(Diese Vorstellung ist auf Englisch, da auch das Buch bisher nur auf Englisch erschienen ist.)
I can't believe that German publishers haven't discovered this gem among woman sleuths, Lauren Maddison's Connor Hawthorne. "Deceptions" was published in 1999 and there have been several sequels (which I'm now looking forward to reading).
Connor is the well-to-do daughter of a high-profile politician cum intelligence officer. She is every bit as brilliant as her father, and after a successful career as a District Attorney she has now found her vocation as an equally successful mystery writer.
She is also a lesbian, recently sort-of-separated from her lover of 11 years, the beautiful Ariana, who is brutally murdered in the very first pages of the book. Connor is devastated and she has a hard time even letting her emotions come to the surface. But she has friends who know how important it is for her to grieve... and who want to understand what has happened and to help her survive in the process. Danger is far from over.
The book is a mystery to me. It has over 400 pages, the plot unfolds slowly... and yet there is not one single page that I found boring. The language is intelligent and beautiful. I grew very fond of some of the characters. I let myself be drawn even into the more improbable twists of the plot. I didn't want it to end and yet, I couldn't wait to see how it would all turn out. (Although I will admit that the very end is perhaps a bit precipitated.)
I am not saying that this book is for everyone. Yes, some characters are perhaps too stereotypical. Yes, names are perhaps being dropped too often. I suggest you read the Amazon reviews, including those on the Amazon.com page. They are all true, the raving as well as the uncomprehending.
Because it depends very much on who is reading this book. And at the risk of sounding stereotypical myself, I think this is very much a "women's book". About half of the book is set in New Mexico and Arizona, and if you've read Sarah Dreher, you will recognise her Siyamtiwa character in some of the women in this book.
However, Connor Hawthorne is no Stoner McTavish. Yes, there is a lot of spirituality in this book, but there is far more. A fast-paced and yet slowly unravelling mystery, with quite a few ingredients of a thriller and some lesbian attraction thrown in for good measure – what better recipe for a page-turner?
<- 'klick'
