When I was first coming out, I read every lesbian book I could get my hands on at the Vancouver library. Most of those were published by Naiad Press. Fairly formulaic, largish print (to make the books seem longer), mostly romances and mysteries but still, they had lesbian characters and that was the main thing. Actually being able to read about lesbians, women I could finally identify with, was such a relief. One of my favorite series was the Caitlin Reece detective novels by Lauren Wright Douglas. I hadn't read her Allison O'Neil series until now. I was browsing the used book section in After Stonewall and found the first and second in the series so snapped both of them up.
The first is called Death at Lavender Bay in which our heroine inherits a B&B in Oregon which she doesn't want. I should have such burdens deposited on me! Now we aren't talking great detective story here. If you couldn't figure out what happenned, I'd recommend enrolling in Mysteries 101. Rather the story is about the main character realizing what a carefully maintained rut her life has become and what she does with that realization.
A suspension of disbelief will make most of the story easier to take. If Allison just admitted who she was from the start and asked a few questions, hey presto "mystery" solved. There are many humourous asides. The location is well set and inviting. The sense of community is palpable and part of what awakens the protagonist. If only most lesbian communities were this way.
I read the novel in a couple hours. It was enjoyable escapism. In some ways I could identify with Allison's little personality quirks and so this light weight book actually gave me something to think about.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Source of copy: own it
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