Give My Secrets Back: Alison Kaine Mystery

The fire scene is worth the read all by itself. It takes you totally to fantasy land and then brings you back to the comedy of every day life.All of Kate Allen's books are like this and I applaud her ability to weave fantasy, comedy, the lesbian and leather lifestyles and mystery into the everyday people that make her stories.You can't go wrong buying Kate Allen books.

So many lesbian books are about individuals or couples or small groups of lesbians. Kate Allen brings the community into her books and gives almost everyone a small role in what is happening in the book. Naturally, this gives you more choices of whodunit, but it is the thrill of figuring it out. Alison Kane is a great character...she is not this fearless woman (Xena type). She has her strong and weak points and this makes her vulnerable. Alison Kane could be any one of us. I love Kate's Allen's books and her writing. It is easy to read and flows well. I share her books with all my friends. :o)

serendipity - i discovered kate allen by accident while searching for books set in denver. i've just ordered her other three alison kaine mysteries, and i'm holding my breath waiting for the postal service. the characters are engaging, the plot is gripping, but kate allen's strongest point is her snappy, wry commentary about life in a close-knit community where mutual respect and equality seem to be paramount but the reality is a clear hierarchy of sexual proclivities. People pretend acceptance and support while silently condemning the choices of others, characters struggle with self-acceptance versus self-transformation, and the inevitable ex'es that hover on the periphery of the group are never excluded. We're supposed to beleive it's because the gay community is so mature and tightly-knit, but it's obvious that they're merely another whip to engage in self-flagellation, one of the group's binding ingredients. kate allen uses the groups' chemistry to alternately withhold and reveal secrets, and it works like a charm. Read it!