Taken by Storm

Delta Stevens #1

by Linda Kay Silva

Delta Stevens is a cop who sees her partner, Miles Brookman, brutally murdered while on patrol. In the ensuing days of his death, Delta discovers that Miles had been investigating a drug ring run from within their department. Not knowing who she can and cannot trust, she dives into her own investigation to uncover the assassins.

Interwoven with the investigative action and Delta's turbulent emotions is a revealing, delicate relationship with Megan Osbourne, a prostitute, who holds a tiny piece of the puzzle Delta is trying to fit together. As the two women struggle to break preconceived notions and overcome the stigmas attached to their opposing professions, they soon forge a love that bridges their dichotomous worlds.

Delta Stevens is at once strong and passionate, stormy and calm, impetuous and calculating, courageous and scared. She is a woman striving to find the precarious balance between what she does for a living and who she is; between doing what is right and doing what is best. It is not only Delta's ability to bring the perpetrators to justice that has us cheering, but also her courage to love someone forbidden to her by a society and justice system which understands neither profession.

Editor: Brenda K. Hines

Genres: Lesbian, Mystery, Fiction, LGBT, Lesbian Fiction

185 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1991

About the author

Linda Kay Silva, a.k.a. Storm, lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner and a menagerie of animals. She wakes up happy, laughs all day long, and lives a life that had included African safaris, Thai temples, riding Harleys, and floating down rivers on bamboo rafts. By day, she is a World, American, British, Asian, and Women’s Literature Professor at a military university. By night, she is a lover of all things zombie-esque and will watch any movie where a zombie eats a human being. She’s has been known to offer parts in her books to her students, who touch her life as much as she hopes she touches theirs. She is proud to be with Sapphire Books and looks forward to a long and satisfying writing career with them. Linda Kay prides herself on responding to everyone who has ever written her, and she encourages you to join her and Sapphire Books on Facebook.

Linda Kay Silva is the recipient of the 2013 Alice B. Medal for her body of work.

aka Alex Westmore

Reviews

[Wayne Spiceland]

I’d been intending to read this for a while, now, and, though I liked it, I’m not sure I liked it enough to continue with the series. Overall, the story itself is fine: the plotting is consistent, the pacing is just right, and the story engaging enough to make us want to pursue it to the conclusion. There are certainly positives in the book, largely in individual scenes, though. For example, I love how Delta breaks down emotionally when her partner is killed; so many characters in this genre are stoic and dispassionate, that the display of caring is a welcome change. I also really appreciate Silva’s decision to make Delta’s love interest a prostitute, and it works quite well, largely because Megan is an absolute delight; this was a courageous move in a genre whose audience is likely to include a goodly percentage of feminists, given that that community has such a wide diversity of opinion about sex-work.

Unfortunately, the negatives outweigh the pluses, or are at the very least their equal. While things like disagreement between subject and verb, pronouns without antecedents, and dangling modifiers are an annoying distraction, they’re not completely intolerable. It’s the overall writing that’s the major problem. The prose simply doesn’t flow. A lot of sentences, or phrases within sentences, are really, really awkward,; some, even upon rereading, still forced me to say “Hunh?”

SOME SPOIlERS FOLLOW
Then, there’s Delta, herself. I realize this is largely subjective, but when a novel’s protagonist is, like, your third -- maybe even fourth -- favorite character, I see that as a major flaw. Next, of course, there are the bad guys, the dirty cops, who, let’s face it, are totally clichéd, pure caricature, and the Captain simply isn’t in the story long enough to feel like a true villain. That Delta and the Captain don’t have a physical confrontation weakens the conclusion. I don’t mean they have to “duke it out” but they should somehow at least be in the climatic scene together, Wait, there really isn’t a climactic scene! Well, no wonder the ending seemed unsatisfactory. Lastly, in a story were the perps are bent cops, having your protag win the game (keeping with the chess metaphor) by planting evidence may be the most serious defect of all.

Tepidly recommended.

[Allie Mac]

My number one! Linda Kay Silva is not only my favourite author but the Delta Stevens series was my "debut to sapphic novels" read. I treasure this book and absolutely love the series.
Some may say it's too short for a novel but it does what it aims to -it introduces the characters beautifully around a very intriguing cop story.

If I had one wish it would be to be capable of writing as well as Linda Kay. Do yourself a favour and read what she writes...I can't fault anything of hers I've read!

[Nolly Frances Sepulveda]

I have read the Authors Echo series, and decided to get to know the other players. Reading about Delta and Connie pre-Echo is quite interesting as they are just coming into their own. I like the characters and am just starting the 3rd book. Strong, powerful, loving and fun women, my kind of book. Thanks Ms Silva