Taken by the Wind

Jane Lawless #21

by Ellen Hart

"Absorbing . . . unexpected twists and turns . . . and the activities of her irrepressible best friend, Cordelia Thorn (a treasure of mystery fiction), will keep the reader guessing."— Publishers Weekly "A judicious balance of long-term development and short-term storytelling; even readers who come for the ongoing characters will stay for the mystery."— Kirkus Reviews "An engrossing mystery with captivating characters"— Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Lesbian sleuth Jane Lawless confronts one of her most frightening children gone missing. Seamlessly integrating enough backstory to orient readers new to the series, Ellen Hart also quickly establishes restaurateur Lawless's professional skills as a part-time PI as she deftly secures the details pertaining to the disappearance of Eric and Andrew's hot-headed, charismatic twelve-year-old son, Jack, and develops a search strategy. Jack has previously masterminded risky situations with his less volatile cousin, Gabriel, who is troubled, having recently consented to genetic testing since his father died of ALS. But have the boys escalated their adventures? Jane's first impression of the case isn't good—in fact, she's not convinced the boys ran away at all. She thinks they may have been abducted . . . or worse. Ellen Hart is a five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery and a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Lesbian, Cozy Mystery, Crime

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2013

About the author

Ellen Hart is the author of twenty-eight crime novels in two different series. She is a five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction, a three-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award in several categories, a recipient of the Alice B Medal, and was made an official GLBT Literary Saint at the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2005. In 2010, Ellen received the GCLS Trailblazer Award for lifetime achievement in the field of lesbian literature. For the past fourteen years, Ellen has taught "An Introduction to Writing the Modern Mystery" through the The Loft Literary Center, the largest independent writing community in the nation. Ellen's latest Sophie Greenway mystery is No Reservations Required (Ballantine). Rest for the Wicked, the twentieth Jane Lawless mystery, will be released by St. Martin's/Minotaur in October 2012. Bella Books has recently revived the out-of-print books by publishing them in both trade paperback and E-book. Ellen lives in the Minneapolis area with her partner of over 35 years.

Reviews

[Mary Davidsaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this mystery because the back cover mentioned it was part of a popular "gay mystery genre." I hadn't thought about that concept. I've read mysteries solved by young, old, men, women, pros, amateurs, cats, so why not try this? I wasn't disappointed. Ellen Hart gave me some valuable insight and kept me guessing until the end.

[Dorinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh! Heroine, Jane Lawless, grows increasingly annoying as she makes the same mistakes over and over without learning from them. If she were a "friend" she would be demoted to passing acqaintance so why bother to use reading time on her anymore?

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually somewhat tedious character development. Why is the a cast of characters at the front needed?Was that a play to the theater theme? the ending is poorly done. "oops, I ran out of paper, gotta resolved everything now."

[Mary Vermillion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devoured it with delight!

[Valorie Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen this a remarkable book!!!!!!

Ellen has done it again.
I started with Vital Lies and had to go and start at the beginning and never looked back again.
I have a kindle for several years, but I worried the library out getting the next books to read in order, I got some paperbacks at bookstores and worried them to get the books the library couldn't find, but now you can get them on kindle.
This book I couldn't put down, I was watching football and reading because I had to keep reading to find out what happens next. The suspects Jane had in mind with the missing people, ransom, financially desperate people, stressed cop, and problems in two or more families.
Jane and her side kick Cordelia racing to get the very dangerous, disturbed people from hurting anybody.
There was a lot going on at once. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!!!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read several books now in the Jane Lawless series but this was my least favorite. The mystery portion was great and kept me guessing, however, the parents in the book frustrated me to no end! 2 young boys go missing, for days, but there wasn't a realistic concern, fear or confusion on the parents part. It seemed like they just kind of we t about their lives--going to a job interview, helping with damage after a storm, making sandwiches....they acted too normal. There was casual conversation made about not feeling the police were doing enough to solve the case but it took forever for them to act on that. Basically, the book was good on mystery but low on emotion.

[Barbara L. Swahlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old friends

It had been a few years since I read a Jane Lawless book. Life and Kindle Unlimited got in the way. With Taken By the Wind, I’m reminded why Ellen Hart has been at the top of my list of favorite authors for many years.
As usual, the characters are well developed and believable, the storyline holds the reader’s interest, and there’s enough humor to balance the drama. Most of all, it gave me a sense of reuniting with old friends. If you’re a long term fan, make time for this one. If you’re new to Jane and her friends, I envy you the enjoyment of making new friends.
Well done, Ms. Hart.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first of the series that I read and it was clear that a lot of character development had occurred in earlier volumes which is a good feature. The problem was that the mystery was somewhat light on, well, mystery and heavy on interpersonal drama unrelated to the mystery. Perhaps the bit players would have been more interesting if I had known more of their backstories.

I will probably try to read the first or an earlier volume and see if I enjoy that more.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine mystery, with lots of interesting subplots to take you off the trail, though some parts made the characters a little frustrating to me. Definite trigger warning for child sex abuse. Very interesting in that it was published in 2015 but taps into a lot of what's happening in the USA in 2018.

Recommended for anyone looking for an easy mystery with a lesbian main character.

[Georgia · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very disappointing read... a lot of words thrown in to make the book longer... plot was willy-nilly and filled with sexual undertones that were unnecessary and fumbling.
No, I will not read another Ellen Hart novel and I for sure will not recommend her novels to anyone else. Disappointing to say the least.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I like about Ellen Hart's books is that in addition to the mystery, she addresses social problems and political issues. In this one, two boys disappear and it's not clear whether they ran away or were abducted. One of the boys has two fathers and they deal with hate issues. Another character is a teacher who has to fight against the requirement that he teach creationism. The story unfolds slowly as Jane and Cordelia search for clues.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good overall but some things just go through my head. Like, why didn't the cop do more to find the kids? Why wasn't the cop more intuitive to the problems one of the kids had while in baseball? Overall good book!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how I had heretofore missed reading a book by this well-regarded Minnesota author. If this is typical of her work--interesting characters, fun local-to-me settings, and no torture to turn your stomach--I'll be reading more of her other 25+ novels.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series of books. They are set in Minnesota, usually in Mpls/St. Paul and are fun with a little murder thrown in.

[Tink · Rating 4 out of 5]

21 down.

[Susan Moxley]

A real page turner with lots of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing to the very end of the Book.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Lawless mysteries are always a pleasure especially since they are set in Minneapolis where I have resided for more than 50 years. Recommend the series highly. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very captivating read!

[Vontel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There really weren't obvious spoilers in the book, although some foreshadowing that really becomes obvious in retrospect as you read to the end. Although with many of the key characters are clearly gay, which is one of the key features of the Jane Lawless series, this is just part of belonging to the general public. There are disturbing political and social themes in the book, and part of the story, both of some of the growing fundamentalist "Christian" religious and political intolerance in America, and other human challenges, as well as inhumanities to humankind, which I won't mention to avoid being a spoiler. The growing anxieties of 2 sets of parents whose almost teen boys don't come home one afternoon, and a search for them, involving hiring Jane in her PI role. The usual cast of characters continues on in their evolving story eg Cordelia, the theatre director, and her annoying, rich and famous actor sister, Octavia.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy complications! I hate some of the things happening in Jane’s life right now, but I really admire how Ellen Hart can keep it interesting over 20+ books with the same core characters. Ex-lover Julia is back, making waves with Avi, Jane’s new girlfriend, and Cordelia’s sister Octavia has a hold over Jane that may come between Jane and her best friend. The mystery in this book involves two cousins who disappear from a backyard campout one night. When the police don’t seem to take it seriously, the fathers of one of the boys call in their old friend Jane to find them.

[Patti K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the latest in the long-running series of Jane Lawless mysteries by Hart.
She is the owner of a restaurant as well as a part-time private investigator.
This is a gay-friendly novel that is quick paced and highly readable. The author
may have put too much into one short novel though giving the reader little time
to reflect or consider all the events. It takes place in a small town south of
the Twin Cities and is contemporary.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

#21 and still going, well, fairly strong. I'm not sure that Jane's new PI status suits her - she seems less sure of herself than when she was a tried and true amateur. She's in way over her head with her latest case, and even though Cordelia comes along, she has nothing to do.

I'm tired of the evil ex and hope that arc wraps up quickly. But still keeping with the series as entertaining enough!

[Lance Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is much to like in this well-paced, twist-filled non-murder mystery, with everyone (including the reader) on edge after a pair of middle school-aged boys disappear. A very strong entry in this series, one that continues to deliver with appealing recurring characters and solid mystery plotlines. Our full review: http://www.mysteriousreviews.com/myst...

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still catching up with Lawless. This is a well-wrought kidnapping tale that provides multiple suspects and angles. It also presents a good overview of how the 2008 housing crash and economic debacle affected small towns.

I'm disappointed Julia is back--I thought that story line was a little over the top.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally like the Jane Lawless mysteries and thought this one was quite good. I liked the mystery and the background to the new characters, but was less impressed with Jane's personal story. The interaction between Jane, her current lover (Aviva) and her ex (Julia) did not add to the story.

[Madeline Dahlman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just too "Christian" for me. And not something I was expecting from an LGBT mystery? I don't know..it was an ok mystery but not great....it wasn't a great enough mystery for me to look past the feeling that I was reading some sort of Christian fiction....

[Elizabeth Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellen Hart did not disappoint. She does a great job of telling the story and creating the mystery. The characters are like coming back home.
But what happened to the rest of the money??

[Leslie Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5--disappeared children--so built-in tension. Consistently good series, but Jane needs to have a settled love life. Or just love her dogs.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Jane Lawless mystery.