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Rita Farmer Mysteries #3
On Location
Rita Farmer knows exactly how hard it is to break into the movie business. Acting was the big dream that brought her out to L.A. in the first place. And while she never made the red carpet, that big dream did turn into a modest profession that kept her and her son afloat. So from time to time she'll lend her talents as a favor.
Kenner and Lance de Sauvenard, heirs to a timber fortune, don't really need a favor to make their art film, but since Lance is dating Rita's sister, Gina, there's no way for Rita to worm her way out of a read-through. Gina is all for the project—or at least her new boyfriend—and she goes with Lance to scout locations on his family's land holdings in the Northwest. When they don't return as planned and flood waters start to rise, Rita can't help dashing into the wilds to bring her sister home, and when foul play becomes more and more likely, her sometime lover, George Rowe, is right on her heels.
In ON LOCATION, Elizabeth Sims brings the Pacific Northwest to storm-lashed life, as quirky, lovable Rita grapples not only with the weather, but with backwoods justice--and her own dark side.
Kenner and Lance de Sauvenard, heirs to a timber fortune, don't really need a favor to make their art film, but since Lance is dating Rita's sister, Gina, there's no way for Rita to worm her way out of a read-through. Gina is all for the project—or at least her new boyfriend—and she goes with Lance to scout locations on his family's land holdings in the Northwest. When they don't return as planned and flood waters start to rise, Rita can't help dashing into the wilds to bring her sister home, and when foul play becomes more and more likely, her sometime lover, George Rowe, is right on her heels.
In ON LOCATION, Elizabeth Sims brings the Pacific Northwest to storm-lashed life, as quirky, lovable Rita grapples not only with the weather, but with backwoods justice--and her own dark side.
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
38 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Sims
29 books112 followersElizabeth Sims is an American author and writing authority. Her novels include the Lambda Award-winning Lillian Byrd crime series and the Rita Farmer mystery series, and she writes frequently for Writer's Digest magazine, where she is a Contributing Editor.
Booklist calls her work "crime fiction as smart as it is compelling," and Crimespree magazine praises her "strong voice and wonderful characters."
Are you a writer too—or would you like to be one? If so, you might find inspiration in Elizabeth's book You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams, published by Writer's Digest Books.
Elizabeth earned degrees in English from Michigan State University and Wayne State University, where she won the Tompkins Award for graduate fiction. She has worked as a reporter, editor, photographer, technical writer, bookseller, street busker, ranch hand, corporate executive, and symphonic percussionist. Elizabeth belongs to several literary societies as well as American Mensa.
To learn more about her and to view a full list of her available works, including free excerpts and book discussion guides, visit www.elizabethsims.com
There you can get in touch and / or join her newsgroup.
Booklist calls her work "crime fiction as smart as it is compelling," and Crimespree magazine praises her "strong voice and wonderful characters."
Are you a writer too—or would you like to be one? If so, you might find inspiration in Elizabeth's book You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams, published by Writer's Digest Books.
Elizabeth earned degrees in English from Michigan State University and Wayne State University, where she won the Tompkins Award for graduate fiction. She has worked as a reporter, editor, photographer, technical writer, bookseller, street busker, ranch hand, corporate executive, and symphonic percussionist. Elizabeth belongs to several literary societies as well as American Mensa.
To learn more about her and to view a full list of her available works, including free excerpts and book discussion guides, visit www.elizabethsims.com
There you can get in touch and / or join her newsgroup.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 13, 2011
I find it a little bit funny that I have (so far) rated each Elizabeth Sims book that I've read with three stars out of five, yet I have distinctly different reactions to each of them.
The Rita Farmer books are just plain better than the Lillian Byrd books, but I think that has as much to do with the publisher as it does with the author's writing experience. I can't rate them on the same scale because the genres are different - when it comes to lesbian murder mysteries (Lillian Byrd), the standards are a lot lower than mainstream mysteries (Rita Farmer). The market is a lot smaller for the former, as are many of the publishers.
So: back to Rita Farmer.
Of the three RF books so far, this one is probably the weakest. For all the fuss that was made about Rita quitting acting to go to law school, there's been very little (really, next to nothing) to do with her in law school. I actually prefer her as an actress - it's an interesting twist on murder mysteries - but I appreciate consistency.
The sections in which the author moves into other characters' perspectives (George, Gina) are a bit jarring. Necessary to the exposition, but not as well done as they could have been. Some (unnecessary?) info-dumps, especially early on, also detracted from the writing.
It's not a bad book. It's complex, and - as mentioned above - I love the way acting factors in. Again, not as strong as the previous Rita Farmer books, but I'll happily keep reading any more that the author puts out.
The Rita Farmer books are just plain better than the Lillian Byrd books, but I think that has as much to do with the publisher as it does with the author's writing experience. I can't rate them on the same scale because the genres are different - when it comes to lesbian murder mysteries (Lillian Byrd), the standards are a lot lower than mainstream mysteries (Rita Farmer). The market is a lot smaller for the former, as are many of the publishers.
So: back to Rita Farmer.
Of the three RF books so far, this one is probably the weakest. For all the fuss that was made about Rita quitting acting to go to law school, there's been very little (really, next to nothing) to do with her in law school. I actually prefer her as an actress - it's an interesting twist on murder mysteries - but I appreciate consistency.
The sections in which the author moves into other characters' perspectives (George, Gina) are a bit jarring. Necessary to the exposition, but not as well done as they could have been. Some (unnecessary?) info-dumps, especially early on, also detracted from the writing.
It's not a bad book. It's complex, and - as mentioned above - I love the way acting factors in. Again, not as strong as the previous Rita Farmer books, but I'll happily keep reading any more that the author puts out.
August 18, 2010
LA actress-turned-law student Rita Farmer heads into high adventure and a load of trouble in the forests of the Pacific northwest to search for her missing sister and sister's fiance. At the same time, her on-again off-again boyfriend, PI George Rowe, becomes involved with the fiance's wealthy family's problems, and the two meet up in the wilderness during a raging storm/flood, in the exciting climax of this adventure-mystery. I enjoyed the humor and action of the first two well-plotted Rita Farmer mysteries, and this one didn't let me down, turning out to be the best so far--I hated to put it down.
December 30, 2010
I liked the romance and mystery going on at once. I rarely like a totally smoochy book nor do I like a flat out mystery. Romance and mystery was definitely well balanced in On Location. The book was easy to read and read quickly. Each chapter left you wanting to read the next, but not so much that you felt frustrated that the chapter ended right in the middle of things. I am always glad when chapters close correctly because most of the time I do not have a chance to sit down and read, read, read. Some of the plot twists I did not see coming and after they did, I wondered just how I could have missed them. I definitely was suckered into Kenner's charm...I did not see it coming!
March 16, 2017
This was an excellent book, and it was probably the best in the series. This novel features a female, amateur sleuth who uses the f-word. Instead of taking place mainly in L.A., Sims takes her characters to Washington state on a camping expedition. There's lots of murder and trickery. And so much action. I think there's a lot of social commentary that speaks truth to the way we're phone-obsessed. Rita Farmer is set on making sure her son uses his hands for something other than swiping a screen. In this book, she encourages him to draw sketches. I can't say more because too many plots come from this small action. Basically, if you're addicted to your phone, you'll die in the wilderness.
May 16, 2015
What a nice little mystery! I've never read Sims'books before and for whatever reason the third book of this series was the first one I picked up. It is always a nice test of a mystery series if I can start reading mid-series and still keep up. I'll definitely return to #1 and #2.
Good mystery, good romance but the main reason I liked it was because of the characters. Rita is someone I could hang out it with. And with George the boyfriend, Daniel the gay best friend and also Petey the beloved son. Straight up, a good group of people.
Good mystery, good romance but the main reason I liked it was because of the characters. Rita is someone I could hang out it with. And with George the boyfriend, Daniel the gay best friend and also Petey the beloved son. Straight up, a good group of people.
November 29, 2020
The best on Rita Farmer et al. Exciting, scary, suprising with a moving last chapter. I couldn't put it down! By this third novel, characters are like friends - well known, flawed and growing all the time. I hope they return.
October 8, 2022
In Elizabeth Sim's super "On Location," Rita Farmer travels up Northwest into the deep forest for a wild survival adventure with lots of twists and turns. Farmer's moxie, mystery solving capability plus mental and physical strength are tested to the max. This is the third Rita Farmer mystery in the series, the other two being "The Actress" and "The Extra". This one is a little different in that she leaves Hollywood but the acting angle still shows up in different situations and within the overall story.
Farmer is a great fictional heroine who is pretty much undaunted by almost everything except maybe love (at different times and situations). Who is the right partner over the long term? Are they even bearable in the short term? Who can you trust or who should you never trust?
This mystery features two sisters and two brothers, their complex relationships and an interesting assembly of good and bad folks and their good and bad instincts. The similarities and differences between how women and men think, act and talk are slyly evoked throughout the narrative. Unlike some very cold, cruel crime thrillers that value action over character, "On Location" contains some quirky offbeat characters that celebrate the variety of human nature amid the Darwinian world of the deep forest seen as somewhat of a metaphor for planet Earth.
What looks normal and routine turns into something byzantine and bizarre growing ever more suspenseful until the climax. There are a lot of leads and clues along the way, difficult to unravel which notches up the tension. Sims, also has several splendid chapter endings that almost literally dare you put the book down and not find out what happens next.
In the beginning Rita Farmer is a single mom, law student/film actress going about ordinary life who finds herself suddenly caught up in extreme circumstances.
There is some great info on Northwest outdoors weather and survival techniques and some unparalleled perilous action scenes that even the best action heroine might not survive if this were a different story.
There is one beautiful scene where a character who could be Rita's mentor, walks up a hill and suddenly receives a difficult phone call. First, the scene unfolds from an omniscient viewpoint, then rewinds and plays again as Rita watches the same woman walk up the hill and again reaches for her cellphone. Her awareness heightened, Rita let's us in an on a supreme quality she notices in another that others quite often miss.
Rita's grit is inspiring which makes her such a precious jewel of a character in a somewhat offbeat mystery that reflects some of what might be going on in life these days.
Farmer is a great fictional heroine who is pretty much undaunted by almost everything except maybe love (at different times and situations). Who is the right partner over the long term? Are they even bearable in the short term? Who can you trust or who should you never trust?
This mystery features two sisters and two brothers, their complex relationships and an interesting assembly of good and bad folks and their good and bad instincts. The similarities and differences between how women and men think, act and talk are slyly evoked throughout the narrative. Unlike some very cold, cruel crime thrillers that value action over character, "On Location" contains some quirky offbeat characters that celebrate the variety of human nature amid the Darwinian world of the deep forest seen as somewhat of a metaphor for planet Earth.
What looks normal and routine turns into something byzantine and bizarre growing ever more suspenseful until the climax. There are a lot of leads and clues along the way, difficult to unravel which notches up the tension. Sims, also has several splendid chapter endings that almost literally dare you put the book down and not find out what happens next.
In the beginning Rita Farmer is a single mom, law student/film actress going about ordinary life who finds herself suddenly caught up in extreme circumstances.
There is some great info on Northwest outdoors weather and survival techniques and some unparalleled perilous action scenes that even the best action heroine might not survive if this were a different story.
There is one beautiful scene where a character who could be Rita's mentor, walks up a hill and suddenly receives a difficult phone call. First, the scene unfolds from an omniscient viewpoint, then rewinds and plays again as Rita watches the same woman walk up the hill and again reaches for her cellphone. Her awareness heightened, Rita let's us in an on a supreme quality she notices in another that others quite often miss.
Rita's grit is inspiring which makes her such a precious jewel of a character in a somewhat offbeat mystery that reflects some of what might be going on in life these days.
July 4, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. Rita Farmer is a smart, gutsy woman who shows just how far someone will go for family. The emotional stakes felt authentic, and I was fully invested in her desperate journey into the storm to save her sister. The writing is atmospheric and rich, painting the Pacific Northwest in all its wild, wet, dangerous beauty. The tension is real, and so are the relationships, especially Rita and George, whose bond feels honest and complicated.
April 12, 2025
Complex plot, good book.
I did think the ending was a bit abrupt though.
I did think the ending was a bit abrupt though.
Want to Read
August 8, 2010Takes place in Washington's Olympic Penisula...
April 22, 2013
Detection by intuition and body language awareness rather than typical clues and logic.
January 20, 2016
Traisping around in the soggy northwest.
March 23, 2016
Dramatic
This book was full of surprises. Rita learned about her inner strength and how far she would go to save people she loved. It was full of spunk and suspense
This book was full of surprises. Rita learned about her inner strength and how far she would go to save people she loved. It was full of spunk and suspense
December 27, 2017
4 star
Definitely a better than average cozy mystery. Would read more of series happily. Interesting characters and plenty going on. .
Definitely a better than average cozy mystery. Would read more of series happily. Interesting characters and plenty going on. .
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews