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Caitlin Reece #1
The Always Anonymous Beast
Meet Caitlin Reece. Smart, cool, tough. A dropout from conventional life. Highly competent in her chosen profession. She has no office, obtains clients by referral only, and never leaves her home without her .357 Magnum Smith and Wesson. Val Frazier, Victoria's star TV anchorwoman, is Caitlin's newest client. She is the victim of a viciously homophobic blackmailer who has discovered her relationship with Tonia Konig. Tonia is a lesbian-feminist professor, an outspoken, passiontely committed proponent of nonviolence. She is enraged by her own helplessness, she is outraged by Caitlin's challenge to her most fundamental beliefs, and by Caitlin herself, whom she considers a "a thug". As Caitlin stalks the blackmailer and his accomplices through the byways of the city of Victoria, she uncovers ever darker layers of danger surrounding Tonia. And she struggles against a new and altogether unwanted she is increasingly attracted to the woman who despises her. The Always Anonymous Beast marks two auspicious Laren Wright Douglas, a most talented and exciting and Caitlin Reece - intelligent, complex, sharply humorous - one of the most intriguing women ever to appear in mystery fiction. Originally published by Naiad Press 1987.
210 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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April 29, 2026Well, it was raining here, so I was able to sit back in my love seat with a cat sleeping on my lap and finish this one in a day. It was a good day. And a good story. The first-person point of view was vaguely reminiscent of Mary Wings, but without Wings’ obsession with describing minute observations that have nothing to do with the plot.
The story was engrossing and complicated, but the complications were added—at least until near the very end—so subtly that they were seamless. Like most good mysteries, it was not over when you thought it was. Unfortunately—at least in this case—Douglas seems to have lost control of the book and it ended with a clunk. But let’s start at the beginning.
Caitlin Reece has no office; she only meets clients at prearranged rendezvous. She doesn't seem to advertise, so she only sees clients that were referred to her by other clients. It is not even certain what her job is; in one scene she visualizes herself as being a private eye, but what she really is smacks more of a vigilante. Someone like Doc Savage—the hero of a hundred pulp novels whose stated goal in life is to right wrongs and punish the guilty, even if it has to be accomplished outside the law.
But Caitlin is no ordinary Rambo Bimbo; she is a Shakespeare scholar, a classical music aficionado, and an ex-lawyer who once worked in the DA’s office, where she made contacts out the yin yang. One of these, a computer geek who delights in getting dirt on people, is a precursor of both Lizbeth Salander and her own computer geek, Plague. And, of course, she also has a friend who is a lawyer and one who is in the police department and one who has pet Great Danes she can use as protection, should the need arise. Lucky her, but after all, she did have a pretty long career in the DA’s office.
The plot revolves around a TV anchor who is being blackmailed by someone who has gained possession of a series of love letters between her and another woman. She feels that her career would be ruined if her affair came out—and also that her abusive husband would enact his own vengeance. In a sequence of well-written scenes, Caitlin finds out who is doing the blackmailing. But something doesn't add up. Is there someone who is actually pulling the blackmailer’s strings for his own purpose?
It really doesn't add up, but although Caitlin attempts to resolve it to her (and our) satisfaction, she never does. Motives are simply not there, either for the blackmailer or for the person behind him. Too bad. It was a really good book until just before the end. In fact, a second, more minor case she was working on was left unsolved—presumably to be resumed in the next volume. It makes me wonder whether she was overly influenced by a Naiad editor who may have suggested she keep her page count down to their semi-required length. If so it was a mistake; it seems to have negatively affected the entire ending of the book.
But Caitlin Reece is a winning character. Her hot-and-cold relationship to her love interest is made particularly interesting by her lover’s firmly held belief in nonviolent action in all things, while Caitlin illegally but regularly packs a .357. I wouldn't mind seeing how she fares in her next adventure. High marks overall, but at just under 70,000 words, a little too short to do all the things that needed to be done.
Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 1250 other lesbian mysteries by over 400 authors.
The story was engrossing and complicated, but the complications were added—at least until near the very end—so subtly that they were seamless. Like most good mysteries, it was not over when you thought it was. Unfortunately—at least in this case—Douglas seems to have lost control of the book and it ended with a clunk. But let’s start at the beginning.
Caitlin Reece has no office; she only meets clients at prearranged rendezvous. She doesn't seem to advertise, so she only sees clients that were referred to her by other clients. It is not even certain what her job is; in one scene she visualizes herself as being a private eye, but what she really is smacks more of a vigilante. Someone like Doc Savage—the hero of a hundred pulp novels whose stated goal in life is to right wrongs and punish the guilty, even if it has to be accomplished outside the law.
But Caitlin is no ordinary Rambo Bimbo; she is a Shakespeare scholar, a classical music aficionado, and an ex-lawyer who once worked in the DA’s office, where she made contacts out the yin yang. One of these, a computer geek who delights in getting dirt on people, is a precursor of both Lizbeth Salander and her own computer geek, Plague. And, of course, she also has a friend who is a lawyer and one who is in the police department and one who has pet Great Danes she can use as protection, should the need arise. Lucky her, but after all, she did have a pretty long career in the DA’s office.
The plot revolves around a TV anchor who is being blackmailed by someone who has gained possession of a series of love letters between her and another woman. She feels that her career would be ruined if her affair came out—and also that her abusive husband would enact his own vengeance. In a sequence of well-written scenes, Caitlin finds out who is doing the blackmailing. But something doesn't add up. Is there someone who is actually pulling the blackmailer’s strings for his own purpose?
It really doesn't add up, but although Caitlin attempts to resolve it to her (and our) satisfaction, she never does. Motives are simply not there, either for the blackmailer or for the person behind him. Too bad. It was a really good book until just before the end. In fact, a second, more minor case she was working on was left unsolved—presumably to be resumed in the next volume. It makes me wonder whether she was overly influenced by a Naiad editor who may have suggested she keep her page count down to their semi-required length. If so it was a mistake; it seems to have negatively affected the entire ending of the book.
But Caitlin Reece is a winning character. Her hot-and-cold relationship to her love interest is made particularly interesting by her lover’s firmly held belief in nonviolent action in all things, while Caitlin illegally but regularly packs a .357. I wouldn't mind seeing how she fares in her next adventure. High marks overall, but at just under 70,000 words, a little too short to do all the things that needed to be done.
Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 1250 other lesbian mysteries by over 400 authors.
November 7, 2012
Ok, let me say this about the copy I had:
It was written in 1987 and there were a lot of errors and typos.
That said...
First outing with the author and despite the two things above the story itself was good. Meet Caitlin Reece, a hard nosed detective who is more than she seems. When she first meets Valerie Frazier it is all business, having been referred by a friend, Val needs something taken care of, something really sensitive. Enter Tonia Konig, the other part of the mystery. It seems that these two women are being blackmailed so their "love" letters aren't leaked to the press or worse yet Val's husband. As the story unfolds Caitlin learns there is more to this story than she thought and a little less when it comes to Val and Tonia's "tryst". Who is behind the blackmail? Does it have anything to do with Tonia? or Val? The true story behind the veil is more intriguing than just the blackmail but will Caitlin find this out in time to save the women and herself? Will she be able to stop her budding feelings and concentrate on the issue at hand? Will Tonia be her undoing or the glue that keeps it all together...
It was written in 1987 and there were a lot of errors and typos.
That said...
First outing with the author and despite the two things above the story itself was good. Meet Caitlin Reece, a hard nosed detective who is more than she seems. When she first meets Valerie Frazier it is all business, having been referred by a friend, Val needs something taken care of, something really sensitive. Enter Tonia Konig, the other part of the mystery. It seems that these two women are being blackmailed so their "love" letters aren't leaked to the press or worse yet Val's husband. As the story unfolds Caitlin learns there is more to this story than she thought and a little less when it comes to Val and Tonia's "tryst". Who is behind the blackmail? Does it have anything to do with Tonia? or Val? The true story behind the veil is more intriguing than just the blackmail but will Caitlin find this out in time to save the women and herself? Will she be able to stop her budding feelings and concentrate on the issue at hand? Will Tonia be her undoing or the glue that keeps it all together...
May 27, 2023
The first novel in Wright Douglas's lesbian private eye series set in Victoria, BC has a relatively slim mystery (mixed with some romance), but the author has the genre conventions down perfectly. A readable, fast-paced, engaging book about two women, a newscaster and a women's studies prof, who hire a private investigator when they are threatened with blackmail over some stolen love letters. The protagonist-narrator has a nice mix of virtues and vices and the sense of place is conjured up effectively. It's unfortunate that the key bit of investigation takes place off-stage by a character who's only introduced briefly, and the private eye makes some crucial mistakes that seem obvious. But this is an intriguing contribution to Naiad Press' 1980s and 90s lesbian mystery fiction.
January 11, 2026
I wrote a review of this book back when I read it in 2008 in an actual notebook that I just found this is what I wrote:
Meh, it was alright, first book I’ve read from a lesbian point of view, I found that interesting (note from 2026 me, I’m baffled at my own self here but it’s what I wrote)
But it was no more than a mystery (again I’m baffled I love mysteries! Maybe I was trying to be heady because I was getting into reading as a 20 year old and I was interested in painful Sophie choice type books, I apologize to the author.)
That the main character was too slow at solving (?)
You read it and think “oh please, really?”
I wrote that, I’m sorry I don’t recall why I felt so strongly about a mystery.
Meh, it was alright, first book I’ve read from a lesbian point of view, I found that interesting (note from 2026 me, I’m baffled at my own self here but it’s what I wrote)
But it was no more than a mystery (again I’m baffled I love mysteries! Maybe I was trying to be heady because I was getting into reading as a 20 year old and I was interested in painful Sophie choice type books, I apologize to the author.)
That the main character was too slow at solving (?)
You read it and think “oh please, really?”
I wrote that, I’m sorry I don’t recall why I felt so strongly about a mystery.
July 9, 2025
The story is alright, still good after all this time, in fact, more relevant than ever. I like the detective Caitlin, but I disliked Tonia, who is so judgemental towards Caitlin, stereotyping Caitlin based on her job. I'm reading the Requeered Tales edition and the author mentioned that she was forced by the original editor/publisher to write the romance in, and I have to agree. That was out of nowhere, and should not be in this story.
June 4, 2024
Except for the pay-phones…
I read this book when it was first published. Having just completed a reread, I can honestly say that this story still holds up, even now. This is a compelling read that I happily revisited. Highly recommended!
I read this book when it was first published. Having just completed a reread, I can honestly say that this story still holds up, even now. This is a compelling read that I happily revisited. Highly recommended!
May 26, 2017
Absolutely loved this story, an oldie but definitely a good one
February 13, 2022
Very good Book
I wasn't sure about this book but I got into it had me hooked love the character and the story line was good I am going to read the second book I recommend this book.
I wasn't sure about this book but I got into it had me hooked love the character and the story line was good I am going to read the second book I recommend this book.
January 11, 2025
literally for free aus ner bücherbox, besser als gedacht und hat mich aus nem reading slump geholt
November 20, 2011
As Bella Books has started publishing the Caitlin Reece mysteries again (which I think is just wonderful!), I had to return to them again . . . and the first one's just as good as I remember from almost 20 years ago!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews