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Clearwater
A family tragedy is the only reason Dr. Bernadette Hebert has returned to Clearwater, Louisiana. The murder of a man she has long hated doesn't sadden her, but if she has refused to go she'd have to tell her partner why. Being from Clearwater means Bernie knows how to keep a secret.
A bloodstained list of license plate numbers brings Bernie face to face with Carly Harrell, candidate for Clearwater Mayor. Once upon a time Bernadette had loved Carly, but the reunion is fraught with suspicion. Carly's from Clearwater, which means she has secrets too. Her political life may be promising, but her feelings for campaign worker Laura Lee threaten everything.
Secrets seem to have been the dead man's specialty. In Clearwater, Louisiana, secrets are power...or a motive for murder.
A bloodstained list of license plate numbers brings Bernie face to face with Carly Harrell, candidate for Clearwater Mayor. Once upon a time Bernadette had loved Carly, but the reunion is fraught with suspicion. Carly's from Clearwater, which means she has secrets too. Her political life may be promising, but her feelings for campaign worker Laura Lee threaten everything.
Secrets seem to have been the dead man's specialty. In Clearwater, Louisiana, secrets are power...or a motive for murder.
- GenresLesbianLesbian Fiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1991
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June 19, 2020
Clearwater
Did you ever see those cans in your local discount supermarket with the contents labeled in stark black and white as simply “Peas” or “Cola”? At the same time, there were cheap, “no frills” paperback books. One, entitled Romance, stated on the cover, “Complete with everything: a kiss, a promise, a misunderstanding, another kiss, a happy ending.” Well, if there were a generic lesbian mystery, it would probably be Clearwater (complete with a murder, a girlfriend, a first love, a dark past, a mishmash of points of view, and a surprise ending).
Dr. Bernie Hebert, a successful Crime Scene Technician in New Orleans, pays a visit to her old hometown of Clearwater, Louisiana, when her cousin Albert is murdered. For some reason, she agrees to search for Albert’s killer. But who could possibly have hated Albert enough to blow his head off with a shotgun? Well, everybody. Even Bernie herself!
The writing in this book is pedestrian, but remember this: a pedestrian may move slowly, but generally manages to get there in the end. Bernie is not memorable and her girlfriend Vi is memorable only for the sneaking suspicion that she is not quite right for Bernie. Our “sleuth” is simply given a clue by the pathologist—who happens to be her uncle—without his mentioning it to the police, which is a crime almost everywhere. And rather than investigate this clue herself, Bernie hires a high-powered private detective.
It becomes obvious that the crime is about to be solved before a third of the book is over, but then the author shifts gears. Instead of hearing about Bernie’s investigation (told by Bernie in the first person), she decides to give a third-person story-within-a-story about one of the suspects in the case—a would-be mayor named Carly who was Bernie’s first crush. A very odd choice to be sure, but the truth is, I like Carly and her story a lot more than I do Bernie and hers. And Ennis sticks with Carly for the next third of the novel, at which time we go back to Bernie’s pov again. But of course by this time we have figured out who the murderer is—or have we?
This is a rather short novel, even by Naiad standards. It never gets bad enough to put down or good enough to turn the page with more than a modicum of curiosity. Pretty nice action between Carly and her young campaign manager, though. I’ll give it somewhere around a 2.7, but not a recommendation.
Note: I read what appears to be 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.
Did you ever see those cans in your local discount supermarket with the contents labeled in stark black and white as simply “Peas” or “Cola”? At the same time, there were cheap, “no frills” paperback books. One, entitled Romance, stated on the cover, “Complete with everything: a kiss, a promise, a misunderstanding, another kiss, a happy ending.” Well, if there were a generic lesbian mystery, it would probably be Clearwater (complete with a murder, a girlfriend, a first love, a dark past, a mishmash of points of view, and a surprise ending).
Dr. Bernie Hebert, a successful Crime Scene Technician in New Orleans, pays a visit to her old hometown of Clearwater, Louisiana, when her cousin Albert is murdered. For some reason, she agrees to search for Albert’s killer. But who could possibly have hated Albert enough to blow his head off with a shotgun? Well, everybody. Even Bernie herself!
The writing in this book is pedestrian, but remember this: a pedestrian may move slowly, but generally manages to get there in the end. Bernie is not memorable and her girlfriend Vi is memorable only for the sneaking suspicion that she is not quite right for Bernie. Our “sleuth” is simply given a clue by the pathologist—who happens to be her uncle—without his mentioning it to the police, which is a crime almost everywhere. And rather than investigate this clue herself, Bernie hires a high-powered private detective.
It becomes obvious that the crime is about to be solved before a third of the book is over, but then the author shifts gears. Instead of hearing about Bernie’s investigation (told by Bernie in the first person), she decides to give a third-person story-within-a-story about one of the suspects in the case—a would-be mayor named Carly who was Bernie’s first crush. A very odd choice to be sure, but the truth is, I like Carly and her story a lot more than I do Bernie and hers. And Ennis sticks with Carly for the next third of the novel, at which time we go back to Bernie’s pov again. But of course by this time we have figured out who the murderer is—or have we?
This is a rather short novel, even by Naiad standards. It never gets bad enough to put down or good enough to turn the page with more than a modicum of curiosity. Pretty nice action between Carly and her young campaign manager, though. I’ll give it somewhere around a 2.7, but not a recommendation.
Note: I read what appears to be 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.
Displaying 1 of 1 review