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Library Journal
While playing her mandolin for cash on the streets of Detroit, ex-crime reporter/sleuth Lillian Byrd (Holy Hell) runs into Duane Sechrist, a childhood friend who convinces her to help him find his missing mother. After they catch up (they have sensed each other's queerness from age 12), it occurs to Lily that the same fire that killed her parents may have also killed Duane's mother, mistakenly identified as a waitress. A flawless narrative belies Lily's sometimes tacky surroundings as she looks for the waitress (if she is found alive, police will re-open the case). A nifty little puzzle solved by a most intriguing female detective. A former Detroit resident, Sims now lives in Port Angeles, WA. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Lillian Byrd (Damn Straight, 2003) is playing mandolin and passing the hat on the streets of Detroit when a childhood friend brings her past rushing back. Duane Secrist and Lillian were best friends growing up, drawn together by the knowledge that they were different from other kids-both were gay-until they were 12 years old. That summer, while Duane was off at camp, the Polka Dot, the bar Lillian's parents owned, exploded when a deep-fat fryer malfunctioned, killing her mother, her father, and the barmaid. A fireman rescued Lillian, her aunt and uncle adopted her, and she never saw Duane again. His father picked Duane up after camp, and they took up residence in Florida with his father's brand-new girlfriend, notable for her colorful expressions involving brooms, boots, and various orifices, substituting for Duane's conveniently absent mother. Now Duane wants to find his mother, and he wants Lillian to help. Reluctantly agreeing, Lillian calls in the love of her life, the glamorous Minerva LeBlanc, true-crime author and victim of one of Lillian's previous violent escapades. Despite some colorful episodes involving trailer parks and luxury cars, adventures that seem rather unlikely even for Las Vegas, the truth never quite emerges. Mushy pulp fiction that entertains but doesn't quite rise to its own ambitions.
Genre: Mystery
While playing her mandolin for cash on the streets of Detroit, ex-crime reporter/sleuth Lillian Byrd (Holy Hell) runs into Duane Sechrist, a childhood friend who convinces her to help him find his missing mother. After they catch up (they have sensed each other's queerness from age 12), it occurs to Lily that the same fire that killed her parents may have also killed Duane's mother, mistakenly identified as a waitress. A flawless narrative belies Lily's sometimes tacky surroundings as she looks for the waitress (if she is found alive, police will re-open the case). A nifty little puzzle solved by a most intriguing female detective. A former Detroit resident, Sims now lives in Port Angeles, WA. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Lillian Byrd (Damn Straight, 2003) is playing mandolin and passing the hat on the streets of Detroit when a childhood friend brings her past rushing back. Duane Secrist and Lillian were best friends growing up, drawn together by the knowledge that they were different from other kids-both were gay-until they were 12 years old. That summer, while Duane was off at camp, the Polka Dot, the bar Lillian's parents owned, exploded when a deep-fat fryer malfunctioned, killing her mother, her father, and the barmaid. A fireman rescued Lillian, her aunt and uncle adopted her, and she never saw Duane again. His father picked Duane up after camp, and they took up residence in Florida with his father's brand-new girlfriend, notable for her colorful expressions involving brooms, boots, and various orifices, substituting for Duane's conveniently absent mother. Now Duane wants to find his mother, and he wants Lillian to help. Reluctantly agreeing, Lillian calls in the love of her life, the glamorous Minerva LeBlanc, true-crime author and victim of one of Lillian's previous violent escapades. Despite some colorful episodes involving trailer parks and luxury cars, adventures that seem rather unlikely even for Las Vegas, the truth never quite emerges. Mushy pulp fiction that entertains but doesn't quite rise to its own ambitions.
Genre: Mystery
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