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Alison Kaine Mystery #3
Takes One to Know One
Helping to build an adobe house on lesbian land sounds like a fine change of pace to Denver cop Alison Kaine. She knows that she has some differences of philosophy with the land dykes, but they can work it out for one weekend, right? WRONG! Especially when her dominatrix lover, Stacy, shows up unexpectedly.
245 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 6, 2020
Wilderness, wickedness & women gone crazy
Although not as amazing as the first book, this book was more enjoyable than the last— not relying on sexual tensions & likeable characters, but returning to a successful writing style that advanced a captivating plot & engaging storyline development.
…& once again I'm looking forward in anticipation for what happens next.
Although not as amazing as the first book, this book was more enjoyable than the last— not relying on sexual tensions & likeable characters, but returning to a successful writing style that advanced a captivating plot & engaging storyline development.
…& once again I'm looking forward in anticipation for what happens next.
November 8, 2014
This book comes up with all the most clichéd granola-eating, separatist, goddess-worshiping lesbians ever and pokes a lot of fun at each trope. A bunch of women in New Mexico are having a construction retreat at Mariposa Ranch during which an adobe building is to be completed. The visiting dykes will be camping out, having fun, sharing feminine, lesbian energy and getting back to the earth. So traveling with Michelle in Michelle's big pickup, Alison heads to the desert for a relaxing retreat.
The character names say a lot about this group. We have Seven Yellow Moons, G-Hey!, Lavender Chrystalpower, Gaya, Hawk, Persimmon and the "medicine woman" Etonya-kyita, whose name "was taken from me at the schools of the white man, and I became Sarah Embraces-All-Things". I nearly choked on my drink when Alison mischievously introduced Michelle as "Painted Pony on a Serene Horizon in the City", or "City Pony" for short. It turns out that Alison and Michelle were invited only because Michelle owns a cement mixer.
And the list of rules: in-and-out once, no men's publications, no men's voices, no smoking, no drugs, no S/M, no enslaved animals, no perfume or commercial shampoos or other scented products. I half expected tampons to be banned in favor of hand-made hemp washable pads. Oh, and the vow all the women are required to sign:
"I vow and agree that I will dedicate myself to the creation of a new order of matriarchy while I am on this retreat at Mariposa Women's Land. I agree from this moment on to rededicate my heart to the creation of a way of life that renounces racism, abled-bodiedism, ageism, classism, sexism and male dominance. From this moment on I renounce all rules of the patriarchy which are harmful to women and I will do my best to take these vows out into the world once I leave the land."
Alison feels out of place, and... she had invited her girlfriend Stacy (also known as Mistress Anastacia in her role as a professional dominatrix), and Stacy's friend Liz, who is also into the leather scene. Oil and water doesn't seem like a flammable enough combination to describe this mix.
Of course, Stacy and Liz show up late and end up camping outside the premises, where they proceed to booze it up, toke like Cheech and Chong, do magic mushrooms, etc. And Stacy keeps trying to shove drugs into Alison, which is Very Bad since as a cop she's subject to random drug tests. This part bothered me a hell of a lot. I realize that Stacy and Liz are set up here to be demonized by the collective, but usually people into BDSM are really cautious with booze and drugs, and absolutely forbid them during scenes. Most tops I've met are so Type A they dislike the feeling of loss of control that goes with intoxicants as well.
All of this sets the scene for another murder mystery. One of the women of the collective is found dead in the sweat lodge. Alison believes it's murder. The collective disagrees and wants to burn her on a giant wood pyre. Alison wants to call 911 and report the death. Thus the mystery unfolds. Once the book reached this point, the mid-section dragged. There was conflict all over the place, but it seemed almost random. The pacing was slow and the episodes of conflict were irregular. The whole climax scene was confusing to me. The book's not bad, but it's not nearly as good as the first two novels in the series.
The character names say a lot about this group. We have Seven Yellow Moons, G-Hey!, Lavender Chrystalpower, Gaya, Hawk, Persimmon and the "medicine woman" Etonya-kyita, whose name "was taken from me at the schools of the white man, and I became Sarah Embraces-All-Things". I nearly choked on my drink when Alison mischievously introduced Michelle as "Painted Pony on a Serene Horizon in the City", or "City Pony" for short. It turns out that Alison and Michelle were invited only because Michelle owns a cement mixer.
And the list of rules: in-and-out once, no men's publications, no men's voices, no smoking, no drugs, no S/M, no enslaved animals, no perfume or commercial shampoos or other scented products. I half expected tampons to be banned in favor of hand-made hemp washable pads. Oh, and the vow all the women are required to sign:
"I vow and agree that I will dedicate myself to the creation of a new order of matriarchy while I am on this retreat at Mariposa Women's Land. I agree from this moment on to rededicate my heart to the creation of a way of life that renounces racism, abled-bodiedism, ageism, classism, sexism and male dominance. From this moment on I renounce all rules of the patriarchy which are harmful to women and I will do my best to take these vows out into the world once I leave the land."
Alison feels out of place, and... she had invited her girlfriend Stacy (also known as Mistress Anastacia in her role as a professional dominatrix), and Stacy's friend Liz, who is also into the leather scene. Oil and water doesn't seem like a flammable enough combination to describe this mix.
Of course, Stacy and Liz show up late and end up camping outside the premises, where they proceed to booze it up, toke like Cheech and Chong, do magic mushrooms, etc. And Stacy keeps trying to shove drugs into Alison, which is Very Bad since as a cop she's subject to random drug tests. This part bothered me a hell of a lot. I realize that Stacy and Liz are set up here to be demonized by the collective, but usually people into BDSM are really cautious with booze and drugs, and absolutely forbid them during scenes. Most tops I've met are so Type A they dislike the feeling of loss of control that goes with intoxicants as well.
All of this sets the scene for another murder mystery. One of the women of the collective is found dead in the sweat lodge. Alison believes it's murder. The collective disagrees and wants to burn her on a giant wood pyre. Alison wants to call 911 and report the death. Thus the mystery unfolds. Once the book reached this point, the mid-section dragged. There was conflict all over the place, but it seemed almost random. The pacing was slow and the episodes of conflict were irregular. The whole climax scene was confusing to me. The book's not bad, but it's not nearly as good as the first two novels in the series.
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June 19, 2020In this one, Allison and her friend Michelle have been invited to a long working weekend building an adobe house on land owned by lesbian separatists. Or maybe invited is too strong a word; Michelle owns a much-needed cement mixer and she insists that her best friend Allison accompany her. Just after they arrive, they meet Gaya, Persimmon, Hawk, Salad, the Chain Gang, and a woman who calls herself Sarah Embraces-All-Things. They all hate Allison at first sight and when Allison’s girlfriend Stacy and her kinky best friend Liz show up too, a war between women almost ensues.
Things get worse when one of he women is found dead in a sweat lodge. Was it an accident, or did someone kill her? The truth is, nobody really cares; the dead woman was a fake and a blackmailer. Nobody, that is, except Allison, who has trouble not thinking like a cop. Her job is made harder—almost impossible—by the fact that they are all forty miles out in the desert with no phone and the only road out blocked by rocks. Add to this the fact that she has recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, an illness that keeps her almost constantly fatigued and in pain.
But as in so many of the very best lesbian mystery novels, the book is much more than just the solution of a crime—it hits to the very heart of the concept of the lesbian as other, and the attempt of a group of brave women to make a new world away from the city and it’s patriarchal overtones. And why shouldn’t they; just today a congressman from WV called for Hilary Clinton to be hung on the mall in Washington because “feminists need to be taught a lesson in following men’s orders.” As Persimmon, one of the owners of the land, says, “What’s important to me is women who have dreams about changing the system and are willing to do more than just sit around to see them come true.”
But no group of people is perfect and one of the troubles associated with separatist groups is that they are so easy to take potshots at. Sarah Embraces-All-Things is as fake as her name and Allison has no qualms about taking some of the women to task for what seems to her as over-the-top restrictions—no caffeine, no meat, no pets (which are seen as slaves of their owners). She even introduces Michelle as “Painted Pony on a Serene Horizon (in the City).” And of course the land women are totally against any leather or s/m play—of which Allison, Stacy, and Liz are firm and unwavering devotees.
Because of some of the humorous situations—and some of the conversations between Allison and her friends Liz, Stacy, and Michelle earn kudos as the best repartee I have read in lesbian mystery fiction—there may be some older women who will not like this book as much as they do the others. I do. Despite the fact that there are a couple of way-too-implausible happenings and that the description of the community sometimes assumes a lecture-like quality, the words and the writing are still important and the excitement, danger, humor, and pathos way overshadow any flaws the book might have. Another solid 4+ rating.
Note: I read the first New Victoria printing of this novel.
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.
Things get worse when one of he women is found dead in a sweat lodge. Was it an accident, or did someone kill her? The truth is, nobody really cares; the dead woman was a fake and a blackmailer. Nobody, that is, except Allison, who has trouble not thinking like a cop. Her job is made harder—almost impossible—by the fact that they are all forty miles out in the desert with no phone and the only road out blocked by rocks. Add to this the fact that she has recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, an illness that keeps her almost constantly fatigued and in pain.
But as in so many of the very best lesbian mystery novels, the book is much more than just the solution of a crime—it hits to the very heart of the concept of the lesbian as other, and the attempt of a group of brave women to make a new world away from the city and it’s patriarchal overtones. And why shouldn’t they; just today a congressman from WV called for Hilary Clinton to be hung on the mall in Washington because “feminists need to be taught a lesson in following men’s orders.” As Persimmon, one of the owners of the land, says, “What’s important to me is women who have dreams about changing the system and are willing to do more than just sit around to see them come true.”
But no group of people is perfect and one of the troubles associated with separatist groups is that they are so easy to take potshots at. Sarah Embraces-All-Things is as fake as her name and Allison has no qualms about taking some of the women to task for what seems to her as over-the-top restrictions—no caffeine, no meat, no pets (which are seen as slaves of their owners). She even introduces Michelle as “Painted Pony on a Serene Horizon (in the City).” And of course the land women are totally against any leather or s/m play—of which Allison, Stacy, and Liz are firm and unwavering devotees.
Because of some of the humorous situations—and some of the conversations between Allison and her friends Liz, Stacy, and Michelle earn kudos as the best repartee I have read in lesbian mystery fiction—there may be some older women who will not like this book as much as they do the others. I do. Despite the fact that there are a couple of way-too-implausible happenings and that the description of the community sometimes assumes a lecture-like quality, the words and the writing are still important and the excitement, danger, humor, and pathos way overshadow any flaws the book might have. Another solid 4+ rating.
Note: I read the first New Victoria printing of this novel.
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.
December 7, 2012
I loved the first two books in this series, but this installment? Not nearly as much. I wish I understood why, though. There’s basically the same assortment of quirky, but loveable characters. There are the usual laugh-out-loud moments, and plenty of other opportunities to just grin and nod your head, as well. There’s Allen’s usual jaundiced yet affectionate look at the lesbian community, or at least a particular niche of it. The mystery itself is interesting, and there's enough dyke drama to make even Ilene Chaiken jealous. The writing is every bit as capable and the plot as well-paced as in the earlier two books, but somehow, it just wasn't the same.
I think maybe Alison’s just changed too much for my tastes. *SPOILER* -- I understand the emotional stress of being afflicted with a disease which threatens your career, and which you think may also threaten your relationship with your lover, but the alterations in Alison's behavior are so extreme, at least I saw them that way, that she doesn’t even seem like the same character. I kept anticipating a complete meltdown any second. Stacy, Liz, and Michelle are all that saved this one for me.
That said, Allen’s writing is still about as engaging -- in the basic sense of just being fun -- as anyone I can think of this side of Elizabeth Pincus, and, despite Alison’s weepy emotional turmoil, I can’t help recommending it.
I think maybe Alison’s just changed too much for my tastes. *SPOILER* -- I understand the emotional stress of being afflicted with a disease which threatens your career, and which you think may also threaten your relationship with your lover, but the alterations in Alison's behavior are so extreme, at least I saw them that way, that she doesn’t even seem like the same character. I kept anticipating a complete meltdown any second. Stacy, Liz, and Michelle are all that saved this one for me.
That said, Allen’s writing is still about as engaging -- in the basic sense of just being fun -- as anyone I can think of this side of Elizabeth Pincus, and, despite Alison’s weepy emotional turmoil, I can’t help recommending it.
September 2, 2020
Ostensibly a mystery series, Allen’s novels defy easy classification as she uses the genre to explore lesbian community in both a serious and satirical manner. The series, which is mostly set in Denver, Colorado, features Alison Kaine, a butch cop suffering from fibromyalgia and Stacy, her femme dominatrix lover. (There are also two books narrated by Marta Goicochea, a telephone psychic who is part of the same lesbian social network.) My favourite in the series is Takes One to Know One. A weekend getaway on women’s-only land sounds like a relaxing change of pace for a dyke cop until a conniving shaman is found dead in the hot tub, and none of the “womyn” want to get “The Man” involved. This novel, while quite entertaining, is an examination of moral authority, owing a debt to and able to take its place with Murder on the Orient Express and Lord of the Flies.
July 10, 2012
I was reading another book last night that reminded me of lesbian communes, leading to me reread this book, the final mystery in a trilogy by Kate Allen. The trilogy follows Alison Kaine, lesbian cop, as she investigates several murders, cracks jokes that make me laugh out loud, and engages in (at the time) ground-breaking s&m sex scenes. I adore it when authors can write about sweaty sex and see the humor in it.
December 15, 2015
While the eventual Big Reveal was telegraphed early on, still very good (though in all these the mysteries are more a means of putting a perspective on the milieu in question and not perhaps entirely satisfying as conventional mystery novels).
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews