The first book in the Diana Tregarde Investigations series introduces romance writer/practicing witch Diana Tregarde.

When Dallas Police Detective Mark Valdez runs across crimes with a paranormal twist, he knows who to call. Mark met Diana in college when she saved him from a miscast spell he and his buddies tried one evening after drinking just a little too much. After that, he worked with her when she handled some other paranormal crimes.

Mark is a medium, but Diana put a shield on him when she last saw him to protect him. Which is lucky for him, since this new growing evil is looking for people just like him for his growing army. Diana is called in as a consultant for the Dallas Police. The two of them begin trying to track down the evil doer by doing lots of research to find out the evil one's magical tradition.

Turns out Mark's childhood friend Robert has gotten in way over his head with the occult. In exchange for fame and fortune, he has become the old god's avatar and future sacrifice. Unfortunate, his wife who Mark has fallen in love with, is also slated to be a less-than-willing sacrifice too.

The story is filled with a lot and action and danger as Mark and Diana need to find a way to battle an ancient god looking to find a foothold in the modern world.

I enjoyed all of the different mythologies that were part of this story from Cherokee to Aztec. I liked Diana who was determined to save the world and her friends. I liked that she was forced to count pennies since her paranormal gig was not a paying one and her gig as a romance author didn't make her rich. ( )

An early work in the urban fantasy genre, this one includes a Wiccan and the paranormal branch of the Dallas PD as they search for clues to a string of mass sacrificial killings. What stood out for me was the range of people who formed the "extras" in this book, everything from a young girl on her 17th birthday who meets the great evil at the beginning, to the cigar-chomping Chief of Police of Dallas, to a pesky reporter who ventures a little too far into areas he was exploring. And the characters in the extras were a good mix of men and women, something that was burgeoning in the late 80's when this book was written.

The idea was an original one: "something" is woken from a long slumber and it begins its rise to power through its old way of blood sacrifices. We see a few of the victims, dislikable types who wish to harm others or who do not care what harm is done to others as long as they get their way in the world. Detective Mark Valdez is a likable fellow who knows that what he is facing is way out of his league, so he brings in his long-time Wiccan friend, Diana Tregarde, with her paranormal abilities. And having two main characters who are just friends is a relief, and means that the plot is about solving the killings rather than "will they or won't they."

I also enjoyed Diana's networking into different areas of Dallas' paranormal community, and how they confirm that what she is facing is bigger than anything she has experienced before. Many of them have fled or gone into hiding because of the reach of this great evil that is working in the City. And both she and Mark are treated as valued members of the Dallas PD without any hesitation for their paranormal work.

What did not work well for me was the amount of time spent detailing Diana's inability to solve what the Great Evil was. I could have done with less reading about mass killing/ritual sacrifice and more about how they worked to defeat it. It was not until 3/4 of the way through the book that Diana and Mark meet with a professor who states the obvious, and it is only then that the spell of confusion surrounding Diana melts away. Which of course puts them on the right track, and good triumphs over evil. A good re-read and a good venture into this genre for this fantasy author. ( )

The best of Lackey's exotic magical books. The historical details are fascinating and the plot very believable. ( )

“Burning Water” is the first of the fantasy books by Mercedes Lackey about her character, Diana Tregarde. It takes place in 1980’s Dallas, Texas.

In this book Diana, or Di, teams up with an old friend of hers, a Dallas homicide detective, Mark Valdez, to investigate a series of murders in Dallas that involve magic and the supernatural. Valdez knows Di is a powerful witch, so when he suspects there’s a magic aspect to the murders he asks his chief to let him call Di in as a consultant. For the whole time they’re investigating they know there’s magic, but they have to keep reporting to the chief as though there isn’t, because who would believe that?

We know from the first chapter that the supernatural villain is based on Aztec mythology.

I was disappointed by the deus ex machina ending, feeling like that left the story kind of flat.

I didn’t like the depiction of white Texans in the story, their dialogue all made them sound like cartoon caricatures of Texans. Maybe many Texans talk like that, but the only Texan I personally know certainly doesn’t, he speaks English like the well educated person he is with barely an accent.

Overall, the book was alright. I was entertained for a few hours reading it. If I hadn’t already bought the two follow up Diane Tregarde novels, I’m not sure this book alone would’ve motivated me to buy them. ( )

One of Misty Lackey's best. Diana Tregarde, mystical worker teams with Detective Mark work together to solve a mystery that involves the Old Gods of Mexico. ( )