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Virginia Kelly Mystery #1
In the Game
When businesswoman Virginia Kelly, a black lesbian, meets her old college chum Bev Johnson for drinks late one night, Bev confides that her lover, Kelsey, is seeing another woman. Ginny had picked up that gossip months ago, but she is shocked when the next morning's papers report that Kelsey was found murdered behind the very bar where Ginny and Bev had met. Worried that her friend could be implicated, Ginny decides to track down Kelsey's killer and also contacts a lawyer, Susan Coogan. Susan takes an immediate, intense liking to Ginny, complicating Ginny's relationship with her live-in lover. Meanwhile Ginny's inquiries heat up when she learns the Feds suspected Kelsey of embezzling from her employer. Woven into the narrative are observations on lesbian life and on prejudice, which are undercut when the author resorts to stereotyping: Ginny's boss, for example, is a drunken Irishman. Still, an entertaining assortment of female characters makes Baker's debut promising, even though the plot's logic does not stand up to close scrutiny: the police do not suspect Bev of the murder, making Ginny's sleuthing to save her friend appear superfluous.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 30, 2023
Rep: Black lesbian mc, Black lesbian side character, lesbian side characters
June 18, 2020
Virginia Kelly is black. This is significant because it makes her the first African-American sleuth in lesbian fiction. Likewise, Nikki Baker is the first African-American author of lesbian mysteries. This makes In the Game an important literary event. At a mere 171 pages, this is one of Naiad’s shortest books, and it is also one of their sweetest.
Living in Chicago, where she got her MBA, Virginia Kelly has a well-paying job, an intelligent lover, and two good friends in Bev and Naomi. She certainly seems to have a good life going, but when Bev’s lover Kelsey is murdered near a lesbian bar, a pall is cast over them all. Naomi is worried about being outed if it becomes known that she associated with lesbian Kelsey. Ginny is worried that Bev will be charged with the murder and hires a lawyer to defend her. I guess that’s enough plot, because, although it is a good one, that’s not what makes this book outstanding.
Nikki Baker is one of the few authors who can outwrite her editor Katherine V. Forrest (Kate Allen is another). There is little poetic language or ethereal descriptions here; rather it is Ginny’s internal thought processes that put Baker in a class by herself. She waxes almost philosophical in almost everything she thinks about—from the presence of black women in high finance to love. And add chaos to that list:“Maybe craziness and order chase each other through our lives like seasons.”
Ginny’s girlfriend Emily, like Gianna Maglione in Penny Mickelbury’s fine series of novels, is white woman, so In the Game has an important interracial element to it as well. In fact, black woman/white woman couplings seem to be a motif in Baker’s fiction. Another motif is that Ginny works in finance, an unusual profession for a black woman in the early 1990s—and don’t think that Ginny doesn’t obsess about that choice and about how she actually fits into a white, straight, world.
It is interesting that Ginny’s friend Naomi Wolf has the same name as the feminist author of The Beauty Myth, which came out in the same year as this book. Coincidence?
The only nitpick I can find in this book is that Ginny’s actions sometimes don’t live up to her thoughts. Not only does Ginny’s friend Naomi guess who the murderer is way before Ginny, but most readers will probably guess as well. A slight fault, and the only one this nitpicker can come up with.
Truthfully, it is hard to find a rating high enough for this book. Certainly it is as good as anything Naiad put out. And for it to be one of the first 50 or so lesbian mystery novels ever to be published speaks highly of the author and her editors.
Note: I read the first 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.
Living in Chicago, where she got her MBA, Virginia Kelly has a well-paying job, an intelligent lover, and two good friends in Bev and Naomi. She certainly seems to have a good life going, but when Bev’s lover Kelsey is murdered near a lesbian bar, a pall is cast over them all. Naomi is worried about being outed if it becomes known that she associated with lesbian Kelsey. Ginny is worried that Bev will be charged with the murder and hires a lawyer to defend her. I guess that’s enough plot, because, although it is a good one, that’s not what makes this book outstanding.
Nikki Baker is one of the few authors who can outwrite her editor Katherine V. Forrest (Kate Allen is another). There is little poetic language or ethereal descriptions here; rather it is Ginny’s internal thought processes that put Baker in a class by herself. She waxes almost philosophical in almost everything she thinks about—from the presence of black women in high finance to love. And add chaos to that list:“Maybe craziness and order chase each other through our lives like seasons.”
Ginny’s girlfriend Emily, like Gianna Maglione in Penny Mickelbury’s fine series of novels, is white woman, so In the Game has an important interracial element to it as well. In fact, black woman/white woman couplings seem to be a motif in Baker’s fiction. Another motif is that Ginny works in finance, an unusual profession for a black woman in the early 1990s—and don’t think that Ginny doesn’t obsess about that choice and about how she actually fits into a white, straight, world.
It is interesting that Ginny’s friend Naomi Wolf has the same name as the feminist author of The Beauty Myth, which came out in the same year as this book. Coincidence?
The only nitpick I can find in this book is that Ginny’s actions sometimes don’t live up to her thoughts. Not only does Ginny’s friend Naomi guess who the murderer is way before Ginny, but most readers will probably guess as well. A slight fault, and the only one this nitpicker can come up with.
Truthfully, it is hard to find a rating high enough for this book. Certainly it is as good as anything Naiad put out. And for it to be one of the first 50 or so lesbian mystery novels ever to be published speaks highly of the author and her editors.
Note: I read the first 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.
March 20, 2022
I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the mystery a lot, it was well thought out and developed, and the writing is very good. But... I truly didn't like Virginia. At all.
In fact, she is the character I dislike the most in the story. Yep, even over stalker-Susan and the killer. So, you can see my problem, as I'm usually a character-driven reader.
I might read the second book in this series because, again, the mystery was really good and I enjoyed the writing but it will take some time.
In fact, she is the character I dislike the most in the story. Yep, even over stalker-Susan and the killer. So, you can see my problem, as I'm usually a character-driven reader.
I might read the second book in this series because, again, the mystery was really good and I enjoyed the writing but it will take some time.
May 21, 2017
I thought this was a good murder mystery. The main character, Virginia, is a black lesbian working in the financial sector in Chicago. She holds her own in the world of high finance but she seems to be a bit clueless in other areas of life, just drifting.
She drifts into an affair and cheats on her partner Em. She can't seem to manage her own finances. The person she cheats with has stalking tendencies. She drifts into solving the mystery and funnily enough manages to solve it in that same drifting way, but this is a drifting that could cost life.
I wasn't quite sure what to think about Virginia. She is a bit selfish and self-centered at times, needy at others and also just very irritating as well, but also determined and courageous even though she takes unnecessary risks. I am certainly interested enough to read the other books in this series. This is the first murder mystery with a lesbian lead that I have read and I don't read many murder mysteries with female leads, other than Miss Marple so this is refreshing. I thought this was great and it is nice to have a whole new sub-genre to delve into.
This book was published in 1991 and the writing is solid and is standing the test of time. I do hope the author will eventually revise and publish this series as ebooks and audiobooks. I think Virginia would be a great character to listen to.
February 3, 2020
So happy to discover Re-Queered Tales re-released this mystery novel from 1981. Ginny is the first African American lesbian amateur sleuth in the genre. The book was fun, full of twists and turns and gave a real feel to how life was for 20-something professionals in the 1980’s. Important work preserving this trail blazing book.
February 18, 2013
Ginny Kelly is an investment-banking buppie at the start of the 90s, living and dating in Chicago. She's not actually a private investigator, being less hard-boiled than "the hard-bitten type that cries at Disney movies and opens her purse to the homeless."
When her best friend's girlfriend is shot dead behind a lesbian bar in Chicago, Ginny investigates by cheating on her own girlfriend with a psychotic defense attorney who miraculously, does not boil her cat, Sweet Potato, because I am hella sensitive to animal harm and omg the pussy jokes.
Eventually, Ginny investigates and solves the murder despite herself. Mainly she drinks, which is commented on in a kind of subtle, offhand way but is never directly commented on or resolved.
She's kind of like the antithesis of VI Warshawski apart from them both being lesbians and she's incredibly well-written and fascinating. She's very at home with her own experience as a middle-class black lesbian and how that differs from parents' experiences and expectations along with how it isolates her in her pursuit of a career in a very white world. As she says of her relationship with her best friend:
A little meandering in the middle, and there are parts where the relationship drama overshadows everything, but eventually the story gets back on track and you understand exactly how it is that friendship can make detectives out of the unlikeliest of people.
When her best friend's girlfriend is shot dead behind a lesbian bar in Chicago, Ginny investigates by cheating on her own girlfriend with a psychotic defense attorney who miraculously, does not boil her cat, Sweet Potato, because I am hella sensitive to animal harm and omg the pussy jokes.
Eventually, Ginny investigates and solves the murder despite herself. Mainly she drinks, which is commented on in a kind of subtle, offhand way but is never directly commented on or resolved.
She's kind of like the antithesis of VI Warshawski apart from them both being lesbians and she's incredibly well-written and fascinating. She's very at home with her own experience as a middle-class black lesbian and how that differs from parents' experiences and expectations along with how it isolates her in her pursuit of a career in a very white world. As she says of her relationship with her best friend:
I did not have to paint for her the backdrop of my American history. Bev understood how hard it is to know that there is nothing happier than little black girls coming from a beauty parlor or nothing sadder than little black girls in the rain.
A little meandering in the middle, and there are parts where the relationship drama overshadows everything, but eventually the story gets back on track and you understand exactly how it is that friendship can make detectives out of the unlikeliest of people.
May 13, 2020
Virginia Kelly is a black, lesbian stockbroker in Chicago in the 1980s. Her life is stable but also somewhat stale. Her work environment is mostly a white boys club, and even though she has a steady relationship with Em, she is looking for some excitement in her life, like finding out if her best friend Bev's new love Kelsey is unfaithful by stealing her posts, or finding out who later on killed Kelsey, or starting an affair with the lawyer Susan, all of which might not be the wisest decisions after all.
I think In The Game worked very well in creating the character of Virginia Kelly and in representing the reality she lives in. The somewhat cold and desperate reality of trying to have a successful career and find love and pleasure comes across well. The mystery plot works, too, especially the end, even though for some parts of the book it's not really the focus of the story. The parts where the mystery was more prevalent had also often Kelly's very manipulative and distant friend Naomi, and I am just sad that Kelly had ended in a situation where she has the friends she has.
If anyone wants a time capsule from about 30 years ago, this is a very solid book for that. In the new foreword by the author she herself sees that "In The Game works best when it is read less as a mystery and more as social commentary", and I agree with that. That does not mean that there isn't a mystery, too, and one that works well enough, even though the balance between social commentary and mystery is not perfect. Still, I'm looking for more Virginia Kelly.
I think In The Game worked very well in creating the character of Virginia Kelly and in representing the reality she lives in. The somewhat cold and desperate reality of trying to have a successful career and find love and pleasure comes across well. The mystery plot works, too, especially the end, even though for some parts of the book it's not really the focus of the story. The parts where the mystery was more prevalent had also often Kelly's very manipulative and distant friend Naomi, and I am just sad that Kelly had ended in a situation where she has the friends she has.
If anyone wants a time capsule from about 30 years ago, this is a very solid book for that. In the new foreword by the author she herself sees that "In The Game works best when it is read less as a mystery and more as social commentary", and I agree with that. That does not mean that there isn't a mystery, too, and one that works well enough, even though the balance between social commentary and mystery is not perfect. Still, I'm looking for more Virginia Kelly.
June 19, 2020
What I Think: All I needed to sell me on this tale were the following: lesbian themed thriller written by black authoress. Something about wanting to see if my folks were equally great way back when (I hope this does not sound racist. I’m a person of colour who has suffered both racism and zenocentrism so I tend to see things differently). The piece de resistance? Requeered Tales is yet to steer me wrong. The authoress is real, leaning towards too much reality and I can tell that the tale is going to be a gritty one, starting with the way she lays down some truth. People are always attracted to things owned by others. It’s something I’ve noticed and never been able to practise because I’m very possessive and was raised by a stern mother who trained and smacked envy out of me. But the racist laws and regulations made my belly roil with nausea borne of anger then I got distracted as things start to warm up. A dastardly plan unfolds, and Virginia seems to have no idea that she is the main character, it begins to take in the weird, morbid excitement of watching a car crash in slow motion. Virginia makes a hundred and 1 mistakes and they all add up to the mess she almost fell into. This tale made me sad as relationships are shown to be nothing but flimsy constructs yet made me laugh thinking about how heteronormative society always gets so shocked when they hear of women cheating forgetting that the lgbtq communities are not different and in fact mirror almost perfectly the hetero world. Its a tale that makes you question your dreams of love and romance as you go down memory lane. It reminded me of my first furtive attempts out of the closet and the experiences that sent me running back in and throwing away the key for the next 6 years. Virginia is jaded and her lover is a saint because she puts up with things that I would not which made me sad because not only could I not see any reason for her to do so, I’m quite frightened of getting into a relationship after this. If all the feelings die to the point that cheating i a normal thing, what hope is there for people like me who can’t even have casual sex when single, talk less of when in a relationship. All this makes Virginia’s world-weary way of looking at the world repulsive to me yet the most interesting thing about her. As she lays out truths others would think but not say, and goes into amateur sleuthing, egged on by others, she’s so human that I ended up liking her even as I decided 2 things – I will work my arse off to make sure my relationships last, but I will also be honest enough to myself to know when to walk away from a user and have the strength to stay away.
Verdict: A slice of life filled with truth and amateur sleuthing, and a humbling view on monogamy.
Verdict: A slice of life filled with truth and amateur sleuthing, and a humbling view on monogamy.
October 5, 2022
Virginia Kelly, Ginny, is a black business woman lesbian who ends up involved in an off-the-books investigation of a murder because it seemed related to the off-the-books investigation to prove that her friend Bev’s girlfriend was cheating on her. Another friend Naomi is convinced that if Bev gets arrested for the murder of her cheating girlfriend both she and Ginny would lost their corporate jobs when people realize they are part of the lesbian community. And so Ginny starts investigating the crime to protect herself and Bev only to fall deep into the mess of it all.
I stumbled upon this book trying to find a lesbian buddy cop drama and this was definitely not that, but it was something. The foreword has an apology for not being great writing, which is true. I struggled understanding what was going on in the beginning and took me a third of the way in to finally figure out who was who. But really, it matches the pulp detective genre but everyone is a lesbian. It delivers on that front and I was going to complain about some tropes and then realized that they were tropes of the era. It was also a great insight into the lesbian world of the early nineties.
But yes, buckle in and prepare for mediocre writing while enjoying the wonderful characters and tropes of a genre that excluded three dimensional women, especially black and queer women. I don’t think I will continue reading the series, but I’m glad I read this one.
I stumbled upon this book trying to find a lesbian buddy cop drama and this was definitely not that, but it was something. The foreword has an apology for not being great writing, which is true. I struggled understanding what was going on in the beginning and took me a third of the way in to finally figure out who was who. But really, it matches the pulp detective genre but everyone is a lesbian. It delivers on that front and I was going to complain about some tropes and then realized that they were tropes of the era. It was also a great insight into the lesbian world of the early nineties.
But yes, buckle in and prepare for mediocre writing while enjoying the wonderful characters and tropes of a genre that excluded three dimensional women, especially black and queer women. I don’t think I will continue reading the series, but I’m glad I read this one.
August 11, 2019
I got this ages ago and decided to reread it as a change of pace. It was still a fun read although it took me awhile to get into it. Once I did I was absorbed. Ginny, the protagonist, is a black lesbian in her late 20s with an upper middle class job. She and her best friend both have white lovers which seems to be a big deal in the book as Ginny ruminates over this quite a bit.
Bev, Ginny's best friend, is being cheated on by her lover who suddenly shows up dead behind a lesbian bar. This taking place in the 90's, perhaps 80's, means that this could be due to gaybashing. It turns out Kelsey, the dead woman, as a lot of secrets. For some reason, Ginny decides to figure out who killed her. Up until the last couple of chapters, this could be a slice of life novel because nothing much really happens to make us worry that Ginny could be in danger.
It's interesting as a historical look at queer and ethnic politics, even if the mystery is mostly tame. Baker reveals quite a bit about the dynamics between lesbians of color and white lesbians, as well as the general culture at large, even from the name she gives Ginny's firm: Whytebread and Greese.
Back to the mystery, the novel ended with a bang as Ginny discovers the murderer and things happen. There is some closure regarding the mystery and personal events. I'm ready to go reread the next book in the series.
Bev, Ginny's best friend, is being cheated on by her lover who suddenly shows up dead behind a lesbian bar. This taking place in the 90's, perhaps 80's, means that this could be due to gaybashing. It turns out Kelsey, the dead woman, as a lot of secrets. For some reason, Ginny decides to figure out who killed her. Up until the last couple of chapters, this could be a slice of life novel because nothing much really happens to make us worry that Ginny could be in danger.
It's interesting as a historical look at queer and ethnic politics, even if the mystery is mostly tame. Baker reveals quite a bit about the dynamics between lesbians of color and white lesbians, as well as the general culture at large, even from the name she gives Ginny's firm: Whytebread and Greese.
Back to the mystery, the novel ended with a bang as Ginny discovers the murderer and things happen. There is some closure regarding the mystery and personal events. I'm ready to go reread the next book in the series.
March 13, 2025
Lesbians of a certain age grew up gobbling books from Naiad Press. The paperbacks were inexpensive, varied widely in literary quality, and were lesbian to the core.
Many featured lesbian detectives, either professional P.I s or amateur sleuths. And there was more than a smattering of romance and sex.
Nikki Baker's three-book series featuring amateur sleuth Virginia Kelly was/is well-written, but lacked/lacks narrative drive. It's distinctive for another reason, too: Virginia Kelly, Ginny to her friends, is the first African-American lesbian detective in fiction.
Baker's comments on black-white relations and on lesbian relationships ring true, over thirty years later.
"Not a problem of policy, but one of preference giving rise to the sad reality that black women have to be about ten times better looking than your average white dyke in flannel to get noticed at a majority watering hole....
"....It is staggering how deeply we must know and love ourselves as black women to kiss the mirror with open eyes."
Read these classics with an eye towards this kind of insight, rather than as a page-turning mystery, and you won't be disappointed.
Many featured lesbian detectives, either professional P.I s or amateur sleuths. And there was more than a smattering of romance and sex.
Nikki Baker's three-book series featuring amateur sleuth Virginia Kelly was/is well-written, but lacked/lacks narrative drive. It's distinctive for another reason, too: Virginia Kelly, Ginny to her friends, is the first African-American lesbian detective in fiction.
Baker's comments on black-white relations and on lesbian relationships ring true, over thirty years later.
"Not a problem of policy, but one of preference giving rise to the sad reality that black women have to be about ten times better looking than your average white dyke in flannel to get noticed at a majority watering hole....
"....It is staggering how deeply we must know and love ourselves as black women to kiss the mirror with open eyes."
Read these classics with an eye towards this kind of insight, rather than as a page-turning mystery, and you won't be disappointed.
August 7, 2024
dissertation reading, #4
ahh i’m so sad that i didn’t like this book more! i was really looking forward to writing about it but i’m not sure where it will fit in this project.
the good things about this book can definitely be summed up as “the discussions around race, class and sexuality”. the characters were all well-developed in these areas and, as this is the first non-white detective figure i’ve looked at, i’m glad about it! i found some of the points made fascinating.
however, this wasn’t the detective story i wanted and i’m so sad about it! i just felt like there was too much going on, to the point where i forgot the original thread of the story entirely sometimes, and i found that when the story concluded, i couldn’t find where the dots had been connected at all. the ending, however, was extremely tense and i enjoyed it!
ahh i’m so sad that i didn’t like this book more! i was really looking forward to writing about it but i’m not sure where it will fit in this project.
the good things about this book can definitely be summed up as “the discussions around race, class and sexuality”. the characters were all well-developed in these areas and, as this is the first non-white detective figure i’ve looked at, i’m glad about it! i found some of the points made fascinating.
however, this wasn’t the detective story i wanted and i’m so sad about it! i just felt like there was too much going on, to the point where i forgot the original thread of the story entirely sometimes, and i found that when the story concluded, i couldn’t find where the dots had been connected at all. the ending, however, was extremely tense and i enjoyed it!
June 28, 2021
In the Game is a raw cozy mystery which follows black lesbian detective Virginia Kelley as she solves the murder of her good friend Bev's lover.
I loved the honesty of Virgina's thought process : it isn't hopelessly romantic, it's humourous and real. It doesn't sugarcoat lesbian relationships as I've seen other authors do. However, at times, it does seem like every gay woman in the book has some kind of severe relationship trauma. Who knows what the rest of the series shows?
The mystery was ok. I was kind of expecting more of a plot twist. But eh. I really enjoyed the voice of Virginia : it was a pretty relaxing read!
I loved the honesty of Virgina's thought process : it isn't hopelessly romantic, it's humourous and real. It doesn't sugarcoat lesbian relationships as I've seen other authors do. However, at times, it does seem like every gay woman in the book has some kind of severe relationship trauma. Who knows what the rest of the series shows?
The mystery was ok. I was kind of expecting more of a plot twist. But eh. I really enjoyed the voice of Virginia : it was a pretty relaxing read!
June 28, 2020
I’m prepping a Detective Fiction class for this fall, and came across Nikki Baker’s In The Game (Naiad Press, 1991), when I was doing my research. I read it in a few days and would definitely recommend it for readers looking for good DF, stories about crime, stories that feature Black lesbian protagonists, and/or stories about American financial culture.
Full review available at:
https://barbarabarrow.com/2020/06/28/...
Full review available at:
https://barbarabarrow.com/2020/06/28/...
June 8, 2020
I read the last book in this series a couple years ago, and really enjoyed it and its protaganist, Ginny. I didn't like this book as much, however. Ginny's casual view of cheating was irksome. The murder mystery was interesting, but did not feel plausible. Still... on to the second book! (As soon as I get my hands on it, that is...)
June 22, 2022
The Goodreads synopsis is right, the plot’s logic is off. Also the pace is off. It’s a short book that took a long time to read. Ginny, the main character is a finance person, which I thought should figure into solving the crime, but it is irrelevant. Ginny is also not really that interesting of a character to make me want to read more in the series.
Read
November 1, 2022DNF at page 91
I liked the writing, and I would definitely try other books by this author. But there was just no mystery that I was interested in, and I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. I was starting to get into a reading slump and just didn't want to pick it up. So maybe it's more me. But I decided to DNF instead of giving a decently written book a low rating.
I liked the writing, and I would definitely try other books by this author. But there was just no mystery that I was interested in, and I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. I was starting to get into a reading slump and just didn't want to pick it up. So maybe it's more me. But I decided to DNF instead of giving a decently written book a low rating.
January 29, 2025
Purportedly the first published lesbian mystery novel. Probably the first published lesbian mystery by a Black woman. Certainly the first with a black lesbian detective. Interesting tale of black middle class lesbian lives set in the late 1980s Chicago. It's more social commentary than mystery, but a good read nevertheless.
May 27, 2018
Our lesbian lead has declawed her cat??????
Otherwise it was an okay read.
Otherwise it was an okay read.
February 6, 2019
Joah, nicht so mein Fall.
Read
January 8, 2024Did not enjoy
July 20, 2012
About black lesbian culture in L.A. (I think?) and what happens when a friend is murdered. Interesting characters, decent plot, but the story needed tightening up. Still, ok for a small press.
March 16, 2020
Good book
Interesting plot liked the story line and the characters I would like it read the next book.Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Interesting plot liked the story line and the characters I would like it read the next book.Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews