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Lauren Laurano #1
Everything You Have Is Mine
Lauren Laurano is surely not the first gay P.I. in New York City, but she is in a class by herself. Smart, stylish, and self-determined, she lives with her longtime lover, Kip, in a Greenwich Village brownstone. Their lives together usually simmer along nicely--except when Lauren becomes obsessed with a case.
Lovely, shy Lake Huron has been raped and refuses to talk to the police. Her older half-sister, Ursula, brings in Lauren, who seems to win the young woman's trust. But before she can tell Lauren everything, Lake is found dead, leaving Lauren to decipher a 21st-century clue and a dysfunctional family tree that a good, stiff wind could blow to bits. The closer Lauren gets to the truth, the more her own life is endangered--by a past that can't stay buried and fragile questions that have no easy answers...
Lovely, shy Lake Huron has been raped and refuses to talk to the police. Her older half-sister, Ursula, brings in Lauren, who seems to win the young woman's trust. But before she can tell Lauren everything, Lake is found dead, leaving Lauren to decipher a 21st-century clue and a dysfunctional family tree that a good, stiff wind could blow to bits. The closer Lauren gets to the truth, the more her own life is endangered--by a past that can't stay buried and fragile questions that have no easy answers...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
30 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Scoppettone
52Ìýbooks75ÌýfollowersAlso wrote as Jack Early.
Sandra Scoppettone first emerged as one of the best hard-boiled mystery writers using the name Jack Early for her first three novels that included A Creative Kind of Killer (1984) that won the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America for best first novel. She had started writing seriously since the age of 18 when she moved to New York from South Orange, New Jersey. Scoppettone in the 1960s collaborated with Louise Fitzhuh and in the 1970s wrote important young adult novels. The Late Great Me depicting teenage alcoholism won an Emmy Award in 1976. Her real name was revealed in the 1990s with the start of a series featuring PI Lauren Laurano. Scoppettone shares her life with writer Linda Crawford.
Sandra Scoppettone first emerged as one of the best hard-boiled mystery writers using the name Jack Early for her first three novels that included A Creative Kind of Killer (1984) that won the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America for best first novel. She had started writing seriously since the age of 18 when she moved to New York from South Orange, New Jersey. Scoppettone in the 1960s collaborated with Louise Fitzhuh and in the 1970s wrote important young adult novels. The Late Great Me depicting teenage alcoholism won an Emmy Award in 1976. Her real name was revealed in the 1990s with the start of a series featuring PI Lauren Laurano. Scoppettone shares her life with writer Linda Crawford.
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December 18, 2024
TU MIA DOLCE IRRAGIUNGIBILE
La protagonista di questa serie di romanzi, che debutta proprio con questo titolo nel 1991 e procede con altri quattro per tutti gli anni Novanta, è Lauren Laurano.
Prima di mettersi in proprio, di iniziare l’attività di private eye, Lauren è stata un’agente dell’FBI.
Ha trentacinque anni, è alta non più di un metro e sessanta, ha la fobia per insetti, sangue, armi e computer: gli ultimi tre sono facili da incrociare nel suo lavoro, e quindi, come farà a evitarli?
Non sono le sue uniche fissazioni: possiamo aggiungere anche quella di invecchiare e/o ingrassare. E quella di non avere “peli sulla lingua�, come qualcuno usa dire: per Lauren, la verità innanzi tutto, dovesse anche tornarle a sfavore.
Con lo stesso coraggio, Lauren ci mostra anche il suo lato più vulnerabile, la sua intimità .
Abita nella bella casa di arenaria (brownstone) che possiede e condivide con la sua fidanzata Kip, che fa la psicoanalista. La casa è nel mitico Greenwich Village, quartiere vivace e ancora in qualche modo “trasgressivo�. Ma l’intera Manhattan non ha segreti per Lauren.
Sì, Lauren è omosessuale: non lo nasconde, e Scoppettone lo mette subito in chiaro che la sua eroina è ricalcata in buona parte su lei stessa che ama e vive con un’altra scrittrice, e insieme abitano in una bella casa di brownstone.
Laurano è più giovane della sua creatrice che al momento della pubblicazione di questo primo romanzo aveva cinquantacinque anni.
La vita privata di Lauren, il rapporto con l’amata Kip, è parte integrante di queste storie, perfino quasi più importante della trama ‘gialla� (mai particolarmente elaborata). Spesso è anche la parte più divertente. Includendo le amiche lesbiche che gestiscono una libreria e altri amici gay che si ritagliano apparizioni gustose.
E l’amore tra Lauren e Kip funziona, si capisce che è relazione stabile e duratura: la qual cosa, considerato il lavoro della protagonista, è elemento altrettanto originale quanto il suo essere gay.
Potrebbe essere la casa di Lauren e Kip.
In effetti, l’elemento divertimento è forte in questa lettura: le storie di Lauren Laurano, i casi che risolve, la sua relazione con Kip, sono piacevoli da leggere e seguire senza particolare impegno (letteratura da ombrellone? Da metropolitana? Da pausa pranzo?).
Stranamente Lauren Laurano non è mai approdata sullo schermo, né piccolo né grande.
In Tutto quello che è tuo è mio, fedele all’originale Everything You Have Is Mine Lauren indaga su un caso di stupro. Ad assumerla è la sorella della vittima, Lake Huron, giovane e bella ma timida. Lo stupratore ha agganciato Lake su una bacheca per appuntamenti, bulletin board, un po� come se fosse uns ito d’incontri. E il detective Lauren odia i computer.
A complicare ulteriormente lo scioglimento del caso sopraggiungono gli intricati rapporti di parentela della famiglia Huron, che ha diversi segreti che preferirebbe restassero tali.
La protagonista di questa serie di romanzi, che debutta proprio con questo titolo nel 1991 e procede con altri quattro per tutti gli anni Novanta, è Lauren Laurano.
Prima di mettersi in proprio, di iniziare l’attività di private eye, Lauren è stata un’agente dell’FBI.
Ha trentacinque anni, è alta non più di un metro e sessanta, ha la fobia per insetti, sangue, armi e computer: gli ultimi tre sono facili da incrociare nel suo lavoro, e quindi, come farà a evitarli?
Non sono le sue uniche fissazioni: possiamo aggiungere anche quella di invecchiare e/o ingrassare. E quella di non avere “peli sulla lingua�, come qualcuno usa dire: per Lauren, la verità innanzi tutto, dovesse anche tornarle a sfavore.
Con lo stesso coraggio, Lauren ci mostra anche il suo lato più vulnerabile, la sua intimità .
Abita nella bella casa di arenaria (brownstone) che possiede e condivide con la sua fidanzata Kip, che fa la psicoanalista. La casa è nel mitico Greenwich Village, quartiere vivace e ancora in qualche modo “trasgressivo�. Ma l’intera Manhattan non ha segreti per Lauren.
Sì, Lauren è omosessuale: non lo nasconde, e Scoppettone lo mette subito in chiaro che la sua eroina è ricalcata in buona parte su lei stessa che ama e vive con un’altra scrittrice, e insieme abitano in una bella casa di brownstone.
Laurano è più giovane della sua creatrice che al momento della pubblicazione di questo primo romanzo aveva cinquantacinque anni.
La vita privata di Lauren, il rapporto con l’amata Kip, è parte integrante di queste storie, perfino quasi più importante della trama ‘gialla� (mai particolarmente elaborata). Spesso è anche la parte più divertente. Includendo le amiche lesbiche che gestiscono una libreria e altri amici gay che si ritagliano apparizioni gustose.
E l’amore tra Lauren e Kip funziona, si capisce che è relazione stabile e duratura: la qual cosa, considerato il lavoro della protagonista, è elemento altrettanto originale quanto il suo essere gay.
Potrebbe essere la casa di Lauren e Kip.
In effetti, l’elemento divertimento è forte in questa lettura: le storie di Lauren Laurano, i casi che risolve, la sua relazione con Kip, sono piacevoli da leggere e seguire senza particolare impegno (letteratura da ombrellone? Da metropolitana? Da pausa pranzo?).
Stranamente Lauren Laurano non è mai approdata sullo schermo, né piccolo né grande.
In Tutto quello che è tuo è mio, fedele all’originale Everything You Have Is Mine Lauren indaga su un caso di stupro. Ad assumerla è la sorella della vittima, Lake Huron, giovane e bella ma timida. Lo stupratore ha agganciato Lake su una bacheca per appuntamenti, bulletin board, un po� come se fosse uns ito d’incontri. E il detective Lauren odia i computer.
A complicare ulteriormente lo scioglimento del caso sopraggiungono gli intricati rapporti di parentela della famiglia Huron, che ha diversi segreti che preferirebbe restassero tali.
October 26, 2019
I started this fallback Friday pick back in June and just finished it today. It seems (looking at other reviews) that I had the same problem with Everything You Have Is Mine by Sandra Scoppettone - the book has a promising start but towards the middle the plot gets very convoluted it’s hard to keep focus. So I put it away and read something else.
The book is 29 years old and it shows. AIDS, bulletin boards, 2400 Baud modems, pay phones. The author gave a very detailed account of her sleuth Lauren and how she falls prey to the evil modem addiction (lol!). Turns out reading about old tech you can still remember clearly is not sexy, or interesting (not Scoppettone’s fault, mind you. At the time it was really cutting edge).
Lesfic writing has progressed in all those years and I can’t help but think, if I had read this back in the day, long before a Micky Knight or a Lillian Byrd I would have probably liked it. As it stands I can only give 3 stars.
f/f
Themes: fallback Friday, 1990, New York, she’s got the modem virus, reading about 90s tech is quite boring, that little quirk the author had while describing time got old real fast, this took me ages to get back to, book did not age well.
3 Stars
The book is 29 years old and it shows. AIDS, bulletin boards, 2400 Baud modems, pay phones. The author gave a very detailed account of her sleuth Lauren and how she falls prey to the evil modem addiction (lol!). Turns out reading about old tech you can still remember clearly is not sexy, or interesting (not Scoppettone’s fault, mind you. At the time it was really cutting edge).
Lesfic writing has progressed in all those years and I can’t help but think, if I had read this back in the day, long before a Micky Knight or a Lillian Byrd I would have probably liked it. As it stands I can only give 3 stars.
f/f
Themes: fallback Friday, 1990, New York, she’s got the modem virus, reading about 90s tech is quite boring, that little quirk the author had while describing time got old real fast, this took me ages to get back to, book did not age well.
3 Stars
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June 18, 2020One of the first things you realize when beginning this series is how professionally written it is compared to the work of most of the other authors on this list. Professional--or at least professional-level--editing and guidance are so much more important than people think. That said, the mystery is just as clunky as you find elsewhere: almost-impossible-to-believe murder methods, clients who tell lies on top of lies, and the clue that stays buried in the detective's subconscious until just the right moment. And, of course, the detective withholds information from the police that puts her in grave danger. But really, these things are a given in most murder mysteries.
What's interesting about this book--in addition to its professional style and pace--is the main character, Lauren Laurano. Victim of a heinous crime when she was a teenager, she overcame her fears and became what she is--a private detective with a penchant for seeing justice served. Her 11-year relationship with her girlfriend is unusual in lesbian mystery fiction and risky; the first book in a new series, generally takes us through meeting and courtship, which is often the most interesting parts of a book of this nature. But Lauren's relationship with Kip is pleasant and secure, despite the usual bickering about bad eating habits and the danger of detecting.
What gives this book a little cache is Lauren's attempt to learn how to use computers in the days of modems, Bulletin Boards, Prodigy, and laptops that were too heavy to carry around. It is a good piece of history. Also unusual, and at times offputting, is Lauren's penchant for wondering what other fictional detectives would do in some of the situations she finds herself in. Many of these detectives, though, will be unknown to most readers, so it is a nice way to be introduced to them, and hats off to Scoppettone for giving homage to them in this way. Some reviewers might complain about the political nature of some of the talk between Lauren and some of her many gay friends, which often is centered on homophobia, child abuse, and violence against women, but these too, are of historical importance. Current importance, too.
But if I have made it seem that all is dark and dreary, it is not. There is also a lot of fun in this book--the playful give and take between Lauren and Kip, for instance, and Lauren's quick addiction to computer games. There is even a somewhat hilarious scene where Lauren and several friends are trying to explain the many convolutions of the mystery to another friend, who is clueless (as are most of the readers, by this time). It is an excellent--and kind of unique--way to sum things up.
All in all, this is as typical a mystery as you are likely to find--with just a few quirks to give it its own life--and one that would be useful to judge others against.
One short additional note: there are a few places where the e-book formatting breaks paragraphs at odd places. The author's formatter (probably paid by her big bucks publisher) should have proofed it better. Note also that this may have been fixed by now.
This review is included in my book along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
What's interesting about this book--in addition to its professional style and pace--is the main character, Lauren Laurano. Victim of a heinous crime when she was a teenager, she overcame her fears and became what she is--a private detective with a penchant for seeing justice served. Her 11-year relationship with her girlfriend is unusual in lesbian mystery fiction and risky; the first book in a new series, generally takes us through meeting and courtship, which is often the most interesting parts of a book of this nature. But Lauren's relationship with Kip is pleasant and secure, despite the usual bickering about bad eating habits and the danger of detecting.
What gives this book a little cache is Lauren's attempt to learn how to use computers in the days of modems, Bulletin Boards, Prodigy, and laptops that were too heavy to carry around. It is a good piece of history. Also unusual, and at times offputting, is Lauren's penchant for wondering what other fictional detectives would do in some of the situations she finds herself in. Many of these detectives, though, will be unknown to most readers, so it is a nice way to be introduced to them, and hats off to Scoppettone for giving homage to them in this way. Some reviewers might complain about the political nature of some of the talk between Lauren and some of her many gay friends, which often is centered on homophobia, child abuse, and violence against women, but these too, are of historical importance. Current importance, too.
But if I have made it seem that all is dark and dreary, it is not. There is also a lot of fun in this book--the playful give and take between Lauren and Kip, for instance, and Lauren's quick addiction to computer games. There is even a somewhat hilarious scene where Lauren and several friends are trying to explain the many convolutions of the mystery to another friend, who is clueless (as are most of the readers, by this time). It is an excellent--and kind of unique--way to sum things up.
All in all, this is as typical a mystery as you are likely to find--with just a few quirks to give it its own life--and one that would be useful to judge others against.
One short additional note: there are a few places where the e-book formatting breaks paragraphs at odd places. The author's formatter (probably paid by her big bucks publisher) should have proofed it better. Note also that this may have been fixed by now.
This review is included in my book along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
August 29, 2010
This was a pretty decent book. The fact that it was published and took place in the early 90s made for an interesting juxtaposition, especially when the main character, Lauren Laurano is trying to learn how to work a computer and the internet. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, read it in less than 24 hours and cannot wait to get the other books in the series.
December 18, 2014
Primo romanzo della serie che ho letto naturalemtne per ultimo.
Bello.
Bella la storia le protagoniste i dialoghi gli ambienti e la narrazione.
Non c'è una virgola fuori posto.
Bello.
Bella la storia le protagoniste i dialoghi gli ambienti e la narrazione.
Non c'è una virgola fuori posto.
October 3, 2018
Loved this one , the first in the series. Well worth the read.
January 16, 2015
2.5 stars and that's a shame, because after the first two chapters I really wanted to like this book.
It started out strong for a variety of reasons. First, it was one of the best if not the best use of first-person present-tense I've yet seen. Scoppettone writes great stream-of-consciousness narrative; reading it made me feel like I was bombing about in Lauren Lurano's head, rather than listening to her tell the story later. The you-are-here urgency made some situations page-turners; when Lauren got her life threatened, part of me was legitimately wondering if she was going to come out of the situation intact.
The novel is set mostly in NYC's Greenwich Village, and the author writes the location with a sure hand; there are plenty of "only in New York" moments to be had.
However, a bad case of political soap-boxing (feminism in this case) plus a boring, repetitive "mystery" dragged the story down to the point where even finishing it became a chore. The author's apparently limited knowledge of investigative tactics only made things worse; the protagonist does nothing more than wander around and talk to people...then said person randomly spews forth a useful tidbit, often apropos of nothing. By the last twenty pages I truly did not give a hang about whodunnit.
Everything You Have Is Mine provides a sound argument for a writer keeping a choke valve on their personal politics, but little more than that. I will give the series a second chance and hope the author learned from her mistakes just because there was a good deal I did enjoy, but sorry Lauren...you're on notice.
It started out strong for a variety of reasons. First, it was one of the best if not the best use of first-person present-tense I've yet seen. Scoppettone writes great stream-of-consciousness narrative; reading it made me feel like I was bombing about in Lauren Lurano's head, rather than listening to her tell the story later. The you-are-here urgency made some situations page-turners; when Lauren got her life threatened, part of me was legitimately wondering if she was going to come out of the situation intact.
The novel is set mostly in NYC's Greenwich Village, and the author writes the location with a sure hand; there are plenty of "only in New York" moments to be had.
However, a bad case of political soap-boxing (feminism in this case) plus a boring, repetitive "mystery" dragged the story down to the point where even finishing it became a chore. The author's apparently limited knowledge of investigative tactics only made things worse; the protagonist does nothing more than wander around and talk to people...then said person randomly spews forth a useful tidbit, often apropos of nothing. By the last twenty pages I truly did not give a hang about whodunnit.
Everything You Have Is Mine provides a sound argument for a writer keeping a choke valve on their personal politics, but little more than that. I will give the series a second chance and hope the author learned from her mistakes just because there was a good deal I did enjoy, but sorry Lauren...you're on notice.
July 8, 2010
At the time this was written it may have been cutting edge in it's crime, killer(s) and certainly technology (written the in the days of BBSs and 2400 baud modems) but the MO's have been worked to death in the past 20 years, which is certainly not the fault of this work. But if, like me, this is your first exposure to this series, the outdated specifics can be off-putting. Yet underneath it all there is a certain satisfaction with the protagonist, a lesbian feminist P.I with a dark past who struggles with family and societal issues at every turn. The first few chapters led me to think that this was a lightweight effort but the story picks up steam and the characters really blossom, the last half becomes a well-crafted page-turner. Scoppettone has a tendency to overuse character quirks to distraction but this is an easily correctable nitpick.
August 7, 2022
Gritty and historic mystery series
SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO: established couple, not a romance, out of your comfort zone, bet or dare, possibly other categories
I originally bought this ten years ago, and didn't like it as much the first time. I'm glad that I gave it a re-read. It was set in 1991, in Greenwich Village (Manhattan, NY), which was (and remains) a gay mecca. It was a different time and attitude there compared to now since it was a lot more bohemian and generally safer. Reviews have stated that Lauren was funny, but I found her snarky with a dry wit. That might have been due to my not always getting the pop culture and literary references, even though I would have been 21 back then. The MCs, Lauren and Kip were middle-aged back then, so that could account for my not knowing the ones that they used.
It was a really well-written novel, sometimes dark, but an intriguing and suspenseful thriller. The main and secondary characters felt real, and I related to parts of the story since I had visited that area several times in the early 90s. I enjoyed the story well enough to continue the rest of the series.
SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO: established couple, not a romance, out of your comfort zone, bet or dare, possibly other categories
I originally bought this ten years ago, and didn't like it as much the first time. I'm glad that I gave it a re-read. It was set in 1991, in Greenwich Village (Manhattan, NY), which was (and remains) a gay mecca. It was a different time and attitude there compared to now since it was a lot more bohemian and generally safer. Reviews have stated that Lauren was funny, but I found her snarky with a dry wit. That might have been due to my not always getting the pop culture and literary references, even though I would have been 21 back then. The MCs, Lauren and Kip were middle-aged back then, so that could account for my not knowing the ones that they used.
It was a really well-written novel, sometimes dark, but an intriguing and suspenseful thriller. The main and secondary characters felt real, and I related to parts of the story since I had visited that area several times in the early 90s. I enjoyed the story well enough to continue the rest of the series.
August 17, 2015
La seconda lettura del libro risente del passare del tempo. Sono passati quasi 20 anni per me e per il libro e si sentono tutti.
Il libro è decisamente datato almeno nella sua ambientazione, la New York della fine degli anni '80 e dei primi anni novanta e soprattutto le descrizioni delle prime "bulletin boards" che non so se abbiano mai preso piede in Italia, di sicuro tutta la parte descrittiva dl mondo dei computer appare distante anni luce dalla realtà odierna, più degli annunci sui giornali.
Incontriamo una investigatrice privata donna e lesbica, una donna vera anche se non sembra chiarissimo perché abbia scelto questa carriera. Sappiamo che ha un passato che l'ha segnata e sappiamo anche che vive liberamente e manifestamente la propria omosessualità Il personaggio è un manifesto "politico" anche se vive la sua vita in modo normalissimo, e il libro, appunto, non mette il lesbismo di Lauren al centro della narrazione ma è una parte integrante del personaggio e serve a caratterizzarlo, anche tutta l'ambientazione è molto centrata su una New York multiculturale e alle prese con l'epidemia di AIDS. In questo il romanzo è una narrazione dei tempi e apprezziamo la descrizione a tutto tondo di personaggi, caratteri ed emozioni. La storia invece appare parecchio contorta e per alcuni versi un po' eccessiva.
Il libro è decisamente datato almeno nella sua ambientazione, la New York della fine degli anni '80 e dei primi anni novanta e soprattutto le descrizioni delle prime "bulletin boards" che non so se abbiano mai preso piede in Italia, di sicuro tutta la parte descrittiva dl mondo dei computer appare distante anni luce dalla realtà odierna, più degli annunci sui giornali.
Incontriamo una investigatrice privata donna e lesbica, una donna vera anche se non sembra chiarissimo perché abbia scelto questa carriera. Sappiamo che ha un passato che l'ha segnata e sappiamo anche che vive liberamente e manifestamente la propria omosessualità Il personaggio è un manifesto "politico" anche se vive la sua vita in modo normalissimo, e il libro, appunto, non mette il lesbismo di Lauren al centro della narrazione ma è una parte integrante del personaggio e serve a caratterizzarlo, anche tutta l'ambientazione è molto centrata su una New York multiculturale e alle prese con l'epidemia di AIDS. In questo il romanzo è una narrazione dei tempi e apprezziamo la descrizione a tutto tondo di personaggi, caratteri ed emozioni. La storia invece appare parecchio contorta e per alcuni versi un po' eccessiva.
May 15, 2009
I would like to preface this review by stating that I found Lauren Laurano to be a very engaging sleuth character. She's a feminist who isn't afraid to say that she's got some issues with her age and a fear of technology, who doesn't let anybody get the best of her, and who is very socially and culturally conscious (I'm wondering how much of that is the author's projection of herself...). Lauren is amazingly up on all of the women sleuths in the mystery genre, and lives in a constant state of comparing her own investigative strategies to theirs, which situated her well within the genre, but proved a distraction - does a PI really read mystery novels in her time off? Would they be considered "case studies" (nyuk nyuk)? Her relationship with her partner is very realistic, as are all of her friends and associates.
I hated, though, how perfectly convenient her "relationship" with the killer became. She knew him, and that's the only reason that she found it strange to have seen him at the funeral of the murdered Lake Huron (love the name), then again working in her office building. Without that initial recognition, I don't know that she would have given second thought to him in that first situation.
I hated, though, how perfectly convenient her "relationship" with the killer became. She knew him, and that's the only reason that she found it strange to have seen him at the funeral of the murdered Lake Huron (love the name), then again working in her office building. Without that initial recognition, I don't know that she would have given second thought to him in that first situation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2011
I read this for January '11 Bitch book group, which I didn't even attend. Absolutely would not have picked this up (or finished it) otherwise.
I've never read mystery before.
My first reaction was almost disgust. The awful similes, the classist and obnoxious Lauren Lorano's continuous narrative on New York and private investigating made it hard for me to read past the first five chapters. The rape scenes were thrown in towards the start of the book and I kept having a hard time with it, I was irritated at the manner that the author introduced it and the was the lead character refers to it.
But then I got pulled in and then I finished it. And it was exactly what was promised: 'quintessential nineties lesbian feminist detective story.' She continuously talks about the underlying prevalence of rape and abuse within this culture as well as normalizing her long-term lesbian partnership in the narrative.
Overall I would not blame anyone for avoiding this book or putting it down after starting, and I'm kind of miffed that I'm going to have this internally narrating parts of my life until I start another fiction book. But if you're trying to find something in this specific genre this will live up to what you're trying to find.
I've never read mystery before.
My first reaction was almost disgust. The awful similes, the classist and obnoxious Lauren Lorano's continuous narrative on New York and private investigating made it hard for me to read past the first five chapters. The rape scenes were thrown in towards the start of the book and I kept having a hard time with it, I was irritated at the manner that the author introduced it and the was the lead character refers to it.
But then I got pulled in and then I finished it. And it was exactly what was promised: 'quintessential nineties lesbian feminist detective story.' She continuously talks about the underlying prevalence of rape and abuse within this culture as well as normalizing her long-term lesbian partnership in the narrative.
Overall I would not blame anyone for avoiding this book or putting it down after starting, and I'm kind of miffed that I'm going to have this internally narrating parts of my life until I start another fiction book. But if you're trying to find something in this specific genre this will live up to what you're trying to find.
June 28, 2014
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The tense threw me at first, because usually present tense writing bugs me (mostly because people slip up and switch tenses erratically) but it was done well and really suited the P.I. ambiance. The characters were interesting and the lead was likeable but not outrageously skilled - believable as a regular P.I. with good instincts. It also seemed like there was a good balance of mystery and more cheerful/home life plot. There were a couple annoying things, the most prevalent being that the time period felt kind of disjointed - based on the characters it seemed like it took place in the 50's or 60's, the city and its inhabitants made it seem like the 80's, but the actual timeline led me to think it's meant to be the 90's...this probably wouldn't bother anyone but me...the only other thing that bugged me was the end where the P.I. seemed to be missing the obvious for a little too long - I don't like to be done guessing before the main character. This is now seeming like a fairly negative review, but I honestly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of mysteries and sarcasm.
Ah, disclaimer, there is reference to and some descriptions of sexual assault on adults and children, not gratuitous, but be aware.
Ah, disclaimer, there is reference to and some descriptions of sexual assault on adults and children, not gratuitous, but be aware.
March 11, 2018
Mini-review: This almost wasn't worth the zero dollars I paid for it. It was another of my desperate attempts at finding decent lesbian genre fiction, and mysteries in general. And it's probably the worst entry to date. I didn't mind the characters, and the writing style was honestly fine, but the plot. Oh good god, the plot. What the actual fuck happened in this book? Admittedly, I read the book on and off over the course of several weeks, but still, I have no idea what happened. There's this scene in the middle-- the pre-climax recap that a lot of mysteries like to do-- where they're all at a dinner party talking about the case, and one of the friend characters is like "I don't understand this case at all." And so they explain all of it, point by point, at length, over the course of several pages. And at the end of the explanation, she goes "I still don't understand at all." Talk about channeling the audience. Also, besides being indecipherable, it was also kind of boring. But not atrocious. Just a little bland, especially compared to more compelling genre entries. But the main problem was the incomprehensible plot.
September 10, 2016
Un buon libro: mantiene la suspence fino all'ultima pagina e i personaggi sono credibili e divertenti; femminista senza essere pedante, anche se con i suoi irritanti difetti e uno humor non sempre apprezzabili, la protagonista e le sue avventure sono coinvolgenti e piacevoli da seguire. Benché lo stile sia molto semplice, secco e pungente, il romanzo offre un quadro desolato della New York degli anni '90, tra AIDS, abusi familiari, sessismo e tristi residui della generazione hippie, perciò, nonostante il divertimento offerto dall'ironia della protagonista alle prese con i primi computer, modem e siti d'incontri, la lettura non è affatto leggera.
L'unico difetto del libro è lo svolgimento della trama: alcuni personaggi e dettagli, necessari perché il lettore possa indovinare il colpevole, vengono presentati solo verso la fine. Ne esce quindi un quadro approssimativo e confusionario, che non lascia al lettore il piacere di svelare l'enigma, perché non possiede, fino all'ultimo, tutte le tessere del puzzle. Tutto sommato una buona lettura.
L'unico difetto del libro è lo svolgimento della trama: alcuni personaggi e dettagli, necessari perché il lettore possa indovinare il colpevole, vengono presentati solo verso la fine. Ne esce quindi un quadro approssimativo e confusionario, che non lascia al lettore il piacere di svelare l'enigma, perché non possiede, fino all'ultimo, tutte le tessere del puzzle. Tutto sommato una buona lettura.
July 12, 2011
This is the first in the Lauren Laurano mystery series. It might have gotten four stars if it weren't for Micky Knight. This lesbian PI is fun and interesting and even has a tragic past, but doesn't hold a candle to Ms. Knight. I did like that her relationship with her longtime partner, Kip, is right out there and depicted as perfectly normal (Kip is no Cordelia!). Set in NYC at the height of AIDS, it's fascinating to go back to a time when you had to search street corners for a payphone, computers were newfangled, but the evil that men do remains familiar. The title means nothing. She comes up with them first, apparently. I got a bit tired of her constant references to other fictional PIs: "What would Kinsey Milhone do?" (I only recognized three of them, so was glad to see there seemed to be an unlimited supply). It is funny, though, and worth reading.
August 5, 2009
Frankly, I came to this book with some skepticism because mysteries that are written with the sleuth's sexuality/race/gender/etc. in the forefront sometimes focus on that to the detriment of the story and its characters. However, that was not the case with this book, and so I was therefore able to enjoy both the mystery itself and the role of the lesbian P.I. in it. The characters and family dynamics pulled me in and made me want to stay up all night to finish it. Talk about dysfunctional families! The only thing I didn't like about the book was that I thought the P.I.'s romantic life occasionally was irrelevant to the story. All in all, though, I will definitely be reading the rest of the "Lauren Laurano" series.
February 27, 2017
The book started well, the main character, Lauren is witty and quite feisty and there is a flow and pace to the story. However, about half way through I found my attention wavering and was beginning to find it a bit boring. To be fair, it doesn’t help that I am reading the book nearly 25 years after it was written and the joys of early home computing don’t hold the same fascination as they might have done in the early 90s.
The book improved towards the end as the intricate relationships are resolved, but by then I had lost some of my empathy with Lauren and she was beginning to irritate me. Overall this wasn’t a bad detective novel and I enjoyed the few glimpses we got of Lauren's relationship with Kip.
The book improved towards the end as the intricate relationships are resolved, but by then I had lost some of my empathy with Lauren and she was beginning to irritate me. Overall this wasn’t a bad detective novel and I enjoyed the few glimpses we got of Lauren's relationship with Kip.
August 15, 2013
It was ok (beach read). The story was a little convoluted and it was awfully dated too -- so 90s. The heroine had to explain how dial-up BBSs worked (when the internet was still young) and modems and such. As an anthropological explanation for the young ones, I could see it having value but mostly it just felt excessively dated (Tab and leg warmers probably didn't help that feeling). I liked that the main character's lesbian relationship was quite normal in a time when it wasn't all that normal. There was also some humor in it. I found it hard to get excited about but it's ok for a fluffy read.
February 6, 2008
I found this a ultimatly delightful read! instead of being one of those hard boiled P.I's like sue grafton or sara paretsky, this one named Lauren. She is afraid of insects, computers, and blood. She's pretty, quirky, She lives in the heart of Grenwich village with her lesbian parner Kip, a psychotherapist. They bicker often and, sometimes, playfully. In typical p.i form, Lauren solves crimes, but we aqlso get to know her gay tenants who live upstairs.
November 11, 2013
This book is so much of a time and place, of a shift in the world, that it brings it all back to me in a rush. I can't separate it from the person I was then and the life I was having -- not better or worse than this life, just different. I originally bought this book on the other side of the US, in a tiny bookshop I wasn't sure I belonged in, a bookshop that's now gone like so many other things.
June 26, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this book and i usually find it hard to concentrate while reading a book, but Sandra Scoppettone made it impossible to put down! I would sedentary recommend her for good books! I cannot wait to read the next book in the Lauren Laurano series
July 17, 2009
Eh. Not that well written. Main character is not that compelling. Plot had far too many twists, each one more improbable.
December 13, 2011
I am still confused! Who's who? Had me guessing until the end! I wasn't a bog fan of the style of writing at first but I did enjoy the story.
June 10, 2013
Enjoyed the story. it is dated though. The tech in the story is so old my 20-something niece looked at me like I was nuts when I asked if she had ever heard about some of it.
dnf
September 3, 2015Either this isn't my genre, or some elements of the book have gotten campier over the last twenty-four years.
October 5, 2022
I'll be honest, I wasn't sure about this book at first. When I saw that it was a lesbian P.I. novel, I jumped on it, but there were definitely some dated aspects to this story. It was published in the early 90s, so there was a lot of values dissonance (for example, some victim blamey "why would you go out on a blind date??" things, and a protagonist that, while progressive for the time, does have some boomer-esque rants over the course of the book.) But the deeper I got into it the more I liked it. For as much as it's dated, it's also still extremely relevant, such as pointing out that even at the time, Reagan had completely fucked the country in a way we still haven't recovered from, the fact that violence against women is still a huge issue, and remembering the early days of the AIDS crisis and how the government completely failed to care. The mystery itself had several twists and I found it to be a real page-turner, even if the subject matter was rather rough at times. (Seriously, TW for rape/incest/domestic violence.) I loved the relationship between Lauren and Kip and I also found myself relating to Lauren's fractured relationship with her own parents (but in my case her mother issues were my father issues - still definitely made me feel understood, at the very least!) Once I got over my issues with the book I found myself enjoying it quite a lot. I'll definitely check out the sequels!
July 2, 2021
It was an easy read and I enjoyed the atmosphere of it capturing the decade I was born into. Like a significant time capsule exploring the big topics of the day.
I don’t hold the “it’s dated� argument against it because at some point in time everything is. What hasn’t changed is people and the addiction of wanting to be connected.
Also showing a stable, lesbian relationship is great. Plus other flavors of the community and trying to put it all together.
It’s a very solid start to a series and I feel like people should give it a chance if nothing else to experience the 90s. And we are still fighting aids. It’s never gone away and thanks to people continuing to bring awareness and fight against it our collective memories of dark tragedies is something we try to forget as quickly as it happens. We have lost so many artists and voices then wiping out whole communities and we cannot forget them. We cannot forget the fight and we continue to fight for universal healthcare.
And there’s something really comforting about even in a time of America that LGBTQ couldn’t really exist in the mainstream or be honest to people about who they are, who they love, that they considered themselves married even though it took so long for the laws to finally catch up in 2015.
All these are memories, time capsules. And I enjoyed it.
I don’t hold the “it’s dated� argument against it because at some point in time everything is. What hasn’t changed is people and the addiction of wanting to be connected.
Also showing a stable, lesbian relationship is great. Plus other flavors of the community and trying to put it all together.
It’s a very solid start to a series and I feel like people should give it a chance if nothing else to experience the 90s. And we are still fighting aids. It’s never gone away and thanks to people continuing to bring awareness and fight against it our collective memories of dark tragedies is something we try to forget as quickly as it happens. We have lost so many artists and voices then wiping out whole communities and we cannot forget them. We cannot forget the fight and we continue to fight for universal healthcare.
And there’s something really comforting about even in a time of America that LGBTQ couldn’t really exist in the mainstream or be honest to people about who they are, who they love, that they considered themselves married even though it took so long for the laws to finally catch up in 2015.
All these are memories, time capsules. And I enjoyed it.
October 1, 2022
The fact that Scoppettone is no longer writing is a crying shame, and I'm the one crying. With nothing new from her since the 1990s, I've purchased hardback, first edition copies of all five of the Lauren Laurano series. This first one is why I became a diehard fan of Scoppettone. Her blog says this character is the first one she ever wrote that is closest to the her own personality. Which means I would love her in real life, because I love Laurano. Smart, clever, funny, and in a very real seeming lesbian relationship. Laurano is a private detective with a psychoanalyst wife. They live and work in NYC. One of Laurano's endearing qualities is her penchant for exaggeration. Scoppettone does not overuse this quality, which makes it even more charming. Tonight I will pick up book number two in this series.
December 21, 2021
This book has been on my shelf forever. I don't know why I've never read it or any of her other ones. This introduces lesbian P.I. Lauren Laurano (Scoppettone has written many other series and non-series). Lauren is hired by a woman to find her sister's rapist. Before she can even get started the sister is murdered and then Lauren is abruptly fired. But, the case goes one and it turns out this family is in the dictionary as an example for the word dysfunctional. There was a lot to like about this book. The author's voice is really excellent. But, the main character, Lauren, really annoyed the heck out of me. I am definitely going to try another of Scoppettone's but might wait a while before I try another one in this series.
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