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Maris Middleton Mystery #1
Devil's Leg Crossing
When sixteen-year-old Karin Beauchamp disappears from her Texas home, the local police believe she's run away. Frustrated by the inadequate investigation, Karin's aunt Lauren O'Connor, takes a leave of absence from the F.B.I. and hires independent crime scene specialist, Maris Middleton, to help her find her niece.Someone linked to Karin is about to have a deadly "accident" that will lead them to long-buried scandals, dark family secrets, and the evil that lurks at Devil's Leg Crossing.
175 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1997
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June 18, 2020Maris Middleton, after a successful stint as a forensic chemist for the Dallas PD, has opened up her own lab, where she tests for drugs, alcohol, and blood. When she is called in on a case involving a missing teenage girl, she meets knockout FBI agent Lauren O’Connor. Seems that the missing girl is Lauren’s niece and Lauren is unsatisfied with the police investigation. So you guessed it, Maris and Lauren team up—in more ways than one.
Their investigation uncovers a slew of unsavory characters, from homophobes to dirty cops to satanic ritualists. The plot, however winding, is less than satisfactory as are the character studies, conversation, and general writing skills. Even Maris is kind of a cipher: she has very little personality and it is hard to get close to her character. The ending, too, is hurried and improbable, made worse by the fact that we were not really introduced to the perpetrators in detail. Not much backstory, in other words.
This book is part of the third wave of Naiad Press offerings. As such, it suffers from the imperfect editing of Christine Cassidy and probably even poor judgment on the part of the acquisitions editor, who may have been having trouble competing with Seal, New Victoria, and some of the other women’s presses who were enjoying success during this period. Someone needs to write an article about which presses were dominant during which years since 1980. Maybe I will. In truth, the book picks up toward the middle, as the author’s writing skills improve, but by then the book has already sunk below the Average line.
There is one thing about the book that is above average, however, and that is Maris’ profession as a forensic chemist. The reader is able to learn a thing or two about analyzing samples of evidence that we do not see in other books. Is this enough to save it? No, but it certainly gives it some credibility. Although the ending is improbable and more than a bit cheesy, there is some excitement as the clues add up and Maris gets close to finding the criminal.
All in all, give the first half: a 2, the second half a 3. Total rating: 2.4, which translates into a little worse than average. Not a great raring, but certainly better than I had envisioned after the first few chapters.
Note: I read the first Naiad printing of this novel.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
Their investigation uncovers a slew of unsavory characters, from homophobes to dirty cops to satanic ritualists. The plot, however winding, is less than satisfactory as are the character studies, conversation, and general writing skills. Even Maris is kind of a cipher: she has very little personality and it is hard to get close to her character. The ending, too, is hurried and improbable, made worse by the fact that we were not really introduced to the perpetrators in detail. Not much backstory, in other words.
This book is part of the third wave of Naiad Press offerings. As such, it suffers from the imperfect editing of Christine Cassidy and probably even poor judgment on the part of the acquisitions editor, who may have been having trouble competing with Seal, New Victoria, and some of the other women’s presses who were enjoying success during this period. Someone needs to write an article about which presses were dominant during which years since 1980. Maybe I will. In truth, the book picks up toward the middle, as the author’s writing skills improve, but by then the book has already sunk below the Average line.
There is one thing about the book that is above average, however, and that is Maris’ profession as a forensic chemist. The reader is able to learn a thing or two about analyzing samples of evidence that we do not see in other books. Is this enough to save it? No, but it certainly gives it some credibility. Although the ending is improbable and more than a bit cheesy, there is some excitement as the clues add up and Maris gets close to finding the criminal.
All in all, give the first half: a 2, the second half a 3. Total rating: 2.4, which translates into a little worse than average. Not a great raring, but certainly better than I had envisioned after the first few chapters.
Note: I read the first Naiad printing of this novel.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
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