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Alex Peres #1
Caught in the Net
She's intelligent. She's witty. She lives in Provincetown and she's got a great dog. Pretty good credentials, one would think. So how come private investigator Alex Peres is single...again?
When a sneaker washes up on the cold winter beach, Alex and her four-legged partner, Fargo, are sent on an unlikely adventure. But that's nothing compared to the one-on-one thrill ride of a new relationship.
From the moment Janet Meacham walks into the Wharf Rat Bar, Alex's usually stable world rocks like never before. Just as work and love seem to settle down, that sneaker comes back to kick Alex right between the eyes.
Alex would do anything for Janet -- remodel her bachelor household, clean out the closets and even make Fargo share the bed. But if she can't figure out where that sneaker came from, Alex may not live long enough to enjoy the happy-ever-after ending she's finally let herself believe in.
When a sneaker washes up on the cold winter beach, Alex and her four-legged partner, Fargo, are sent on an unlikely adventure. But that's nothing compared to the one-on-one thrill ride of a new relationship.
From the moment Janet Meacham walks into the Wharf Rat Bar, Alex's usually stable world rocks like never before. Just as work and love seem to settle down, that sneaker comes back to kick Alex right between the eyes.
Alex would do anything for Janet -- remodel her bachelor household, clean out the closets and even make Fargo share the bed. But if she can't figure out where that sneaker came from, Alex may not live long enough to enjoy the happy-ever-after ending she's finally let herself believe in.
194 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
3 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 30, 2012
A really enjoyable first novel, an interesting murder mystery featuring lesbian PI Alex Peres. Thomas grabbed me with the first sentence, "We hadn't been looking for trouble that day." Hell, who wouldn't want to stick around to find out what the trouble was? But, I'll leave that for you to discover; check out the sample online. The "trouble" is revealed in the final sentence of chapter one. Can you say "Ew"?
Was I absolutely captivated by the mystery? Maybe not, though it was solid enough, and well edited (Karin Kallmaker) but I definitely fell in love with Alex, the proverbial hard-boiled lady dick with a heart of gold. Cliche potential? Sure, but Thomas' crisp, engaging style makes it work. And, the other half of the "we" in the opening is Alex's black lab, Fargo, who, far from being the big bad protector he appears to be, will, at the first hint of danger, try to launch his ninety pounds into Alex's arms. What's not to love? Also, P-town makes a nice change from the typical murder mystery setting.
I have to confess that I kept turning the pages as much to find out whether or not Alex's romance works out as to learn the solution to the mystery, but I don't see anything wrong with that. She's such an appealing character, you really root for the woman with dark, curly short-cut hair to be "the One."
Was I absolutely captivated by the mystery? Maybe not, though it was solid enough, and well edited (Karin Kallmaker) but I definitely fell in love with Alex, the proverbial hard-boiled lady dick with a heart of gold. Cliche potential? Sure, but Thomas' crisp, engaging style makes it work. And, the other half of the "we" in the opening is Alex's black lab, Fargo, who, far from being the big bad protector he appears to be, will, at the first hint of danger, try to launch his ninety pounds into Alex's arms. What's not to love? Also, P-town makes a nice change from the typical murder mystery setting.
I have to confess that I kept turning the pages as much to find out whether or not Alex's romance works out as to learn the solution to the mystery, but I don't see anything wrong with that. She's such an appealing character, you really root for the woman with dark, curly short-cut hair to be "the One."
May 2, 2018
+ loveable minor characters. The dog.
- There is no flow in the writing and our good detective isn’t all that bright...
- There is no flow in the writing and our good detective isn’t all that bright...
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June 19, 2020There are a number of reasons why I’m not a big fan of Bella Books. Yes, they were fortunate enough to be able to purchase the stock of iconic Naiad Press, and yes, they were wise enough to reprint Baxter Clare’s earliest Frank Franco novels, but other than that, their books just don’t seem to get out of third-rate-ness. A case in point is Caught in the Net.
When PI Alex Peres finds an old shoe washed up on the shore of her favorite beach, she thinks nothing about it—until she notices a foot still inside. Good start to a mystery novel, for sure. And in fairness, the actual mystery—whose foot is in the shoe and how did it come to be washed up on shore?—is tantalizing, especially when coupled with a string of robberies, a murder, a stolen boat, and rumors of drug and arms smuggling.
Luckily, Alex’s brother Sonny is a police detective and furnishes Alex with all the updates and details as the case progresses. In fact, he even provides her with the information she needs to work a cheating-husband case. Lucky for her, because she doesn’t seem to be able to find out much on her own. Luckily, she gets some satisfaction when she meets the attractive Janet Meacham, a newcomer in town who has recently gotten out of the Coast Guard.
The main trouble with the book is the voice, which is almost self-consciously glib. It’s voice that wants to be thought amusing most of the time, even though what she says is rehashed from just about everywhere. Here’s her take on shopping: “I made out a grocery list of essentials—dog food, beer, pastry, chips—you know, the basic food groups.” And when she is being held prisoner in her own apartment by the murderer, she thinks, “Where the hell were all those Jehovah’s Witnesses with you needed them?” It’s not that I dislike Alex Peres; it’s just that the author provides me no reason for actually liking her.
The interesting mystery premise gets muddled pretty early in the book and never really gets coherent again. The plot gets clumsy and the character of the murderer undergoes a change that does not ring true. As I mentioned earlier, Alex does very little investigating and gains all of her knowledge either through her brother or through the murderer actually confessing. And if all that is not enough, Alex’s dog manages to fly through the air and push her out of the path of an oncoming bullet. There should actually be a subgenre of lesbian mystery where a dog saves the day (see Kate Sweeney’s She Waits or Kieran York’s Timber City Masks).
And here’s one more quibble. Alex introduces Janet to the works of Rita Mae Brown, telling her that one of her main characters is a cat named Sneaky Pie. Sneaky Pie, of course, is the fictional co-author of Brown’s first mystery series; the cat’s name is Mrs. Murphy. It’s a strange thing for the author—and the editors—not to know.
This book won the first Golden Crown Award ever given, but I’m not sure why. Rather than making me reevaluate my opinion of the book, I am revising my opinion of the award. Give this one a 2.2 and go on to something else. As I write this, however, the e-book version of this title is very reasonable, which is a plus. The later books in the series are way too expensive.
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.
When PI Alex Peres finds an old shoe washed up on the shore of her favorite beach, she thinks nothing about it—until she notices a foot still inside. Good start to a mystery novel, for sure. And in fairness, the actual mystery—whose foot is in the shoe and how did it come to be washed up on shore?—is tantalizing, especially when coupled with a string of robberies, a murder, a stolen boat, and rumors of drug and arms smuggling.
Luckily, Alex’s brother Sonny is a police detective and furnishes Alex with all the updates and details as the case progresses. In fact, he even provides her with the information she needs to work a cheating-husband case. Lucky for her, because she doesn’t seem to be able to find out much on her own. Luckily, she gets some satisfaction when she meets the attractive Janet Meacham, a newcomer in town who has recently gotten out of the Coast Guard.
The main trouble with the book is the voice, which is almost self-consciously glib. It’s voice that wants to be thought amusing most of the time, even though what she says is rehashed from just about everywhere. Here’s her take on shopping: “I made out a grocery list of essentials—dog food, beer, pastry, chips—you know, the basic food groups.” And when she is being held prisoner in her own apartment by the murderer, she thinks, “Where the hell were all those Jehovah’s Witnesses with you needed them?” It’s not that I dislike Alex Peres; it’s just that the author provides me no reason for actually liking her.
The interesting mystery premise gets muddled pretty early in the book and never really gets coherent again. The plot gets clumsy and the character of the murderer undergoes a change that does not ring true. As I mentioned earlier, Alex does very little investigating and gains all of her knowledge either through her brother or through the murderer actually confessing. And if all that is not enough, Alex’s dog manages to fly through the air and push her out of the path of an oncoming bullet. There should actually be a subgenre of lesbian mystery where a dog saves the day (see Kate Sweeney’s She Waits or Kieran York’s Timber City Masks).
And here’s one more quibble. Alex introduces Janet to the works of Rita Mae Brown, telling her that one of her main characters is a cat named Sneaky Pie. Sneaky Pie, of course, is the fictional co-author of Brown’s first mystery series; the cat’s name is Mrs. Murphy. It’s a strange thing for the author—and the editors—not to know.
This book won the first Golden Crown Award ever given, but I’m not sure why. Rather than making me reevaluate my opinion of the book, I am revising my opinion of the award. Give this one a 2.2 and go on to something else. As I write this, however, the e-book version of this title is very reasonable, which is a plus. The later books in the series are way too expensive.
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.
April 30, 2013
Ok. I've either read this before or the story is not original. A quick fun read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews