Reviews (16)

Couldn't Put It Down!
What a fun read. The protagonist, Lillian Byrd, is clever and daring. Elizabeth Sims writes strong characters and interesting plots. I hope she will continue to write Lillian Byrd mysteries!

A Rollicking Good Mystery
Lillian Byrd's life is in flux. She's worked for four years at Detroit's "Eagle Eye" newspaper covering various subjects including the crime scene, but after the owner's son manhandles her one too many times and she retaliates, she gets fired. Bad timing. She'd been working on a story about the murder of a woman who had worked as a DJ at the local lesbian bar Lillian sometimes frequented. Now Lillian won't get a chance to write the story. Still, she can't let the murder rest; she has to know why the woman was killed.
This book is incredible!
Elizabeth Sims is an amazing author. This was one of, if not the best book, I have read in a long time. I could not put it down until I finished reading it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Byrd, Lillian (Fictitious character)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    8. Mystery fiction    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Women journalists    11. Crime & mystery    12. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    13. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Reviews (2)

Okay But . . .
In this 16th outing for Inspector Carol Ashton, she is called into the desert to determine whether a millionaire's death is accidental or murder.She has no shortage of suspects because the dead man was universally hated. Many of her suspects had both motive and opportunity to have cut the cords to his parachute causing him to plummet to his death.
Sad demise of a once interesting character
I can't actually say I "read" this book as I skipped several sections and got to the end as quickly as possibly. What I did read confirmed my initial fear: Carol Ashton has become a walk-on in her own life and, without an interesting, full life for the main character, the thin mystery has little to recommend it.
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Subjects:  1. Ashton, Carol (Fictitious character)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Ghost    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Mystery & Detective - Series    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Women detectives    10. Crime & mystery   

Subjects:  1. California    2. Crimes against    3. Delafield, Kate (Fictitious ch    4. Delafield, Kate (Fictitious character)    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    7. Lesbian    8. Los Angeles    9. Mystery & Detective - General    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Police    12. Restaurateurs    13. Crime & mystery    14. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    15. General & Literary Fiction    16. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Subjects:  1. California    2. Delafield, Kate (Fictitious ch    3. Delafield, Kate (Fictitious character)    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    6. Lesbian    7. Los Angeles    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Police    11. Policewomen    12. Crime & mystery    13. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

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

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Family relationships    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Lawless, Jane (Fictitious char    6. Lawless, Jane (Fictitious character)    7. Lesbian    8. Minneapolis    9. Minnesota    10. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    11. Mystery/Suspense    12. Suicide victims    13. Women detectives   

Editorial Review

Let me be the first to state plainly that Miss Mabel Maney is a pernicious influence on American boys and girls. Her dangerous spoofs of the 1950s surely threaten the morale of impressionable young people, who must learn to accept and appreciate their proper places in life. Nancy Clue, the famous girl detective, may be able to solve exciting mysteries without displacing her shiny Titian locks, but why does her friend Midge dress like a boy, use curse words, and smoke cigarettes? And why does Nancy's sweet new girlfriend, Cherry Aimless, tremble under her starched white nurse's cap as she admires the bulging biceps of police detective Jackie Jones? I suspect that in her private life, the author freely mixes plaids with stripes and wears white after Labor Day. As for her devilish success at demeaning the finest epoch in American manners, I can only say, "Darn and double darn." Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    2. Form - Parodies    3. Humor    4. General & Literary Fiction    5. Humor / Parodies    6. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. California    3. Delafield, Kate (Fictitious ch    4. Delafield, Kate (Fictitious character)    5. Fiction    6. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    7. Homeless women    8. Lesbian    9. Los Angeles    10. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    11. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    12. Police    13. Adventure / thriller   

Subjects:  1. Fairy Tales    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Lesbian    5. Mystery & Detective - General    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. Popular American Fiction    8. Literature of special Lesbian interest    9. Modern fiction   

Reviews (13)

Finally this one is in paperback!
Finally this book is back in print.I read a friend's hardback copy, thinking the paperback would be out in a year or two.That was over five years ago. I was introduced to Micky Knight when
All of the Micky Knight books are fabulous
and it's a crying shame that they are not kept affordably in print--for one thing, it deprives Redmann of some very well earned revenue.In many ways, this 4th installment of Micky's adventures reads like the natural conclusion to the cycle of investigations opened by the first volume in the series, when we were introduced to a tough and beautiful lesbian babe-magnet with a smart mouth and endless compassion for those in trouble.She's physical (and even promiscuous--but the series is about how she gets tamed), she's achingly vulnerable, she's noble, she's got demons.Only in Lost Daughters do we meet her settled into a proper relationship, so the angst quotient is considerably lower than in the other books.Still, the conclusion to her search for her mother is unbelievably touching, and handled with just the right measure of reserve.Much as I'd love to see more of her, I wonder whether Redmann (whose website, ominously, appears to have vanished from cyberspace) is finished with her adventures.If she is, I just pray that she has another heroine in reserve for us to cheer on.Like the Meg Darcy books, with their lovingly depicted St. Louis locales, the Mickey Knight stories set us in abelievable New Orleans, with its social strata, its weather, its flavors and smells.

Gorgeous Cajun woman
I have all of the Mickey Knight series and i am hungry for more. As an avid reader of true crime, authors like Ann Rule, Roy Hazelwood etc, i was surprised at how well written these books were. I couldnt put them down. Read more

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

Reviews (8)

Best Mystery Series Out There
This is without a doubt my favorite series of books out there. They are from top to bottom the most thought out and intriguing series I have ever read and I am SO glad that they have reprinted them so others can see what I have seen for years...JM is a great artist. I am reviewing this one in the series because it is my favorite. When this book picks up we know that Micky and Cordelia have spent a night of passion together but nothing much has come of it because they live in different worlds Cordelia is a sucessful Dr and heir to mucho money who is not very out to those around her while Micky is a semi-successful, slutty, and out private eye who struggles with the nightly question of whether to pay rent...feed the cat...or drink herself into a stupor. They have to come together to try and solve a series of murders that have Cordelia looking like the prime suspect. Along with their friends (the lawyer..the detective..the political "flunkie") they seek to answer the questions of who did it and why before time runs out. This book is filled with well written and funny dialog (and in a rare turn of events with lesbian fiction GOOD SEX scenes that don't bog down the story). I suggest that you read the Death by the Riverside book first since it is the 1st in this series but make sure once you read it to not forget to pick up this one and enjoy a really spectatular ride!

READ IT FOR YOURSELF!
A previous reviewer must have forgotten that some people want to read fiction to be drawn away from the world of reality.Not everyone wants to be entertained by reality and solve world problems.Mickey Knight is exciting, moody, funny, sexy, strong, vulnerable, and TUFF, and the author develops the characters throughout the series.You will care about her and the other characters too. The story is full of action, mystery, romance with steamy romantic sex and just plain sex.Remember, this is the story of a street smart PI, so don't let an occasional bit of not so sexy talk from a sex scene make you miss this great series.It is one of 'THE BEST' written detective series featuring a lesbian.If you only read stories about perfect characters, with "NORMAL" everyday problems,who have perfect sex and during sex never talk the least bit dirty, then maybe you need to SpIcE up your reading with a little Mickey Knight!I say try the book for yourself and walk thru the streets of NEW ORLEANS with Mickey.

Hooked on Mickey Knight
I ordered the book "Death by the Riverside" on a whim.After reading it, I knew I was hooked on Mickey Knight."Deaths of Jocasta" was simply a fabulous story.The author displays an incredible sense of humor, but yet, there were times when I could have cried for Mickey as she struggled through issues and addictions. The mystery held my attention, but the parts that I really enjoyed were the explorations of relationships and friendships within this novel. I would have to say that this book is one of the best I've ever read, and look forward to reading the next two books by this author. I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is a fifth book in progress. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    2. Mystery & Detective - General    3. Adventure / thriller    4. Crime & mystery    5. Lesbian    6. Fiction   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Lesbian    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Popular American Fiction    6. Adventure / thriller   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Lawless, Jane (Fictitious character)    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Minneapolis    7. Minnesota    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Women detectives    11. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths   

Editorial Review

Science fiction writer Nicola Griffith, winner of the Nebula and Tiptree Awards,proves that good writing transcends genre. Read more

Reviews (43)

Hmm... not particularly good --
I had high hopes for "The Blue Place" -- it does have quite a few good reviews, but in the end all I can do is classify this novel as just plain silly. When you thought it just couldn't get anymore ridiculous, you found that yes, indeed it could get more ridiculous...bravo for Griffith.
It's good, not great, not horrible, but definitely good
This is a good book to pass the time. It's not a horrible book, but it's also not ground breaking. There really isn't any character development and the book progresses and ends just as suddenly and flatly as it began. Read it when there's nothing else to read. Because this book is with out a doubt just as average as they come.
great writing, characters, story
somehow I was lucky enough to spot this book while browsing in a book store....it is an exceptional piece of writing. Aud is a memorable character, one that does not come along very often. I hope the author writes a sequel. I want to know what happens to Aud after the end of this story.I found the sense of intelligence and of body that fills the writing compelling. The change in tone between the Georgia part and the Norwegian section is perfectly done.I have reread this story three times. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Lesbian    4. Literary    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Suspense    7. Fiction / Suspense   

Reviews (4)

Reader from Florida
Lucky Stiff is definitely the best of the Lillian Byrd series so far. The writing really snaps as the main character Lillian Byrd narrates with wit and precision. Sims digs a bit deeper into Lillian's personality and background in this one. The story is rather dark, with Lillian investigating the long-ago deaths of her parents in a bar fire. Sims does a good job making you feel the creepiness of old autopsy reports, the uneasiness of a jaunt through the aging neighborhood where she notices old scorch marks on the trees near the building that burned, and the off-kilter rationalizations of a battered wife who finally gets even. There's a subplot involving music improvisation, and another one involving the true-crime writer Minerva LeBlanc, who comes sexily back into Lillian's life to help--and to add a distressing twist. All the characters are convincing and unusual, like Lillian's childhood friend Duane, with whom she joins forces to try to solve the mystery, and a Buddha-like street musician named Blind Lonnie. Sims also does very well developing the character of Trix, the trash-talking barmaid. And as always, Todd the rabbit is charming. Oh, I almost forgot: Lillian is into reading a pulpy mystery series starring a supersleuth named Calico Jones, and her breathless accounts of Calico's adventures are hilarious. In general the humor in this book is a little more subtle than in the prior two, and perhaps more enjoyable because of it.

Best Lillian Byrd Crime Story Yet!
I didn't think it could get any better than Sims's Lambda Literary Award-winning DAMN STRAIGHT, but I was dead wrong. This book explores the mind and heart ofLillian through and through and provides an action-packed mystery to boot. It was especially wonderful to see the return of the intriguing Minerva LeBlanc (who first appeared in HOLY HELL). Five GIANT STARS for Sims's best page-turner to date. Keep 'em coming!

disappointed
Somewhere along the line Lillian Byrd seems to have lost most of her sense of humor.One of the things I enjoyed about the first two books is that Lil didn't seem to take herself too seriously.
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Subjects:  1. Byrd, Lillian (Fictitious char    2. Byrd, Lillian (Fictitious character)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery fiction    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Women journalists    12. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    13. Literature of special Lesbian interest    14. Modern fiction   

Reviews (3)

Great
This author has a gift for dialogue and plotting.She is also not afraidof the contentious and controverisal storyline.This is a very interestinginstallment in the Kate Brannigan series.Like all Kate Brannigan stories,you need to take it all a bit tongue-in-cheek, and just go along for thefun ride. Another cracking read from McDermid
I am a huge fan of McDermid's work, and the Brannigan series is my favourite. Blues Genes brings together all the great characters, with a special focus on Kate's best friend, the wonderful Alexis, who is caught upin creative procreation! Apart from well-structured plots and well-drawncharacters, I love the humanity and humour which these books have. Highlyrecommended.

Enchanting and intriguing!
The books about Kate Brannigan are all worth reading but in "Blue Genes" Val McDermid has really made it! Kate's life is changing in this book; her lover is gone, her partner wants to be bought out and her best friends are having a child.. However, in this particular case the parents of the child are both women-made possible by a doctor who appears to have her own strange ways...Something is wrong and Kate are going to sort it out. This book takes a grip at You immediately: Well written, intriguing and raising thoughts a- bout genetics and etics. Worth reading anytime ... Read more

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

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

Reviews (2)

Enjoyable
I love this collection of books.Each page, each chapter kept me wanting more.I have read a few of William Tapply's books.Unfortunately I cannot get them locally.I have to buy them on line. I appreciate each and every one of them.This book will be added to my keep pile.Did I mention that I have a crush on Brady Coyne?

This man can write
I discovered William Tapply by accident and was delighted to find that he had written about sixteen novels.What a delight it was to catch up.Brady Coyne is a sole legal practitioner with a hand picked clientele.Fishing is his great love and solving murders comes a close second.I'm awaiting Scar Tissue with baited breath. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Legal    4. Lesbian    5. Mystery & Detective - General    6. Mystery & Detective - Series    7. Mystery fiction    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Reviews (1)

Steady entertainment
If you've read any of the Carol Ashton series, you know the formula for the books.There is always a mystery, with some twists and turns, and Ashton is trying to figure out what kind of personal relationship she really wants, with Sybil or anyone else.Each successive book reveals more of her personality.The issue of whether or not to come out of the closet is becoming an important one by this point.If you miss one or read the books out of order, you might get lost in the relationships.This is a good serviceable addition to the series. ... Read more

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