Reviews (7)

Better-Than-Average Mystery
I generally love romances and merely tolerate mysteries, but I enjoyed reading Caught in the Net.Jessica Thomas does a good job keeping the reader's attention.She presents both obvious and hidden clues without revealing "who dunnit" too early.The only shortcoming of this book was in the relationship between Alex and Janet.The two women said "I love you" after only a few dates without any real build-up.

Get Caught for an evening!
A new dyke detective for the armchair mystery fan has arrived!Caught in the Net is a first novel from Jessica Thomas and introduces Alex Peres.Alex is a thirty-something dyke who lives (and grew up) in Provincetown, Massachusetts.Arguably, one of the country's most famous resort towns for gays and lesbians, Provincetown is "that strange and beautiful place, where the men are pretty and the women are tough." (p1)With its seasonal population tide of tourists Provincetown plays as much of a role in Caught in the Net as many of the characters and Thomas brings the town's New England quirkiness and its queer color to life for her readers.
Entertaining but predictable
Less than 1/4 of the way through the book, I knew exactly how the ending would go, but the story was so entertaining that I really didn't mind. Jessica Thomas does a great job with her characters! I can hardly wait to read her next one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - General    2. Crime & mystery    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    6. Fiction   

Reviews (14)

A Weak Murder Mystery
While working out at the local gym, New Orleans private detective Chanse MacLeod meets a good-looking young man with a problem.It seems that someone's been threatening to reveal his rich, closeted boyfriend's identity to the public unless he comes up with $50,000.Seems like a simple case of blackmail until Chanse finds the young man dead.Against his better judgement -- and that of the police -- Chanse sets out to find out who killed his client, following a winding trail through New Orleans high society and the world of gay rights.
Big Easy Gay
This review is for the Alyson Publications trade paperback first edition, January 2002.
Summertime, and New Orleans is SULTRY !
Greg Herren has put together an interesting cast of characters in MURDER IN THE RUE DAUPHINE.A former New Orleans cop, who just happens to be gay, is now a private detective who repeatedly states, "I don't do murders."Chanse MacLeod is the P.I. in question, and he is hired by a young "body beautiful" to find a blackmailer.The pretty-boy is having an affair with a very rich and prominent married man.Their sexual escapades have been captured on videotape...and there, as they say...the plot thickens.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Gay    4. Gay men    5. Hate crimes    6. Louisiana    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. New Orleans    10. New Orleans (La.)    11. Private investigators    12. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Reviews (2)

An hour and a half of FUN!
Biceps of Death is another pleasurable read by the extraordinarily witty author David Stukas.I have certainly enjoyed his books for the mere reason that they are an enjoyable escape from reality.All his novels are extremely easy to read, yet thoroughly entertaining.I love the verbal aerobics that are constantly flying between the principle characters.If they were real people I'd be more than happy to congregate with them and listen to their banter in person.If you have an hour or two to spend, pick up these books.You will be delighted you did.

Biceps Of Death - A fun read
I just finished David Stukas' latest novel "Biceps of Death."It falls into my recent kick of reading gay amature sleuth novels.If you have read any of Stukas' other work you know he has no grip on reality and a very campy sense of humor.If you like the combination of a clueless gay man, a six foot amazon lesbian mystery novel buff with bright red hair, and a sexually compulsive rich leather queen, then you will enjoy all of the books in this series.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Gay    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    7. General & Literary Fiction    8. Literature of special Gay interest   

Reviews (3)

Miller Pleases--Again
Ms. Miller has pleased her mystery readers again in Mayhem At The Marina. Entertwining plot lines pick up from her first novel--The Killing At The Cat and send us off to a wonderfully full community of warm characters at a Florida marina. Mayhem at the Marina
Carlene Miller integrated character development, intrigue, sex, and mayhem all into a tidy little ball.The author gives each character many roles.Damaris was an alluring yet spooky international icon...fighting againstthe evils of her country.Charlie was the tough kid, needing some place tocall home and some one to love her.And Lexy finds herself in many daringsituations from being killed to being committed to Wren.I enjoyed the waycommunity (straight & lesbian plus the spanning from the very young tothe elderly)was integrated even though there were a few snags. It take alot for people to step out and say they'll help when there are so manyunknowns, yetRobbie, Marilyn (the Admiral), Meg, Cap, and Lexy all took achance to make Charlie a new life.I found Lexy Hyatt's second book beforeher first and I can't wait to read it too.

Interesting people -- arresting plot; even better than Cat.
In Mayhem at the Marina, Carlene Miller capitalizes on her ability to weave an intricate plot and to create believable characters.The plot is easier to follow than in Killing at the Cat, but is also more believablycomplex.Instead of setting up characters as suspects like tenpins andthen knocking them down, she has the several strands of the plot quitelogically produce people who have urgent motives for killing.The plotalso deals with contemporary issues that matter to the people of hersetting, a small marina in small-town Florida. As in Cat, Miller creates asizable group of disparate characters, all of whom connect to each other insome way.Most are vividly drawn and individual, especially the perverselycharming Charlie and the exotic Damaris.Some of the older women do notstand out as sharply -- Fran and Donna, for example -- but the "IronMaiden" from Cat reappears, strong and unique.Even the men in thisfemale genre are well-drawn, particularly Cap and the vile Steve. With thissecond book, Miller has honed her style, making it cleaner and sparer. Occasionally it becomes too spare, too many sentences beginning with thesubject-verb beginning, for example.Gone are many of the heavy referencesto Lexy's past as an English teacher with a penchant for correctinggrammar.Instead, that past is used to develop character, helping her tounderstand the teenage Charlie.Still somewhat annoying is the speechhabit of starting sentences with the verb (Looked out and saw...Wanted toknow...), a habit which could conceivably belong to one character but notto so many. One major drawback of the novel is the vagueness of Lexy'scharacter and/or personality.It is difficult to understand sometimes whatthe other characters see in her when so many of them are more interestingthan she is.Perhaps it is the choice of writing in the first person thatmakes Lexy not as fully limned.A future book written in third personmight showcase Miller's considerable talent for creating believablecharacters in arresting plots. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Hyatt, Lexy (Fictitious charac    4. Hyatt, Lexy (Fictitious character)    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Mystery & Detective - Series    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery fiction    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Women journalists    12. Adventure / thriller    13. Crime & mystery   

Reviews (2)

Another Jessica Thomas Hit
I thought that I liked Jessica's first book, Caught in the Net, but listen...this second one, Turning the Tables, is really fantastic.Of course having Alex, Fargo, Sonny and the others along again was great.But the easy readability and riveting thought keeps you in it page after page.And the details and nuances are great with Peter and the Wolf and the tacky little house boy, Lewis.Great reading and lots of fun. I recommend it without question.
Hooray for Alex!
I really enjoyed Jessica Thomas's second offering, "Turning the Tables." Her characters are interesting and funny, and I can only hope to see them again in a third book! Her plot twists and situations are full of intrigue, yet believable and easy to relate to. I adore Fargo, Alex's dog, and returning characters including Sonny, Joe, Harmon and Aunt Mae. And hooray for some pulse-quickening passion coming Alex's way! I give "Turning the Tables" my whole-hearted recommendation, and I hope other readers enjoy it as much as I did! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths   

Reviews (1)

Familiar struggle
How honest should you be with your life?That is a question that every gay or lesbian eventually has to answer.The question lies at the heart of this book.How much should you risk to be comfortable with yourself?And don't let anyone tell you that being "out" is the answer for everybody.It was interesting to see that Karin Kallmaker wrote a review for this book.Kallmaker has to be THE premier writer of lesbian novels right now, but she doesn't mind giving praise to another writer's work.I agree with her about Under the Southern Cross.The Carol Ashton series by McNab is entertaining reading, but this book is much better developed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Lesbian    4. Crime & mystery   

Reviews (1)

Oh Captain, My Captain
This collection of short stories is a must read for one reason: the central novella, "Oh Captain My Captain." I liked the other stories, but this story is simply delicious. A young startrooper signs on for a deep space voyage with the mysterious Captain Drake, who has...needs. The needs are fulfilled in Zero G and just about every other place on the ship...except in the Captain's quarters where the secret to Drake's nature is hidden. I think this may be Katherine Forrest's most erotic writing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Detective and mystery stories,    2. Detective and mystery stories, American    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Science Fiction    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Popular American Fiction    8. Science Fiction - General    9. Science fiction, American    10. Modern fiction   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    6. Mystery/Suspense   

Subjects:  1. English Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Mystery/Suspense    5. Crime & mystery    6. Literature of special Gay interest   

Reviews (25)

One of the Best
For fans of the Mark Manning series, this will rank high on the favorites list. Craft gives an interesting display of the minature world of hobbies along with a challenging web of mystery. Clues begin popping up in early pages, but most readers will have to stayed glued to the unfolding chapters to find the murderer. A well-researched and plotted mystery.

Dollhouses and Adult Videos
In NAME GAMES, Michael Craft's fourth novel in this series Mark Manning has settle in in Dumont, Wisconsin, has taken over the reins fo the local newspaper, his lover Neil is in town working as an architect for the local printing company, and the two of them are finding they like being the parents of Thad, the sixteen-year-old they have "inherited" when his mother was brutally murdered in volume three of the series, less than a year ago. The peace and tranquility will not last for long, however. Grace Lord, owner of The Nook, a shop specializing in furniture for dollhouses, has scheduled an annual regional exhibition of the Midwest Miniatures Society for the people who design and collect these dollhouses or "roomboxes." Any writer who can write an interesting story about such an unusual subject-- and that's putting it nicely-- obviously can write about anything. Carroll Cantrell, the outrageously gay and national authority on these little houses, soon after he arrives to judge the competition, is found brutally murdered in Ms. Lord's carriage house. Pierce, the friendly local sheriff whom we know from the previous mystery is outed as a gay man when he turns up as a suspect since he has been sleeping with Cantrell since his arrival in Dumont.
Twists and Turns....
NAME GAMES is a fascinating and exciting addition to the Mark Manning Mysteries.The plot lines keep getting better and more complex.This particular book is replete with clues for the "wanna-be" slueth in all of us, and a careful reading will provide the reader with all he or she needs to "figure-it-out".Porn, sex, "outing", and murder all add up to a fun read.Don't miss this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Gay    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery & Detective - Series    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Crime & mystery    8. Literature of special Gay interest   

Reviews (9)

Great Read!
Lauren Maddison has a great way of writing talking, like regular people would talk to each other.I like her writing style and this series of books featuring Connor Hawthorne is a great adventure.I hate to come to the end of the story and yet I can't put these books down.I recommend all three of these books, and I hope there's more to come very soon.Highly Recommended.

Lived up to my expectations
"Witchfire" is the second installment of the Connor Hawthorne mystery series. In this book Connor's beloved grandmother's grave is desecrated in Glastonbury, England in addition to other mysterious killings. Connor, along with Laura (lover), Malcolm (best friend), and Nathaniel (father), fly to England to investigate. All of them get swept up in a tangle of ancient mythology and spirituality that threatens all of their lives and the balance of humanity. Lambda Literary Nominee! And I can see why!
This author reaches for more than just standard mystery themes. There are levels within levels, and a lot of food for thought. Plus it is written with an engaging, intelligent style--a big cut above your average so-called "lesbian" fiction, and I've read it all. This book isn't obsessing about the main character being a lesbian, it's focused on the joys and challenges of an admirable and very real human being who wishes life could just be simple even though it isn't. I like that.Read more

Subjects:  1. Americans    2. England    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery & Detective - Series    9. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Women novelists    12. Crime & mystery    13. General & Literary Fiction    14. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Editorial Review

Jane Lawless has just broken up with her lover and is barely recoveredfrom injuries suffered in her last adventure (Read more

Reviews (6)

A Wonderful and Intricately Plotted Mystery
This is Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless's tenth mystery outing, and the novels keep getting increasingly complex, not to mention more intricately plotted. Jane is still recovering from injuries suffered the previous fall when she was nearly killed, and in this book, she is more vulnerable than she has ever been in any of the previous books. She and her best buddy, Cordelia, travel to upstate Connecticut to an old mansion, Innishannon, to attend the wedding of Cordelia's estranged sister, Octavia, a stage actress who caught the attention of the living legend, Roland Lester. He's an 82-year-old movie director, a millionaire, and a man with multiple secrets including one that goes all the way back to 1957 when his best friend and purported lover, Lew Wallace, was shot in a murder that was never solved. Is this the kind of man Octavia should be marrying? Can Cordelia and Octavia put aside eight years worth of differences and reconcile? And what about the zany cast of characters rattling around at Innishannon?Roland's brother, a grand-niece, Lew Wallace's son, the housekeeper, and a documentary filmmaker on site all have their own secrets to hide, too. Soon enough, there are more killings, and it is unclear whether they are connected to the past murders or not. Not up to par
Unfortunately author Hart isn't up to par in her latest Lawless Ellen Hart Rocks
There is not a book in the Jane Lawless series that I do not like and they keep getting better. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    5. Mystery/Suspense   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    6. Modern fiction   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Fiction / Lesbian   

Reviews (4)

A seriously fun lesbian novel
This is a wonderful romp through New York City via lesbian fiction. Funny, romantic, and at times very intellectual. She does a super job of capturing the female and the lesbian psyche. Any ney sayers are just closet bigots. I've read this book at least five times and I still love it. I just replaced my tattered copy. Highly recommeded!...

i am floored by any praise for this book
when i was a teen, i read some of sandra scoppettone's adolescent fiction and enjoyed it.so when i found her books for an adult audience in the library, i was looking forward to reading them.i took this one out and found it to be such a puerile effort that i couldn't even finish it.the characters are shallow, badly drawn, and appear to be used by the author to service the particular plot twists with no adherence to what their underlying motivation would logically be.the story is confusing and not very interesting, with the result that the reader doesn't really care what happens.the main character possesses no particular charisma - her single defining trait appears to be a propensity to gauge waiting time in exaggerated terms (i.e., "after 100 hours the elevator finally arrived on the third floor") - a bit of attempted cuteness that wasn't particularly clever the first time, and was downright annoying the 30th.i don't care what anybody's sexual preference is, but this book, and the favorable reviews it has gotten, bother me because i feel that it has not been evaluated badly simply because the main character is gay - affirmative action, if you will.i have written material on a par or better than this that i rejected as being hopelessly sophomoric and certainly not worthy of publication.i think sandra scoppettone should be embarrassed.

Much too graphic for me
Having greatly enjoyed the first Lauren Laurano mystery, I was horribly disappointed in this one.I don't know about you, but when I'm reading a MYSTERY, I don't expect to read about the color of the characters' hair in private anatomical parts, if you get my drift.(The author described it graphically, which I found very offensive.)Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery & Detective - Series    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. Mystery/Suspense    8. Crime & mystery    9. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Reviews (1)

Well written - Non-stop action

Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths   

Reviews (3)

Nava is one of the best!
The reason why it is such a pity that Micheal Nava stopped writing is because he is basically one of the best mystery writers we had. His plots are closely linked to the growth his characters are going through, which makes his novels not only a very exciting read, but also emotionally a very satisfying one. Anyone of his Henry Rios mysteries is worth reading more then once.

Henry Rios rules
I read How Town first and then decided to give other books in this series a try.Loved it.Read it on a 5 hour train ride and couldn't put it down.I just bought the first book in the series and am planning on reading itnext.

great book
very intriguing - good gay stuff - weird issues about top/bottom - good portrayal of lawyers job and LA politics, very good look at chicano politics in the nineties ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Attorney and client    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Gay    5. Legal    6. Los Angeles (Calif.)    7. Mexican Americans    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Rios, Henry (Fictitious charac    11. Rios, Henry (Fictitious character)    12. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Reviews (5)

Where's the real love scenes?????????
The book is good but needs more of the sexy love scenes found in Claire McNab's books.............just have to have them!

Third in Series is Flawed
Denise is undercover again - this time infiltrating a terrorist group that has, thus far, avoided being infiltrated. To add an additional threat to her life, the woman whose identity she has assumed has a brother who escapes custody at a mental hospital for the criminally insane to kill his sister. 3rd in Series Flawed
Denise is undercover again - this time infiltrating a terrorist groupthat has, thus far, avoided being infiltrated.To add an additional threat to her life, the woman whose identityshe has assumed has a brother who escapes custody to kill his sister.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleever, Denise (Fictitious character)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. Political    8. Women intelligence officers    9. Adventure / thriller   

Reviews (2)

What motivates people to commit suicide?
Lauren Fairchild had lunch with her sister and her adored niece, picked up a picnic lunch of her favorite foods, drove three hours, hiked a mile up to a mountain lake, spread out her things and swallowed fifty pills.According to everyone who knew her, Lauren was happy with her life and was making plans for her future.So why did she do it?That's the mystery that part-time private investigator Kristin Ashe is hired to answer.Lauren's sister is convinced she is murdered and she wants Kristin to prove it.Kris has problems of her own.Her lover, lesbian activist Destiny Greaves, wants them to move in together and start a committed relationship, something Kris is not sure she's capable of doing.Kris comes from a severely dysfunctional family, at the center of which is her handicapped brother David.When David is found in a coma from multiple epileptic seizures, Kris is thrown into a family drama that she would just as soon avoid.It's no wonder that she is drawn deeper and deeper into the enigma that was Lauren Fairchild's life.Even after it becomes clear what actually happened, the looming question is why.As Kris and her hilarious friend Fran Green, an irrepressible lesbian ex-nun, uncover Lauren's motivation, Kris also begins to learn more about herself and how she interacts with her family and Destiny.
A compelling and moving story
The characters in this book are complicated ; the writing is engrossing; the lesbianism is so intrinsic to the characters but only make up a small part of their lives and history of who they are and how they got that way.Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Lesbian    4. Lesbians    5. Mystery & Detective - General    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. Nuns    8. Women detectives   

Reviews (3)

Twice is nice!
Of all the accolades I could offer...all the complimentary adjectives I could bestow...and there are plenty...the highest compliment I can give for any book is this.I read it twice.Each and every page. I hadn't intended to.I wanted to do up a review as soon as I read it the first time, it was that compelling.Time passed and some months later I picked it up again, meaning to just leaf through it...re-acquaint myself with the characters, you know.Anyway...next thing, I'm right back into it.Nikki, Trang, Ginni, Magpie...each and every character, no matter how small their role, is captivating and entertaining. Ms. Albarella jam packs each page with riveting action, complex relationships and, yes, even the odd sexual romp! A wonderful book by a woman who obviously has great insight into the human condition and leaves the reader feeling satisfied and uplifted.

Quirky Characters Make the Story
The story is an essential part of the human experience. The person whoheld the tribe spellbound by the fire knew that. The teacher who calms adisruptive class with the words, 'Once upon a time...' knows that. And sodoes Joan Albarella, in her second Nikki Barnes mystery Called to Kill.What makes a story, any story, engage or disengage its audience is itscharacters. In Called to Kill, Albarella gives the reader an assortment ofcharacters to care about. It's not just the central character who resonateswith the reader (Nikki Barnes is a unique detective -- lesbian Vietnam vet,Episcopal priest, and university professor), it's also the series'supporting characters (Max, Nikki's fellow vet turned detective, and Ginni,the doctor who is Nikki's partner) and a wonderfully quirky Falklands Warphotographer named Magpie York. Magpie, in fact, is one of the best quirkycharacters I've encountered since Buddy Bustamente, the dim-witted,outrageously dressed mobster in Les Roberts' Full Cleveland. A slightwoman, she has a personality that expands beyond her size to change thechemistry of any room she enters. Also impressive is Trang, the Vietnamesewoman Nikki saved, in a flashback, in the first book, Agenda for Murder.She has exactly the right combination of toughness and humanity one wouldexpect in a person who's endured a horrific war and made a grand new lifefor herself. The story begins with Trang's plea to Nikki for help and movesat a rapid clip through Western New York, the Buffalo area mob, and thetoples-bottomless dancing industry in Fort Erie, Canada. There's murder,betrayal, frank eroticism, and more murder in a fast-paced mystery thatskirts the line between a cosy (Agatha Christie, Murder She Wrote) andhard-boiled (Kinsey Milhone, Spenser, V.I. Warshawski). Called to Kill istime well spent. Decent but not great.........
The book read like a play. It lacked rhythm.It lacked passion. It was apretty good story, but the absence of rythmic flow took away from thecontent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Fiction / Lesbian    4. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths    5. Fiction / Romance / Contemporary    6. Lesbian    7. Lesbians    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery fiction    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Suspense    12. Women clergy    13. Crime & mystery    14. Mystery and detective stories    15. Romance - Contemporary    16. Veterans    17. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975