Amateur City Paperback – June 15, 2011

Certainly, Katherine Forrest's works don't need the recommendation of any reviewer, professional or amateur; still, I suppose due to its age, there don't seem to be many reviews for this one on Amazon. And, frankly, it's too good for people to pass up.So, here goes.For the plot, please read the description online.Even after almost 30 years, it's amazing how fresh this book seems. Oh, sure, with all the CSI type shows on TV now, a few things would be changed as far as police procedures, but, by and large, the book still holds up very, very well. However, while the mystery aspect is quite interesting enough to compel the reader, it's characterization that keeps the story flowing. The plot is unveiled as main character Kate Delafield interviews the employees of an office where a murder has taken place. Admittedly, and not surprisingly, Forrest, at such an early stage in her career, paints with a rather broad brush. Later, characterizations become more subtle. Even so, Forrest does an excellent job of making each character stand out in your mind. She deftly leads you to loathe some characters, laugh at a few, and love others.Despite her reserve, Kate is an extremely likable lead character. We see her analytical mind at work, and her reactions to the interviews of potential suspects are used to develop her own character. A great example of showing rather than telling. Despite the cool professionalism with which she goes about her job, we also are given glimpses of Kate's vulnerability, which makes her all the more enjoyable as a heroine, and adds a note of realism as well.The fact that I guessed the killer from his/her first appearance in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this book. It is the colorful characters which provide the real interest here. Still, even if you *think* you know the killer's identity, you could be wrong, and that's plenty of motivation to keep turning pages, as is the desire to find out just what these quirky folks will do or say next.This is a seminal (pun intended) work of the genre, and I recommend it very, very strongly.

I was very delighted to discover the ebook version of this much praised and til now long-out-of-print ground-breaking novel by Katherine V Forrest. Published in 1984 amongst a mini-wave of gay and lesbian fiction, it introduces lesbian detective Kate Delafield, a highly ethical woman, very cautious about self-revelation and walking a fine line in her questioning of a key witness to whom she is attracted. This is the first of nine books in the series, and though it now seems very old-fashioned by contemporary standards, the carefully crafted text clearly communicates the social constraints under which both the detective and her interviewee have to conduct their private and public lives. A great read.

This book really grabbed me. I started with book1 and loved it. Only a woman and lesbian can write a meaningful book touching on the real aspects of lesbian life and feelings. There is no doubt that I will be reading the entire series.

Kate Delafield is a very good detective and this story is the first in Katherine V. Forrest's series. I had enjoyed it in paper and am reordering the books into kindle to re-read. I really love this series. It is very good and has some good twists. Who killed the office boss? Everyone wanted to do so...so who did it?

I WANTED TO LIKE IT. It was recommended and has good reviews. But something essential is missing, I read the initial 40 pages 3 times, and put it aside. Its like reading Terms of Agreement for a software download.

Thrilling from beginning to end! Especially the end! I wasn't able to guess the killer but I had fun trying! Now I have a strong urge to collect the entire series!

The plot is simplistic, the killer is obvious from the start. Hope that the series gets better.

Very well developed. Typical Katherine Forest.