What do you think?
Rate this book
There Came Two Angels: A Loy Lombard Mystery
Loy Lombard is hired to clear the name of former Republican Senator Jasper Slade, who has been charged with the murder of a young gay hustler. When Slade himself is murdered, his body found in the mansion of a prominent tobacco family, the evidence points to two key players in Carolina Pride, a gay rights organization. As her investigation uncovers secrets about Slade that her employer doesn't want to know, even if they point to his innocence, Loy begins to suspect she is being used as a pawn to help destroy Carolina Pride. But by whom? And how far are they willing to go to protect the powerful tobacco families that are linked to both sides of this dirty war? Julia Lieber is an attorney in Knoxville, Tenn. She is president of the Knoxville Writers Guild and a former vice president of the Knoxville Arts and Culture Alliance.
248 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
Read
June 19, 2020An article should be written about this ability of some authors to rope in a reader immediately just from the voice alone. Baxter Clare does this with her L.A. Franco series, as does Claire McNab with the five books in the Kylie Kendall series. T. I. Alvarado is another. Well, add Julia Lieber to the list. Her style is straightforward and compelling. In other words, I like Loy Lombard at first sight.
The plot could have come straight out of the newspapers—maybe it did. A former senator is found in a hotel room with a male hustler. Not good, but even worse, the senator heads up a family-values organization that despises gays. And to top it off, the hustler is dead and the Senator—Jasper Slade—is charged with his murder. It seems like a pretty cut and dried case until a honcho from Slade’s right-wing organization hires Loy Lombard (has there ever been a more sultry, cinematic name for a lesbian PI?) to prove that Slade was framed.
Of course Slade doesn’t know that Loy is a dyke and she isn’t about to tell him—it is her first real case as a private investigator and she wants badly to make good. Although she is appalled by Slade’s politics and supposed hypocrisy, she is determined to find out the truth—even if Slade is exonerated and his enemies in the LGBT community are found to be the real criminals. It’s a very good beginning for a lesbian mystery, no?
This may be Loy’s first case, but she is no stranger to police work, having been a detective in Charlotte for several years. Her backstory is compelling and her authority is well drawn. Loy’s romance with beautiful TV reporter Hunter Lyle is one that may make your own heart beat a little faster. The plot is an exciting one with plenty of action. Lieber’s concern with the division of church and state is obvious as her plot meanders back and forth between right- and left-wing organizations and the people in them. And unlike some authors, Lieber does not portray the haters as devils. Each character has both good and bad points. The mystery evolves until it is not just one, but two, then three mysteries.
And if Lieber would have stopped there, everything would have been okay. But for some reason, she chose to have Loy delve into the situation even deeper, despite the fact that the crimes had been solved and the murderers brought to justice. And yes, Loy discovers a last piece of the story, but it is a minor point and one that she could have put elsewhere rather than make the reader go through another six or seven chapters for almost no reward. Even worse, she allows Loy to go through the clumsy tradition of explaining to her partner what she had done and the steps she had gone through.
Then there is the celebratory gathering after the fact where, for some reason, Lieber decides to bring in biblical quotes to explain the book’s title. It’s a cheesy thing to do and not part of our understanding of Loy’s character.
Without the last half dozen chapters, I would have given this book a solid 4-star rating. With them, I have to give it less. I am tempted to order the second book in the series—Lieber and Lombard have the potential to be a great combination—but my order list is a long one and it would be near the bottom.
Note: I read the first Alyson printing of this novel.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
The plot could have come straight out of the newspapers—maybe it did. A former senator is found in a hotel room with a male hustler. Not good, but even worse, the senator heads up a family-values organization that despises gays. And to top it off, the hustler is dead and the Senator—Jasper Slade—is charged with his murder. It seems like a pretty cut and dried case until a honcho from Slade’s right-wing organization hires Loy Lombard (has there ever been a more sultry, cinematic name for a lesbian PI?) to prove that Slade was framed.
Of course Slade doesn’t know that Loy is a dyke and she isn’t about to tell him—it is her first real case as a private investigator and she wants badly to make good. Although she is appalled by Slade’s politics and supposed hypocrisy, she is determined to find out the truth—even if Slade is exonerated and his enemies in the LGBT community are found to be the real criminals. It’s a very good beginning for a lesbian mystery, no?
This may be Loy’s first case, but she is no stranger to police work, having been a detective in Charlotte for several years. Her backstory is compelling and her authority is well drawn. Loy’s romance with beautiful TV reporter Hunter Lyle is one that may make your own heart beat a little faster. The plot is an exciting one with plenty of action. Lieber’s concern with the division of church and state is obvious as her plot meanders back and forth between right- and left-wing organizations and the people in them. And unlike some authors, Lieber does not portray the haters as devils. Each character has both good and bad points. The mystery evolves until it is not just one, but two, then three mysteries.
And if Lieber would have stopped there, everything would have been okay. But for some reason, she chose to have Loy delve into the situation even deeper, despite the fact that the crimes had been solved and the murderers brought to justice. And yes, Loy discovers a last piece of the story, but it is a minor point and one that she could have put elsewhere rather than make the reader go through another six or seven chapters for almost no reward. Even worse, she allows Loy to go through the clumsy tradition of explaining to her partner what she had done and the steps she had gone through.
Then there is the celebratory gathering after the fact where, for some reason, Lieber decides to bring in biblical quotes to explain the book’s title. It’s a cheesy thing to do and not part of our understanding of Loy’s character.
Without the last half dozen chapters, I would have given this book a solid 4-star rating. With them, I have to give it less. I am tempted to order the second book in the series—Lieber and Lombard have the potential to be a great combination—but my order list is a long one and it would be near the bottom.
Note: I read the first Alyson printing of this novel.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
Displaying 1 of 1 review