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Micky Knight #4
Lost Daughters
"Micky Knight is a to-die-for creation . . . a Cajun firebrand with the proverbial quick wit, fast tongue and heavy heart."-Lambda Book Report
"One of the most hard-boiled and complex female detectives in print today."-San Francisco Chronicle
Micky takes on the cases of a widowed mother looking for her daughter and a tough gay boy hunting for his biological mother. Together they stir in Micky a desire to search for her own mother, who abandoned her when she was a young girl.
First paperback edition of a W. W. Norton hardcover original.
J. M. Redmann grew up in coastal Mississippi, headed north and graduated from Vassar and has been living in New Orleans for the past 15 years.
"One of the most hard-boiled and complex female detectives in print today."-San Francisco Chronicle
Micky takes on the cases of a widowed mother looking for her daughter and a tough gay boy hunting for his biological mother. Together they stir in Micky a desire to search for her own mother, who abandoned her when she was a young girl.
First paperback edition of a W. W. Norton hardcover original.
J. M. Redmann grew up in coastal Mississippi, headed north and graduated from Vassar and has been living in New Orleans for the past 15 years.
352 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 1998
About the author
J.M. Redmann
29 books210 followersAlso writes under the pseudonym R. Jean Reid.
Jean Marie Redmann is an American novelist best known for her mystery series featuring New Orleans private investigator Micky Knight.
Main themes of Redmann's novels are the protagonist's troubled childhood and how it affects her adult life, discrimination based on sexual orientation and alcoholism. Her novels follow the tradition of hardboiled fiction. Redmann's third book The Intersection of Law and Desire won the Lambda Literary Award for lesbian mystery.
Jean M. Redmann is a gay rights activist and works as the Director of Prevention at NO/AIDS Task Force.
Jean Marie Redmann is an American novelist best known for her mystery series featuring New Orleans private investigator Micky Knight.
Main themes of Redmann's novels are the protagonist's troubled childhood and how it affects her adult life, discrimination based on sexual orientation and alcoholism. Her novels follow the tradition of hardboiled fiction. Redmann's third book The Intersection of Law and Desire won the Lambda Literary Award for lesbian mystery.
Jean M. Redmann is a gay rights activist and works as the Director of Prevention at NO/AIDS Task Force.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
June 29, 2019
J.M. Redmann consistently keeps hitting it out of the park with the Mickey Knight series. In part 4 Lost Daughters we stay closer to home as Mickey takes on two cases that involve a mother looking for her lost daughter and an adopted son looking for his birth mother. It makes her think of her own mother who abandoned her when she was 5. Coming home for a funeral reveal some matters that make Mickey determined to find out the truth once and for all.
Next to Mickey’s sleuthing we have a secondary plot involving a chain of brutally murdered closeted lesbians that seem to have a connection to her lover Cordelia’s clinic. Or do they?
Superb writing and a great plot kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning. I don’t mind losing sleep when it concerns Mickey Knight. If you haven’t started this series yet, you are really missing out. I’m just sayin’ .
f/f
Themes: New Orleans, mothers and daughters, family.
5 Stars
-------re-read after 6 years----------------
Totally engrossed into Mickey Knight again. Re-reading these books brings me much joy.
5 Stars
Next to Mickey’s sleuthing we have a secondary plot involving a chain of brutally murdered closeted lesbians that seem to have a connection to her lover Cordelia’s clinic. Or do they?
Superb writing and a great plot kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning. I don’t mind losing sleep when it concerns Mickey Knight. If you haven’t started this series yet, you are really missing out. I’m just sayin’ .
f/f
Themes: New Orleans, mothers and daughters, family.
5 Stars
-------re-read after 6 years----------------
Totally engrossed into Mickey Knight again. Re-reading these books brings me much joy.
5 Stars
February 27, 2020
Micky's Many Mommy Issues
The plot. Micky has her hands full when she takes on the case of a boy looking for his biological mother at the same time she accepts another case where a mother is looking for her daughter. Things get even more complicated when Micky finds herself wanting answers about her own mother. And to top it all off, bodies of murdered women are once again starting to pop up.
The characters. As usual the entire gang of previously introduced characters made a (very) short appearance but they were clearly placed on the back burner for this book. Redmann really had the spotlight focused on Micky's personal journey and the couple of new characters that were introduced.
The writing. Personally, I thought this book started off a little slow. I had gotten so used to the other books being action packed that when Redmann offered a look at Micky's day to day life, I kept waiting for someone to jump out from behind a door and attack her. But of course Micky wouldn't be Micky if she didn't have some type of crazy person chasing her at some point, so it's all good.
The special. Redmann's writing continues to impress me. Book one made me laugh, book two made me angry, book three made me feel hopeless and the end of book four broke my heart. What the bloody devil's next?
The negative. Not necessarily a negative thing but what I've missed the most is Micky's sarcastic snarky wit from book one. Her humor offered quite a bit of levity that I certainly found entertaining but I also suspect was a part of Drunk Micky™ and Sober Micky™ is a lot more straight-laced.
The verdict. Is there anything more complicated than the (lack of) relationship between mother and daughter? Heading straight into book five because why the hell not?
The plot. Micky has her hands full when she takes on the case of a boy looking for his biological mother at the same time she accepts another case where a mother is looking for her daughter. Things get even more complicated when Micky finds herself wanting answers about her own mother. And to top it all off, bodies of murdered women are once again starting to pop up.
The characters. As usual the entire gang of previously introduced characters made a (very) short appearance but they were clearly placed on the back burner for this book. Redmann really had the spotlight focused on Micky's personal journey and the couple of new characters that were introduced.
The writing. Personally, I thought this book started off a little slow. I had gotten so used to the other books being action packed that when Redmann offered a look at Micky's day to day life, I kept waiting for someone to jump out from behind a door and attack her. But of course Micky wouldn't be Micky if she didn't have some type of crazy person chasing her at some point, so it's all good.
The special. Redmann's writing continues to impress me. Book one made me laugh, book two made me angry, book three made me feel hopeless and the end of book four broke my heart. What the bloody devil's next?
The negative. Not necessarily a negative thing but what I've missed the most is Micky's sarcastic snarky wit from book one. Her humor offered quite a bit of levity that I certainly found entertaining but I also suspect was a part of Drunk Micky™ and Sober Micky™ is a lot more straight-laced.
The verdict. Is there anything more complicated than the (lack of) relationship between mother and daughter? Heading straight into book five because why the hell not?
February 11, 2017
Not as fantastic as the previous three books, but still a really good read. This book has a lot to do about Mickey's family life. So many twists and turns that I felt like I was reading a soap opera, but it kept things interesting.
The mystery was more in the background, but still had an exciting climax that Redmann is great at writing. Looking forward to book 5.
The mystery was more in the background, but still had an exciting climax that Redmann is great at writing. Looking forward to book 5.
September 20, 2019
The fourth Micky Knight book, and the fourth book I’ve reread by this author. If I recall correctly, this would be the 15th book I’ve read, counting rereads (the nine books in this series which are currently published, the two books under a different name, then four rereads).
Right, so, this is one of the ones I liked best the first time I read this series. I do not recall if it had been my favorite, as I’ve not reread, or even looked at the others in a long while. I did remember it, though, both with fondness and a certain amount of confusion as to why it was rated so, relatively, lowly (it’s not the worst rated, but also not the highest rated in the series). It answered certain questions, and seemed to find the characters at their best. More or less.
I did not recall this about the book, but this book occurs three years after the end of the prior book (just as, I found out after starting the next in the series, that the fifth book occurs roughly 7 years after the end of this book here). At least three years. I know because the book opens with Micky and Cordelia celebrating their third anniversary of living together. Even though I mentioned ‘characters at their best’, Micky and Cordelia still have rough moments, but that’s what they are like at their best. And the friends even acted like friends instead of complete dicks like they tend to act towards Micky.
Right, so. Prior book was the ‘child abuse’ book. This one is the ‘looking for parents/children’ book. As in: Micky has three cases, two ‘paid’ (one of the clients doesn’t really have money, while the other barely scratched together $100), and unpaid (the one she did for herself). All three cases have a certain similarity: case one involves a mother looking for the daughter (adult) who was kicked out of the house for being a lesbian; case two involves a drag-queen ‘friend’ of Torbin’s who wants to find his biological mother who had given him up for adoption (his adopted parents also kicked him out for being gay); while the third case involves Micky looking up her own mother – the one who ‘ran away’ when Micky was five, and stopped sending letters when Micky was 10 (when Micky’s father died and she was forced to go live with Aunt Greta and Uncle Claude (and their three children)).
The live and death part of the book comes from another case, one Micky isn’t investigating, but one that she’s connected to for various reasons. Partially because she’s a lesbian, it’s a small town in terms of everyone knowing everyone else in the gay community, and there’s someone killing lesbians. Adding an extra layer – the lesbians being killed are those who are closeted . . . so how’d their killer know to target them? Most also happen to be patients of Cordelia’s clinic, but her clinic is known to be ‘gay-friendly’.
Right, so, another good book. The ending pushes it up to 5 stars. Otherwise I’d probably have rated it lower than the previous book.
Rating: 5 stars
September 20 2019
Right, so, this is one of the ones I liked best the first time I read this series. I do not recall if it had been my favorite, as I’ve not reread, or even looked at the others in a long while. I did remember it, though, both with fondness and a certain amount of confusion as to why it was rated so, relatively, lowly (it’s not the worst rated, but also not the highest rated in the series). It answered certain questions, and seemed to find the characters at their best. More or less.
I did not recall this about the book, but this book occurs three years after the end of the prior book (just as, I found out after starting the next in the series, that the fifth book occurs roughly 7 years after the end of this book here). At least three years. I know because the book opens with Micky and Cordelia celebrating their third anniversary of living together. Even though I mentioned ‘characters at their best’, Micky and Cordelia still have rough moments, but that’s what they are like at their best. And the friends even acted like friends instead of complete dicks like they tend to act towards Micky.
Right, so. Prior book was the ‘child abuse’ book. This one is the ‘looking for parents/children’ book. As in: Micky has three cases, two ‘paid’ (one of the clients doesn’t really have money, while the other barely scratched together $100), and unpaid (the one she did for herself). All three cases have a certain similarity: case one involves a mother looking for the daughter (adult) who was kicked out of the house for being a lesbian; case two involves a drag-queen ‘friend’ of Torbin’s who wants to find his biological mother who had given him up for adoption (his adopted parents also kicked him out for being gay); while the third case involves Micky looking up her own mother – the one who ‘ran away’ when Micky was five, and stopped sending letters when Micky was 10 (when Micky’s father died and she was forced to go live with Aunt Greta and Uncle Claude (and their three children)).
The live and death part of the book comes from another case, one Micky isn’t investigating, but one that she’s connected to for various reasons. Partially because she’s a lesbian, it’s a small town in terms of everyone knowing everyone else in the gay community, and there’s someone killing lesbians. Adding an extra layer – the lesbians being killed are those who are closeted . . . so how’d their killer know to target them? Most also happen to be patients of Cordelia’s clinic, but her clinic is known to be ‘gay-friendly’.
Right, so, another good book. The ending pushes it up to 5 stars. Otherwise I’d probably have rated it lower than the previous book.
Rating: 5 stars
September 20 2019
May 25, 2022
Another great one
These books are really good. I am as interested in the life of Micky now as I was in the first book. I will definitely keep reading this series.
These books are really good. I am as interested in the life of Micky now as I was in the first book. I will definitely keep reading this series.
November 19, 2018
3.5 stars. This one took a really long time to keep my interest and I figured out who the bad guy was early on. Not the best of the Mickey Knight series so far but it was good to get a glimpse into her history to learn why she is the way she is.
April 1, 2024
Años 90, Nueva Orléans… Michele es detective privada, lesbiana y mestiza. Mientras un asesino en serie se ensaña de manera brutal con sus víctimas, todas lesbianas, Michele se enfrasca en su trabajo, tratando de hallar a personas desaparecidas para reunirlas con sus seres queridos, quizá en un intento de llenar el vacío que le dejó su madre al abandonarla, se aferra a reunir a otras madres con sus hijos. Novela interesante que no se centra en la trama policial, sino en los vínculos rotos, la necesidad de pertenecer y la búsqueda de afectos perdidos. Me gustó.
June 7, 2020
5 stars since the ending is unexpected.
February 28, 2014
This fourth book in the Micky Knight series is extraordinarily balanced with multiple story lines that delightfully intersect and support the shared searches for lost daughters. There are also a disturbing number of murders that hit home and at the heart for Micky and her close friends. Micky is not only a key element in the searches, but uncovers the curious link that really ties all the murders together. Such a magnificent story that weaves back and forth between the harsh realities and delicate yet profound love of children and their mothers. Perfect!
Micky Knight starts things off by celebrating her third anniversary with her love, Cordelia. That is an exceptional milestone and is given a wonderfully appreciative hats off to both women for achieving it. Very soon thereafter, Micky digs in on her assignments to find missing relatives for one distraught gay guy's need for his birth mother, one bereft mother in search of her daughter, and her own need to get some definitive answers about her mother. This is all happening while lesbian women are being brutally murdered, and an uncomfortable link to Cordelia's clinic seems to be a factor.
Suzanna Forquet becomes an astounding touchstone for several of Micky's inquiries. She also puts a major move on Micky which certainly sends the sparks flying. Suzanna's husband, his all-round butler, and her neediness to stay far, far away from her desperately poor childhood makes her more than a fascinating counterpoint as she and Micky have several jousting-like encounters. I found Suzanna as intriguing as Micky did, but her fluctuating and compromised marital entanglements reveal a forlorn and shallow foundation that hints at a perilous and extremely fragile lifestyle. Fascinating!
Several lives were shattered, a few people were blessed, and Micky is right in the middle of everything. I more than recommend this book for not only the delightful Micky antics, the hellish do or die concluding confrontation, but the brilliant touching reunions. This is a solid addition to the ongoing Micky Knight saga!
NOTE: This book was provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Micky Knight starts things off by celebrating her third anniversary with her love, Cordelia. That is an exceptional milestone and is given a wonderfully appreciative hats off to both women for achieving it. Very soon thereafter, Micky digs in on her assignments to find missing relatives for one distraught gay guy's need for his birth mother, one bereft mother in search of her daughter, and her own need to get some definitive answers about her mother. This is all happening while lesbian women are being brutally murdered, and an uncomfortable link to Cordelia's clinic seems to be a factor.
Suzanna Forquet becomes an astounding touchstone for several of Micky's inquiries. She also puts a major move on Micky which certainly sends the sparks flying. Suzanna's husband, his all-round butler, and her neediness to stay far, far away from her desperately poor childhood makes her more than a fascinating counterpoint as she and Micky have several jousting-like encounters. I found Suzanna as intriguing as Micky did, but her fluctuating and compromised marital entanglements reveal a forlorn and shallow foundation that hints at a perilous and extremely fragile lifestyle. Fascinating!
Several lives were shattered, a few people were blessed, and Micky is right in the middle of everything. I more than recommend this book for not only the delightful Micky antics, the hellish do or die concluding confrontation, but the brilliant touching reunions. This is a solid addition to the ongoing Micky Knight saga!
NOTE: This book was provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
December 22, 2010
She's done it again. Whew. This one was great. I love that in each book Micky also solves some important mystery in her own life. I was bawling at the end. And though I figured out what would happen, the details took me by surprise, yet they fit perfectly. Terrific.
I see Bywater has a version of this. I read the Bold Strokes Books edition and was very disappointed in the binding. It was stiff and hard to hold.
I see Bywater has a version of this. I read the Bold Strokes Books edition and was very disappointed in the binding. It was stiff and hard to hold.
November 11, 2020
Lo siento, pero, en mi humilde opinión, es una novela muy mala. Sin estructura, personajes mediocremente construidos, sin ritmo ni tensión narrativa. La novela transcurre tópico tras tópico, con una sucesión de muertes sin sentido. Letalmente aburrida. No me gusta dejar libros sin terminar, y solo por esta razón he perseverado en su lectura. No la recomiendo a nadie. Punto.
February 22, 2014
Intense and engaging.
March 22, 2021
New Orleans private eye Mickey Knight takes on a trio of cases of people searching for family members, including Mickey looking for her long lost mother. She also finds herself involved in a NOPD search for a serial killer that is targeting lesbians.I
The first books in the series detailed more heavily Mickey's personal life and her troubled past causing her to drink heavily and make bad choices. This novel has her finally comfortable in her relationship with physician Cordelia and concentrates on her cases. The main case, however, is her search for her mother, who disappeared in New York shortly after her father died.
Returning to this series is, for me at least, is like checking in with old friends and catching up with what is going on with them. Recommended for mystery fans and anyone who loves a good story.
The first books in the series detailed more heavily Mickey's personal life and her troubled past causing her to drink heavily and make bad choices. This novel has her finally comfortable in her relationship with physician Cordelia and concentrates on her cases. The main case, however, is her search for her mother, who disappeared in New York shortly after her father died.
Returning to this series is, for me at least, is like checking in with old friends and catching up with what is going on with them. Recommended for mystery fans and anyone who loves a good story.
January 30, 2025
“Lost Daughters”, fourth in the 'Micky Knight' series, sees our hero on the trail of a missing daughter, trying to find the mother of a child who was adopted two decades ago, looking for her own mother, and trying to figure out why lesbians (who seem to have a connection to Cordelia's clinic) are being brutally murdered.
Oh, and Cordelia has picked up a stalker!
Uncle Claude tells Micky that he has information about her mother but collapses and dies before he can give her the details.
Solid P.I. work sets her on the trail of two of her cases, leaving just the murders and finding her mother to be resolved.
For perhaps the first time in the series Micky is mostly calm due to living with Cordelia. She's still on a hair-trigger when she is provoked or insulted but she's trying her damnedest yo keep her temper under control.
The double finale is the best, and most emotional, so far.
4 Stars.
Oh, and Cordelia has picked up a stalker!
Uncle Claude tells Micky that he has information about her mother but collapses and dies before he can give her the details.
Solid P.I. work sets her on the trail of two of her cases, leaving just the murders and finding her mother to be resolved.
For perhaps the first time in the series Micky is mostly calm due to living with Cordelia. She's still on a hair-trigger when she is provoked or insulted but she's trying her damnedest yo keep her temper under control.
The double finale is the best, and most emotional, so far.
4 Stars.
April 17, 2019
I checked this book out of the library after hearing the author speak at a Mystery Readers and Writers Conference, and I liked it very much. The description of the fight between Micky and her lover, Cordelia, over vacuuming the house sounded so much like some fights between my boyfriend and me that was as if J.M. Redmann had been inside my head. As a resident of the New Orleans area, the setting and its residents seemed very authentic.
My favorite line: "The woman from the house next door decided, like all good New Orleanians, that her input was required." So typical!
My favorite line: "The woman from the house next door decided, like all good New Orleanians, that her input was required." So typical!
November 22, 2019
I love the way that Redmann can write a whole handful of characters and kept them individual and easily identifiable and memorable. I pick dup this book and within two pages I was brought back two years to when I was given another book in this series. All the characters came flooding back to me and it was like I read the other book yesterday-that is serious writing! In Lost Daughters here are 4 main mysteries and they all are intertwined and are all brilliantly laid out and satisfyingly resolved. This series is spectacular!!
January 4, 2022
Fan total de Micky Knight. Estos libros no tienen desperdicio alguno. Por favor, vayan a leer esta serie. En este la policía va detrás de un asesino serial y nuestra detective acepta 2 casos de búsqueda de personas, y en el medio puede que algunas cosas se mezclen. En el plano personal de Micky pasan muchas cosas que cambiaran su vida para siempre.
Excelente libro, excelente saga, amada Micky Knight y todo su clan de mujeres empoderadas en una época donde la sociedad es todavía más oscura en la que vivimos actualmente.
Súper recomendado!!
Excelente libro, excelente saga, amada Micky Knight y todo su clan de mujeres empoderadas en una época donde la sociedad es todavía más oscura en la que vivimos actualmente.
Súper recomendado!!
December 12, 2025
The setting was solid, just like the previous books in the series, but I couldn’t connect with the story this time.
The serial killer plot felt like a rehash of earlier books, and since the killer's identity became obvious around 65% in, the mystery lost its appeal. It even made the main characters look stupid for not picking up on the clues sooner.
As for the three subplots about children reuniting with their mothers, they just didn’t do much for me. I was left thinking, “Good for them” but that’s about it.
I guess that it's difficult to have a gritty noir atmosphere if the MC is settled.
The serial killer plot felt like a rehash of earlier books, and since the killer's identity became obvious around 65% in, the mystery lost its appeal. It even made the main characters look stupid for not picking up on the clues sooner.
As for the three subplots about children reuniting with their mothers, they just didn’t do much for me. I was left thinking, “Good for them” but that’s about it.
I guess that it's difficult to have a gritty noir atmosphere if the MC is settled.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2021
Como siempre! Brillante
Micky Knight engancha. El 4 libro de la serie afecta también micky sobre su pasado. La relación con cordelia es estable, y hasta micky parece más madura. Pero como siempre micky se mete en un lío ya final es ella que resuelta los casos y no la policía.
Con ganas de seguir leyendo me he quedado. Menos mal que todavía quedan más libros de la serie para leerlo
Micky Knight engancha. El 4 libro de la serie afecta también micky sobre su pasado. La relación con cordelia es estable, y hasta micky parece más madura. Pero como siempre micky se mete en un lío ya final es ella que resuelta los casos y no la policía.
Con ganas de seguir leyendo me he quedado. Menos mal que todavía quedan más libros de la serie para leerlo
January 4, 2022
Excelente libro. Ágil, con mucha intriga, con mujeres gays super empoderadas y su infaltable toque de humor. Es un libro que además está constantemente mostrándote la realidad y el conflicto social en relación a la homosexualidad y otros rasgos socialmente reprochados, con lo cual se pone siempre algún tema sobre la mesa para debatir y reflexionar en torno al comportamiento del ser humano con sus pares. Amo esta saga. Amo a Micky Knight.
¡Super recomendado!
¡Super recomendado!
May 6, 2022
Really intense mystery
Micky is a very interesting and .likable character. The mysterious are well written and kept me reading from beginning to end. Lucky and Cordelia are good together the make s very interesting couple. Thanks for another winner.
Micky is a very interesting and .likable character. The mysterious are well written and kept me reading from beginning to end. Lucky and Cordelia are good together the make s very interesting couple. Thanks for another winner.
October 10, 2022
Less detecting and more a human interest story. Regardless, it was well written and moving. We also get more exposition on Micky's relationship with Cordelia, on their community of found friends and how Micky slowly heals from her traumatic childhood. I loved it.
November 13, 2022
I am a Micky Knight fan. So yeah, I liked it. The fact that MK found her someone she was looking for all her life is really heartening. CJ did help MK to soothe a little. They must go strong. All in all, it was an edge of the seat read.
March 5, 2024
This fourth in the realistically gritty New Orleans based lesbian private eye Micky Knight mystery series is true to form with a vivid sense of place and character-driven raw emotions. Mickey is someone I would be honored to claim as a personal friend!
June 13, 2018
Quick fun read.
October 25, 2020
4/5 for the obviousness of (one of) the criminal(s) and 5/5 for the emotional payoff. I may or may not had to take a walk at the end in order to parse through my thoughts and feelings.
March 17, 2021
Oddly the first book I read by her
October 10, 2024
Si tuviera que poner de verdad una calificación sería menos 20 mala malísima es larga interminable y el libro se resuelve el los 3 últimos capítulos bufff que mala ha sido malaaaaaaaa🤬
January 19, 2026
(2.75)
May 14, 2021
This series is perfect. It is a queer classic. It lingers long after <3.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews