Reviews (2)

Good novel
This is a good mystery and not bad romance either.The settings are interesting and she makes the less important characters seems as real as the main ones.I'd recommend reading this one!

Good mystery with romance to boot!
When I started this book, I wasn't expecting the romance between Porter and Elaine to be quite so hot.After all, it's a murder mystery.But notonly is the romance a sizzler, the mystery really kept my attention andkept me guessing.I'm guessing Leslie Adams knows the country club setfairly well, because the realism in the scenes was great.Not only that,but the convoluted relationships among the characters was exactly how lifeseems to be among the southern upper class!The ending was definitely notwhat I expected, but I hope the "debutante detective" has a lotmore stories to tell, because this one left me waiting impatiently for thenext book ... in all WOW! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    5. Mystery & Detective - Series    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. Thrillers   

Reviews (10)

Good, but frustrating
Again, Marcoux puts out a thriller.Unfortunately, I got lost in the middle and put it down.I started again and finished it in one sitting.
Enjoyable and Thought-Provoking Read...
I read Alex Marcoux's first book, 'Facades,' and was less than impressed.I had already purchased 'Back to Salem,' but because of my experience with 'Facades' it stayed on my bookshelf until a few days ago.I can't believe I let myself go without the pleasure of reading this book for so long!Marcoux makes incredible strides toward becoming a remarkable writer in this second book.
If you don't mind loose ends
If you don't mind if loose ends are left untied and that multiple timelines end up not quite matching up and that one of the main characters "isn't really a lesbian" then the plot of this book will work for you. I read it about a year ago and was really lukewarm toward it. Parts were exciting but it didn't work as a whole. I can't believe it ended up getting some award nominations; there are some holes you can drive a truck through. Plus I didn't see how the Egyptian timeline meshed at all with the Salem one. I felt like this was a nice try, but as someone else says, others have done this plot better. I would recommend Laura Adams' Christabel (a romance not a mystery), which does the timeline thing really well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Reincarnation    7. Salem (Mass.)    8. Trials (Witchcraft)    9. Women novelists    10. Modern fiction    11. Short stories    12. Lesbian    13. Lesbians    14. Horror    15. Thrillers   

Reviews (4)

Getting worse
I feel like every other book in this series is decent,kind of like the Star Trek movies.This book is better than the last one but not by much.Claire McNab does have an annoying habit of ending her books rather abruptly.This one is no exception.I am tired of her "relationships" which have been boring since she broke up with Sybil for unrealistic reasons.The sex scenes (they don't seem loving enough to call them love scenes) are as abrupt as her endings.The mysteries really aren't very compelling & haven't been since about book 5.The other series isn't much better.I'm not sure what the deal is but the only people I care about in these books are her aunt & her cat.

An entertaining read
Claire McNab writes two different series of mysteries: the Carol Ashton mysteries, Accidental Murder occupies spot number fourteen in the series, and the Denise Cleever Thriller series. With seventeen books to her credit, McNab has established herself as one of today's premier mystery writers. Disappointed - Again
Is it my imagination or is Carol Ashton becoming non-descript as she - and the series - grows older?There wasn't much to this book - not much plot, not much mystery, not much character development.I keep reading the books in this series because hope springs eternal - that Claire McNab will be able to find the writing skills she exhibited in the first three or four outings, that Carol Ashton will develop into a real person, that her character will grow and become interesting once again.But once again, I was disappointed.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ashton, Carol (Fictitious char    2. Ashton, Carol (Fictitious character)    3. Australia    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    6. Lesbian    7. Lesbians    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Policewomen    10. Adventure / thriller    11. Crime & mystery   

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

Reviews (3)

The Cat Purrs
Ms. Miller's debut mystery novel is a sensually riveting romp through a kaleidoscope of characters. Lexy Hyatt is our central feline. This complex woman has turned to reporting after inner pressures boil over while teaching. And her first criminal assignment hits very close to home indeed. Wonderfully perplexing and entertaining mystery
Carlene Miller's book is a breakthrough -- a wonderful mystery with well-developed characters I feel as if I now know. I particularly enjoyed reading first person account of Lexy Hyatt, former english teacher turnednewspaper reporter, who went above and beyond the call of duty to helptrack down the murderer. Ms. Miller did an astounding job of revealing justenough detail to keep the reader guessing to the very end. Sizzling In The Cat
Oh, my. Oh, my. Despite the truth that most adults over a certain age have sex, the child's mind exempts certain persons, including, in this case, one's high school english teacher,from that group.No more. Oh,my. Carlene Miller's Killing at The Cat sizzles unmercifully. And yes, shewas my high school english teacher. Oh, my.Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Hyatt, Lexy (Fictitious charac    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbian business enterprises    7. Lesbians    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Women journalists    11. Crime & mystery    12. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

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

Reviews (5)

I Agree with Publisher's Weekly Review...
I didn't like this book...and I worship Val McDermid's writing!
Keeps you guessing
Lindsey Gordon isn't a detective, but she is one of these characters who is constantly getting embroiled in murder investigations.This is the fourth such experience for the British lesbian and former journalist who has been transplanted to the US where she now teaches Journalism. but the book is highly enjoyable
Lindsay Gordon is a former journalist who returns to the United Kingdom to attend a trade union conference that will provide material for her doctoral dissertation. She is not a stranger to these meetings since she used to work as a trade delegate ten years ago. Nothing has changed in a decade. There is hypocrisy, prejudice, sexual harassment and debauchery among the attendants. Somebody is also writing a newsletter that is making accusations on the members of the conference.Read more

Subjects:  1. English Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Gordon, Lindsay (Fictitious ch    5. Gordon, Lindsay (Fictitious character)    6. Lesbian    7. Lesbians    8. London (England)    9. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Women journalists   

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery/Suspense    8. Police    9. Policewomen    10. United States   

Reviews (4)

Fun atmosphere, fun tale...
While this novel may not be 100% believable, I did enjoy reading it. In true McDermid style, it employs tons of good natured wit and sarcasm. As an American whose never left the homebase, I was unfamiliar with some of the British terminology, and thuse found myself saying "Don't be daft" an inappropriate times after finishing this novel...
Good easy and fun read
After reading 'A Place for Execution' I sought out McDermids earlier works.This along with the rest of the Lindsay Gordon series are light, easy and fun reads.I found the characters to be a little left of center, but that is what certainly made them interesting! Liked it, didn't love it
A short 250ish pages, it would have been better to have cut 100 pages and make this a short story without all of the unnecessary and meaningless character-developing diversions.The book runs along in 3rd gear most of the time, never really reaching a dramatic climax, which is really not good for a mystery, and the pretense is a little hard to believe:intrepid reporter for London tabloid gets everyone's help in solving murder mystery, even help from those who shouldn't be helping her.Certainly not the best mystery out there. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Gordon, Lindsay (Fictitious ch    5. Gordon, Lindsay (Fictitious character)    6. Lesbian    7. Lesbians    8. London (England)    9. Mystery & Detective - General    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Women journalists    12. Adventure / thriller   

Reviews (2)

Didn't work for me
This is a truly gifted writer.Her prose contains a poetic quality that I do not often find in this genre.
Exciting Debut Novel

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

Editorial Review

This mystery, part of the popular Lindsay Gordon series, is set inGlasgow, Scotland. Author Val McDermid, who grew up in a Scottish mining community, captures thesharp, colorful dialects of characters who live in newly renovated yuppie flats, low rent dives, andeverything in between. On her way to solve the mystery of one friend's murder and another's conviction forthe same, scrappy, soft-hearted journalist Lindsay Gordon learns a thing or two she didn't expect--or want-- to learn about the complications of lesbian love. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Fun and not so creepy as her later ones
Val McDermid can write and I'm always grateful for her lesbian characters who just happen to be lesbian rather than that being a plot device.Lately though her stuff has had a lot of gratuitous violence and in the last one a rape scene written to titillate - as if there weren't enough of those written by men.So it was great to find her older series with a more straight forward mystery, well plotted and with interesting characters.Highly recommended.

Ohhhh ohhh ohhh...
This little book is fabulous in a way I can't specifically explain, lest I give away the book's intimate secret's. ;) Anyway, in order to really get the most out of this novel, you need to have read the prior two books in the Lindsay Gordon series. If you have done that, I can pretty much gaurentee you will enjoy, or at least have a powerful reaction to this little critter...

Don't miss this deadline
Veteran mystery writer Val McDermid, in this third installment of the Lindsay Gordon series, presents with care an intense potboiler where, regardless of the outcome, emotions are bound to explode. If Sue Grafton'sKinsey Millhone has a lesbian alter ego, Lindsay is it; her ability to keepher cool and her focus, especially during instances of innuendo when alonewith her ex-love, is especially admirable.Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Glasgow    4. Gordon, Lindsay (Fictitious ch    5. Gordon, Lindsay (Fictitious character)    6. Lesbian    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Private investigators    11. Scotland    12. Women journalists    13. Crime & mystery    14. Literature of special Lesbian interest    15. Modern fiction   

Reviews (6)

Thank goodness for KT
Is there any character in fiction more exasperating than Robin Miller?She has a great relationship going with KT, but she can't seem to keep herself from messing it up.When she should just walk away from temptation or use a simple "No", she seems incapable of doing that.When it comes to her personal relationship, she can always be counted on to make many mistakes that in real life probably would not have a happy ending. And what's wrong with KT that she keeps putting up with this mess?What saves the book is that, as usual, Maiman has included some interesting storylines besides the romance and some hot ....Besides, you have to read the book just to see how Robin redeems herself by the end.Maiman says she's skipping years in the series now, but Robin doesn't seem to be moving forward emotionally at the same rate.If there is another book in the series coming, let's hope that Robin Miller has caught up to the timeline.

Two Mysteries
Jaye Maiman delivers yet another edge-of-the-seat mystery, keeping me guessing all the way to the end. I'm not talking about the whodunnit part of the book either. As intensely portrayed is the turning point that RObin and KT have reached -- it's settle down or break apart time. It's make a family nest or go their separate ways. I did not know until the very last page what Robin would decide. Robin's doubts and suffering are heartbreaking, as is KT's confusion and helplessness. It made the mystery emotionally rich, which is a rare treat in most mystery novels. Fast-Paced Thriller!
Here's another fast-paced, thrilling entry in the Robin Miller series.Maiman's style gets crisper with each new entry.Here, Maiman chose to really focus on Robin and K.T.'s relationship, of course there's noshortage of action but clearly Maiman is letting her characters mature andreflect more than in her earlier work.I highly recommend this book,especially since Jaye was kind enough to publish one of my poems in thisentry!I love you Jaye! ... Read more

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

Reviews (2)

Leaves you wanting the next in the series to hit the shelves
I waited for what seemed like forever for this book to come out.I was, as usual, very pleased with the plot and the writing skills of Jaye Maiman.With each page, I found myself saying.... "just one more page". The characters in her series continue to develop and grow together andsometimes apart.I have to say that I sometimes am displeased at RobinMiller's reluctance to make a committment to anyone, but, hey... that's hercharacter.In book 4 of the series, I was shocked that she and K.T.actually broke up.... I was extremely pleased to see that K.T. was back(though not completely) in book 5.I can't wait to read book 6 and seewhat happens next!

A book that I could not put down...fascinating!
There is never a dull moment in any of Jaye Maiman's books, including this one.Fast-paced, accurate, blunt...too many adjectives to list here.I can't wait for the next adventure that Robin Miller has. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Kidnapping    5. Lesbian    6. Miller, Robin (Fictitious char    7. Miller, Robin (Fictitious character)    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. New York (N.Y.)    12. Private investigators   

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Black, Helen (Fictitious chara    3. Black, Helen (Fictitious character)    4. Detective and mystery stories    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    7. Lesbians    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Women private investigators    11. Adventure / thriller   

Reviews (5)

good book
I didn'tthink I would like a mystery book, much less one about cops!!However, I found that I fell in love with Tru North, and read the whole book one weekend.I can hardly wait to read the rest of the series. Thanks Janet.

A Glimpse of Reality (More or Less)
I picked up this book after reading the reviews written about it on this very page. I wasn't disappointed. A Hot Read for a Cold Night
KC Bomber by Janet McClellan draws the reader quickly into the world of a homicide detective who is trying to save both her career and her personal life.The combination of romance, action, sex, psychology, and mystery make a great escape for the reader - but not the bomber! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Detective and mystery stories    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Crime & mystery   

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

Reviews (7)

Coffeetable goodie
My best friend, Sally reviewed this book, and i felt the need to....see, while waiting around for her to get ready to go out one night, i picked up this book from her coffeetable. I became so involved after a few pages, i asked to borrow it. I'm glad i did. Now, i've never read 'lesbian fiction' and i have no idea if it's all like this or not--but this book was really good. I have to admit i got a little hot reading the 'romantic' parts--but more than that, it really was, overall, a great read. I remained interested in the plot and in the characters. I look forward to Ms. Baeli's next offering. So my advice to anyone reading this review is that if you enjoy a good book--whether you're straight or gay, this is a good choice.

I wish i could forget...
Being from Oklahoma, it sure was nice to see so much detail in a book about an area i live in. Being a lesbian, i fully appreciated how realistic it was that a stone butch woman can meet someone who opens her up and teaches her to believe in love, and to trust again. This is a book i wish i could forget--so that i can read it again!

A Tasty Morsel for the Mystery Buff
Armchair Detective is a wonderful mystery with lots of plot twists that keep you interested and make you late for work. I am a fan of lesbian erotica, but i don't care for "nasty stuff." This was a great read because the erotica storyline was tastefully done. Basically, this book was believable. It was not filled with stereotypical lesbo charaters. They were healthy people that had a life in and out of bed. ... Read more

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

Reviews (1)

throughly enjoyable first book
i throughly enjoyed the book. it was refreshing to read characters that were lesbians, but their lesbianism was not central to the storyline, just who/what they happened to be outside of their respective jobs.as in any relationship, when two differnt job responsibilities show signs of straining a relationship, the parties involved work things out, or go their separate ways.in this case, the main characters, gianna and mimi, were able to work things out and build a continuing relationship ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Detective and mystery stories    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Washington (D.C.)    11. Women private investigators    12. Adventure / thriller   

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbians    5. Mystery & Detective - General    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Police    8. Policewomen    9. United States   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbian    5. Mystery & Detective - General    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. Mystery/Suspense    8. Suspense    9. Fiction / Lesbian    10. General & Literary Fiction    11. Literature of special Lesbian interest