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Lauren Laurano #3
My Sweet Untraceable You
"Sandra Scoppettone's mysteries are a sparkling combination of detective story, lesbian comedy of manners, steamy New York atmosphere and social critique."
--San Francisco Chronicle
"FAST-PACED AND UNPREDICTABLE...Laurano's quick wit and her canny observations on life and people make this a delightful novel."
--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When an unlikely character named Boston Blackie hires Lauren Laurano to find out who killed his mother more than thirty-five years ago, Lauren learns that the murdered mom may not be actually dead.
Then again she might. To find out, Lauren goes toe-to-toe with a cast of actor wannabes. Using her uncanny knack for finding the truth, her computer bulletin board, and a little extra help from her friends in the theater world, Lauren plans to bring down the curtain on murder, revenge, and the greedy ghosts of the past.
But someone else hopes she takes a final deadly bow....
"Engaging, entertaining, and eminently readable...No mystery novelist does New York's Greenwich Village as well as author Sandra Scoppettone."
--The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Her most satisfying case yet."
--Kirkus Reviews
--San Francisco Chronicle
"FAST-PACED AND UNPREDICTABLE...Laurano's quick wit and her canny observations on life and people make this a delightful novel."
--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When an unlikely character named Boston Blackie hires Lauren Laurano to find out who killed his mother more than thirty-five years ago, Lauren learns that the murdered mom may not be actually dead.
Then again she might. To find out, Lauren goes toe-to-toe with a cast of actor wannabes. Using her uncanny knack for finding the truth, her computer bulletin board, and a little extra help from her friends in the theater world, Lauren plans to bring down the curtain on murder, revenge, and the greedy ghosts of the past.
But someone else hopes she takes a final deadly bow....
"Engaging, entertaining, and eminently readable...No mystery novelist does New York's Greenwich Village as well as author Sandra Scoppettone."
--The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Her most satisfying case yet."
--Kirkus Reviews
307 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
10 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Scoppettone
54 books77 followersAlso 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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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 4, 2011
Another Lauren Laurano mystery. This one's funnier, though terribly sad at the end. Cybill Shepherd plays a role, playing the role of Lauren in a TV movie being shot about the lesbian PI. Shepherd laments that she wished the TV character could be a lesbian. This all takes place before her L Word days. We're still in NYC, in the 1990s, before the AIDS crisis abated from the drug cocktails. The mystery involves searching for a woman who supposedly died 30 years before. That's all rather confusing and hard to keep track of, but has it's amusing moments. There's no life and death crisis for the PI, which is a refreshing change. I love her relationship with her wife, Kip. They actually fight! The city is overdescribed, I got tired of the need to name every store on every corner. But still enjoyed the search for a payphone in this pre-cell era. And now she's grasped technology and can dial up to her BBS and download "letters." Wow, not that long ago...
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June 18, 2020The third book in this series finds New York P.I. Lauren Laurano approached by a man who calls himself Boston Blackie to investigate the whereabouts of his mother, who disappeared 38 years before. If she finds that the woman is dead, Blackie wants Lauren to prove that she was murdered—and that it was his father who did the deed. But because of the incredible number of coincidences that come her way, Lauren’s biggest obstacle may be getting in and out of her apartment, which has been temporarily converted into the set of a movie based on her life.
Coincidences tend to make a mystery a little less believable; even Scoppettone knows this, so she has Lauren complain that she hates coincidences, too. Lauren also hates twins in a plot, and triplets are even worse. But just because the author is apologetic about them doesn’t give their presence in the plot any more credibility. So give some demerits for coincidences. Here are two: the woman she is hired to find is a member of the movie cast; she also uses the same hairdresser as Laluren.
It’s easy to think, in fact, that the author is just having fun. It’s a good thought. In some ways Scoppettone is writing hard-boiled crime novel, in another she is writing a near-spoof of same and I think it is a little too subtle for most readers and reviewers. The truth is, My Sweet Untraceable You is a delightful, well-written, and well-edited novel.
As are all the books in this series, My Sweet Untraceable You is written from the first person present point of view. It is not an easy trick for most writers, but Scoppettone is an expert; I didn’t notice it this time until page 78. It gives an immediacy not present in other points of view, bringing the character closer and giving us a better glimpse of her thinking process. Scoppettone has her hooks, too. One of these is the almost consent bickering banter that goes on between Lauren and her partner of 14 years, therapist Kip Adams. There is a hilarious back and forth about Kip’s sudden revelation that they can’t be “real lesbians” because they don’t have a cat. And then there’s the bit where Lauren decides that Kip is smitten with Cybil Shepard, who is splaying Lauren in the movie.
The novel is partly about time. Kip’s brother, for instance, is dying of AIDS; he has virtually no time left on this earth. Compare this with the movie director’s ridiculous pique when people waste his precious time by wandering into his movie set during a shot. Time also plays a part in the 38-years that have gone by since Boston Blackie lost his mother, or the time that Lauren and Kip have been together. These references to time might explain why Lauren has a penchant for humorously exaggerating the time she spends doing things. For instance, when Lauren visits a talent agent, she is let into a dark office where “It takes about eight weeks for my eyes to adjust.” When she emails a friend for information: “He disappears. I know he is checking. I sit staring at my screen for a month."
Although it’s impossible to rate this highly as a mystery, it isn’t difficult to recommend. it as a cool read. Scoppettone, although not one of the very first writers of lesbian mysteries, has done a lot for the genre by simply being published by a traditional New York publisher and being read by more people than generally go in for lesbian mysteries. I believe that she is a better, subtler writer, than she is generally given credit for. Although I would not like for it to be founded up to a 4, I will give this one a 3.75.
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.
Coincidences tend to make a mystery a little less believable; even Scoppettone knows this, so she has Lauren complain that she hates coincidences, too. Lauren also hates twins in a plot, and triplets are even worse. But just because the author is apologetic about them doesn’t give their presence in the plot any more credibility. So give some demerits for coincidences. Here are two: the woman she is hired to find is a member of the movie cast; she also uses the same hairdresser as Laluren.
It’s easy to think, in fact, that the author is just having fun. It’s a good thought. In some ways Scoppettone is writing hard-boiled crime novel, in another she is writing a near-spoof of same and I think it is a little too subtle for most readers and reviewers. The truth is, My Sweet Untraceable You is a delightful, well-written, and well-edited novel.
As are all the books in this series, My Sweet Untraceable You is written from the first person present point of view. It is not an easy trick for most writers, but Scoppettone is an expert; I didn’t notice it this time until page 78. It gives an immediacy not present in other points of view, bringing the character closer and giving us a better glimpse of her thinking process. Scoppettone has her hooks, too. One of these is the almost consent bickering banter that goes on between Lauren and her partner of 14 years, therapist Kip Adams. There is a hilarious back and forth about Kip’s sudden revelation that they can’t be “real lesbians” because they don’t have a cat. And then there’s the bit where Lauren decides that Kip is smitten with Cybil Shepard, who is splaying Lauren in the movie.
The novel is partly about time. Kip’s brother, for instance, is dying of AIDS; he has virtually no time left on this earth. Compare this with the movie director’s ridiculous pique when people waste his precious time by wandering into his movie set during a shot. Time also plays a part in the 38-years that have gone by since Boston Blackie lost his mother, or the time that Lauren and Kip have been together. These references to time might explain why Lauren has a penchant for humorously exaggerating the time she spends doing things. For instance, when Lauren visits a talent agent, she is let into a dark office where “It takes about eight weeks for my eyes to adjust.” When she emails a friend for information: “He disappears. I know he is checking. I sit staring at my screen for a month."
Although it’s impossible to rate this highly as a mystery, it isn’t difficult to recommend. it as a cool read. Scoppettone, although not one of the very first writers of lesbian mysteries, has done a lot for the genre by simply being published by a traditional New York publisher and being read by more people than generally go in for lesbian mysteries. I believe that she is a better, subtler writer, than she is generally given credit for. Although I would not like for it to be founded up to a 4, I will give this one a 3.75.
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.
March 26, 2013
I just finished reading this book which completes the Lauren Laurano series. I liked the ending. It gave you a sense of closure. The story was interesting, but you did really have to pay attention because it involved lots of characters. It seems like there were twists around every corner. Overall a good series. I know I got into them kindof late (they were set in the 1990's) but I'm glad that I did.
November 17, 2013
I'm kind of burning through these, caught up in an excellent narrative voice, twisty plots and intense nostalgia. I thought I'd break away after each one, and now I'm in the fifth, without even reviewing them. I think they're kind of impossible for me to review, at this point, so I'll just give it a star rating and move on...
July 14, 2014
Sandra Scoppettone has yet again blown my mind. Always keeping the character of Lauren Laurano funny yet on track. The end of " my sweet untraceable you" brought tears to my eyes and pulled my heart strings, this book has bade me a keep fan of Sandra Scoppettone
October 21, 2022
I’ve just begun reading this and am already sad on page 5. My Sweet Untraceable You was published in 1994 and Sandra Scoppettone writes “For so many of us there has always a sense of danger in New York City “. She goes on to say “I attribute this to the constant possibility of terrorists”. She says this because of the World Trade Center explosion. “I have the feeling that anything could happen at any time.” My sadness comes from realizing that seven years later 9/11 happened in 2001. Sandra couldn’t have known what was coming…none of us did. Anyway, enough of my comments on this, now I’m going to read the book. I’ve read a few Laure Laurano private detective books and each time I pick up a new one I remember how much I like the character. Well I’ve finished the book and it’s another excellent private detective story, as I expected. However I was caught off guard by the ending which had my eyes tearing up. A friend of p.I. Laurano has a fatal illness and had decided to have his friends assist him with leaving this world on his own terms. It was very moving, especially to any of us who’ve had to witness a dying friend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2022
This installment in the series was MUCH better than the last. The protagonist still pisses me off (what is it about mysteries where the protagonists are always awful?) but the mystery in this book was the best written in the series so far. Twist upon twist upon twist, and I genuinely had no idea where it was leading until the end. I'm hoping the last two follow this lead!
February 7, 2018
Gradevole giallo chandleriano, con la particolarità dell'orientamento gay della protagonista e dell'ambientazione nel mondo lesbo newyorchese contemporaneo, senza infingimenti ma con molta naturalezza.
November 21, 2022
The third in the Laura Laurano series. Not my favorite mystery plot, but the story included more on the AIDS crisis in NYC of the time, more character development, more growth of Laurano herself. I loved it.
September 29, 2018
Loved it
Tightly plotted and beautifully written-and she is a New Yorker!
Highly recommend the whole series. Wish there were more than five...
Tightly plotted and beautifully written-and she is a New Yorker!
Highly recommend the whole series. Wish there were more than five...
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September 5, 2008Funny, how the only thing I remembered from Scoppettone's books was that curly blond pube on the bed sheet*, and starting to read her third novel now, it wasn't the case or Cybil Sheppard that made me sure I HAD indeed had read this before, it was a sentence about a deli that had turned from Greek to Chinese to etc. over the months. So presumably I read this book as well as the other two, at least I hope I'm not rereading the wrong one, having shelved the unread ones erroneously ...
McDermid's praise is on the back-cover, and this time around, Lauren is quite likable to me, a lot like Kate Brannigan. When she retells of her rape and the murder and killing of ex-lovers, I remember never having liked that part of her history, although I cannot remember if it had been shown in the first two books. I appreciate the small asides about society and its relation to women who are "different" (and Bruce Willis and Arnie). It's sad to read about the media attacks on the Clintons - all of this seemed only yesterday but happened more than a decade ago.
* (ETA: and that seems a false memory, because Lauren just said they'd both been faithful)
ETA: as with all American novels, esp. of this genre, there's way too much driving back and forth, and the detecting is all just meeting everyone, saying "some faces looked familiar but couldn't place them" and lots of coincidences, creating a tangled web over at least three generations, much like I've read in every gay crime novel, and Grafton and Dunlap, too. Dunlap is favourably mentioned in the book, as are a few others, though not Cornwell - as for McDermic, Cornwell might have inspired this lesbian Italian author featuring an Italo-American heroine, but back then only Scoppettone was out, and Cornwell will never be anywhere near as political. Scoppettone also dealt with helping an AIDS victim die before Wilson did with his Justice, and I'll need to do a spreadsheet to compare other firsts.
Though more so than 12 years ago, I still didn't particularly enjoy the personal, private scenes for which I'm reading any novel. I cannot say if there is truly a difference between these writers doing m/f or f/f and why the f/f never does it for me, I keep thinking about that; not sure if I liked the het couple in VM's K.t.S. better or equally little, but Walters or Gale manage to make any type of relationship more interesting or appealing.
McDermid's praise is on the back-cover, and this time around, Lauren is quite likable to me, a lot like Kate Brannigan. When she retells of her rape and the murder and killing of ex-lovers, I remember never having liked that part of her history, although I cannot remember if it had been shown in the first two books. I appreciate the small asides about society and its relation to women who are "different" (and Bruce Willis and Arnie). It's sad to read about the media attacks on the Clintons - all of this seemed only yesterday but happened more than a decade ago.
* (ETA: and that seems a false memory, because Lauren just said they'd both been faithful)
ETA: as with all American novels, esp. of this genre, there's way too much driving back and forth, and the detecting is all just meeting everyone, saying "some faces looked familiar but couldn't place them" and lots of coincidences, creating a tangled web over at least three generations, much like I've read in every gay crime novel, and Grafton and Dunlap, too. Dunlap is favourably mentioned in the book, as are a few others, though not Cornwell - as for McDermic, Cornwell might have inspired this lesbian Italian author featuring an Italo-American heroine, but back then only Scoppettone was out, and Cornwell will never be anywhere near as political. Scoppettone also dealt with helping an AIDS victim die before Wilson did with his Justice, and I'll need to do a spreadsheet to compare other firsts.
Though more so than 12 years ago, I still didn't particularly enjoy the personal, private scenes for which I'm reading any novel. I cannot say if there is truly a difference between these writers doing m/f or f/f and why the f/f never does it for me, I keep thinking about that; not sure if I liked the het couple in VM's K.t.S. better or equally little, but Walters or Gale manage to make any type of relationship more interesting or appealing.
November 22, 2021
A sample of the standard dialogue quality in this series:
"Well, hey, I mean...."
He shrugs.
"How come?"
I ask.
"How come I don't ask what you do?"
I nod.
"How come I don't ask what you do?"
"Right."
He shrugs twice.
"I don't know. How come I don't ask what you do?"
"Because you don't think I do anything."
And another one:
"The new Anne Rice, of course," [...]
"Ah, which Anne Rice do you mean?"
"The newest one," the woman snaps, now totally disgusted.
"Jill," Jenny calls, "this woman wants the latest Anne Rice."
"Okay."
"She'll bring it over,"
[...] "This is Taltos. I don't want this. I have this. This is Taltos, Taltos, Taltos, Taltos ..."
[...] "This is a travesty." She turns to face the open space of the store, holds up the thick book. "This is Taltos, Taltos, Taltos. work. They're trying to pass this off as the latest book, when we all know this is Taltos."
"Don't say Taltos again," admonishes Jenny.
[...] The woman's eyes bug out like snails' shells. "Liar, liar, pants on fire. The latest book is Memnoch. Memnoch. Memnoch."
"Don't say Memnoch again," Jenny says, "or I'll have to hurt you."
[...] "You must give me Memnoch." The woman falls to her knees, her big-brimmed hat flops over her face so that she resembles a pile of black rags. "Get up," Jill says calmly but with heft. It sounds as though the woman is weeping.
Every random no-name character in this series is as nuts as this woman. It's a travesty of a scene after another. I can't make this up. My brain feels like it's coming unhinged every time I open one of these books.
When I read this line:
'Anyway, I decide to drop the questioning of her speech and get back to what I want to know.'
I clapped out loud, ngl.
"Well, hey, I mean...."
He shrugs.
"How come?"
I ask.
"How come I don't ask what you do?"
I nod.
"How come I don't ask what you do?"
"Right."
He shrugs twice.
"I don't know. How come I don't ask what you do?"
"Because you don't think I do anything."
And another one:
"The new Anne Rice, of course," [...]
"Ah, which Anne Rice do you mean?"
"The newest one," the woman snaps, now totally disgusted.
"Jill," Jenny calls, "this woman wants the latest Anne Rice."
"Okay."
"She'll bring it over,"
[...] "This is Taltos. I don't want this. I have this. This is Taltos, Taltos, Taltos, Taltos ..."
[...] "This is a travesty." She turns to face the open space of the store, holds up the thick book. "This is Taltos, Taltos, Taltos. work. They're trying to pass this off as the latest book, when we all know this is Taltos."
"Don't say Taltos again," admonishes Jenny.
[...] The woman's eyes bug out like snails' shells. "Liar, liar, pants on fire. The latest book is Memnoch. Memnoch. Memnoch."
"Don't say Memnoch again," Jenny says, "or I'll have to hurt you."
[...] "You must give me Memnoch." The woman falls to her knees, her big-brimmed hat flops over her face so that she resembles a pile of black rags. "Get up," Jill says calmly but with heft. It sounds as though the woman is weeping.
Every random no-name character in this series is as nuts as this woman. It's a travesty of a scene after another. I can't make this up. My brain feels like it's coming unhinged every time I open one of these books.
When I read this line:
'Anyway, I decide to drop the questioning of her speech and get back to what I want to know.'
I clapped out loud, ngl.
May 2, 2020
Nel primo libro c'erano stati alcuni momenti che non mi erano piaciuti.
Allora perchè ritrovarli anche nel secondo?
Basta, rinuncio a seguire questa serie.
opinione scritta il 05\07\11
Allora perchè ritrovarli anche nel secondo?
Basta, rinuncio a seguire questa serie.
opinione scritta il 05\07\11
September 25, 2015
La seconda rilettura a distanza di 10 anni mi lascia piu' fredda. Di sicuro non è tanto la trama del romanzo giallo a prendere quanto lo spaccato di vita personale e sociale anche se carica e a volte paradossale in quanto fa apparire New York un paesino do provincia per le coincidente e le casualità.
January 19, 2017
A depressing view of New York but then this book predates Mayor Giuliani - and also suffers from being out of date on technical issues (unlike an Agatha Christie!) - crime could have been solved in the first chapter with a good computer and/or a mobile phone. Lingers to long on perceived lesbian prejudices - again probably a dated issue.
January 10, 2021
Senza lode e senza infamia, plot che fa acqua, messaggi LGBT datati e un po' pedanti, discorsi al limite dell'umano intelletto, scrittura agile che comunque fa scorrere il tutto e non lo rende mai insopportabile.
Buono per ammazzare il tempo in coda alla posta.
Buono per ammazzare il tempo in coda alla posta.
November 26, 2025
dissertation reading, #8
every time i think i know my favourite book in this series, the next one hits me like a ton of bricks. the amount of twists here absolutely blew me away - i read it in 3 sittings, the last one covering the last 175 pages because i just couldn’t put it down. i’m so glad i am writing my dissertation on an author who i consider to be a hidden gem.
every time i think i know my favourite book in this series, the next one hits me like a ton of bricks. the amount of twists here absolutely blew me away - i read it in 3 sittings, the last one covering the last 175 pages because i just couldn’t put it down. i’m so glad i am writing my dissertation on an author who i consider to be a hidden gem.
August 20, 2009
great series, wish she continued this character
December 29, 2013
Lesbian detective searching for a guy's mother. Turns out to be a triplet.
Good.
Good.
Read
March 3, 2015"Nous avons décidé de nommer ces petits désaccords linguistiques des arguties"
January 8, 2017
Ridiculous plot, which is acknowledged as such, but that doesn't mean it works.
A bit heavy-handed with the homophobia versus LGBT pride messages.
A bit heavy-handed with the homophobia versus LGBT pride messages.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews