Dara Roux, abandoned when she was seven years old by her mother. Exceptionally gifted in foreign languages. Orphan. Accepted to Yale University. Mackenzie Yarborough, no record of her parents or where she was born. Exceptionally gifted in math and problem-solving. Orphan. Accepted to MIT. Jennifer Torres, both parents killed in an accident when she was sixteen. Exceptionally gifted in music and art. Orphan. Accepted to Juilliard. After returning from New York City where with the help of their mentor and teacher, Carolina, they located Dara’s mother, the three FIGs as they are called—Females of Intellectual Genius—have graduated from Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women. Now they are going their separate ways for the first time in their lives to further their education and try to exist in a world that doesn’t include the protective stone walls of Wood Rose. Mackenzie also wants to try to locate her parents. Once at MIT, because of her genius at problem-solving, she is personally chosen by a U.S. Senator to get involved in a mysterious, secret research project involving immortality that is being conducted in a small village in China—not too far from where Dara is involved with the archaeological site as part of a special Yale University project. Once there, however, Mackenzie finds herself facing a terrifying death from the blood-dripping teeth of an ancient evil dragon. Her best friends, the FIGs and Carolina, rely on their own unique genius and special talents to save her as she discovers the truth of her birth parents.

***** 5 stars By Cashmer e on March 22, 2018 The adventures of Dara, Mackenzie and Jennifer continue in this third book of the F.I.G. mysteries. This time round Mackenzie is chosen to lead a project that is top secret and may lead to amazing advancements in the field of science. The project is based in China. Dara is being asked to help out at an archaeological site which is also in China. There is no doubt that both Carolina and Jennifer will accompany them there. The trip is overshadowed with a warning of danger for Mackenzie sent out by Carolina's gypsy mother in Italy. She needs to be protected from the dragon who means her bodily harm. Will her friends be able to keep Mackenzie safe, even as her genius shines in solving the problems of her secret research project? **** 4 stars By Amazon Customer on March 25, 2018 In the third book of the F.I.G Mystery Series … the three FIGs have now graduated high school and are now ready for live in the real world. Gone off in her own direction, Mackenzie is now hard at work on a secret project involving the missing element to immortality. But strange things begin to happen when her work place is strangely close to the ancient dig site where Dara is working. Soon, Mackenzie must use her problem-solving skills to solve a mystery and fight a blood-thirsty dragon. Only her friends can help her now when secrets are revealed and Mackenzie discovers who exactly her true parents are. When I first read the description of this book, I was immediately blown away. I love how the author is continuing to add more and more fantasy elements into her books. In The Clock Flower in particular, the author again made great use of research into Chinese history. Through her words, I once again felt like I was traveling the world along with the FIGs and Carolina. And the fantasy element made me only love it more. As for the characters, I was happy to see them each continue to grow. In this novel in particular, Mackenzie finally received the full spotlight on her, something that I was very happy about. Readers will enjoy experiencing the story through her eyes because you get to see exactly what she is thinking. And because she is so smart, this only makes the story that much more interesting. Mackenzie isn’t the only one who gets to grow in this story though, with Carolina finally showing more of her gypsy powers. This is an element that the author has utilized since the first book and I am very happy that she has continued with it. So few books feature gypsy culture so I am very happy to see it in this series. Another enjoyable aspect of the book was the humor the author uses. Because the main characters are so smart, they see things in a different way than others, and can be quiet frank at times. An example of this is Dara’s response to an overzealous frat boy when she first gets to her university. Scenes like this were very refreshing contrasted to the fantasy and more serious elements of the book. Also, male characters are often the ones to make jokes and snarky remarks in books because when female characters do it, they are often looked at as rude. But in The Clock Flower, it only adds a comedic element to the book. Fans of books with fantasy elements set in the real world will enjoy this novel. The author researches everything she writes, which makes the story feel that much more real. If you love exploring new cultures with a fantastic twist ending, this book is for you! ***** 5 stars By LAWonder10 on March 9, 2018 The three FIGs boarded the plane leaving to their various destinations. They will be attending different universities and will be separated for the first time since living at the orphanage. They would be leaving Caroline behind. They would avoid separation anxieties by Skyping each night at 8:30 p.m. Carolina's time. ​Jennifer was in one of her creative trances and everyone knew to avoid disturbing her until it was complete. Something was seriously happening. Carolina's gypsy mother and McKenzie knew something big was coming. They soon discovered this involved more than just them and in a faraway place.The characters, once again, seemed real and the scenes easily visualized.This is the third book of the F.I.G. series and was just as captivating as the others, if not more so! ***** 5 stars By Gaucho on March 9, 2018 As in the previous two books in THE F.I.G. MYSTERY SERIES, THE CLOCK FLOWER introduces the reader to pure enjoyment based on elements of mystery, suspense, fantasy, and humor. Barbara Casey’s research into areas that are little known and often misunderstood makes her stories interesting and realistic. I have thoroughly enjoyed all three books in this series and look forward to the next. **** 4 stars By Carla on February 26, 2018 I loved the first two books in this series based on three incredible young women and this third book did not disappoint.The FIGS are three special young women who are gifted in different areas - math, languages and the arts. They are also all orphaned and have been guided by Carolina, a special woman in her own right.This book focuses on Mackenzie, who has been gifted in math. She does not know who her parents are or even where to start but in this book we learn quite a bit more. The girls head off to university and this is where Mackenzie has her first contact with her birth family, without realizing it. She also becomes tangled in an evil plot that could see her death. ... This was an excellent book from start to finish, with a growing anticipation throughout the novel to find out the ending which keeps you reading throughout the night.