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Calli Barnow Mystery #1
Red Rover
Thalia Spencer is missing. Is she in trouble or is she simply avoiding her family?When Thalia's conservative tycoon father confesses to private investigator Calli Barnow that he offered his daughter money to give up her girlfriend and start dating men, Calli thinks she knows where to start looking. She and her best friend, novice drag queen Dewey, comb the bars and clubs of Toronto's gay village, hoping to find Thalia hiding in plain sight. But then Thalia's beautiful lover, Zoe, says the girl is missing from her life too, and Calli realizes the situation is more dangerous than she'd thought. Following Calli Barnow as she chases an angel-faced killer through the twists and turns of the city, from Kensington Market's cozy coffee bars to Rosedale's chilly mansions to the seductive drinking dens of Church Street's gaybourhood, Red Rover is a thrilling puzzle with a sexy edge. Calli is an engaging companion, willing to throw herself into danger: body and soul.
354 pages, Paperback
First published October 9, 2010
184 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 21, 2016
Maybe more like 3.5. The details of Toronto and queer life there were awesome, characterization was well done, and the action was pretty exciting, even if I did spot who the bad "guy" was early on. A solid intro to this lesbian Torontonian PI series, which I'm excited to read more of!
Read the full review on my blog here.
Read the full review on my blog here.
March 20, 2011
Just finished reading Liz Bugg's mystery, Red Rover. Loved its queer twists and turns which kept me guessing until the end.
January 1, 2012
Original heroine - strong and interesting. Lots of flavour in this book. Gripping crime tale, too. From around the middle on I couldn't put it down.
May 3, 2024
3.5. This is a strong enough series debut that I'm looking forward to Bugg's other Calli Barnow mysteries. Strengths include the very adept evocation of setting: Toronto's neighbourhoods, from Kensington Market to the Church street bars, are described lovingly, and the vibrant settings are integral to the plot of this queer PI novel.
Calli Barnow is an established private investigator, but her new case brings both personal and professional challenges: she agrees to search for a young woman, Thalia, who disappeared from the home of her wealthy parents after her father reacted angrily to her coming out, echoing Calli's own rejection by her father decades earlier. Although Calli dislikes the man, she is concerned about Thalia and agrees to search for her--but only on the condition that Thalia won't be forced home.
The investigation is at times desultory, but it's carried out in vividly evoked locales, and the secondary characters are terrific. Thalia's childhood friend--and the man her parents believed she might eventually married--turns up murdered, heightening the stakes.
The challenge is Bugg's protagonist. Calli, who experiences severe anxiety, is so vulnerable herself that when threats against her are made, she's initially willing to drop her investigation; when she perseveres, she makes some poor choices, fails to connect very obvious clues, and finds herself at the mercy of a culprit whose presence was signalled a hundred pages earlier--mostly due to the absence of any other suspects.
There's a fun Canadian tradition of lesbian PI novels, and by my reckoning they've been much less prominent of late than they were in the 1980s/90s, when Eve Zaremba published well-received novels alongside Jackie Manthorne and Lauren Wright Douglas: more sapphic mysteries, please! Bugg's a perfectly worthy successor to these earlier authors, but her heroine is less, well, plucky and resourceful--hoping to see this change as the series continues.
Calli Barnow is an established private investigator, but her new case brings both personal and professional challenges: she agrees to search for a young woman, Thalia, who disappeared from the home of her wealthy parents after her father reacted angrily to her coming out, echoing Calli's own rejection by her father decades earlier. Although Calli dislikes the man, she is concerned about Thalia and agrees to search for her--but only on the condition that Thalia won't be forced home.
The investigation is at times desultory, but it's carried out in vividly evoked locales, and the secondary characters are terrific. Thalia's childhood friend--and the man her parents believed she might eventually married--turns up murdered, heightening the stakes.
The challenge is Bugg's protagonist. Calli, who experiences severe anxiety, is so vulnerable herself that when threats against her are made, she's initially willing to drop her investigation; when she perseveres, she makes some poor choices, fails to connect very obvious clues, and finds herself at the mercy of a culprit whose presence was signalled a hundred pages earlier--mostly due to the absence of any other suspects.
There's a fun Canadian tradition of lesbian PI novels, and by my reckoning they've been much less prominent of late than they were in the 1980s/90s, when Eve Zaremba published well-received novels alongside Jackie Manthorne and Lauren Wright Douglas: more sapphic mysteries, please! Bugg's a perfectly worthy successor to these earlier authors, but her heroine is less, well, plucky and resourceful--hoping to see this change as the series continues.
March 12, 2017
In theory, this should have been perfect for me, a mystery with a lesbian detective, but in practice, it felt flat to me. I couldn't connect with Calli, which is a major problem in first person narration.
Also, i'm so over the whole, lets put my detective character in mortal danger for more thrill. Nope. Overused trope, that's why i stopped Kathy Reich and i'm about to drop the Stephanie Plum series too. It's not more exciting than just solving a crime, all it makes me do is roll my eyes. Can we kill that trope please?
I rounded up the stars to be nice, because lgbtq protagonists should never be discouraged, but, yeah, no.
Also, i'm so over the whole, lets put my detective character in mortal danger for more thrill. Nope. Overused trope, that's why i stopped Kathy Reich and i'm about to drop the Stephanie Plum series too. It's not more exciting than just solving a crime, all it makes me do is roll my eyes. Can we kill that trope please?
I rounded up the stars to be nice, because lgbtq protagonists should never be discouraged, but, yeah, no.
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June 19, 2020I confess that I like this book a little more than I originally thought I would. Maybe it’s because I liked the design and feel of the Insomniac paperback version, which is very easy on the eyes. Or maybe it was the very professional pace that Bugg was able to adhere to throughout. I also liked the theme of the mystery, which involved Calli’s search for a missing young lesbian in Toronto.
Calli herself gives off reminders of many other lesbian private investigators without actually borrowing anything and without being given any remarkable qualities, such as Abigail Padgett’s Blue McCarron, who has no qualms about giving the reader her views on psychology or statistics, or Caroline Shaw’s Lenny Aaron, who specializes in cats and who knows every breed. Callie is just a normal 40-something woman trying to make a decent living for her and her partner Jess and hoping that she doesn’t get into something dangerous. The one quirk that Bugg does bestow on Calli, though, is a good one. She has anxiety attacks that tend to almost paralyze her unless she pops a Xantax. I like that kind of human weakness in a character. And I like the backstory that helps to explain it.
In her search for the missing woman, Calli comes into contact with babydyke Lisa Campbell and almost falls for her. It is only her love for Jess—who is out of town during the entire adventure—that saves her from her roving eye. The trouble is, I really liked Lisa and, at first, wanted them to get together. Jess was kind of an amorphous telephone presence that did not let me know why she and Calli were together. Lisa, on the other hand--again, at first--was the most exciting and lively character in the cast.
Bugg’s prose is only average, no pops and crackles, but she tells a pretty good, exciting story. Although I frown on the type of ending she chooses—I have disparaged it in several other reviews—Bugg does it with a little more believability than, say, Anne Laughlin. In all, it reads like a first novel, but one that lets the reader know that there are better times ahead. Put Calli on a list with other Canadian sleuths such as Helen Keremos, Harriet Fordham Croft, Jil Kidd, and Aliki Pateas. It’s not a bad bunch at all. I suspect that you will be reaching for the second Calli book before any of those mentioned above.
Noe: I read what appears to be the first printing of the paperback edition of Red Rover.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
Calli herself gives off reminders of many other lesbian private investigators without actually borrowing anything and without being given any remarkable qualities, such as Abigail Padgett’s Blue McCarron, who has no qualms about giving the reader her views on psychology or statistics, or Caroline Shaw’s Lenny Aaron, who specializes in cats and who knows every breed. Callie is just a normal 40-something woman trying to make a decent living for her and her partner Jess and hoping that she doesn’t get into something dangerous. The one quirk that Bugg does bestow on Calli, though, is a good one. She has anxiety attacks that tend to almost paralyze her unless she pops a Xantax. I like that kind of human weakness in a character. And I like the backstory that helps to explain it.
In her search for the missing woman, Calli comes into contact with babydyke Lisa Campbell and almost falls for her. It is only her love for Jess—who is out of town during the entire adventure—that saves her from her roving eye. The trouble is, I really liked Lisa and, at first, wanted them to get together. Jess was kind of an amorphous telephone presence that did not let me know why she and Calli were together. Lisa, on the other hand--again, at first--was the most exciting and lively character in the cast.
Bugg’s prose is only average, no pops and crackles, but she tells a pretty good, exciting story. Although I frown on the type of ending she chooses—I have disparaged it in several other reviews—Bugg does it with a little more believability than, say, Anne Laughlin. In all, it reads like a first novel, but one that lets the reader know that there are better times ahead. Put Calli on a list with other Canadian sleuths such as Helen Keremos, Harriet Fordham Croft, Jil Kidd, and Aliki Pateas. It’s not a bad bunch at all. I suspect that you will be reaching for the second Calli book before any of those mentioned above.
Noe: I read what appears to be the first printing of the paperback edition of Red Rover.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
December 2, 2015
I would have given this book 4 stars because plot and characters are well developed and the style is engaging and infused with humour. However, the end seemed too abrupt. I would have preferred more unravelling and a longer denouement.
SPOILER ALERT
The author doesn't mention, for example, what becomes of Thalia, which is mainly due to the fact that the story is narrated by Calli in the first person (which is well done btw) and does not have an omniscient narrator. But I wonder, given Calli's level of engagement with the case, if she wouldn't at least make some enquiries about Thalia and do some follow up. And since the thread of Calli's relationship and argument with Jess is present throughout the book, I also expected some more depth in the description of their reunion. But these are rather minor drawbacks and probably rather personal. All in all this book is a successful mystery novel.
SPOILER ALERT
The author doesn't mention, for example, what becomes of Thalia, which is mainly due to the fact that the story is narrated by Calli in the first person (which is well done btw) and does not have an omniscient narrator. But I wonder, given Calli's level of engagement with the case, if she wouldn't at least make some enquiries about Thalia and do some follow up. And since the thread of Calli's relationship and argument with Jess is present throughout the book, I also expected some more depth in the description of their reunion. But these are rather minor drawbacks and probably rather personal. All in all this book is a successful mystery novel.
January 22, 2014
I knew I was going to like PI Calli Barnow when I discovered she is owned by a cat named Sherlock.
If you are a fan of Sue Grafton, then there is a whole lot to love in this mystery set in the streets of Toronto.
The pace was slow and steady at first while we are introduced to the cast of friends and locals that inhabit Barnow's world. Unlike Kinsey Milhone, Calli does have a sidekick of sorts, a drag queen named Dewey who brightens every page he lands on, as well as contacts with the local police force.
Lots of action in the last half of the book. Clues and suspects pile up and Barnow fights her own personal demons as she tries to solve the missing person case she is investigating. I'm looking forward to reading more of Calli's backstory in the books to come in this series.
If you are a fan of Sue Grafton, then there is a whole lot to love in this mystery set in the streets of Toronto.
The pace was slow and steady at first while we are introduced to the cast of friends and locals that inhabit Barnow's world. Unlike Kinsey Milhone, Calli does have a sidekick of sorts, a drag queen named Dewey who brightens every page he lands on, as well as contacts with the local police force.
Lots of action in the last half of the book. Clues and suspects pile up and Barnow fights her own personal demons as she tries to solve the missing person case she is investigating. I'm looking forward to reading more of Calli's backstory in the books to come in this series.
July 4, 2013
I really liked this book. This was the first lesbian book I've ever read and I picked it up for the details about Toronto advertised on the book.
I really enjoyed the story, the main character was great. I got a little lost at the coal chute so slight marks off for that as I couldn't picture what was happening.
The book was funny and charming, I loved the Toronto locales and the reading just raced along, I couldn't put the book down.
Very glad I read this and really looking forward to the next in the series!
I really enjoyed the story, the main character was great. I got a little lost at the coal chute so slight marks off for that as I couldn't picture what was happening.
The book was funny and charming, I loved the Toronto locales and the reading just raced along, I couldn't put the book down.
Very glad I read this and really looking forward to the next in the series!
February 25, 2012
This book to me was average. I understand that it is the debut novel by Liz Bugg however I find the story really takes a long time to get moving. The last couple chapters were engaging. The writing style is pretty elementary
August 26, 2012
This is a real mystery! Real clues that you can figure out, not just a thriller. People who read mysteries will like this book, especially if you like to read books that have strong lesbian characters.
May 7, 2014
This author gets high marks for having characters who follow the Gay/Lesbian lifestyle without letting the lifestyle dominate the plot. A good mystery with characters who happen to be Gay/Lesbian, but are focused on their jobs not their lifestyle.
August 16, 2011
This is an unusual book. It is about Callie who is searching for a missing woman. it is definitely gay friendly but not sure I would recommmend it.
May 8, 2011
The book was not what I expected. The story is written well however, this genre I have discovered is not my cup of tea.
September 15, 2012
A fast moving private detective story -- good local colour and a sympatethic protagonist.
March 8, 2014
Certainly not my usual fare, but interesting. I had my suspicions about the culprit in the mystery some time before they were confirmed, but had not suspected the violence inflicted on the victims.
February 25, 2014
Fun book! Great sense of place and fine dialog (finding realistic dialog is getting harder and harder for some reason).
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews