Katherine V. Forrest

not really a police procedural, though Kate Delafield is a lesbian homicide cop for the LAPD in the 1990s here, investigating the brutal murder of a gay man, but the way this one's structured it becomes as much about the trial that follows. i'd never read any of this series, and though i was sympathetic to the premise of the story, i was too often questioning the setup, which seemed to me rather pat and without nuance. worse, the author's writing was very stiff and stilted, to the point of being uncomfortable to read. i like Kate's point of view and her conviction and doggedness, so i rooted for her, but it was not enough to make me want to read more of this series.… (mer)

Someday I need to start keeping track of where I find out about the books I put on my reading list, because this is definitely not the typical book for me to read. Which is a good thing, so thank you random person who recommended it to me.

Curious Wine is the story of a women's retreat at a cabin at a Lake Tahoe ski resort, and through encounter games and various intimate conversations share a lot about themselves. Two of the women, Diane and Lane, form a bond that leads to a sexual relationship. The problem is that up to that point they had considered themselves straight and have a lot of things to navigate in order to continue the relationship.

This was one of the first mainstream romance novels about a lesbian relationship by a lesbian author. The novel goes to great lengths to add "respectability" to the relationship by having two white, professional women who've previously had relationships with men as the protagonists who then put a lot of effort into making sure no one can consider their love "just a phase." This was certainly necessary in the early 1980s but feels awkward now. Nevertheless it is a sweet and honest story with well-developed characters.… (mer)

Retired LAPD detective Kate Delafield’s life is in danger from a woman she helped convict of murdering her daughter and her daughter’s best friend twenty years earlier. The woman, Ellie Schuster, was released after spending nineteen years in prison when her innocence was proven with the help of a DNA test. A few months later Schuster began sending death threats to Kate. When a letter from Schuster arrives in the mailbox in front of her desert home in the Yucca Valley of California without a postmark, Kate knows she’s a dead woman walking, and Schuster is nearby. While her house is fortified like a bunker, Kate knows if someone wants her dead, the attack could happen anywhere at any time.

Katherine Forest has written a tension-filled novel about an iconic LesFic character. As Forest ratchets up the tension throughout the book and Delafield begins looking harder at her life, the book becomes increasingly harder to read while at the same time being harder to put down.

The ending is unexpected and more satisfying because of it. People who either haven’t met Kate Delafield before or maybe haven’t read the last few books in this series won’t be left out in the cold because Forest deftly reminds her readers of the major cases Delafield had handled over her thirty years as a member of the LAPD.

The only question that Forest didn’t answer by the end of the book was whether she will allow Delafield to go quietly into an unfettered retirement or whether she’ll be back in another book so we can see what she does in her retirement and whether she’ll find someone to love.

If you love police procedurals or thrillers or suspense or mysteries or books about familiar characters, then this book is for you. If you love well-written character-driven books, put this book at the top of your to-be-read list.

My thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for an eARC.… (mer)