Reviews (6)

Great Writer
Mabel Maney is a great writer, full of exuberance and wit. So many books these days are so glum, it's a pleasure to enter Maney's world and see the colors and sights jump off the page. I will definitely read any other books she has coming out!

Not up to par
I am a huge Mabel Maney fan, but I was disappointed in this book.There's no light hearted romance in this book--just endless inventories of horrible 1950s pop culture items, and tiresome characters beating each other up.Jane spends the entire book in drag with a glued-on unibrow.Way too much of the book is about Cedric and his unappealing love interest.I kept waiting to be entertained and charmed, as I inevitably am by Maney, and instead I felt just slightly ill.Read the Nancy Clue books or the original Jane Bond parody, but borrow this one from someone who will take it back.

Spytacular!
Mabel Maney, yeah, YOU!Keep writing PLEASE!And do a tv show or a cartoon or something!Or how about a video game, breakfast cereal, or a school snack?This is just another marvelous Mabel Maney masterpiece!Mabel Maney wrote the book on inside jokes in queer fiction.Please bring Midge and Velma back in another Nancy book and lots more Jane!Thanks for the fun! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Humorous    4. Humorous fiction    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Popular American Fiction    11. Spy stories    12. Women spies    13. Espionage & spy thriller    14. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Detective and mystery stories    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Women detectives    10. Women newspaper editors    11. Adventure / thriller   

Reviews (4)

Good One
The fire scene is worth the read all by itself. good read, but copyeditor slept through some flaws
I liked this story a lot, but some grammar almost kept me from reading the novel. The first paragraph seemed like a run on sentence. During the fire play scene, the tense switched from third person to second person, whichdistracted me. If you get past these flaws the editor should have caught,the story is a fast read and worth the struggle.

Give My Secrets Back
So many lesbian books are about individuals or couples or small groups of lesbians.Kate Allen brings the community into her books and gives almost everyone a small role in what is happening in the book.Naturally, this gives you more choices of whodunit, but it is the thrill of figuring itout.Alison Kane is a great character...she is not this fearless woman(Xena type).She has her strong and weak points and this makes hervulnerable.Alison Kane could be any one of us.I love Kate's Allen'sbooks and her writing.It is easy to read and flows well.I share herbooks with all my friends. :o) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Denver (Colo.)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Kaine, Alison (Fictitious char    6. Kaine, Alison (Fictitious character)    7. Lesbian    8. Lesbians    9. Mystery & Detective - General    10. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    11. Mystery/Suspense    12. Policewomen    13. Adventure / thriller    14. Crime & mystery   

Reviews (3)

Good story, but.....
I give this book 5 stars for content but only 1 star for length.I'v read chapters in books longer than this entire "booklet". As for the ending, I must have missed something in the reading because it did not make sense to me.Maybe one has to read the previous books by Ms. Sanra to understand the ending.

A page turner
Nancy Sanra has done it again.She has written a tight fast paced mystery that keeps you guessing right to the end. She has added a hint of romance, just enough to make you smile. And the question I want answered, will Cid finally find romance? The ending was incredible and has me absolutely on pins and needles for the next book.

Fast-paced and chilling
Nancy Sanra has done it again. Her fast moving style in No Corpse keeps you glued to the book until the very end.Tally McGinnis finally takes a cruise vacation with her Irish lass, Katie. But almost before they leave port, Tally is recruited to help stop a serial killer who is on board. The spotlight in this book, however, is on Tally's partner, Cid Cameron, the hard-hitting, chain-smoking, tough-talking ex-cop. This is the character who comes to life immediately and demands our attention as she evolves from an almost-caricature to a deep, feeling friend deserving of all our empathy. No Corpse is a perfect read for a busy day, and the ending is chilling enough to make us yell, "More," ... Read more

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

Reviews (1)

Captivated by a Captive in Time
This book was alot of fun. Aunt Hermoine has become a part of my life. The story is a lttle bit of science-fiction mystery spiced with lesbian sensuality. Definitely fun. ... Read more

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. Popular American Fiction    11. United States    12. Women detectives    13. Adventure / thriller   

Reviews (3)

Back up to standards
I LOVED the first book in this series, but was a little disappointed with the second. This book returns to the high level of the first. The characters are very well written and the interplay is realistic. Takes One is Allen's funniest
This third installment in Kate Allen's Allison Kaine mystery series continues to be my favorite.Allison, a Denver police officer and her best friend Michelle travel south to spend a peaceful, long, working retreat weekend on womyn's land near Santa Fe, New Mexico.The weekend takes several unexpected turns as Stacy, Allison's girlfriend and a professional dominatrix, shows up to make peace after a recent argument.Uninformed of the commune's strict rules, Stacy and her best friend, Liz set up "Fun Camp" outside the Land.Well provisioned with caffeine and alcohol, they become the local entertainment and outlet for the less pure retreat members.Predictably, arguments concerning feminism and the leather community flare up in the desert heat. Kate Allen goes from strength to strength
Another great dyke thriller from Kate Allen. The characters that she has created, Denver cop Allison, dominatrix girl-friend Stacey, best friend the ever-so PC Michelle, lawyer Liz and all the others are further developed inthis great novel. This is coupled with a very exciting plot line whichchallenges many lesbian hang-ups, particulary those around trans-genderedpeople.Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Denver (Colo.)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Kaine, Alison (Fictitious char    6. Kaine, Alison (Fictitious character)    7. Lesbian    8. Lesbians    9. Mystery & Detective - General    10. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    11. Policewomen    12. Adventure / thriller    13. Crime & mystery    14. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Reviews (1)

Exciting sequel to No Witnesses
This was a page turner. I enjoyed the development of the love story between the 2 main characters. The writing was crisp and kept me in suspense. ... Read more

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

Reviews (1)

Meg is determined to solve Jessica's birth mother's murder
Jean Marcy is in fact a mystery writing duo of Jean Hutchison and Marcy Jacobs. Long time partners, they reside just across the Mississippi river from St. Louis, where Marcy works at a shelter for battered women. Jean is a retired teacher.Read more

Subjects:  1. Darcy, Meg (Fictitious charact    2. Darcy, Meg (Fictitious character)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Missouri    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Saint Louis    10. Women private investigators    11. Crime & mystery   

Reviews (1)

WOW
I don't generally like mysteries, but I fell in love with this book on the first page.I couldn't put it down and read the entire story in one evening.(I'm never really sure how authors feel when they've worked for months on a book, only to have it read in a few short hours!)This is a well-written book with a consistent story line.There is just the right balance of emphasis on the mystery and the underlying love story.This book was first published 13 years ago and I'm sorry it has taken me this long to find it.Highly recommended - am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Lesbians    6. Miller, Robin (Fictitious char    7. Miller, Robin (Fictitious character)    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. San Francisco (Calif.)    11. Women detectives    12. Crime & mystery   

Reviews (1)

no title
This was a pretty good read, even if the writing was a tad simplistic.A little overblown.A lesbian murder mystery very much in the vein of Agatha Christie, with a huge cast of characters and lots of red herrings thrown in.I never did figure out the murderer with any surety.The description of the various lofts was quite intriguing, as was the well-described Minneapolis winter.Each of her characters was given a very delineated personality, but some of the conversations were stilted.This is the fifth in a string of Jane Lawless mysteries.Hadn't read a mystery in ages.Was a good choice for a vacation. I passed it on to my husband, who also read it. The title was used early on and did point to the murder.Again, very nicely drawn characters. ... 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. Crime & mystery    9. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Reviews (3)

addictive
The Phryne Fisher murders are entertaining and very well crafted. This is one of the best- only why doesn't Amazon stock her latest books- forcing those of us who can't wait to order directly from Australia?

war, murder, and social comedy
not long after i first read _murder in montparnasse_ (ordered from australia--i love this series so much i paid the postage in the years it was unavailable on this continent), i saw the film "paris was a woman." the film included interviews of people who lived in paris in the 20s, and served, among other things, to underscore how well ms. greenwood captures history, whether australian or european. from the stories of family members who fought in the trenches, i can say that she also captures the first world war extremely well.
exciting historical mystery
Bert and Cec along with five other Australian soldiers are drinking and having a good time in Paris in 1918 when the seven witnessed a murder.Now a decade later, Bert, Cec and one of the other five Johnnys are concerned that someone is killing them off one at a time. At the inquest, two died allegedly accidentally when Maccie drowned in an irrigation ditch and Conger's van fell on him while he was fixing it.The three mates think otherwise as counter evidence disputes the official findings.Read more

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

Reviews (4)

did not put it down
I did not put this book down when I started reading it.I was glad that Nina realized that she had to let the past go and move on with her life.I was especially glad that Anna survived that ordeal.I really like Anna and Nina.I like how honest they are with each other and other people.I really like Ninas' moxy.I hope to see more Nina Halligan novels in the future.

Why in the world did Akashic publish this junk?
Akashic once seemed a promising publishing company, with the mission of publishing adventurous stuff that mainstream publishers might be afraid to touch. But lately it definitely seems to have lost its edge. This is the absolute bottom of the barrel. Why anyone, independent or mainstream, would want to publish Norman Kelley's junk is beyond me. And apparently Akashic is publishing something else by this guy, and HarperCollins too. Have standards sunk so low? This book is barely literate.

Maybe not a mango, but it certainly is juicy!!
If you're looking for a strong, independent and savvy black female detective, Nina Halligan is The One! Norman Kelley has something to say about politics in the good ole US of A and his protagonist, Nina Halligan, is the right vessel through which to make his points. The novel is well written and the characters are believable. Kelley's ability to blend present day government corruption and fantasy raises the phrase "life is truer than fiction" to an art form. The only reason this didn't get a 5-star rating from me concerns the rather inconsistent ending. A little too heavy on the mystical when it really wasn't necessary. Nevertheless, I look forward to the next installment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African American women    2. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Halligan, Nina (Fictitious cha    6. Halligan, Nina (Fictitious character)    7. Lesbian    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    10. Mystery fiction    11. Women private investigators    12. Crime & mystery    13. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General    14. Modern fiction    15. USA    16. Mystery    17. African American Studies   

Subjects:  1. Detective and mystery stories    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Lesbians    6. United States    7. Women ex-convicts   

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. McGuire, Madison (Fictitious c    7. McGuire, Madison (Fictitious character)    8. Spy stories    9. Women spies    10. Adventure / thriller   

Reviews (1)

Move Over Sherlock
Set in the same time period here is a book not only rich in descriptions and dialogue fitting that era, but also a refreshing contemporary to Sherlock and his Watson. The author has obviouslygone to great lengths to make this story true to that era.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction / Lesbian    2. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths    3. England    4. Historical fiction    5. Jack    6. Lesbians    7. London    8. the Ripper   

Reviews (2)

Incomplete without "Storm Rising"
I read this book because I was headed to Costa Rica and enjoy reading mysteries set in various locales. It wasn't until I opened the book that I found the main characters were lesbians. Except for some male-bashing and inclusion of only perfect super-women, I enjoyed the book, regardless of the orientation of the characters. I think the book is incomplete and that "Storm Rising" should have been the second half of the book. So much is left unresolved in this book I don't think it stands alone. I enjoyed the setting and the writing.

If you want to go crazy this book will do it.
There has been only two authors that have left me left me so emtionally drain and mad at the same time that you just want to throw the book across the room at the end.Linda Kay Silva is one of them.This by no means isa slight against the author,she took a big risk with this book and cameout smelling like a rose.Well Let me take that back .I have to wait forthe scquel,which I have been waiting now for over a year.That's a longtime to be left hanging by a thread.I call Naaid it seems likeeveryother week for her nextbook.I have read everyone of Storms adventuresand they just keep getting better.Which is hard for a writer to do butSilvahas found that magic.I highly recommend all the Storm novels.Tropical Storm the fifth of the Storm series,be preparedfor theemtionally rollercoaster ride it's a book that will just make u stare atthe ending. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Fiction / Lesbian    5. Fiction / Thrillers    6. Lesbian    7. Mystery & Detective - General    8. Mystery fiction    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Costa Rica    11. Modern fiction    12. Thrillers   

Editorial Review

It's 1925, and Henrietta Adams (christened "Henri" early in the novel, in a conscious evocation of Henry Adams) is a breathless girl in Paris, ostensibly engaged in art journalism for the American magazine that is funding her visit, but in fact seeking sapphic embraces in Natalie Barney's salon of aristocratic inverts and Gertrude Stein's more high-minded gatherings. Acquaintance with Hemingway, Picasso, Djuna Barnes, James Joyce, and other luminaries helps Henri round out her education. By night, she explores lesbian clubs in masculine attire, searching for an elegant woman to love. Despite some fine writing, especially in the second half of the book, Read more

Reviews (4)

A Delicious Romp
Having been a lover of the Paris of Gertrude Stein and Picasso since my early teens, I was very excited to read Vandenburg's An American in Paris; and, I was not disappointed.Vandenburg has written an eloquent, funny, delightful romp through the academic and sexual turns of the fictional Henri and the "non-fictional" Stein and Alice B.Playing with language (both academic and foreign) and gender stereotypes, Vandenburg illuminates a young woman's journey to self-discovery with a wonderfully light touch and deliciously wry sense of humor.

Give it to Gertrude
In An American in Paris, Vandenburg wants nothing more than to stick a giant carrot up Gertrude Stein's ancient bum, which is evidenced by the massive descriptions of phallic vegetables.Just as the Eiffel Tower looms on the front cover like an erect phallus, Vandenburg cannot escape her own desire to be "mannish".Her thinly veiled main character is a poor disguise for Vandenburg, and the prose lacks elegance.The diction sucks the carrot that Henrietta, the main character, longs to feed upon.Freud claims that all women have "Phallic Envy", and although Vandenburg admirably tries to rid Henrietta of this, she only succeeds in creating a Freudian slip.Unfortunately, when Henrietta transforms into Henri (christened by vandenburg's patron saint Gertrude Stein), she is actually transforming into the exact monster that Vandenburg fails to slay.

Vandenburg And Freud
Vandenburg loves hysteria, female repression, and of course, dildos.And while she is an excellent theorist, her writing is juvenile.If you like Sex in the City a la 1920s Paris but minus the wit (and the great clothes), then An American In Paris is the ice cream for you.Vandenburg knows how to pop a cherry with aplomb, but this type of self-masturbatory prose is self indulgent.Not only is the movie better- I'd watch it for dessert instead. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americans    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Historical    4. France    5. Historical - General    6. Lesbian    7. Lesbians    8. Paris (France)    9. Young women    10. Crime & mystery    11. Literature of special Lesbian interest    12. Modern fiction   

Reviews (1)

Better Late Than Never...
OK.It's now 2004 and the book was published in 1992.I don't usually like detective stories, but somehow got a copy of "I Left My Heart" and thoroughly enjoyed it.So much so, that I purchased the next three in the series."Crazy for Loving" didn't disappoint me.
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Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Miller, Robin (Fictitious char    7. Miller, Robin (Fictitious character)    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. New York    11. New York (State)    12. Women detectives    13. Modern fiction   

Reviews (1)

Powerful Romance and Suspense
The Magnolia Conspiracy revolves around the plan of four determined women to capture a violent rapist. It begins with the rape and assault of Claire Jordan. Years later, she's a professor now living in Denver with her lover Jane Sellers. She has managed to suppress thoughts of the horrible incident, while her assailant, Gerald Steckman, is supposedly serving a long prison sentence - until her friend's daughter is assaulted. This incident brings back ugly memories Claire thought she'd gotten over. Now that Steckman has attacked Chloe (and raped yet another woman), Claire realizes he's out of prison and believes he has come to Denver to kill her.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    4. Lesbian    5. Lesbians    6. Mystery & Detective - Hard-Boiled    7. Novel    8. Psychological    9. Comics & Graphic Novels / General   

Reviews (4)

Couldn't get through a single chapter
I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get through even the first 10 pages because the story is written entirely in the PRESENT tense and with almost no complexity and variety in the sentence structure (i.e, it reads more like a play). "Agenda for Murder" & Called to Kill" the New Chandler!
The first time I read a crime fiction novel from cover to coverwas when I was 15 years old. It was "The Big Sleep" by RaymondChandler. I discovered and read a series of other novels by thesame author andfound that very few went on to be made intofilms, much to my dissmay.Most people will remember the characters played by Humprey Bogart andLauren Bacall, it was their first debut together. They had a good script,played real life characters and their chemistry magnified the drama andsuspense, a credit to the novel, a great writer and cast. Grade A for Murder
Reverend Nikki Barnes has taken time off as an assistant pastor to teach and counsel on a college campus in small-town Sheridan, New York. Memories of her youthful tour in Vietnam have not faded with the years, especiallythe bloody death of a beloved. Meanwhile at the University Medical Center,the grisly murder of a doctor calls for Nikki's public relations talents indamage control. Reunited by chance with an old friend from the war,Sergeant Mullen, she delves into the suspicious circumstances of the death,only to find herself under attack. What disturbs her most, however, is thatthe prime suspect is the captivating Dr. Ginni Clayton, a mirror image ofNikki's lost partner. And Nikki's concentration on the solution isn'thelped by the tragi-comic ministrations of a student with a crush whodeluges her with baked goods in hopes of winning her approval. Albarelladescribes in vivid flashbacks the terrible moral and physical costs ofVietnam, making the reader sweat in the jungle and listen for the nexthelicopter. Plenty of action with timeouts for sober reflection make thisdebut novel a wild roller coaster ride, slowing only to build suspense foranother surprise around the next corner. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Detective and mystery stories    2. Fiction    3. Fiction / Lesbian    4. Fiction / Romance / Contemporary    5. Lesbian college teachers    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery/Suspense    8. Crime & mystery    9. Lesbians    10. Modern fiction    11. Romance - Contemporary    12. Veterans    13. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975