print Length: 342 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007AW9700
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,700 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed this book! March 15, 2012

By Lavender Lib

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I agree with another reviewer - it's almost a crime to get a book this good for free. The characters were well-fleshed, and believable, the plot was complex but intriguing. As soon as I finished this book, I immediately went back to Amazon to see if there were any more books in this series, or by this author.

I hope this author is writing another book about these characters. I would like to find out more about them, and their mission. I will definitely be looking for more!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Cass is hot....she has a gift which she can not control...Not what you may think :) April 16, 2012

By dcl

Format:Kindle Edition

Firecracker by author Charles R. Verhey opens with the main character, Aideen Cassidy, (prefers to be called Cass) sitting in a lobby waiting for a job interview. She is desperate for a job and feels this is her last chance, especially since she has applied to this company nine times! She has been fired from her previous jobs and she needs money to pay her rent and buy food. She grew up in a foster home and has no family other than her foster sister, Danielle, who does not always welcome Cass for visits. There is a very good reason for the loss of the jobs and a restrained relationship with Danielle, Cass is very different! Cass is hot....and she has very unusual reddish-orange eyes.

Cass has a gift which she can not control. She is unpredictable and some people feel she is too dangerous. In her past she has been responsible for burning down the Office Supplies, INC, the local ice cream store, the slushy machine at the Quickie Stop, and she blew up a car at the car wash. She does not mean to cause the fires, she is a pyrokenetic! So why would PsychTeam, which hires psychics with different abilities not accept her?

This book is very well written and the storyline does not lack thrilling sequences of action among the different psychic members of PsychTeam. Cass has a wonderful sense of humor even though she faces fears, unemployment, no friends, and has to battle for her life. Also she learns more about the mysterious 88 virus and the results of the Zoe vaccine.

The very tiny and delicate Miyuki is the boss and owner of ShoTec Pharmaceuticals and over the operations of the PsychTeam. Miyuki has severe health problems, she talks in riddles and has secrets which are unknown to the team. The members of PsychTeam are all individually interesting.... They each have a unique psychic specialty. The psychic intuitions are helpful and other `gifts' can cause the psychic extreme extrasensory pain.

Read the book to discover how the use of the latest in technology and virtual reality enhances the protection for the team members. Go with Cass as she faces her first task in finding and trying to rescue a small child, believed to be kidnapped from the school playground. No Spoilers...Lots of action! Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Quite an interesting read April 22, 2012

By Shiran

Format:Kindle Edition

3.5 Stars

Firecracker is a fantasy story that revolves around a young girl named Aideen Cassidy (aka Cass). She is a pyrokinetic psychic who is a freak amongst freaks. Cass is desperately looking for a job and when she walks into the offices of PsychTeam hoping she will finally get one, she has no idea what she's getting herself into.

This book was very interesting, I loved the constant reference to Chinese culture and how Verhey used it to make the story all that more interesting. I'm quite used to female authors in this genre and it was interesting to read it from a male's perspective, especially since the lead character was a female. I think Verhey did a great job of writing Cass, in fact the only hint in the book that it was a man writing was the very detailed references to cars and their inner workings.

I really enjoyed the other characters in the book as well, especially Li. I loved his take on life and the way he handled things. I also liked that he was not taken by Cass from the beginning but rather acted like a real person would and let his past experience dictate his actions. While the whole story is in the third person it does jump to different characters POV and once or twice this got a bit muddled but for the most part worked really well. It allowed you to see things from all the characters perspectives and understand them better.

I must say that I was kept guessing the whole way through the book, at no point did I know what was going to happen or figure out what the `secret' was. Having said that I did find that there were a few unanswered questions at the end and I got to the point where I was ready to find everything out and it still lagged a bit from there.... But I still wanted to keep on reading because I really wanted to know how it all ended. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars. I am dying for the second book already. May 12, 2012

By Jennifer Bielman @ Reading & Writing UF & PNR

Format:Kindle Edition

From Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance

3.5 stars

The Good
A Good Direction...
I started this book not knowing really what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find great characterization, an interesting story, and a spunky heroine. I really like the direction this book went because it both satisfied me and raised some questions I hope will be answered in a second book.

On Fire...
Aideen Cassidy, or Cass, has an awesome power that she unfortunately hasn't quite learned to control. That's why she can't find a job. The rumors have spread and people just don't like being set on fire, so they all stay clear of Cass and her pyrokinetic ability. But the head of PsychTeam (a group of psychics who use their powers to help local authorities catch bad guys) has taken an interest in Cass, so they give her a chance. But Cass starts having second thoughts as things go from bad to worse in a matter of days. A little girl has been kidnapped and will die if Cass can't find her in time and an ancient evil has reappeared and is targeting all of Cass's friends. Can Cass learn to control her powers enough to save the ones she cares about?

A Firecracker...
I think Cass was an all-around quirky character. She was uncoordinated and emotionally unstable. She cried at the drop of a hat and embarrassed herself more times than I can count. But I think this mess of a person actually made Firecracker fun to read. She was far from perfect and wore her uncool badge proudly. Her appearance also cracked me up. I could easily imagine her red hair poking out every which way and her freaky red-orange eyes almost always full of tears, and the insistent red flush she adorned when she was embarrassed.... I pictured her a bit geeky and awkward, which fit her personality. I liked that she was ruled by her emotions, constantly setting things on fire because of her Ninja fast highs and lows. We meet her when she is at an all time low-point in her life and as the novel went on, she grew in strength, determination, and bravery.

Yin and Yang...
Agent Li was an interesting yin to Cass's yang. He was the cool cat: onfident, gorgeous (and he knows it), and kick-ass. But he does not like Cass, well, not at first. He sees her as a menace to society and PsychTeam and would like nothing better than for her to quit. But he never knew how bull-headed one girl could be. He slowly comes to admire her for she has strength that not many possess, strength that might actually save his life.

Shocking...
The tension and suspense was very well done. I felt all the emotions I was suppose to as the bad guys went after the characters I grew to care about. The climax was very big and satisfying. I was shocked by some of the events, which is always a nice change to the easily predictable plots I have been reading lately.

A Complex World...
I like the world Verhey created, a world I think has some true potential in growing into a great series. The backstory on how these psychics came to be a part of society was especially intriguing. It's a complex world that we only get to see a glimpse of though. I can only hope another book is on the way because I was left with many questions by the end.

The Bad
I found that this book had a lot of lulls in it, times where I could easily put the book down. I was expecting more action.

The description and backstory were way overdone at times. Made it a bit boring. Again, I just wanted to get to the action.

One thing I couldn't stand was the POV shifts. It's something you rarely see in traditionally published books because it's hard to do seamlessly. And by seamlessly, I mean I should not even notice it is happening till after the fact. I noticed the "head-hopping" right away.

There was a part of the story in which a character asked someone who just betrayed him if they would still be friends when they saw each other again. If you saw what this betrayer did, I think you would agree that you wouldn't be asking if you could still be friends, you would be beating his face off. This character's reaction just irked me and I had to walk away from the book to calm down.

The Snuggly
Not much romance in this book. Cass has a major crush on Li and he kind of plays around with her, but that's it. But this is no YA book either. Expect profanity, which I thought added to the feel of the book very nicely.

Overall
By the end, I was very glad I read this book. The characters really drew me in, even if their actions were a little frustrating at times. When the action was present, it was very well written and the slow to come revelations were worth the wait. A recommended read for urban fantasy lovers.

Quotes
"He's really not so bad, once you get to know him." There was something about Neda's sophisticated British accent that was so appealing. She probably could have said I'm going to (poop) my pants now, and to Cass's ears it would have sounded regal.
~~~~~~~~~

He headed to the bar to pour himself a Crown Royal on the rocks. "Want one?"

"No." Actually, yes, but "I can't. I'm not allowed to drink."

"Personal rule?"

"Federal rule, by order of the United States Fire Safety Commission." Read more ›

More About the Author

I am a storyteller, in the classic sense of the word. This is best represented in my love of tabletop role-playing games, which are nothing more than an excuse for me to invent new characters, new stories, and new adventures every week. My friends can provide me with some incredible inspiration through their portrayals of unique characters in my made-up worlds.

I am a fan of the works of Dean Koontz, Jim Butcher, Janet Evanovich, Christopher Moore, Steve Perry - just to name a few. And yes, I do also enjoy the latest hyped book like the Harry Potter and Hunger Games books.

My Creative License states: I believe characters develop better than settings; love and faith are powerful and sometimes dangerous forces; physics and science are just toys for me to play with; anything and everything that can go wrong with a plan WILL go wrong; evil doesn't always need a motive; and the light will always triumph over the darkness - though it's never an easy victory.