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Kate Delafield #10
Delafield: A Kate Delafield Mystery
The most celebrated detective in lesbian literature returns in the most fateful case of her career…
“Kate,” Detective Joe Cameron said, “there was always the possibility—”
“—that like most threats they were just threats,” Kate finished for him. She knew better. Had known from the start this was as real as death.
Death is now on her doorstep. Not even her loyal LAPD colleagues can protect her from an attack that may come from anywhere, anytime.
Four years retired, Kate Delafield has a twenty-year old case roaring back on her, a case from which she had recoiled, withdrawn herself. A homophobic homicide far too reminiscent of a recent, haunting, life-changing investigation of the murder of a young lesbian at the Nightwood Bar. Now she suffers in secret, knowing she is personally culpable for the mishandling of evidence.
She has also begun to understand how the roads she has traveled have led her to this day. The key decisions about the conduct of her life and her police career that have brought her directly to this time, this place in the high desert where she has taken herself. All she can do now, she resolves, is protect as best she can the people she loves most, especially Aimee, from this threat. And, until her time runs out, she can go back and investigate, determine who actually ended the life of fifteen-year-old April Shuster.
But events, people, intervene. New people in her present life, some from her past. And they will take her in the most unexpected of directions.
A Kate Delafield Mystery Series Book 10.
“Kate,” Detective Joe Cameron said, “there was always the possibility—”
“—that like most threats they were just threats,” Kate finished for him. She knew better. Had known from the start this was as real as death.
Death is now on her doorstep. Not even her loyal LAPD colleagues can protect her from an attack that may come from anywhere, anytime.
Four years retired, Kate Delafield has a twenty-year old case roaring back on her, a case from which she had recoiled, withdrawn herself. A homophobic homicide far too reminiscent of a recent, haunting, life-changing investigation of the murder of a young lesbian at the Nightwood Bar. Now she suffers in secret, knowing she is personally culpable for the mishandling of evidence.
She has also begun to understand how the roads she has traveled have led her to this day. The key decisions about the conduct of her life and her police career that have brought her directly to this time, this place in the high desert where she has taken herself. All she can do now, she resolves, is protect as best she can the people she loves most, especially Aimee, from this threat. And, until her time runs out, she can go back and investigate, determine who actually ended the life of fifteen-year-old April Shuster.
But events, people, intervene. New people in her present life, some from her past. And they will take her in the most unexpected of directions.
A Kate Delafield Mystery Series Book 10.
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2022
18 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Katherine V. Forrest
43 books322 followersKatherine V. Forrest is a Canadian-born American writer, best known for her novels about lesbian police detective Kate Delafield. Her books have won and been finalists for Lambda Literary Award twelve times, as well as other awards. She has been referred to by some "a founding mother of lesbian fiction writing."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
April 14, 2022
Book ten of the acclaimed Kate Delafield Mystery Series finds Kate retired from the LA police force and living on her own in the desert high country. Kate is waiting, expecting to die any day now.
Twenty years ago a brutal homophobic murder of a young girl shattered Kate to her core. She allowed her rookie partner to take the lead on solving this murder. The girl’s mother has sat in death row for nineteen years until new forensic testing has proven her innocence. The mother has vowed to take Kate’s life as payment for the wrongful imprisonment.
I have been a diehard fan of this series since its inception in 1984 with Amateur City. Each novel can be read as a stand alone but I highly recommend reading each and every book of this multiple award winning series. Ms Forrest has created a brilliantly tortured character in Kate. She is the sum total of her experiences, losses and life choices. Kate has never seen what others have in her. Being her own harshest critic has always kept Kate from embracing her accomplishments and the love offered to her.
Ms Forrest is a brilliant writer. Her word choices combined with the deep understanding of the human ethos has me rereading the same sentence in a poetic haze. She speaks to my soul. Let her speak to yours.
Oh my. I just read that this is the final book in this series. I guess we will all let Kate rest and enjoy her retirement.
I received an advance review copy from Bella Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Twenty years ago a brutal homophobic murder of a young girl shattered Kate to her core. She allowed her rookie partner to take the lead on solving this murder. The girl’s mother has sat in death row for nineteen years until new forensic testing has proven her innocence. The mother has vowed to take Kate’s life as payment for the wrongful imprisonment.
I have been a diehard fan of this series since its inception in 1984 with Amateur City. Each novel can be read as a stand alone but I highly recommend reading each and every book of this multiple award winning series. Ms Forrest has created a brilliantly tortured character in Kate. She is the sum total of her experiences, losses and life choices. Kate has never seen what others have in her. Being her own harshest critic has always kept Kate from embracing her accomplishments and the love offered to her.
Ms Forrest is a brilliant writer. Her word choices combined with the deep understanding of the human ethos has me rereading the same sentence in a poetic haze. She speaks to my soul. Let her speak to yours.
Oh my. I just read that this is the final book in this series. I guess we will all let Kate rest and enjoy her retirement.
I received an advance review copy from Bella Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 20, 2022
I first came to lesfic through mysteries, with Katherine V. Forrest, Clare McNab, Val McDermid, and a few others, as my guides. Along with Karin Kallmaker when I found romance a few months later, Forrest is one of the authors who helped me grow, become who I am. While I read all the Kate Delafield books back in the day, Delafield is book ten in the series and I went in knowing I hadn’t read the one right before it, released some nine years ago, and not sure how much I remembered from the previous ones. Did it matter? I feel like I’ve known Kate Delafield my whole life.
I won’t lie, I was a bit lost at first. I wasn’t sure whether the case that had Kate fear for her life was one from a previous book or not. As soon as I decided that it didn’t matter, Katherine V. Forrest’s writing pulled me in, as she used to.
Kate Delafield is a fascinating character. We wouldn’t be friends, I’d be way too intimidated and I’m not sure she’d have the patience for my awkwardness. I do, however, have huge respect for her, even as her stubbornness makes my eyes roll to the other side of my head. Besides all the adjectives that come naturally when thinking about a famed police detective whose professionalism and finesse are established and praised, “dry” is the word that kept springing to mind. Which is ironic, seeing as Kate’s struggle with alcohol is one of her defining traits. She’s not cold, she’s not unloving, she’s not uncaring, quite the opposite, but she never lost that stiffness, that dryness, that comes from years in the military and even more years in the closet. This sensation is intensified by the fact that she’s now living in the desert.
While this book was a real trip down memory lane for me, all the more so as there are many mentions of the second book in the series, Murder at the Nightwood Bar, Forrest’s writing is still as precise, still as keen as it was when I first read one of her books almost thirty years ago. It’s at once complex and accessible, as are her characters, the plot, the atmosphere. The addition of Dakota the dog brings easy warmth to a bittersweet story of love, mistakes, redemption, and forgiveness. If you’ve never read any of her books, you definitely should.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog: Jude in the Stars
I won’t lie, I was a bit lost at first. I wasn’t sure whether the case that had Kate fear for her life was one from a previous book or not. As soon as I decided that it didn’t matter, Katherine V. Forrest’s writing pulled me in, as she used to.
Kate Delafield is a fascinating character. We wouldn’t be friends, I’d be way too intimidated and I’m not sure she’d have the patience for my awkwardness. I do, however, have huge respect for her, even as her stubbornness makes my eyes roll to the other side of my head. Besides all the adjectives that come naturally when thinking about a famed police detective whose professionalism and finesse are established and praised, “dry” is the word that kept springing to mind. Which is ironic, seeing as Kate’s struggle with alcohol is one of her defining traits. She’s not cold, she’s not unloving, she’s not uncaring, quite the opposite, but she never lost that stiffness, that dryness, that comes from years in the military and even more years in the closet. This sensation is intensified by the fact that she’s now living in the desert.
While this book was a real trip down memory lane for me, all the more so as there are many mentions of the second book in the series, Murder at the Nightwood Bar, Forrest’s writing is still as precise, still as keen as it was when I first read one of her books almost thirty years ago. It’s at once complex and accessible, as are her characters, the plot, the atmosphere. The addition of Dakota the dog brings easy warmth to a bittersweet story of love, mistakes, redemption, and forgiveness. If you’ve never read any of her books, you definitely should.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog: Jude in the Stars
April 12, 2022
Almost twelve years ago when my partner and I started dating she introduced me to Katherine V. Forrest's Curius Wine. It was a revelation and began my love affair with lesfic. I read a few of her Kate Delafield books but then life got in the way. When an opportunity to read Delafield came up, I couldn't grab it fast enough and it reminds me of the immense talent Ms. Forrest has. She is a pioneer and the authors of today owe her a debt of gratitude.
Kate Delafield is an unforgettable character. In this, the tenth book in the series, we find Kate retired and living in a small desert community. She spends her days and nights waiting for the moment she dies. After spending twenty years in prison, wrongfully convicted of her daughter's murder, Ellie Schuster is out and has vowed to kill Kate for her part in her confinement. Kate feels a tremendous amount of guilt for the way the case was handled as she let her rookie partner take the lead on the investigation.
This book is intense and I felt so bad for Kate. She is such a tortured character. After so many years in law enforcement she's haunted by so much, the cases that's she's worked, the loves she's lost. She is her harshest critic and doesn't see all of the good inside of herself. This is a beautifully, haunting character study of a woman working to maintain her sobriety while trying to make amends for the mistakes of the past. I will be going back and reading the previous books in this series because this book has reminded me of just how brilliant and legendary Katherine V. Forrest is.
An ARC was received from NetGalley for an honest review.
Kate Delafield is an unforgettable character. In this, the tenth book in the series, we find Kate retired and living in a small desert community. She spends her days and nights waiting for the moment she dies. After spending twenty years in prison, wrongfully convicted of her daughter's murder, Ellie Schuster is out and has vowed to kill Kate for her part in her confinement. Kate feels a tremendous amount of guilt for the way the case was handled as she let her rookie partner take the lead on the investigation.
This book is intense and I felt so bad for Kate. She is such a tortured character. After so many years in law enforcement she's haunted by so much, the cases that's she's worked, the loves she's lost. She is her harshest critic and doesn't see all of the good inside of herself. This is a beautifully, haunting character study of a woman working to maintain her sobriety while trying to make amends for the mistakes of the past. I will be going back and reading the previous books in this series because this book has reminded me of just how brilliant and legendary Katherine V. Forrest is.
An ARC was received from NetGalley for an honest review.
May 22, 2022
Delafield is book 10 in the mystery/thriller series.
And I went into book 10 with my eyes wide open, I've not read any of the first 9 books... Which are now on my list of books to read.
I enjoyed Delafield and I'm intrigued to read more about her. There seems to be a mystery about her.
The story was good, and well thought out. It kept me gripped and entertained... I do recommend you read the previous books because I was left ‘scratching my head’ quite often.
I've given Delafield a 4 out of 5.
And I went into book 10 with my eyes wide open, I've not read any of the first 9 books... Which are now on my list of books to read.
I enjoyed Delafield and I'm intrigued to read more about her. There seems to be a mystery about her.
The story was good, and well thought out. It kept me gripped and entertained... I do recommend you read the previous books because I was left ‘scratching my head’ quite often.
I've given Delafield a 4 out of 5.
May 8, 2022
Delafield by Katherine V. Forrest is the tenth and I believe the final book in the “Kate Delafield Mystery” series. It’s kind of sad that this is the end of such a wonderful set of stories, but if the series has to end, this is a great novel to end it with.
In this book we find Kate in her fourth year of retirement, but even now, her past never lets her rest. Twenty years ago Kate was the lead detective in a homophobic murder. She was struggling with a breakdown at the time and let her inexperienced partner take the lead in the investigation. As a result, the wrong person was convicted and sent to death row. About nineteen years later, they were found innocent through DNA and set free. The problem now is Ellie Shuster (the wrongfully convicted woman) wants someone to pay for the botched investigation and Kate is in her crosshairs…literally. Now Kate needs to solve this murder, not only for the victim and the person wrongfully convicted, but also to possibly save her own life.
This is a brilliantly written conclusion to a fantastic mystery series, but I would expect nothing less from an author like Katherine V. Forrest. Just her name on the cover is enough to let the reader know they are about to read something special and this book lives up to that expectation. We get to see Kate solve another murder mystery, and at the same time watch as she copes with what she has been through, both professionally and personally. This is one of the best character driven novels I’ve read lately.
If you are a Kate Delafield fan, this is the book for you. If you are a character driven mystery buff, then this entire series is definitely for you. That should keep you reading for a while.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.
In this book we find Kate in her fourth year of retirement, but even now, her past never lets her rest. Twenty years ago Kate was the lead detective in a homophobic murder. She was struggling with a breakdown at the time and let her inexperienced partner take the lead in the investigation. As a result, the wrong person was convicted and sent to death row. About nineteen years later, they were found innocent through DNA and set free. The problem now is Ellie Shuster (the wrongfully convicted woman) wants someone to pay for the botched investigation and Kate is in her crosshairs…literally. Now Kate needs to solve this murder, not only for the victim and the person wrongfully convicted, but also to possibly save her own life.
This is a brilliantly written conclusion to a fantastic mystery series, but I would expect nothing less from an author like Katherine V. Forrest. Just her name on the cover is enough to let the reader know they are about to read something special and this book lives up to that expectation. We get to see Kate solve another murder mystery, and at the same time watch as she copes with what she has been through, both professionally and personally. This is one of the best character driven novels I’ve read lately.
If you are a Kate Delafield fan, this is the book for you. If you are a character driven mystery buff, then this entire series is definitely for you. That should keep you reading for a while.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.
September 20, 2022
As a longtime fan of the series, this 10th volume is a satisfying retrospective! A provocative look at the fallibility of police as real people, homophobia, depression, alcoholism, relationships, aging, loss, suicide, a case involving religious cults, and reverence to the desert landscape. If this is your entry to the series, you will be motivated by the many nods to previous volumes to seek out the earlier books. Retired Officer Kate Delafield is a vulnerable introspective heroine and this story is richly validating. Author Katherine V. Forrest is a trailblazer with much acclaim even beyond this mystery series, for her science fiction trilogy, Daughters of a Coral Dawn, lesbian romance, especially Curious Wine.
March 25, 2022
I didn’t read the previous books so I’m going in blind with Kate she just retire and living her days but there was one case that shook her to her core is now coming back to bite her. She regretted giving a rookie cop the case and because of this the suspect was innocent now that suspect is out for blood.
I like this read because Kate own up to her mistakes and try to right the wrong I won’t get into what happens but it has a great ending.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
I like this read because Kate own up to her mistakes and try to right the wrong I won’t get into what happens but it has a great ending.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
July 24, 2022
Oh my goodness. I started reading the Kate Delafield series last month and I’ve read them all. I’m really upset and have even been crying. I will not have Kate and Aimee to read about anymore. I hope there are more books but will wait to see.
March 30, 2022
Retired LAPD detective Kate Delafield’s life is in danger from a woman she helped convict of murdering her daughter and her daughter’s best friend twenty years earlier. The woman, Ellie Schuster, was released after spending nineteen years in prison when her innocence was proven with the help of a DNA test. A few months later Schuster began sending death threats to Kate. When a letter from Schuster arrives in the mailbox in front of her desert home in the Yucca Valley of California without a postmark, Kate knows she’s a dead woman walking, and Schuster is nearby. While her house is fortified like a bunker, Kate knows if someone wants her dead, the attack could happen anywhere at any time.
Katherine Forest has written a tension-filled novel about an iconic LesFic character. As Forest ratchets up the tension throughout the book and Delafield begins looking harder at her life, the book becomes increasingly harder to read while at the same time being harder to put down.
The ending is unexpected and more satisfying because of it. People who either haven’t met Kate Delafield before or maybe haven’t read the last few books in this series won’t be left out in the cold because Forest deftly reminds her readers of the major cases Delafield had handled over her thirty years as a member of the LAPD.
The only question that Forest didn’t answer by the end of the book was whether she will allow Delafield to go quietly into an unfettered retirement or whether she’ll be back in another book so we can see what she does in her retirement and whether she’ll find someone to love.
If you love police procedurals or thrillers or suspense or mysteries or books about familiar characters, then this book is for you. If you love well-written character-driven books, put this book at the top of your to-be-read list.
My thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for an eARC.
Katherine Forest has written a tension-filled novel about an iconic LesFic character. As Forest ratchets up the tension throughout the book and Delafield begins looking harder at her life, the book becomes increasingly harder to read while at the same time being harder to put down.
The ending is unexpected and more satisfying because of it. People who either haven’t met Kate Delafield before or maybe haven’t read the last few books in this series won’t be left out in the cold because Forest deftly reminds her readers of the major cases Delafield had handled over her thirty years as a member of the LAPD.
The only question that Forest didn’t answer by the end of the book was whether she will allow Delafield to go quietly into an unfettered retirement or whether she’ll be back in another book so we can see what she does in her retirement and whether she’ll find someone to love.
If you love police procedurals or thrillers or suspense or mysteries or books about familiar characters, then this book is for you. If you love well-written character-driven books, put this book at the top of your to-be-read list.
My thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for an eARC.
May 2, 2022
40 decades of lesbian life in a nutshell
10 out of 5.
The first Delafield mystery came out in 1984 when homosexuality was still criminalized and destroyed not only careers but lives. Forrest and detective Delafield were real trail blazers: Her creation, lesbian detective Kate Delafield, never pulled the punches, no easy cases, no easy life for her and this is true again for the 10th instalment of this brilliant series.
For those of us who lived through those times the flash backs of the 80s and early 90s are poignant and capture brilliantly the hiding, the dangers and the fears of being a lesbian and found out. The closet was not a joking matter but a very dangerous place to be. Kudos to those who fought for the present generations - at least in the Western world - to be able to live openly and (mostly) without fear.
Forrest effortlessly brings us into the life of now retired detective Delafield. The writing, the depth are outstanding. And no, not all is pretty: the scars of lesbian life in times when you had to hide run deep. I read with anguish about Delafield´s losses. There is love and loss, grief and redemption. And there is a cold case which needs solving.
Delafield (and maybe the author) are looking back and again no pulling of punches: the good, the bad, the ugly a rearing their head. There is peace as well. The novel is aptly named Delafield - it is the sum of her life and maybe the essence of life of many lesbians who grew up in dire times and now enjoy the autumn sun outside the closet. Brilliant!
10 out of 5.
The first Delafield mystery came out in 1984 when homosexuality was still criminalized and destroyed not only careers but lives. Forrest and detective Delafield were real trail blazers: Her creation, lesbian detective Kate Delafield, never pulled the punches, no easy cases, no easy life for her and this is true again for the 10th instalment of this brilliant series.
For those of us who lived through those times the flash backs of the 80s and early 90s are poignant and capture brilliantly the hiding, the dangers and the fears of being a lesbian and found out. The closet was not a joking matter but a very dangerous place to be. Kudos to those who fought for the present generations - at least in the Western world - to be able to live openly and (mostly) without fear.
Forrest effortlessly brings us into the life of now retired detective Delafield. The writing, the depth are outstanding. And no, not all is pretty: the scars of lesbian life in times when you had to hide run deep. I read with anguish about Delafield´s losses. There is love and loss, grief and redemption. And there is a cold case which needs solving.
Delafield (and maybe the author) are looking back and again no pulling of punches: the good, the bad, the ugly a rearing their head. There is peace as well. The novel is aptly named Delafield - it is the sum of her life and maybe the essence of life of many lesbians who grew up in dire times and now enjoy the autumn sun outside the closet. Brilliant!
July 18, 2022
I had the honor of hearing the iconic Katherine V Forest read a passage from Delafield, the 10th book in the Kate Delafield series, at the Golden Crown Literary Society conference in July of this year. Forest confirmed then that it would indeed be the last one of the series. She did not say if it would be the last book she ever writes. Let’s hope it isn’t.
Delafield wraps up the series nicely. The story is compelling. The characters readers have come to know over the years aren’t perfect, which is one of the things that make for good reading. In one way or another, the main characters are broken and deeply scared, and we watch them struggle to make it through one day at a time, so to speak.
Although a part of me wanted to see Kate and Aimee get back together, I’m glad that Forest didn’t go there. A ‘happily ever after” ending would have been to cliché. Delafield isn’t a romance, and Forest didn’t allow the tropes of that genre to invade Kate’s story. Bravo.
Delafield wraps up the series nicely. The story is compelling. The characters readers have come to know over the years aren’t perfect, which is one of the things that make for good reading. In one way or another, the main characters are broken and deeply scared, and we watch them struggle to make it through one day at a time, so to speak.
Although a part of me wanted to see Kate and Aimee get back together, I’m glad that Forest didn’t go there. A ‘happily ever after” ending would have been to cliché. Delafield isn’t a romance, and Forest didn’t allow the tropes of that genre to invade Kate’s story. Bravo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2022
I read quite a few of this series back in the day- I remember the first two, Amateur City (1984) and Murder at the Nightwood Bar (1987) clearly, and (now former) LAPD Detective Kate Delafield is undoubtedly a pioneering character in lesbian fiction.
Delafield (I guess Forrest ran out of title ideas) is the tenth in the long running series. Kate is now retired - hey, we're all getting older, right? - living alone on the edge of the desert.
And now, haunted by a twenty-year-old murder investigation during which Kate - finding it far too painfully reminiscent of another tragic case - temporarily took her eye off the ball, resulting in the wrong person being convicted. Now, the wrongly-convicted Ellie Shuster, mother of a murdered teenager, is out of prison... and out for revenge, making threats against Kate's life.
Meanwhile, Kate's volunteer work at a local hospice generates a steady stream of issues - apparently, a lot of people want to speak to an ex-detective before they die.
Detective Kate was always iconic and Retired Kate is no different. I did wonder if this was the start of a new era of the Delafield Private Detective Agency. But the ending and the author's acknowledgments at the end feel pretty final, sadly. Still, who knows?
Many thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
Delafield (I guess Forrest ran out of title ideas) is the tenth in the long running series. Kate is now retired - hey, we're all getting older, right? - living alone on the edge of the desert.
And now, haunted by a twenty-year-old murder investigation during which Kate - finding it far too painfully reminiscent of another tragic case - temporarily took her eye off the ball, resulting in the wrong person being convicted. Now, the wrongly-convicted Ellie Shuster, mother of a murdered teenager, is out of prison... and out for revenge, making threats against Kate's life.
Meanwhile, Kate's volunteer work at a local hospice generates a steady stream of issues - apparently, a lot of people want to speak to an ex-detective before they die.
Detective Kate was always iconic and Retired Kate is no different. I did wonder if this was the start of a new era of the Delafield Private Detective Agency. But the ending and the author's acknowledgments at the end feel pretty final, sadly. Still, who knows?
Many thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
April 27, 2022
I have been a fan of this series since the beginning and if this is indeed the end, I take a deep breath in and out and nod my head. This series has always felt so raw and in your face. By that I mean, the characters always appeared believable as they dealt with day-to-day life. Due to Kate Delafield's profession as a detective during the time frame the stories were told, there were challenges she had to navigate and how she dealt with them was not always the best in the reader's opinion but I suppose the right decision for her at the time.
Ellie Schuster, after serving 19 years, is out of prison after DNA test show that it was not her that murdered her daughter. When she gets out, she focuses on making Kate's life miserable. The letters Ellie sends causes Kate to self-reflect and think about her life and possibly some changes she needs to take. Also, as the read unfolds various characters from previous books in series make appearances which was a nice addition. This read is intense and Kate is mentally taking punches and trying to deal with them on her own which has been her trademark and makes her the tortured person she is and also the person you cheer for. And cheer, I did.
ARC provided by Spinsters Ink via NetGalley
Ellie Schuster, after serving 19 years, is out of prison after DNA test show that it was not her that murdered her daughter. When she gets out, she focuses on making Kate's life miserable. The letters Ellie sends causes Kate to self-reflect and think about her life and possibly some changes she needs to take. Also, as the read unfolds various characters from previous books in series make appearances which was a nice addition. This read is intense and Kate is mentally taking punches and trying to deal with them on her own which has been her trademark and makes her the tortured person she is and also the person you cheer for. And cheer, I did.
ARC provided by Spinsters Ink via NetGalley
April 20, 2022
I’ve been following Kate’s journey ever since I’d read Amateur City ten years ago and I’m still a huge fan of Katherine V. Forrest’s captivating writing. Delafield has the right amount of tension, suspense and light-hearted moments and I felt like I got to know Kate on a deeper level in this book because I had unrestricted access to her innermost thoughts and emotions. I will always have a special place in my heart for Kate because she worked really hard to stay sober and protect her loved ones while she was trying to correct her past mistakes and deal with all the emotional baggage she’d been carrying around long before she became a LAPD detective.
Even though Delafield is the tenth book in the Kate Delafield Mystery Series, it can be read as a stand-alone because the author has done a fantastic job with filling in all the important bits of information from the previous books.
Even though Delafield is the tenth book in the Kate Delafield Mystery Series, it can be read as a stand-alone because the author has done a fantastic job with filling in all the important bits of information from the previous books.
May 24, 2022
Really enjoyed revisiting the character of Kate Delafield, who is now a broken retired woman facing a very real death threat from a woman who has been freed after serving 19 years after being falsely accused of murdering her own daughter. The case takes Kate back to the beginning of her career and the first of the books with the murder at the Nightwood bar. It was interesting and poignant to read about Kate's life as an older lesbian and gradually meeting other older lesbians in the desert outside of LA. The book is as much about life as an older woman/lesbian as it is about solving the decades old murder. Recommended.
With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2025
6/12/25 - am at 1h49:30. Still loving these characters. Well - mainly Kate and her therapist. The others I don't have especially strong feelings for one way or another. Kate is still wrestling w/ her alcoholism and despair. Part of me feels... Confused? That Aimee keeps going back to her. I mean, not just b/c of alcoholism. But all the things. Kate is a terribly closed off person. Which is fine (I might be, too?) - fine in GENERAL but that makes for a difficult partnership. I feel like Aimee deserves better. By 'better' I mean to not be constantly disappointed by her significant other. It's been SO MANY YEARS. Of the same things. The story wouldn't be the same w/o her... But. She's smarter than this. Cognitively but mainly emotionally. I don't get it (other than that it's for the plot).
Also. This story takes place 4 yrs after book #9. The writer retcon'ed Kate and Aimee's cat, Ms. Marple. In *this* book they raised her from a kitten but in book #5 Kate had rescued her from a crime scene (IIRC the victim's family members didn't want her and were going to put her down so Kate took her - esp b/c she was *already* called Ms. Marple!).
PS - I love that Kate volunteers at Hospice. She is so good at it. I love listening to her convos. And her thoughts.
UPDATE at ~6h30 (81%) - 6/13:
3 things:
1. Captain Walcott has a Southern accent?? Sounds weird. I liked her voice better in Book #9.
2. The therapist who treated 2 of Kate's murder victims - the girl in the parking lot at Maggie's lesbian bar and the girl who's the focus of this story - (I mean, right there, that requires an ENORMOUS suspension of disbelief! What are the chances?!) - she said she used to recommend the book "Annie on my Mind" to her clients who were questioning their sexual orientation... I 100% remember reading that book at JMM and feeling warm and hopeful. Even tho I can't remember who recommended it to *me* or anything about the plot. Anyway - happy for the reference and also for the accurate reconstruction of being a queer teen in the 90s.
3. All of Kate's "I'll plan to stop by for a visit tomorrow - IF I'M STILL ALIVE" got really old really fast. Good Lord! Way too overdramatic. WTF. I get that she's wrestling w/ all her pain - a reasonable question, to ask why bother staying alive when it's so fucking painful, to work thru trauma memories in therapy, and to look back on her life's decisions w/ so much criticism and regret (too little self-compassion - I'm surprised her therapist hasn't talked at *all* (afaik) abt self-compassion). It's miserable. And she has a LOT to regret. After keeping so much bottled up for so long. Justifiably bottled, in some ways. But she's thawing after a 40? 50? year freeze. And just like treating frostbite or hypothermia, you have to be v gentle with the cold/frozen tissues or they'll be damaged. And even being gentle it'll hurt like hell. So. I kind of get it? But as a narrative technique / plot point it's tedious. Maybe b/c it's not changing. And also b/c it's so uninventive - so cliche.
This book isn't as good as the last 2 I "read" (listened to). Esp compared to Book #9. I suppose I'm making that comparison bc they're similar in style and... temporal setting? Both 9 and 10 are less detective stories and more abt Kate looking back on her career, taking inventory, trying to heal and grow. Finding her way forward as a retired police detective. Book #9 did it better. In this one we hear more about her relationship with Ann and her time in Vietnam. So that's nice backstory? But the plot doesn't hold together as well. There's less drive / forward momentum. And the "mystery" in this one is... even weaker (more transparent) - kind of just thrown in out of obligation? b/c there *has* to be a mystery to solve? - than the one in Book #9. Which is difficult to fathom b/c the one in #9 was already very flimsy! IDK. There's a LOT of Kate's inner monologue which, like in the other books, is wildly self-critical. This time, tho, in addition to self-flagellation, it keeps circling back to "I want to die." Which is pretty... idk, it's tough to hear but it's also getting old. I suppose that's my main complaint abt this book - it's stale. There's nothing new here compared to the other stories and there's also nothing new in the book, really. It feels more like Kate just going thru the motions and the author writing it down. Maybe it'll get better in the final 20%? I hope so 🤞
PS - not enuf convos w/ her therapist! This story needs more of her therapist! Partly b/c I really like that character. Also (mainly) to balance out Kate's bleak inner monologue.
PPS - 2 stars b/c we KNOW the writer can do better. This book falls super short of the standard set by the other books. Disappointing.
UPDATE @ END (after having listened to Book #2 and typed my thots abt it, tho - these are notes I wrote on the steno pad in my car at some point).
I love love love how, when the characters talk to each other, they use each other's names. It makes me feel like they *see* each other? Like they care abt each other and use their names to communicate that care. A name is like an anchor. Or a... squeeze. There's something abt a name... that just brings everything home. I don't like *any* of my names. Here I am, 'Ellie,' which is an exile from 'Karin'... I'm none of those. IDK who I am.
The "twist" at the end... that Pilar (Kate's neighbor) was *ACTUALLY* the ex-con who was threatening her... Too far-fetched. Even MORE far-fetched was that they became FRIENDS... More than friends - kindred spirits. Unbelievable. That's a twist too far. Pilar ends up seeming too... white middle-class? IDK. It doesn't add up. Someone with enough anger to threaten to kill someone - to menace and torment them - turns out to be kind of housewifey? By which I mean - banal. Plain. Flavorless. Easy. IDK. What especially got me was when she asked Kate if it would "bug her" if she stayed next door... Ummmm... (1) It's weird to ask for permission no matter what (2) but esp at the end of a lengthy confession abt her time in prison, her rage, her vengeance, etc. *That* in particular ended up feeling weirdly... considerate? Infantalizing? Altogether like a dog that's been baring its teeth and growling and then at the first sign of - friendship? - rolls over to show its belly. Just weird.
I was uncomfortable enuf abt that twist that I tried to make it something it's not - I wanted Pilar to be Kate's foil, so we could see and compare similar situations on two separate paths. She's not, tho. HOWEVER - this *is* a book abt friendships. New friendships. Kate makes friends with so many ppl! Many of whom are *also* grieving. But in the context of loss (grief) these new friendships are new beginnings. And hold the hope of healing. So - two primary themes - friendship and grief.
At the 4-year celebration - who is Andrea Ross? I don't remember her from the previous cast of characters from the Nightwood bar. She's mysterious and alluring. Must be from another book.
PS - more musing abt the Pilar twist - it felt like a fantastical story, akin to the fantasy of "Fried Green Tomatoes." Hardship, but whitewashed, so it feels good - and is redeeming. And also - more tell than show (ESP her looooong monologue of a 'confession').
OK YES FINALLY AMY ENDED THINGS FOR GOOD THANK GOD THAT WAS A LOOOOOONG TIME COMING.
Passages I bookmarked:
1h54 (23%) - Over the years I've learned only 2 things ever really matter to the people here [in hospice]. One is love they found or lost. The second is regret over some act or decision or crossroads they didn't take.
2h02 (25%) - Back then [1980s?] a husband's ownership of a family was sacrosanct, along with the belief that a bit of rough treatment was probably what the wife or kids had coming to the. And spousal abuse, even child endangerment, especially if it involved a police officer, was greeted with skepticism or tolerance - at worst, by "Hey, brother, now don't you do that again." Monique LeFleur, accusing a police officer with the rank of sergeant, in the absence of clear evidence, her husband would simply brand her crazy. It would be an exercise in futility and self-destruction. [emphasis mine]
4h21 (54%) - But the one thing that's never changed is you thinking you always know what's best for ppl who care abt you. Our opinions never seem to matter. (Joe, her partner, to Kate)
6h46:30 (85%) - You have a real gift for understatement. (Pilar to Kate)
6h46:30 (85%) - Who needs God when you have prison guards ordering you around 24 hours a day?
6h51 (86%) - Lots of them were just like me. Pretty much pulled into the lives they led. Like me they found out they were different people away from all the shit they'd been shovel-fed. All those women I met showed me so many paths we can be led down. [emphasis mine - Pilar re: the other women in prison]
7h56 (99%) - Tomorrow is a new day. And anything's possible. (next-to-last line of story)
Also. This story takes place 4 yrs after book #9. The writer retcon'ed Kate and Aimee's cat, Ms. Marple. In *this* book they raised her from a kitten but in book #5 Kate had rescued her from a crime scene (IIRC the victim's family members didn't want her and were going to put her down so Kate took her - esp b/c she was *already* called Ms. Marple!).
PS - I love that Kate volunteers at Hospice. She is so good at it. I love listening to her convos. And her thoughts.
UPDATE at ~6h30 (81%) - 6/13:
3 things:
1. Captain Walcott has a Southern accent?? Sounds weird. I liked her voice better in Book #9.
2. The therapist who treated 2 of Kate's murder victims - the girl in the parking lot at Maggie's lesbian bar and the girl who's the focus of this story - (I mean, right there, that requires an ENORMOUS suspension of disbelief! What are the chances?!) - she said she used to recommend the book "Annie on my Mind" to her clients who were questioning their sexual orientation... I 100% remember reading that book at JMM and feeling warm and hopeful. Even tho I can't remember who recommended it to *me* or anything about the plot. Anyway - happy for the reference and also for the accurate reconstruction of being a queer teen in the 90s.
3. All of Kate's "I'll plan to stop by for a visit tomorrow - IF I'M STILL ALIVE" got really old really fast. Good Lord! Way too overdramatic. WTF. I get that she's wrestling w/ all her pain - a reasonable question, to ask why bother staying alive when it's so fucking painful, to work thru trauma memories in therapy, and to look back on her life's decisions w/ so much criticism and regret (too little self-compassion - I'm surprised her therapist hasn't talked at *all* (afaik) abt self-compassion). It's miserable. And she has a LOT to regret. After keeping so much bottled up for so long. Justifiably bottled, in some ways. But she's thawing after a 40? 50? year freeze. And just like treating frostbite or hypothermia, you have to be v gentle with the cold/frozen tissues or they'll be damaged. And even being gentle it'll hurt like hell. So. I kind of get it? But as a narrative technique / plot point it's tedious. Maybe b/c it's not changing. And also b/c it's so uninventive - so cliche.
This book isn't as good as the last 2 I "read" (listened to). Esp compared to Book #9. I suppose I'm making that comparison bc they're similar in style and... temporal setting? Both 9 and 10 are less detective stories and more abt Kate looking back on her career, taking inventory, trying to heal and grow. Finding her way forward as a retired police detective. Book #9 did it better. In this one we hear more about her relationship with Ann and her time in Vietnam. So that's nice backstory? But the plot doesn't hold together as well. There's less drive / forward momentum. And the "mystery" in this one is... even weaker (more transparent) - kind of just thrown in out of obligation? b/c there *has* to be a mystery to solve? - than the one in Book #9. Which is difficult to fathom b/c the one in #9 was already very flimsy! IDK. There's a LOT of Kate's inner monologue which, like in the other books, is wildly self-critical. This time, tho, in addition to self-flagellation, it keeps circling back to "I want to die." Which is pretty... idk, it's tough to hear but it's also getting old. I suppose that's my main complaint abt this book - it's stale. There's nothing new here compared to the other stories and there's also nothing new in the book, really. It feels more like Kate just going thru the motions and the author writing it down. Maybe it'll get better in the final 20%? I hope so 🤞
PS - not enuf convos w/ her therapist! This story needs more of her therapist! Partly b/c I really like that character. Also (mainly) to balance out Kate's bleak inner monologue.
PPS - 2 stars b/c we KNOW the writer can do better. This book falls super short of the standard set by the other books. Disappointing.
UPDATE @ END (after having listened to Book #2 and typed my thots abt it, tho - these are notes I wrote on the steno pad in my car at some point).
I love love love how, when the characters talk to each other, they use each other's names. It makes me feel like they *see* each other? Like they care abt each other and use their names to communicate that care. A name is like an anchor. Or a... squeeze. There's something abt a name... that just brings everything home. I don't like *any* of my names. Here I am, 'Ellie,' which is an exile from 'Karin'... I'm none of those. IDK who I am.
The "twist" at the end... that Pilar (Kate's neighbor) was *ACTUALLY* the ex-con who was threatening her... Too far-fetched. Even MORE far-fetched was that they became FRIENDS... More than friends - kindred spirits. Unbelievable. That's a twist too far. Pilar ends up seeming too... white middle-class? IDK. It doesn't add up. Someone with enough anger to threaten to kill someone - to menace and torment them - turns out to be kind of housewifey? By which I mean - banal. Plain. Flavorless. Easy. IDK. What especially got me was when she asked Kate if it would "bug her" if she stayed next door... Ummmm... (1) It's weird to ask for permission no matter what (2) but esp at the end of a lengthy confession abt her time in prison, her rage, her vengeance, etc. *That* in particular ended up feeling weirdly... considerate? Infantalizing? Altogether like a dog that's been baring its teeth and growling and then at the first sign of - friendship? - rolls over to show its belly. Just weird.
I was uncomfortable enuf abt that twist that I tried to make it something it's not - I wanted Pilar to be Kate's foil, so we could see and compare similar situations on two separate paths. She's not, tho. HOWEVER - this *is* a book abt friendships. New friendships. Kate makes friends with so many ppl! Many of whom are *also* grieving. But in the context of loss (grief) these new friendships are new beginnings. And hold the hope of healing. So - two primary themes - friendship and grief.
At the 4-year celebration - who is Andrea Ross? I don't remember her from the previous cast of characters from the Nightwood bar. She's mysterious and alluring. Must be from another book.
PS - more musing abt the Pilar twist - it felt like a fantastical story, akin to the fantasy of "Fried Green Tomatoes." Hardship, but whitewashed, so it feels good - and is redeeming. And also - more tell than show (ESP her looooong monologue of a 'confession').
OK YES FINALLY AMY ENDED THINGS FOR GOOD THANK GOD THAT WAS A LOOOOOONG TIME COMING.
Passages I bookmarked:
1h54 (23%) - Over the years I've learned only 2 things ever really matter to the people here [in hospice]. One is love they found or lost. The second is regret over some act or decision or crossroads they didn't take.
2h02 (25%) - Back then [1980s?] a husband's ownership of a family was sacrosanct, along with the belief that a bit of rough treatment was probably what the wife or kids had coming to the. And spousal abuse, even child endangerment, especially if it involved a police officer, was greeted with skepticism or tolerance - at worst, by "Hey, brother, now don't you do that again." Monique LeFleur, accusing a police officer with the rank of sergeant, in the absence of clear evidence, her husband would simply brand her crazy. It would be an exercise in futility and self-destruction. [emphasis mine]
4h21 (54%) - But the one thing that's never changed is you thinking you always know what's best for ppl who care abt you. Our opinions never seem to matter. (Joe, her partner, to Kate)
6h46:30 (85%) - You have a real gift for understatement. (Pilar to Kate)
6h46:30 (85%) - Who needs God when you have prison guards ordering you around 24 hours a day?
6h51 (86%) - Lots of them were just like me. Pretty much pulled into the lives they led. Like me they found out they were different people away from all the shit they'd been shovel-fed. All those women I met showed me so many paths we can be led down. [emphasis mine - Pilar re: the other women in prison]
7h56 (99%) - Tomorrow is a new day. And anything's possible. (next-to-last line of story)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2022
Kate Plus Nine
The high desert, the dry winds, the subtle colors, distant mountains, shifting, sifting sand, rocks, cactus, Joshua trees, moonscapes, quail and roadrunners, this is a place where many retire. One can sit and watch the early morning hues, and the evening displays, as a form of meditation, a backdrop against which to replay the memories that run like silent movies for those who have stopped working, stopped rushing, who have the time to sit and enjoy the replays of lives well lived. Those whose contemplations bring them less comforting images, well, they have to desert, with its pastels, pinks and purples, its mirages, it’s constant change, to distract from less pleasant memories.
So Kate Delafield has come to the desert to live with herself, to study the dessication of her life, to worry about missed chances and missteps. She has come to settle up.
Her retirement has not brought rest. Her retreat from her career and from Los Angeles was not entirely free choice. As ever, for Kate, decisions are made not for her own respite and enjoyment, but as duty and responsibility dictate. There is no nobility here. Her partner Aimee doesn’t even know that Kate’s move to the desert was made for her protection, not for Kate’s benefit. No one asked Kate for this sacrifice.
But what other choice could Kate Delafield have made, really, when some maniac from her past, a woman who was wrongfully convicted and sent to prison for twenty years, threatens revenge? Freed by the work of The Innocence Project, the woman, Ellie Shuster, sends notes telling Kate she will die.
So, Kate separates herself from those she loves, arms herself, installs cameras and security alarms, and waits. As she accepts the help of Joe Cameron, former partner, to try to solve the re-opened murder case, and track down Ellie Shuster, Kate continues with her therapy sessions, continues with her volunteer work at the hospice center, even considers taking on a private case for a wealthy Palm Springs widow, but she also wonders why she does all these things. Why work on issues when her life may be ended at any moment? Why not drink, if she is to die at the hands of a mad woman? Why wait for the end to come? Why sit alone, armed, why not end it herself?
Kate Delafield doesn’t answer these questions. She can’t. She is bound, as she always has been, by a duty to others. If she got it wrong, and arrested the wrong person, then she must set it right by finding the real killer. Not even the hope that solving the botched case might dissuade the killer who now stalks her, not a hope that she could survive to live happily in the isolation of the desert, just a stubborn dedication to correcting a miscarriage of justice, with no realistic chance of ending the threat against her, Kate plods along, unwilling, unable, to shed her sense of responsibility like the desert rattler sheds his skin.
Kate looks for neither joy nor peace, even as she tentatively makes new friends, gets closer to figuring out the real killer, and learns that living each day as it comes has a certain pleasure, even to someone as bound to duty, bound by the burden of many past mistakes, both personal and professional, bound to old regrets and old grief, as she finds herself, in the high desert, bound also to live, as subtly as the changing colors of each new sunrise, pink, and orange, each sunset, blue and hazy, fading to darker hues, winking down below the horizon.
The high desert, the dry winds, the subtle colors, distant mountains, shifting, sifting sand, rocks, cactus, Joshua trees, moonscapes, quail and roadrunners, this is a place where many retire. One can sit and watch the early morning hues, and the evening displays, as a form of meditation, a backdrop against which to replay the memories that run like silent movies for those who have stopped working, stopped rushing, who have the time to sit and enjoy the replays of lives well lived. Those whose contemplations bring them less comforting images, well, they have to desert, with its pastels, pinks and purples, its mirages, it’s constant change, to distract from less pleasant memories.
So Kate Delafield has come to the desert to live with herself, to study the dessication of her life, to worry about missed chances and missteps. She has come to settle up.
Her retirement has not brought rest. Her retreat from her career and from Los Angeles was not entirely free choice. As ever, for Kate, decisions are made not for her own respite and enjoyment, but as duty and responsibility dictate. There is no nobility here. Her partner Aimee doesn’t even know that Kate’s move to the desert was made for her protection, not for Kate’s benefit. No one asked Kate for this sacrifice.
But what other choice could Kate Delafield have made, really, when some maniac from her past, a woman who was wrongfully convicted and sent to prison for twenty years, threatens revenge? Freed by the work of The Innocence Project, the woman, Ellie Shuster, sends notes telling Kate she will die.
So, Kate separates herself from those she loves, arms herself, installs cameras and security alarms, and waits. As she accepts the help of Joe Cameron, former partner, to try to solve the re-opened murder case, and track down Ellie Shuster, Kate continues with her therapy sessions, continues with her volunteer work at the hospice center, even considers taking on a private case for a wealthy Palm Springs widow, but she also wonders why she does all these things. Why work on issues when her life may be ended at any moment? Why not drink, if she is to die at the hands of a mad woman? Why wait for the end to come? Why sit alone, armed, why not end it herself?
Kate Delafield doesn’t answer these questions. She can’t. She is bound, as she always has been, by a duty to others. If she got it wrong, and arrested the wrong person, then she must set it right by finding the real killer. Not even the hope that solving the botched case might dissuade the killer who now stalks her, not a hope that she could survive to live happily in the isolation of the desert, just a stubborn dedication to correcting a miscarriage of justice, with no realistic chance of ending the threat against her, Kate plods along, unwilling, unable, to shed her sense of responsibility like the desert rattler sheds his skin.
Kate looks for neither joy nor peace, even as she tentatively makes new friends, gets closer to figuring out the real killer, and learns that living each day as it comes has a certain pleasure, even to someone as bound to duty, bound by the burden of many past mistakes, both personal and professional, bound to old regrets and old grief, as she finds herself, in the high desert, bound also to live, as subtly as the changing colors of each new sunrise, pink, and orange, each sunset, blue and hazy, fading to darker hues, winking down below the horizon.
April 13, 2022
I could write a dissertation on the great Katherine V Forrest. I was on BBC Radio4 Woman’s Hour telling Dame Jenni Murray how much I love KVF and Naiad Press (as was). Kate Delafield first appeared in 1984 and this is the tenth book featuring the LAPD Detective. Through the decades Kate has endured a lot and each book develops her character and refers to the politics and sometimes notoriety of Los Angeles. KVF is a brilliant writer and is well able to sustain a character and plot over a book series and I really hope this isn’t the end. But the book finishes with an acknowledgement of the people who have helped the writer’s career through the years and sounds like a retirement statement. I hope it isn’t and yet at the same time cannot begrudge Ms Forrest the time to relax given the joy she has given me over the years.
Kate is living in the desert enjoying her retirement. Except she has a credible death threat hanging over her head. A woman jailed for murdering her daughter has been exonerated with DNA evidence after serving 19 years and is coming after Kate. Detective retired Delafield sees her own guilt because the case at the time had too many echoes of an early case when Kate found the Nightwood Bar. And was being investigated while Kate was mourning her life partner Anne. She let her inexperienced police partner take the lead and now feels guilty and slightly fatalistic about the outcome.
There is a lot going on here and while waiting to read this, I reread the previous books. No hardship believe me and you will definitely get more out of this if you have read the others but it is not critical as the author does a good job of dripping in bits of previous stories to thread the narrative with back story. Kate is a great character and I really wish she could be happy but happy characters don't have enough drama. Maybe at the end… no spoilers here so I won’t say any more but this is a great book to continue the Delafield series and I hope it isn’t the last. If it is I thank KVF for 4 decades of brilliant writing and editing and joy.
I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley
Kate is living in the desert enjoying her retirement. Except she has a credible death threat hanging over her head. A woman jailed for murdering her daughter has been exonerated with DNA evidence after serving 19 years and is coming after Kate. Detective retired Delafield sees her own guilt because the case at the time had too many echoes of an early case when Kate found the Nightwood Bar. And was being investigated while Kate was mourning her life partner Anne. She let her inexperienced police partner take the lead and now feels guilty and slightly fatalistic about the outcome.
There is a lot going on here and while waiting to read this, I reread the previous books. No hardship believe me and you will definitely get more out of this if you have read the others but it is not critical as the author does a good job of dripping in bits of previous stories to thread the narrative with back story. Kate is a great character and I really wish she could be happy but happy characters don't have enough drama. Maybe at the end… no spoilers here so I won’t say any more but this is a great book to continue the Delafield series and I hope it isn’t the last. If it is I thank KVF for 4 decades of brilliant writing and editing and joy.
I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley
November 8, 2024
2-stars? But this is clearly one of the better written books of the series in so many ways!
Well, you see it's like this...
First, it repeats the "hopeful ending from the last book turns to dreadful beginning" in this book to then rehash the same character beats of the past three books. Admittedly, this one seemed to put a cap on all that for real this time, as I have my doubts about a Book #11 getting written given the author's age, the ending had a series finale feel and the title of this book Delafield has a finality to it as well.
Second, the plot is a reworking of the previous book. This time, Kate (instead of Joe) is the one holed-up in the desert waiting for a revenge obsessed person from their past. If the series hadn't literally just done this, it might seem less glaring. The big change instead of no interaction with the antagonist, there is loads of it. Too much? More on that later.
Third, because the plot is a copy-paste it is once again an outlandish story in a series that has strived to be real to the point of aggravation.
Fourth, the specific plot: Kate was the supervising detective on a case that resulted in the wrongful conviction of a mother for killing her child. If this had been from an actual book in the series, I would have been impressed. An author looking back at a past work and seeing potential flaws despite the surety the cop characters had in arresting the killer and then writing a book showing where the cops went wrong? Amazing and true-to-life for how many wrongful convictions happen.
Instead, it's a heretofore unmentioned case, so we get a lot of exposition to bring the reader up to speed on the specifics of the case as Kate has to "solve it". Since it's such an egregious error, Kate can shoulder the responsibility as she does for everything, but it's made clear that the real screw up was everyone's favorite Torie, Kate's partner before Joe. Or is it Torrie? I don't know. I'm doing this through audiobooks.
Torie is hated on and bashed so much in this series, I have to think Katherine Forrest created the character based on a friend and/or lover that then betrayed her leading to Forrest excoriating Torie whenever she could. Let's review:
In book 5, Liberty Square Torie is her new partner but she's only portrayed on the phone. She seems competent. Kate thinks she's ready to handle a case. She likes her.
In book 6, Apparition Alley In the opening, Torie was one of three cops that may have shot Kate accidentally (in a later book, Kate decides that she was the one in an off-hand remark). Torie ghosts Kate (and the reader) for most of the book and offers a pathetic apology at the end.
In book 7, Sleeping Bones Torie has royally screwed up an investigation between books and has transferred to another division. She is not shown at all, but Kate bashes her as needed.
In book 8 and 9...I don't remember much about what Torie did or didn't do. Perhaps just some passing references to how bad she was. I think in 9 is where she says that Torie was the one that shot her.
In this book, Delafield Torie is casually referenced as having died from breast cancer with the implicit tone of good riddance because she was the one that also screwed up this case. What a tornado of destruction this woman was for Kate and the LAPD.
Blaming Torie here brought up another problem. Kate said she let Torie take the lead because the case was too reminiscent of an earlier case (Book 2, Murder at the Nightwood Bar) and Kate couldn't handle it. It was just too soon! Except, it wasn't. Book 2 was, what? 1985? 1986? Torie didn't come into the picture until 1992 or so and she wasn't declared a total loser until a few years after that. This is not a "too soon" situation. This is a, "I have to justify the plot somehow" situation.
Now, back to the revenge-obsessed psycho released from prison aspect. Apart from the blatant similarity to the last book, wrongfully convicted and released people typically do no go on revenge tours, blowing their reparations money. Of course, we learn that it isn't quite as murderous a revenge spree as we were led to believe.
Kate figures it out just in the nick of time using clues that were impossible for a reader to divine and/or simply irrelevant. For example: She only listens to music from this period! Dum-dum-dummmmmm!! Well, I know many people who prefer to listen to a certain time period (one that typically coincides with their high school/college life). I don't think they are psychos. Wellll... Then she doesn't speak with Canadian terms and Kate's met a Canadian before. Not every Canadian has to talk aboot hockey and maple syrup, eh?
While the previous book faltered by not having Kate or Joe meet the crazy guy/brother, this one goes the other way by giving her what must have been a dozen pages or more of talking about it.
The book settles on this crazy person not being all that crazy, no more so than Kate. Except, you blew money to rip out and replace all your teeth and whatever else for plastic surgery, stalked a person to the desert and pretended to be their friendly neighbor for two months with maybe the intent to kill her but not having the heart to do so. Yeah, she seems fine and I understand why Kate decides to become best buddies with her.
As for other characters, Joe gets a limited role as a person described as a great friend who keeps harping on "When are you getting back with Aimee?" Let it go man! Every damn time.
Dylan? He gets called a great nephew, but after a promising intro in Book 8, every plotline connected to him was a footnote. I really wanted a satisfying scene where Kate punches out her dumbass brother/Dylan's father.
The reunion/memorial brought in the Nightwood Bar cast, and even an ex-lover of Kate. It sounds intriguing until they only play songs from the 70s and 80s (they must be recently released convicts who don't know about modern popular music) and start belting out Cher songs in the most cliched of cliches. Still, Aimee eventually arrives and finally does what I was saying should have happened even before they started the break up/get back together cycle, and that was end it for good. Almost everything the characters described about "good" (and, let's face it, even the bad) happened off page. All we were left with was nagging frustration and all the appearances of a toxic relationship.
Regardless, for a series bookend, it does wrap up plotlines and character arcs, to at least give readers a sense of completion.
Well, you see it's like this...
First, it repeats the "hopeful ending from the last book turns to dreadful beginning" in this book to then rehash the same character beats of the past three books. Admittedly, this one seemed to put a cap on all that for real this time, as I have my doubts about a Book #11 getting written given the author's age, the ending had a series finale feel and the title of this book Delafield has a finality to it as well.
Second, the plot is a reworking of the previous book. This time, Kate (instead of Joe) is the one holed-up in the desert waiting for a revenge obsessed person from their past. If the series hadn't literally just done this, it might seem less glaring. The big change instead of no interaction with the antagonist, there is loads of it. Too much? More on that later.
Third, because the plot is a copy-paste it is once again an outlandish story in a series that has strived to be real to the point of aggravation.
Fourth, the specific plot: Kate was the supervising detective on a case that resulted in the wrongful conviction of a mother for killing her child. If this had been from an actual book in the series, I would have been impressed. An author looking back at a past work and seeing potential flaws despite the surety the cop characters had in arresting the killer and then writing a book showing where the cops went wrong? Amazing and true-to-life for how many wrongful convictions happen.
Instead, it's a heretofore unmentioned case, so we get a lot of exposition to bring the reader up to speed on the specifics of the case as Kate has to "solve it". Since it's such an egregious error, Kate can shoulder the responsibility as she does for everything, but it's made clear that the real screw up was everyone's favorite Torie, Kate's partner before Joe. Or is it Torrie? I don't know. I'm doing this through audiobooks.
Torie is hated on and bashed so much in this series, I have to think Katherine Forrest created the character based on a friend and/or lover that then betrayed her leading to Forrest excoriating Torie whenever she could. Let's review:
In book 5, Liberty Square Torie is her new partner but she's only portrayed on the phone. She seems competent. Kate thinks she's ready to handle a case. She likes her.
In book 6, Apparition Alley In the opening, Torie was one of three cops that may have shot Kate accidentally (in a later book, Kate decides that she was the one in an off-hand remark). Torie ghosts Kate (and the reader) for most of the book and offers a pathetic apology at the end.
In book 7, Sleeping Bones Torie has royally screwed up an investigation between books and has transferred to another division. She is not shown at all, but Kate bashes her as needed.
In book 8 and 9...I don't remember much about what Torie did or didn't do. Perhaps just some passing references to how bad she was. I think in 9 is where she says that Torie was the one that shot her.
In this book, Delafield Torie is casually referenced as having died from breast cancer with the implicit tone of good riddance because she was the one that also screwed up this case. What a tornado of destruction this woman was for Kate and the LAPD.
Blaming Torie here brought up another problem. Kate said she let Torie take the lead because the case was too reminiscent of an earlier case (Book 2, Murder at the Nightwood Bar) and Kate couldn't handle it. It was just too soon! Except, it wasn't. Book 2 was, what? 1985? 1986? Torie didn't come into the picture until 1992 or so and she wasn't declared a total loser until a few years after that. This is not a "too soon" situation. This is a, "I have to justify the plot somehow" situation.
Now, back to the revenge-obsessed psycho released from prison aspect. Apart from the blatant similarity to the last book, wrongfully convicted and released people typically do no go on revenge tours, blowing their reparations money. Of course, we learn that it isn't quite as murderous a revenge spree as we were led to believe.
Kate figures it out just in the nick of time using clues that were impossible for a reader to divine and/or simply irrelevant. For example: She only listens to music from this period! Dum-dum-dummmmmm!! Well, I know many people who prefer to listen to a certain time period (one that typically coincides with their high school/college life). I don't think they are psychos. Wellll... Then she doesn't speak with Canadian terms and Kate's met a Canadian before. Not every Canadian has to talk aboot hockey and maple syrup, eh?
While the previous book faltered by not having Kate or Joe meet the crazy guy/brother, this one goes the other way by giving her what must have been a dozen pages or more of talking about it.
The book settles on this crazy person not being all that crazy, no more so than Kate. Except, you blew money to rip out and replace all your teeth and whatever else for plastic surgery, stalked a person to the desert and pretended to be their friendly neighbor for two months with maybe the intent to kill her but not having the heart to do so. Yeah, she seems fine and I understand why Kate decides to become best buddies with her.
As for other characters, Joe gets a limited role as a person described as a great friend who keeps harping on "When are you getting back with Aimee?" Let it go man! Every damn time.
Dylan? He gets called a great nephew, but after a promising intro in Book 8, every plotline connected to him was a footnote. I really wanted a satisfying scene where Kate punches out her dumbass brother/Dylan's father.
The reunion/memorial brought in the Nightwood Bar cast, and even an ex-lover of Kate. It sounds intriguing until they only play songs from the 70s and 80s (they must be recently released convicts who don't know about modern popular music) and start belting out Cher songs in the most cliched of cliches. Still, Aimee eventually arrives and finally does what I was saying should have happened even before they started the break up/get back together cycle, and that was end it for good. Almost everything the characters described about "good" (and, let's face it, even the bad) happened off page. All we were left with was nagging frustration and all the appearances of a toxic relationship.
Regardless, for a series bookend, it does wrap up plotlines and character arcs, to at least give readers a sense of completion.
May 22, 2022
I absolutely love the Kate Delafield series and this book doesn't disappoint.
This latest book focuses on Kate's life without Aimee and alcohol - tense, evenly paced plot takes you through Kate's latest mystery as well as a lot of soul searching on how to begin moving forward.
I highly recommend Katherine V. Forrest's books - an engrossing read!
This latest book focuses on Kate's life without Aimee and alcohol - tense, evenly paced plot takes you through Kate's latest mystery as well as a lot of soul searching on how to begin moving forward.
I highly recommend Katherine V. Forrest's books - an engrossing read!
May 30, 2022
new beginnings
Well, I must say Kate never gets old to me. Without saying my age , Kate Delafield books have always been one of my favorite series over the years. Take the time to read K. Forrest books , the best you will find. Also check out Ccurious Wine . Thant you Katherine , for all these stories over the years.
Well, I must say Kate never gets old to me. Without saying my age , Kate Delafield books have always been one of my favorite series over the years. Take the time to read K. Forrest books , the best you will find. Also check out Ccurious Wine . Thant you Katherine , for all these stories over the years.
June 12, 2022
Sad to see the last book in the series. Sad to see Kate and Aimee couldn't work it out in the end. There are a few things I won't miss though, like Kate's eternal self-hatred over everything in her life, not just being a lesbian but everything. I hate the way she cuts herself down over every little thing and doesn't think she's good or worthy enough. I also am not a fan of the way Ms. Forrest is so teeth-grindingly politically correct. It's like she was checking off the boxes: Trans? Yep, got the "nephew" Dylan. Other minorities? Yep, got those too. It all felt a little forced to me, like some of the characters didn't just happen organically. Especially having a trans character, now that they're the trendy cause du jour. Still, I'll miss her writing, if indeed this was her last book. Hers was by far the best lesbian detective series. I've been reading her books since about 1990 and she's one of the finest lesbian authors of our era. I remember being absolutely swept away the first time I read A Curious Wine, and to a lesser extent An Emergence of Green. The only books I didn’t like were her forays into science fiction, but that's only because I can't stand sci-fi.
January 31, 2025
Delafield by Katherine Forrest
Once a detective, always a detective, because some cases never die. Simply being retired from the LAPD police force did nothing to protect Kate Delafield from a twenty-year-old case coming back to haunt her. Back then, when she was facing the investigation of April Shuster’s killer, Delafield did not feel she could handle another homophobic homicide, so she had made the mistake of allowing her rookie partner to take the lead on the case. Unfortunately, the case was mishandled. Delafield now knows an innocent woman was convicted. The mother of the girl, who wound up spending twenty years of her life for a murder she did not commit is out of prison and . . . out for revenge.
With guilt weighing heavy on the detective’s mind, she is unable to go back in time and correct the mistake, so she does the only thing she can now do, which is to put every effort forward to find out who did kill the unfortunate 15-year-old girl.
Some readers say they wish they had read the previous books before this tenth and last one, while others say the author did a good job of bringing a reader up to date.
Once a detective, always a detective, because some cases never die. Simply being retired from the LAPD police force did nothing to protect Kate Delafield from a twenty-year-old case coming back to haunt her. Back then, when she was facing the investigation of April Shuster’s killer, Delafield did not feel she could handle another homophobic homicide, so she had made the mistake of allowing her rookie partner to take the lead on the case. Unfortunately, the case was mishandled. Delafield now knows an innocent woman was convicted. The mother of the girl, who wound up spending twenty years of her life for a murder she did not commit is out of prison and . . . out for revenge.
With guilt weighing heavy on the detective’s mind, she is unable to go back in time and correct the mistake, so she does the only thing she can now do, which is to put every effort forward to find out who did kill the unfortunate 15-year-old girl.
Some readers say they wish they had read the previous books before this tenth and last one, while others say the author did a good job of bringing a reader up to date.
July 18, 2024
I loved this series. It is hard and uncomfortable at times, but so worthwhile, especially in its whole. This ending was heartbreaking. But I appreciate it so much. This series is so intensely reflective of the progress and dilemmas of the past 40 years, and it is so important to see where we came from in a way which makes that history current and accessible. Kate is a character who learns and grows throughout her story, and it was so beautiful to see her stagnation and her growth. The series is not about the HEA. It is about a woman who is fallible. It feels real. It feels like life while the mysteries are well plotted and create the perfect vehicle for access into this dynamic personality. I relate so intensely to the drive and need to care for and protect those we love, and two of the hardest things to learn in life are we need to care for ourselves first so we can care for others and we have to allow others to tell us their needs and respect them. This is probably the most deeply impactful series I’ve read in this genre. Thank you so much for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2024
4 stars. The first book in this series had me positive I was going to hate this series but here we are. Book ten and I actually did like this series overall. They're very addictive reads. Not all of them were winners but the ones that were were fucking excellent (books 2, 4, 9 & 10 in particular). Kate Delafield is a layered and complex character and it was fascinating to follow along in her life. I think this was a really good send off for this series. Kate still has some struggles but she has come a long way. The resolution of her and Aimee's relationship felt real and honest so while it wasn't what I wanted it totally made sense. Great read. I don't regret binging this series at all.
May 29, 2025
This title was a lot about closure, resolving some of Kate's old issues, and most likely finishing the book series. It does not mean that there couldn't be another title by Katherine V. Forrest, but Kate has found such a good place at the end of this title that I'd be surprised.
I enjoyed reading this, although the detective side of things was not as strong as in past books of the series. It did not really matter too much, because we could see more of another side of Kate Delafield, and I liked reading this. It made her more relatable. 5 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed reading this, although the detective side of things was not as strong as in past books of the series. It did not really matter too much, because we could see more of another side of Kate Delafield, and I liked reading this. It made her more relatable. 5 out of 5 stars
August 3, 2023
A great closing novel! I listened to all 10 of these in pretty quick succession, though they were written over almost 40 years. Each one budling upon the last, and revealing more details about the main character Detective Delafield. Forrest includes the stories of the time, be it OJ Simpson, the LA riots, Rodney King, the Iraq War, AIDS, or Don't Ask Don't Tell, all along the way. They are markers in time, that remind us how far we have come, yet how far we still have to go.
August 13, 2023
Katherine V. Forrest never disappoints!
For all ten books in this series I'd give five stars. I'm so grateful to have been exposed to KVF and her character Detective Kate Delafield in real time. I always hungered for more from her. Always worth the wait!
Katherine V. Forrest is a paramount author a advocate who has done so much to build a robust community and more works where we see ourselves represented.
Thank you!!
For all ten books in this series I'd give five stars. I'm so grateful to have been exposed to KVF and her character Detective Kate Delafield in real time. I always hungered for more from her. Always worth the wait!
Katherine V. Forrest is a paramount author a advocate who has done so much to build a robust community and more works where we see ourselves represented.
Thank you!!
November 1, 2022
A perfect wrap up for the series
A lot of intertwined mysteries of this reticent, retired, highly skilled detective. I loved getting acquainted with her and look forward to her next adventure from a few I missed in the series prior. Deeply introspective not only individually, but also communally for the ever advancing LGBTIA+ community, making me personally pleased and proud.
A lot of intertwined mysteries of this reticent, retired, highly skilled detective. I loved getting acquainted with her and look forward to her next adventure from a few I missed in the series prior. Deeply introspective not only individually, but also communally for the ever advancing LGBTIA+ community, making me personally pleased and proud.
March 22, 2024
I really enjoyed this latest Kate Delafield novel. It was a kind of a walk down memory lane as Kate relived some moments of her past, while dealing with a threat against her own life. I’m not giving anything away, except if you like any of Forrest’s books, you should read this. It gave a lot of insight into Kate’s life as she coped with that death threat and her own regrets.
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