What do you think?
Rate this book
Ranger Paraversum #1
Johnny's Girls
Could you fall for someone who looked just like you?
An apprentice Cartographer, working for a secret society in a city which has just barely made it out of World War II, Lina is just about to embark on her first job assignment in a parallel world. For her, the answer is about to become tricky.
Because Karol, the parallel world engineer looking for her help in a missing persons case, is everything she never thought she could be.
Including irresistible.
Coincidentally, the engineer is also Lina’s exact copy, a one in a million doppelgänger—the one person you’re never supposed to meet.
As the two women team up to find a murderer in this decadent dieselpunk mystery, they will soon discover there’s more to each other than the surface likeness which the eye can see—making this, unfortunately, a matter for the heart to resolve.
And accepting her heart’s desires was never Lina’s strong suit.
An apprentice Cartographer, working for a secret society in a city which has just barely made it out of World War II, Lina is just about to embark on her first job assignment in a parallel world. For her, the answer is about to become tricky.
Because Karol, the parallel world engineer looking for her help in a missing persons case, is everything she never thought she could be.
Including irresistible.
Coincidentally, the engineer is also Lina’s exact copy, a one in a million doppelgänger—the one person you’re never supposed to meet.
As the two women team up to find a murderer in this decadent dieselpunk mystery, they will soon discover there’s more to each other than the surface likeness which the eye can see—making this, unfortunately, a matter for the heart to resolve.
And accepting her heart’s desires was never Lina’s strong suit.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2020
3 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Vesna Kurilić
27 books44 followersVesna Kurilić is a Croatian writer and werewolf-loving editor of speculative fiction.
Her recent release is the sapphic retrofuturistic mystery series Ranger Paraversum, which starts with Johnny's Girls.
She reads a lot of romance, some mystery and the occasional SF/F series. To find out more, including the up-to-date status of the various sequels she's currently procrastinating over, get in touch through her official site.
Her recent release is the sapphic retrofuturistic mystery series Ranger Paraversum, which starts with Johnny's Girls.
She reads a lot of romance, some mystery and the occasional SF/F series. To find out more, including the up-to-date status of the various sequels she's currently procrastinating over, get in touch through her official site.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 26, 2022
"Thank you for your hospitality, apart from the murder... it was fun."
Let me tell you, I loved this book even if it made me realize that I know nothing about Croatian geography. Murder mystery in a locked room is one of my favorite subgenres and this book did it in such a cool and innovative way. I liked our main characters a lot and chemistry between them there so the relationship was very believable and felt natural (even though I felt a bit iffy about whole concept with dopplegangers). My absolute favorite was Freddie so I can't wait to read his and Ivan's novella next.
Will definitely read the second book too (who wouldn't want more Lina and Karol?) and would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, quick, queer mystery with cool additions like time travel, parallel worlds and lavish parties where someone gets murdered.
Let me tell you, I loved this book even if it made me realize that I know nothing about Croatian geography. Murder mystery in a locked room is one of my favorite subgenres and this book did it in such a cool and innovative way. I liked our main characters a lot and chemistry between them there so the relationship was very believable and felt natural (even though I felt a bit iffy about whole concept with dopplegangers). My absolute favorite was Freddie so I can't wait to read his and Ivan's novella next.
Will definitely read the second book too (who wouldn't want more Lina and Karol?) and would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, quick, queer mystery with cool additions like time travel, parallel worlds and lavish parties where someone gets murdered.
December 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this one! I hadn't read the blurb before reading (I like being surprised 😂) but the (awesome!) cover design didn't hint that this was going to be a murder mystery between two worlds.
Lina is an apprentice Cartographer, who's work includes maps, coordinates, crossing points, and portals to alternative dimensions. When Karol turns up, who is essentially a very sexy butch version of Lina herself, the pair embark on solving a double murder at a fancy hosts house in Karol's homeworld while getting intimately acquainted with each other.
I look forward to book 2 in this series. I need me some more Karol, lol.
Lina is an apprentice Cartographer, who's work includes maps, coordinates, crossing points, and portals to alternative dimensions. When Karol turns up, who is essentially a very sexy butch version of Lina herself, the pair embark on solving a double murder at a fancy hosts house in Karol's homeworld while getting intimately acquainted with each other.
I look forward to book 2 in this series. I need me some more Karol, lol.
March 17, 2022
This was odd and unique.
It deals with parallel universe theory, set in Croatia 1945, towards the end of WW2. MC Lina is working as a cartographer for a mysterious organization dealing with maps that correlate to the multi-verse. She's technically still in training, and about to embark on her first 'mission' as it were. But how that comes about, is very poorly framed, and a bit unbelievable, to me. That her very first solo mission going off-world wouldn't be assisted more by her mentor, or the person she is going to meet vetted far more thoroughly.
What we find out is, Lina wasn't expecting to come face to face with another version of herself. It goes against all the rules for them to even meet, let alone get involved in each others lives, or alternate worlds, but Karol and her butch dapper energy has Lina going crazy, right from the get go. And the feeling is mutual.
This is where it got kinda odd for me. It was strange to think about two women who are in many ways identical, as twins - and a ruse they utilize - but yet are different in style and body. Lina being very femme, curls, dresses, makeup, stockings - the whole 40's femme bombshell. While Karol has short hair, wears suits, and has tattoos and working class swagger and musculature hiding underneath.
It does that thing I hate in romance, where panties are soaking just from basic looks, and I really do have to wonder if that's something that happens IRL. But despite that, the whole idea of being attracted to yourself brought up some weirdness, which was barely touched on, or discussed. Then once they do really 'go' there it has a few BDSM elements, arm/hand pinning, biting to draw blood, leaving marks, which never does make me feel comfortable. But just added to the overall weirdness and un-comfortability of the situation.
There's supposed to be a murder mystery going about, that is why Karol wanted to recruit Lina in the first place, to find out what happened to a rather eccentric friend and former colleague. Yet we never really get enough information to string together clues, and I very much felt the mystery could have easily been solved by Karol on her own, (or with help of her many "Friends" ex lovers etc) so it made little sense that she actually *needed* Lina, in any way for this strange 'quest'.
So the utilization of sci-fi elements was thin, at best. Basically the plot felt flimsy, utilizing the multiverse simply sex-play and doppelgänger banging, and not much real story overall aside.
It deals with parallel universe theory, set in Croatia 1945, towards the end of WW2. MC Lina is working as a cartographer for a mysterious organization dealing with maps that correlate to the multi-verse. She's technically still in training, and about to embark on her first 'mission' as it were. But how that comes about, is very poorly framed, and a bit unbelievable, to me. That her very first solo mission going off-world wouldn't be assisted more by her mentor, or the person she is going to meet vetted far more thoroughly.
What we find out is, Lina wasn't expecting to come face to face with another version of herself. It goes against all the rules for them to even meet, let alone get involved in each others lives, or alternate worlds, but Karol and her butch dapper energy has Lina going crazy, right from the get go. And the feeling is mutual.
This is where it got kinda odd for me. It was strange to think about two women who are in many ways identical, as twins - and a ruse they utilize - but yet are different in style and body. Lina being very femme, curls, dresses, makeup, stockings - the whole 40's femme bombshell. While Karol has short hair, wears suits, and has tattoos and working class swagger and musculature hiding underneath.
It does that thing I hate in romance, where panties are soaking just from basic looks, and I really do have to wonder if that's something that happens IRL. But despite that, the whole idea of being attracted to yourself brought up some weirdness, which was barely touched on, or discussed. Then once they do really 'go' there it has a few BDSM elements, arm/hand pinning, biting to draw blood, leaving marks, which never does make me feel comfortable. But just added to the overall weirdness and un-comfortability of the situation.
There's supposed to be a murder mystery going about, that is why Karol wanted to recruit Lina in the first place, to find out what happened to a rather eccentric friend and former colleague. Yet we never really get enough information to string together clues, and I very much felt the mystery could have easily been solved by Karol on her own, (or with help of her many "Friends" ex lovers etc) so it made little sense that she actually *needed* Lina, in any way for this strange 'quest'.
So the utilization of sci-fi elements was thin, at best. Basically the plot felt flimsy, utilizing the multiverse simply sex-play and doppelgänger banging, and not much real story overall aside.
Read
May 11, 2024DNF @ 46%. Gotta respect the commitment to the premise - girl meets her alternate-universe doppelgänger and is immediately and uncontrollably horny for her. Sure! I feel like in another book there might be something to unpack there lol. That does not seem to be the case here... but I appreciate the sincerity! Also really enjoying the 1940s/steampunk sci fi setting and alt history stuff. The story just not moving quiiiiite fast enough for my personal preferences.
October 13, 2021
A copy of the book was provided to Sapphic Book Club for free in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Oh my GOD. This book was AMAZING!! It took me a while to actually start because of some personal life challenges, but this book was on my mind almost constantly. I'm not very familiar with Croatia, so I have to imagine that Croatian readers would be even more blown away by this book- although I'm impressed that's even possible!
Johnny's Girls follows two members (or "Cartographers") of a secret organization which holds the keys to travelling between different versions of reality. On her first assignment, Karol meets herself- from another version of Croatia- and gets quickly sucked into a missing persons case.
I don't typically enjoy hopping between different worlds, but Kurilić managed that worldbuilding with remarkable ease and impressive mastery. I learned a lot about the setting without even realizing that's what was going on. I'm so glad this series continues, because I am so intrigued by this concept and I desperately want to learn more.
Karol and her doppelgänger, Lina, were both incredibly relatable characters. I loved seeing how their relationship unfolded, and I think the concept of this romance brings up a fascinating debate about self-love, identity, and biological determinism. Nothing about their relationship felt rushed and I really enjoyed the steamier scenes.
I am so incredibly impressed by Kurilić's work with Johnny's Girls. The mystery aspect was compelling, the characters nuanced, and the world fantastical yet with familiar elements to draw in readers of all kinds. I'm definitely putting the sequel to this on my short list and if there was an option to exceed 5/5, I would do it!
Rating: 5/5
Oh my GOD. This book was AMAZING!! It took me a while to actually start because of some personal life challenges, but this book was on my mind almost constantly. I'm not very familiar with Croatia, so I have to imagine that Croatian readers would be even more blown away by this book- although I'm impressed that's even possible!
Johnny's Girls follows two members (or "Cartographers") of a secret organization which holds the keys to travelling between different versions of reality. On her first assignment, Karol meets herself- from another version of Croatia- and gets quickly sucked into a missing persons case.
I don't typically enjoy hopping between different worlds, but Kurilić managed that worldbuilding with remarkable ease and impressive mastery. I learned a lot about the setting without even realizing that's what was going on. I'm so glad this series continues, because I am so intrigued by this concept and I desperately want to learn more.
Karol and her doppelgänger, Lina, were both incredibly relatable characters. I loved seeing how their relationship unfolded, and I think the concept of this romance brings up a fascinating debate about self-love, identity, and biological determinism. Nothing about their relationship felt rushed and I really enjoyed the steamier scenes.
I am so incredibly impressed by Kurilić's work with Johnny's Girls. The mystery aspect was compelling, the characters nuanced, and the world fantastical yet with familiar elements to draw in readers of all kinds. I'm definitely putting the sequel to this on my short list and if there was an option to exceed 5/5, I would do it!
November 4, 2021
Alternate-history, murder mystery – hey, that rhymes – with added universe portals, stockings with seams and sexy doppelgangers.
.
OK, there’s a lot going on, but here’s what you need to know: This is really a lot of fun.
Set in Rijeka in Croatia in our 1945 and another 1945, Lina is an apprentice Cartographer in a secret organisation that maps the portals between the worlds. She’s called through to another world to help solve a murder and ends up with a gorgeous array of new frocks, expensive underwear and someone very keen to help her out of them.
.
Essentially a closed-room mystery, this book rivals any of Agatha Christie’s for well-paced intrigue, nicely fleshed-out side characters and the obligatory ‘no way!’ when the do-er of the dastardly deed is finally revealed. What this has over Agatha’s best is a fantastic dieselpunk world with zeppelins, an exclusive –ahem– orgy/party hosted by a gender-queer sensation, and more sapphic shenannigans than you could poke a stick at.
.
And the sexy doppelgangers? Our two leading ladies are lookalikes – almost exactly – except that one draws the line of her stockings on her skin when stockings are hard to find in wartime, and the other is all three-piece suits, neckties and cologne, ridiculously confident, inked and fit, cigars and whiskey, the faint smell of engine oil and rather domineering in the sack— sorry, you nearly lost me for a minute there... Perhaps it’s a play on that silly business of lesbian couples dating their own reflections, or maybe the fact that social media has made us all narcissists, or perhaps it’s just that bouncy, happy, curious souls tend to look for others just the same. I don’t know. I have to say I thought it odd at first, but I definitely got over it because the rest of the story is just so dang good.
Two more books in the series and another on the way. I’m excited.
.
OK, there’s a lot going on, but here’s what you need to know: This is really a lot of fun.
Set in Rijeka in Croatia in our 1945 and another 1945, Lina is an apprentice Cartographer in a secret organisation that maps the portals between the worlds. She’s called through to another world to help solve a murder and ends up with a gorgeous array of new frocks, expensive underwear and someone very keen to help her out of them.
.
Essentially a closed-room mystery, this book rivals any of Agatha Christie’s for well-paced intrigue, nicely fleshed-out side characters and the obligatory ‘no way!’ when the do-er of the dastardly deed is finally revealed. What this has over Agatha’s best is a fantastic dieselpunk world with zeppelins, an exclusive –ahem– orgy/party hosted by a gender-queer sensation, and more sapphic shenannigans than you could poke a stick at.
.
And the sexy doppelgangers? Our two leading ladies are lookalikes – almost exactly – except that one draws the line of her stockings on her skin when stockings are hard to find in wartime, and the other is all three-piece suits, neckties and cologne, ridiculously confident, inked and fit, cigars and whiskey, the faint smell of engine oil and rather domineering in the sack— sorry, you nearly lost me for a minute there... Perhaps it’s a play on that silly business of lesbian couples dating their own reflections, or maybe the fact that social media has made us all narcissists, or perhaps it’s just that bouncy, happy, curious souls tend to look for others just the same. I don’t know. I have to say I thought it odd at first, but I definitely got over it because the rest of the story is just so dang good.
Two more books in the series and another on the way. I’m excited.
January 10, 2026
Somewhat surreal, but beautifully descriptive. The magic and world building kept me as hooked as the mystery in this book.
I loved the visions of Rijeka in this book and the glimpse at wartime Croatia.
There are some issues with the translation, minor grammatical inconsistencies that can pull you out of the flow, but they're worth ignoring to enjoy the ride!
I loved the visions of Rijeka in this book and the glimpse at wartime Croatia.
There are some issues with the translation, minor grammatical inconsistencies that can pull you out of the flow, but they're worth ignoring to enjoy the ride!
Read
October 30, 2020It was such a joy to be a part of this production. To borrow from The Boys: Girls get it done!
Johnny's Girls is a lesbian dieselpunk romance with locked room mystery, skyscrapers, parallel universes in which world wars never happened, gold and riches, and the town Rijeka like you've never seen it. Hop into this world hopping adventure with Lina and Karol.
Also, this book is a joke how lesbian couples look alike taken a bit too seriously.
Johnny's Girls is a lesbian dieselpunk romance with locked room mystery, skyscrapers, parallel universes in which world wars never happened, gold and riches, and the town Rijeka like you've never seen it. Hop into this world hopping adventure with Lina and Karol.
Also, this book is a joke how lesbian couples look alike taken a bit too seriously.
May 18, 2023
Ima knjiga koje uzmete u ruke i kad pročitate se pitate zašto nisu više razvikane on line. Ovo je jedna od njih.
Spisateljicu pratim već neko vrijeme na instagramu i sad me sram reći koliko dugo me knjiga čekala za čitanje🙈.
Volim ove krimi/detektivske priče kad se pogađa tko je krivac dok se čita. Ovdje uz to dobivate i ljubavnu priču (čitala sam neke komentare da je ljudima smetalo što su duplići a zaljube se,meni nije uopće),a sve to na malo drugačiji način jer se putuje u drugu dimenziju.
Mene jako raduje što ima nastavaka, a i dodatna priča o Freddiu i Ivanu planiram čitati (likove koje ovdje upoznajemo).
Moja preporuka svima za čitanje(mogao bi biti i neki slogan:čitajmo hrvatsko ali na engleskom😉).
Spisateljicu pratim već neko vrijeme na instagramu i sad me sram reći koliko dugo me knjiga čekala za čitanje🙈.
Volim ove krimi/detektivske priče kad se pogađa tko je krivac dok se čita. Ovdje uz to dobivate i ljubavnu priču (čitala sam neke komentare da je ljudima smetalo što su duplići a zaljube se,meni nije uopće),a sve to na malo drugačiji način jer se putuje u drugu dimenziju.
Mene jako raduje što ima nastavaka, a i dodatna priča o Freddiu i Ivanu planiram čitati (likove koje ovdje upoznajemo).
Moja preporuka svima za čitanje(mogao bi biti i neki slogan:čitajmo hrvatsko ali na engleskom😉).
Read
December 22, 2020"Wait till you see the tower." She winked.
"What tower?"
"The Capuchin bell tower of Rijeka."
On the night of 8th of May 1945, Lina will pass through the paraversum portal and leave the post-war Rijeka for another version of her hometown, in which the World Wars never happened. Rich, cosmopolitan city-state, with its huge skyscrapers and floating vehicles, will capture her heart but her greatest surprise and challenge is bound to be her own double - Karol.
A great lesbian dieselpunk murder-mystery romance :)
"What tower?"
"The Capuchin bell tower of Rijeka."
On the night of 8th of May 1945, Lina will pass through the paraversum portal and leave the post-war Rijeka for another version of her hometown, in which the World Wars never happened. Rich, cosmopolitan city-state, with its huge skyscrapers and floating vehicles, will capture her heart but her greatest surprise and challenge is bound to be her own double - Karol.
A great lesbian dieselpunk murder-mystery romance :)
February 10, 2022
Perhaps a more accurate rating for this book (in my opinion) would be 4 stars, but I am giving it 5 simply because it is one of the most imaginative, surprising and fascinating books I've ever read. And the romance posed some very interesting questions. I am looking forward to reading the next book!
January 8, 2025
I throughly enjoyed this. It was nice reading about my country and the city I've spent years living in. The story was also very interesting and the characters were well written. Definitely recommend it for anyone looking to read about fantasy space lesbians!!
February 17, 2023
i adore this book!! i fell in love with both lina and karol and their relationship. I LOVED THE PLOTTWISTS!! 😍😍😍
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews