Reviews (6)

Whose PR dept. wrote some of the other reviews?
Anyone that has read this book needs to read these 5 star reviews and it is obvious they are connected to the author or the publishing company. This has been one of the best mystery series, and until recently, my favorite.The prior book in this series was getting a little weak.Nerds that Kill falls flat.The dialogue is canned, the last couple of chapters appear slammed together and make little sense, and overall a bit boring.I'm sorry to see this happen, but Paul Turner has clearly jumped.

Not that bad
I bought the book to be entertained and that is what I was.If you are looking for great literature then I would advise sticking with something else.
bland and tedious mystery
I had never read a Paul Turner mystery and I doubt that I ever will read another one.This was a terrible book, tedious to read.Like many of the characters Zubro creates for this book, Zubro's writing is mildly interesting at best. Long lines of characters addressing the same issues...hardly the epitome of creativity. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Crimes against    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Gay    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    8. Mystery & Detective - Series    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Science fiction    11. Turner, Paul (Fictitious chara    12. Turner, Paul (Fictitious character)    13. Women authors    14. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Reviews (3)

Feeble
All good things must come to an end, and if they don't this is what you get. Carol Ashton should have been kissed off a while back when she was still interesting. This novel is a lemon. The plot is stretched thin and is barely credible to begin with. If you want to read a good Claire McNab mystery, try the early Carol Ashton books. I should have known better than to buy this, but like a lot of readers I was hoping Ms. McNab would pull a rabbit out of the hat. Instead she gave us a turkey.

Another great addition to the Ashton saga
I love the Carol Ashton mystery series and this one certainly does not disappoint.It is certainly not time for Carol to take a bullet.I look forward to each successive book to see what will happen next.I do believe however, that it is time for Carol to have a permanent, stable relationship.I feel that McNab continues to perpetuate the notion that lesbians are incapable of developing and maintaining meaningful and stable relationships.She certainly doesn't do lesbian relationshiops and justice.The mystery part of her books are top-rate and I look forward to #16.Check out the Denise Cleever series as well.

Please, someone start the eulogy
It's a doggone shame, but it's time that Det. Carol Ashton takes a bullet.Thus, the character, the series and the readers will be put out of their collective misery.Perhaps it's time to bring Sybil back into the series full time instead of just the occasional mention. Or, make the series about Aunt Sarah...she, at least, is interesting.Det. Ashton has lost her passion, seemingly, for everything. Her cases, her friendships, her Read more

Subjects:  1. Ashton, Carol (Fictitious character)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    7. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    8. Policewomen    9. Crime & mystery    10. General & Literary Fiction    11. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Lesbian    4. Lesbians    5. McTavish, Stoner (Fictitious c    6. McTavish, Stoner (Fictitious character)    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. United States    11. Women detectives   

Reviews (6)

NUTCASE #7
One morning in 1989 gay school teacher Tom Mason unlocked his Chicago classroom and opened the door to one of the most successful mystery franchises in gay fiction--the real mystery being the apparent popularityof this implacably mediocre series. Enjoyable amateur sleuth
They have been a happily married, faithful couple for years. Scott Carpenter is a well-known professional baseball pitcher while his spouse Tom Mason is an English teacher. They hid their sexual preference and theirrelationship out of fear for their careers, especially the athletic Scott.However, unable to hide any longer, they reveal their relationship to theworld and to their sock and joy, most everyone supports them. As a mystery, so-so, as a gay affirmative novel, very good
The value of the book as a mystery is pretty average.However, I found, as usual, the portrayal of gay characters very affirming and supportive.Especially good for gay teens or people just coming out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Baseball players    3. Carpenter, Scott (Fictitious c    4. Carpenter, Scott (Fictitious character)    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    7. Gay    8. Gay teachers    9. Mason, Tom (Fictitious charact    10. Mason, Tom (Fictitious character)    11. Mystery & Detective - General    12. Mystery & Detective - Series    13. Crime & mystery   

Editorial Review

Former investigative journalist Benjamin Justice has decided that blueagave is a whole lot better than bleak reality, so he's spent the better part ofsix months trying to pickle himself in tequila. Justice has any number ofreasons to be depressed. He was fired from the Read more

Reviews (13)

Very Good Mystery
I don't know why it is that some authors are able to contrive good plots, but can't write worth a damn, or vice versa. This book is more or less in the first category. This is a page-turning type of mystery, that gets more repulsive (story, that is) as it progresses towards its climactic, repugnant, and bizarre ending. As mystery plots go, this is one of the best.
Fanastic bogglers
A few months ago my sister gave me a "Justice" book as a gift.Ever since then I have been of fan of Justice and his creator, John Morgan Wilson.They make my time on the treadmill and bikes at the gym pass very quickly! Justice Bogged Down!
If I hadn't read two previous John Morgan Wilson mysteries, I would like this one a lot more. Although I continue to like immensely Mr. Wilson's novels, THE LIMITS OF JUSTICE is my least favorite so far and suffers when compared to the other two, SIMPLE JUSTICE and JUSTICE AT RISK. My criticisms are two: first, the main character Benjamin Justice should get on with living. I understand that his life has not been easy. We learned three stories ago that he murdered his own father when he caught him raping his own daughter and Benjamin's sister. I won't give away the plot of this novel, but nobody has sympathy for a whiner forever. Secondly, Mr. Wilson gets a little carried away with both plot and subject matter here. He covers AIDS, incest, pederasty, the cult of man-boy love, castration, alcoholism and sleazy biographers. There are a couple of what I call Steve McQueen car chases as well as other near-death adventures for Mr. Justice. This is not to say there aren't touching scenes here. Rod Preston's ex-wife's remembrance of the difficulty of being gay in the 50's is quite moving as well as Justice's landlord Maurice's repeated attempts to get him out of his depression.Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Gay    5. Gay men    6. Journalists    7. Justice, Benjamin (Fictitious character)    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery & Detective - Series    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Reviews (2)

A Fine Detective Series
Queer Street is the 3rd book in the series by Curt Colbert and, like the earlier books Rat City and Sayonaraville, it is set in Seattle in the 1950s and is written in the tough hardboiled style that was common to the pulp novels around the time in which it is set. Jake Rossiter and his partner, the lovely Miss Jenkins are back fighting crime, talking tough and living large.
Queer is good!
Love Rossiter and Miss Jenkins!This is the most convoluted and interesting of the series yet!!And the twist at the end will knock your socks off.Rossiter will never be the same!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Crimes against    3. Female impersonators    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    6. Gay    7. Gay men    8. Mystery & Detective - Hard-Boiled    9. Private investigators    10. Seattle    11. Suspense    12. Washington (State)    13. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Hard-Boiled   

Reviews (3)

uncutjoey@aol.com
I have always enjoyed Michaels books, but this last one was not one of his better efforts.It was boring next to his other novels.I wish he would bring back Branco & Nicole in a big way.These are great charactersthat I miss.The book is a good read, but not as much as his older ones.

Another entertaining read for us Stan Kraychik fans.
Although I am a fan of Grant Michaels' Kraychik series, I must admit that this one (Dead As A Doornail) left me a little hammered.The writing was filled with its wonderful wit and bite, but I felt the actual mystery was a bit befuddled.The characters were not as interesting as in past novels, and the "whodunit" was kind of a "who cares."This is not said to discourage the established Kraychik fan.Rather, to alert those about to join the club to read the earlier novels first (and in order) before picking up this title.All in all, it is a good read.But I hope Grant Michaels finds the spark from the first three titles and makes another bonfire.

Liked it very much and I follow the series.
Being from the Boston area and having gone to college in Boston, I could identify with all the places and the storyline. I especially like the guessing who did it.I have enjoyed all of Grant Michaels' books. I am eagerly awaiting the next 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. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Reviews (1)

Albany's not-so-private dick is at it again.
Extortion, kidnapping and murder complicate Strachey's attempts to protect a lesbian couple from a vicious campaign of intimidation.Read more

Subjects:  1. Albany    2. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Gay    6. Gay men    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. New York (State)    10. Private investigators    11. Strachey, Donald (Fictitious c    12. Strachey, Donald (Fictitious character)    13. Crime & mystery   

Subjects:  1. California    2. Delafield, Kate (Fictitious ch    3. Delafield, Kate (Fictitious character)    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    6. Homeless women    7. Lesbian    8. Los Angeles    9. Mystery & Detective - General    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Police    12. Crime & mystery    13. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    14. General & Literary Fiction    15. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Detective and mystery stories    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Fiction / Lesbian    6. Fiction / Romance / Contemporary    7. Lesbian    8. Lesbians    9. Mystery & Detective - General    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. California    12. Modern fiction    13. Romance - Contemporary   

Reviews (1)

A Small Sacrifice
A Small Sacrifice, of the Jane Lawless Mystery series by Ellen Hart, is thrilling and full of suspense.Read more

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

Reviews (8)

Better than Murder!
Rick Copp's second novel starring former child actor turned amateur detective Jarrod Jarvis is even better than his first novel, 'The Actor's Guide to Murder'.
Excellent, funny mystery!
This second novel in the Jarrod Jarvis series definitely holds its own.Jarrod narrates with style, wit, and panache, and we honestlycare about him, his relationship with LAPD boyfriend Charlie, and the other characters.There's even a hunky ex-Navy SEAL with the hots for Jarrod thrown in for good measure...
I LOVED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought was very entertaining and I hope he writes many more. I have read both of his novels and have the third one on hold.
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Subjects:  1. Actors    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Gay men    5. Humorous    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery fiction    8. Mystery/Suspense   

Editorial Review

Fans of police procedurals and the grittier murder mysteries will welcome Baxter Clare's debut novel, in which a hardened female police lieutenant, L.A. Franco, known as "Frank," tries to catch a serial rapist and murderer while stoically nursing her grief over the shooting death of her lover Maggie. Having been assigned right out of the academy to Figueroa, the LAPD's roughest district, at 39, Frank's "mastery of the mean streets was no longer a question, either for herself, her colleagues, or the Read more

Reviews (10)

Didn't know it was a lesbian based book...
I wouldn't have given it too many stars anyway. It was boring to me..too much police interaction and the subject was a little too weird but I somehow missed that it was also about lesbianism. I thought Baxter Clare was a man! That a lesbian wrote it doesn't matter to me..just the lesbian parts didn't interest me.

well written, engrossing thriller
Clare's first novel, Bleeding Out, is a taut, gritty, psychological thriller set in contemporary South Los Angeles.Police Lt. L.A. Franco is a tough, tall, handsome, intelligent, dyke investigator.Years ago, the traumatic loss of her lover prompted Franco to shut down much of her personal life and focus on work.Years in one of the city's toughest districts have built an armor around Franco. Excellent Debut
Los Angeles Police Lt. L. A. "Frank" Franco is introduced here as she seeks the killer of a young girl.She eventually ties in nine rapes and four murders to the perpetrator. Franco is meticulous and thorough as she shifts through the few clues she has.The author painstakingly puts us into the mind of both the perpetrator and Franco.This is police procedural at its best.The characterizations are such that the reader cares about the main characters even the closed-off Franco.There are several minor characters that the author manages to fully flesh out as well although Franco's squad members are, at times, hard to identify because of her use of their nicknames - a minor flaw at best.This author deserves a wide audience.Let's hope the author and her publisher gives us more of Baxter Clare and Lt. Franco. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cats - Training    2. Dogs - Training    3. Fiction    4. Lesbian    5. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. Mystery/Suspense    8. Pets   

Editorial Review

Lauren Maddison's ambitious debut novel will more than satisfy fans of the emergent lesbian mystery genre. She offers an intricate and absorbing plot, and the excitement of a new heroine, Connor Hawthorne, a successful mystery novelist and former district attorney who owes something to Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta--and possibly to the glamorous Cornwell herself. The lesser characters in Read more

Reviews (15)

Perhaps not the worst book ever written...
This book is insipid.Well, no, that's not quite accurate... it could be interesting and absorbing, if you enjoy hurling insults at the author every time you turn the page.This book has virtually no authentic characters, a penchant for name-dropping (this author seems to mention any other author, character, publishing house, or book in the apparent attempt to convince the reader that she really _knows_ the lesbian community), and every hackneyed sentiment ever dreamed up.What with the author's attempt to include just about every sub-group you can dream up (Jews! Blacks! Rich white women! Oh My!), she seems to have forgotten the most important ones: real people.

Great read!
Lauren Maddison's debut mystery was a surprise to me.The last "lesbian" mystery I read before this was just that--more about the lesbians than the mystery.Since this is our introduction to all of the characters, she spends a lot of time giving us a good physical and personality description of them.Despite it's length, the book was a two-sitting read. Not a romantic book
The book is not bad. The writer is very talented but reading the book is like reading a travel guide about New Mexico and the Navaho history. There is no romance, just pure action. So if you think that you will find in this book love scenes, just forget it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Hawthorne, Connor (Fictitious    6. Lesbian    7. Lesbians    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery & Detective - Series    10. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    11. Mystery/Suspense    12. Navajo Indians    13. Women novelists    14. Crime & mystery    15. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    16. Modern fiction    17. North America   

Subjects:  1. English Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. New Zealand    8. Valentine, Amanda (Fictitious character)    9. Women detectives    10. Adventure / thriller   

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

Reviews (3)

I couldn't finish it
The stiff-as-a-board expository dialogue alone ruins this book. Simply dreadful. Save your money.

Well worth reading!
Nice, suspenseful plot, kept me turning the pages. Lots of twists and turns, plenty of surprises. I like the way Maddison slips easily between planes of reality, without making her readers confused. Good job! My only complaint about the book is that it could have used a good proofreader. Lots and lots of typos, which I find quite distracting when I'm reading.

Best one yet!
Lauren Maddison just keeps getting better and better! The latest installment in her "Connor Hawthorne" series is the best one yet! Mystery, intrigue, and the supernatural make for a mix of non-stop action from beginning to end. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading this author and series, start today! Maddison is definitely a rising star in the publishing world and Connor Hawthorne the next Scarpetta! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boston (Mass.)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Hawthorne, Connor (Fictitious    5. Hawthorne, Connor (Fictitious character)    6. Lesbian    7. Lesbians    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery & Detective - Series    10. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    11. Mystery/Suspense    12. Women novelists    13. Crime & mystery    14. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    15. General & Literary Fiction    16. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Reviews (3)

Heart just didn't seem to be in it...
I was looking forward to reading this book and found myself disappointed. I kept thinking, "That doesn't sound like something that character would say". I couldn't help but feel that Ms. Maddison's heart was not really in this book. It seemed disconnected and forced in ways her other books did not. I noticed quite a few editing errors as well. Wish I could give this a better review. Enjoyed her other books and plan to give the next one a good chance.

the eleventh hour a connor hawthorne mystery
Once again Lauren maddison has me questioing my own belief system. By that I mean life after death, reincarnation. I was completely enthralled with this book and the mystery in which Lauren Maddison seems to make you feel comfortable with new characters. This is a book for people who enjoy to read it was simply put a pleasure :)

Another good one
When I picked this book up, I knew I was in for a good read and I wasn't disappointed.I tried to stretch it out overseveral days by reading just a few chapters at a time, but was able only to last two days.The story is good, the writing is excellent and the developoment of the five (count 'em) major characters is so consistent.I hope we'll get toknow Ayallah better as she and Malcolm get married.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Hawthorne, Connor (Fictitious    4. Hawthorne, Connor (Fictitious character)    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Palm Springs (Calif.)    11. Women novelists    12. Crime & mystery    13. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    14. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Reviews (17)

Maybe only for a collectible
Maybe you would only keep this book as a collectible. The story itself bored me. It felt like Virga originally wrote this book with a man and a woman then just went back and touched up the main character, Robert Whyte, and made him a man so that he could make a gay gothic romance. Maybe he was originally Roberta Whyte. He was so feminine and so frail it made me want to puke at times. I got about 3/4's through the book and then I decided I had just had enough. Maybe if you are into extremely feminine men you'll like. I gave it 2 stars because the idea is original and it does take talent to write a book.

A Lovely Gothic Romance
If you are a fan of gothic romance, as I am, "Gaywyck" is for you.Of course, it's a gothic romance with a twist, with the main romantic characters both being men.But, all the symbols of the genre are here and done well.Robert Whyte is both lovely and gentle.Donough Gaylord is kind and brooding with terrible secrets in his past. They are both shy and inclined to solitude, and from their very first meeting you can tell they are meant to be together. But, as in all gothic romances, there are secrets to be uncovered first before true love can prevail.
Interesting At Times but Vaguely Unsatisfying
(...)The story is certainly timeless and such a plot is well known if you are a former reader of gothic romance novels like me: two people meet through an arrangement suppose to be business related but eventually and naturally they fall for each other over the course of the story. Subplots and other characters come into play keeping them apart for a time, but eventually everything comes together. Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Gay    4. Gay men    5. Gothic fiction    6. Love stories    7. Manors    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery   

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