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Kit O'Malley Mystery #1
Blood Guilt
Book 1 in the Kit O'Malley series, BLOOD GUILT is now available as an ebook.
Private investigator Kit O’Malley has had more exciting cases than following a wealthy client’s husband, but Celia Robinson is paying big money to find out what the libidinous Geoffrey is up to with a blonde, a redhead and entrepreneur Ian Dalkeith and his group of shady businessmen.
Enduring a heatwave and fighting the inanimate objects that are out to get her are the hardest parts of Kit’s assignment until a body is found in the Robinson’s ornamental fish pond and everything takes a turn for the weird and nasty.
While the cops do their own thing, Celia’s daughter Quinn hires Kit to find the killer and her mother’s missing butler. What Kit doesn’t count on is Quinn’s determination to be involved in the case. To make matters worse she brings along her lawyer, Alexis Cazenove, who is as stunning as she is smart and has an extremely disconcerting effect on Kit's sense of balance.
After a near miss with a homicidal driver, Kit knows she’s getting close to something – even if the truth seems to be that everyone has a secret. And then there’s the question of just who the mysterious Mike Finnigan is following; is it Geoffrey, Dalkeith or Kit herself?
Private investigator Kit O’Malley has had more exciting cases than following a wealthy client’s husband, but Celia Robinson is paying big money to find out what the libidinous Geoffrey is up to with a blonde, a redhead and entrepreneur Ian Dalkeith and his group of shady businessmen.
Enduring a heatwave and fighting the inanimate objects that are out to get her are the hardest parts of Kit’s assignment until a body is found in the Robinson’s ornamental fish pond and everything takes a turn for the weird and nasty.
While the cops do their own thing, Celia’s daughter Quinn hires Kit to find the killer and her mother’s missing butler. What Kit doesn’t count on is Quinn’s determination to be involved in the case. To make matters worse she brings along her lawyer, Alexis Cazenove, who is as stunning as she is smart and has an extremely disconcerting effect on Kit's sense of balance.
After a near miss with a homicidal driver, Kit knows she’s getting close to something – even if the truth seems to be that everyone has a secret. And then there’s the question of just who the mysterious Mike Finnigan is following; is it Geoffrey, Dalkeith or Kit herself?
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
did-not-finish
November 8, 2017DNF at page 293.
Okay, I think my love of TV police procedurals does not carry over into the written word. This was taking me so long to get through and I just wasn't interested. I was reading it for a 2017 challenge, but there are other books on my TBR that can fill the same spot.
Okay, I think my love of TV police procedurals does not carry over into the written word. This was taking me so long to get through and I just wasn't interested. I was reading it for a 2017 challenge, but there are other books on my TBR that can fill the same spot.
November 30, 2019
This book had me reading it at every opportunity I got. Unfortunately work and life lead to me not getting to it for as long as I wanted each day, so it was read over time. I liked the investigator Kit, and her manner of speech. I was very sad when the person died, as I was really looking forward to getting more interchanges between the investigator and this person. So the investigation is into the death of a person Kit has met.
Set in Melbourne, my home city I enjoyed the descriptions of place and traffic. This is a second publishing of the book, it was first published in 1999 by a different press, and one of the things I enjoyed so much about the book was reminiscing. There are changes to the city that have happened since the story was published and the fact that the book was first published close to the time of writing allowed it to take me back in time.
There were unexpected twists, and one chapter with a description I found did not suit my reading taste, but I would say read this book if you want an entertaining read. I loved some of the expressions used by the author, for their authenticity to the vernacular used by Victorians (those living in the state of Victoria in Australia) at the time, and the way they resonated in my brain.
Do read this book.
Set in Melbourne, my home city I enjoyed the descriptions of place and traffic. This is a second publishing of the book, it was first published in 1999 by a different press, and one of the things I enjoyed so much about the book was reminiscing. There are changes to the city that have happened since the story was published and the fact that the book was first published close to the time of writing allowed it to take me back in time.
There were unexpected twists, and one chapter with a description I found did not suit my reading taste, but I would say read this book if you want an entertaining read. I loved some of the expressions used by the author, for their authenticity to the vernacular used by Victorians (those living in the state of Victoria in Australia) at the time, and the way they resonated in my brain.
Do read this book.
January 24, 2017
I loved this sassy mystery book that made me cheer and laugh out loud in many places. Kit is a strong, flawed and interesting character. Her pragmatism and sense of humour add terrific spark to the novel. Her cast of 'support' characters provide a good balance and are so well drawn that you feel you know them, or someone like them. This is an easy-to-digest, fast and fun mystery for those who like a bit of escapism and challenge without the drama and gore.
October 2, 2022
DNF... Finding this book hard to get into. Feels like its written for teens. Which normally I don't mind but not what I wanted to read atm.
Read
June 18, 2020This is another good, well-written and well-paced lesbian mystery. P.I. Kit O’Malley is hired by the rich owner of a successful publishing company to find out what her no-good husband is up to. Along the way she meets with her client’s rebellious daughter and also with the beautiful Alex Cazenova, who makes Kit’s head spin so much that she can barely concentrate on her job. It is seemingly, however, a one-sided attraction.
The mystery is a pretty interesting one, replete with a lot of bad baddies and a few goodies, too. Kit earns her fee and author Cameron earns the price of thee e-book I purchased. Here Australian vernacular is not nearly as over-the-top as that of Peta Fox, but it still gives you a little local Australian color. It might even make you want to go out and buy a jar of vegemite somewhere—Amazon maybe.
Cameron inexplicably uses a technique I first found in Laurie King’s first Kate Martinelli mystery—referring to the androgynously named lover’s of the main characters (Lee in King’s book and Sam in Cameron’s). without telling us what sex they are until at least half the book is over. I suspect that King did it so as not to turn away homophobic readers that might have enjoyed the books in her Mary Russell series. But for Cameron, there seems to be no reason at all. Kit hangs out with lesbian pals and in fact has a reputation (although a false one) as a serial lover of women. Cameron goes out of her way to keep the secret of Sam’s sexual identity a mystery, even to the point of making her sentences clumsy by not using the personal pronoun. ‘her’ or ‘she.’ Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Sam really is a man, but she never tells us because they break up without the reader ever seeing Sam, I mean her. I thought this was a cop out in King’s book and completely senseless in this one.
But that’s the only peeve I have. I like Kit, I like her eventual girlfriend Alex, and I really like Quinn, Kit’s employer’s daughter. I also like Hector, the ex-delinquent who tries to help Kit solve the complicated case that she eventually finds herself with.
I enjoyed this book very much without being able to put it at the top o my favorites list. This speaks not to the faults of the novel, but to the surprisingly high quality I am finding in this genre as a whole. I am looking foreword to reading the next book in the series, all three of which are reasonably priced in e-book format.
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 mystery is a pretty interesting one, replete with a lot of bad baddies and a few goodies, too. Kit earns her fee and author Cameron earns the price of thee e-book I purchased. Here Australian vernacular is not nearly as over-the-top as that of Peta Fox, but it still gives you a little local Australian color. It might even make you want to go out and buy a jar of vegemite somewhere—Amazon maybe.
Cameron inexplicably uses a technique I first found in Laurie King’s first Kate Martinelli mystery—referring to the androgynously named lover’s of the main characters (Lee in King’s book and Sam in Cameron’s). without telling us what sex they are until at least half the book is over. I suspect that King did it so as not to turn away homophobic readers that might have enjoyed the books in her Mary Russell series. But for Cameron, there seems to be no reason at all. Kit hangs out with lesbian pals and in fact has a reputation (although a false one) as a serial lover of women. Cameron goes out of her way to keep the secret of Sam’s sexual identity a mystery, even to the point of making her sentences clumsy by not using the personal pronoun. ‘her’ or ‘she.’ Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Sam really is a man, but she never tells us because they break up without the reader ever seeing Sam, I mean her. I thought this was a cop out in King’s book and completely senseless in this one.
But that’s the only peeve I have. I like Kit, I like her eventual girlfriend Alex, and I really like Quinn, Kit’s employer’s daughter. I also like Hector, the ex-delinquent who tries to help Kit solve the complicated case that she eventually finds herself with.
I enjoyed this book very much without being able to put it at the top o my favorites list. This speaks not to the faults of the novel, but to the surprisingly high quality I am finding in this genre as a whole. I am looking foreword to reading the next book in the series, all three of which are reasonably priced in e-book format.
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.
September 1, 2013
Book One in the Kit O’Malley series
Ex cop, now Private Investigator, Kit O’Malley’s latest job is not very exciting. She’s been hired by a wealthy client and old friend of her mother, Celia Robinson, to follow her cheating husband Geoffrey. The assignment is run of the mill, Kit documents Geoffrey meeting with a blonde, a redhead and businessman, Ian Dalkeith. All quite mundane until a body is found in the Robinson’s fish pond.
The cops are on the case, but this doesn’t satisfy Celia’s daughter, Quinn. She hires Kit to find her mother’s killer and Byron, the missing butler. Quinn is not happy to let Kit get on with the investigation, she insists on being involved at every step of the way. When Quinn brings along her lawyer, the stunning, beautiful, Alexis Cazenove, Kit’s senses leave her. She is instantly smitten and a gibberish wreck.
When Kit is almost killed by a hit and run, she knows she must be on the right track to solving the mystery. She just has to fathom out the truth and expose all the deep dark secrets that have been hidden.
Just who is Mike Finnigan and who is he following? Geoffrey, Dalkeith or Kit?
Blood Guilt is a well written page turner. Although it started out a bit on the slow side, it soon picked up speed and clipped along at a steady pace.
I loved Kit O’Malley. Her character is so down to earth and she has a terrific sense of humor and she is a bit of a klutz. There is a very strong cast of secondary characters, the main one being Alex, who Kit is rapidly falling in love with. This is despite the fact that Alex is getting married to Enzo. Will Kit’s love be unrequited or will Alex forsake Enzo and reciprocate? There are lots of other interesting and amusing characters too to enhance the story and progress it along.
The main focus is on the actual mystery, with the romance being secondary. What started off for Kit as a simple case of a cheating husband, escalates into a murder case. Although Kit is a Private Investigator, she still has contacts in the police department and she ends up working together with her ex cop partner, Jon Marek.
There are lots of twists and turns in this exciting mystery/intrigue which kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages quickly. Then suddenly it was at an end. Just when I wanted to know more about Kit and Alex, more of what happens next in their lives. It’s a good job I have the second in this remarkably different to the norm, mystery series to read.
Ex cop, now Private Investigator, Kit O’Malley’s latest job is not very exciting. She’s been hired by a wealthy client and old friend of her mother, Celia Robinson, to follow her cheating husband Geoffrey. The assignment is run of the mill, Kit documents Geoffrey meeting with a blonde, a redhead and businessman, Ian Dalkeith. All quite mundane until a body is found in the Robinson’s fish pond.
The cops are on the case, but this doesn’t satisfy Celia’s daughter, Quinn. She hires Kit to find her mother’s killer and Byron, the missing butler. Quinn is not happy to let Kit get on with the investigation, she insists on being involved at every step of the way. When Quinn brings along her lawyer, the stunning, beautiful, Alexis Cazenove, Kit’s senses leave her. She is instantly smitten and a gibberish wreck.
When Kit is almost killed by a hit and run, she knows she must be on the right track to solving the mystery. She just has to fathom out the truth and expose all the deep dark secrets that have been hidden.
Just who is Mike Finnigan and who is he following? Geoffrey, Dalkeith or Kit?
Blood Guilt is a well written page turner. Although it started out a bit on the slow side, it soon picked up speed and clipped along at a steady pace.
I loved Kit O’Malley. Her character is so down to earth and she has a terrific sense of humor and she is a bit of a klutz. There is a very strong cast of secondary characters, the main one being Alex, who Kit is rapidly falling in love with. This is despite the fact that Alex is getting married to Enzo. Will Kit’s love be unrequited or will Alex forsake Enzo and reciprocate? There are lots of other interesting and amusing characters too to enhance the story and progress it along.
The main focus is on the actual mystery, with the romance being secondary. What started off for Kit as a simple case of a cheating husband, escalates into a murder case. Although Kit is a Private Investigator, she still has contacts in the police department and she ends up working together with her ex cop partner, Jon Marek.
There are lots of twists and turns in this exciting mystery/intrigue which kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages quickly. Then suddenly it was at an end. Just when I wanted to know more about Kit and Alex, more of what happens next in their lives. It’s a good job I have the second in this remarkably different to the norm, mystery series to read.
August 26, 2013
Kit O'Malley is a fantastic and dynamic character that captures the attention of the reader for all of her foibles. She's not perfect - hell, she's not even that hard boiled of a PI - but her character traits and flaws make her all the more appealing. Take a bit of "The Hardy Boys" but grown up, twist in a bit of Angela Lansbury and a bit of Ellen DeGeneres and you'd have someone vaguely resembling Kit's character....just not as well rounded.
Of particular charm in the book is the utter metadrama. Somewhere along the line, the author decided that the fourth wall was either cumbersome or irritating, so the reader is periodically treated to highlights such as Kit, Del, and Brigit discussing how the protagonist of Kit's book is utterly unreal, with Brigit pointing out that the protagonist is just like Kit, and Del remarking that Kit couldn't possibly be real either. Post existentialism at its finest.
Like most mystery books, Blood Guilt is slow to start, but once the pace gets going it's a joy to ride along and see the developments along the way. A very pro-female power book, the number of strong female characters is refreshing - in fact, almost all of the key cast members are strong women (and admittedly, most are lesbians).
Highly recommended, and I look forward to the opportunity of reading more in the Kit O'Malley series when I have a chance.
Of particular charm in the book is the utter metadrama. Somewhere along the line, the author decided that the fourth wall was either cumbersome or irritating, so the reader is periodically treated to highlights such as Kit, Del, and Brigit discussing how the protagonist of Kit's book is utterly unreal, with Brigit pointing out that the protagonist is just like Kit, and Del remarking that Kit couldn't possibly be real either. Post existentialism at its finest.
Like most mystery books, Blood Guilt is slow to start, but once the pace gets going it's a joy to ride along and see the developments along the way. A very pro-female power book, the number of strong female characters is refreshing - in fact, almost all of the key cast members are strong women (and admittedly, most are lesbians).
Highly recommended, and I look forward to the opportunity of reading more in the Kit O'Malley series when I have a chance.
September 7, 2011
Great beginning to a new series (well at least new to me)!! Kit O'Malley is that kind of imperfect perfection as a private investigator that gets more than she bargained for when the client she was working for ends up dead. What was once just an adultery case becomes a murder investigation that hits a little too close to home for Kit. Along the way she fights attraction to her new client's lawyer who seems to hate Kit and disapproves of her "friendship" with Quinn (the daughter of Kit's original client). Trouble, mayhem, sex, romance what else could you ask?? First in a series
May 23, 2009
"Kit O'Malley is a welcome addition to the list of female crime-fighters." -Val McDermid
September 29, 2013
Loved the first book and immediately bought the second
June 6, 2014
This is such a great book. I loved it and then had to read the next two in the series.
did-not-finish
August 8, 2018I remember picking one or twice and putting it back down but that's all.
Maybe I will give it another try some day.
Maybe I will give it another try some day.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews