Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Lesbian PI Maggie Gale investigates a suicide ~ or is it murder ~ at a privileged private college in Pennsylvania in a multilayered mystery certain to captivate all readers.

BOOK REVIEW:
Maggie Gale, former cop and current private investigator, is called into the case of a gay blind college music professor who fell from a sixth floor balcony in an apparent suicide. Maggie has spent some productive months renovating the warehouse building a grateful client deeded her for the successful conclusion to a case which left Maggie injured, but surviving. Her life is nearly full with strong friendships, investigative work, and working out, but the very attractive professor she meets on the first day of investigation has a way of getting to Maggie.

Too many suspects who must be ruled out one by one, a fire bombing too close to Maggie, and more murder keep the plot hopping, but this reviewer's real joy came through the fascinating backdrop of lesbian life in a Pennsylvania city. The novel is rich in romance, long-term love and genuine affection without any game-playing or one-night encounters.

Ms. Bradbury presents characters who are self-aware and emotionally mature, for the most part, either single by choice rather than practicing an unsafe lifestyle, or deeply engrossed in happy long-term life partnerships. The author is skillfully able to weave in multiple subplots including the current sociopolitical climate of GLBT culture and the changes in the mainstream view of sexual orientation over the last half-century and juggles all these levels seamlessly.

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. However, some books were purchased by the reviewer and not provided for free. For information on how a particular title was obtained, please contact us at reviews@rainbow-reviews.com.