The Intersection of Law and Desire

This Micky Knight novel, third in the series, goes even deeper in Micky's past and the issues she has because of it. The crime plot centers around child pornography, which isn't easy to read, especially in context with Micky's childhood. She's such a fascinating character. What makes this one especially good and painful to read is that she closes herself off from her friends, for reasons make sense to her at the time. So she's going it alone, and that loneliness is written very well. It's painful to see how a part of her wants to reach out, and how her friends have seemingly cut her off. Maybe I don't know where to look, but character studies like this are hard to find and I wish there were more. These novels want to explore a character, and other things, like the crime plot and the romance, while good, all aid that one goal.

J.M. Redmann has four mysteries to her credit, all dealing with private detective Micky Knight, a New Orleans private eye. Her previous titles are: DEATH BY THE REVIERSIDE, DEATHS OF JOCASTA, and LOST DAUGHTER. Micky (Michelle) Knight is a private eye, having arrived at that occupation through a series of tough life experiences. Micky is strong and beautiful, but is also vulnerable and sensitive, which makes her the perfect savior for abused children. When her friend's daughter, Cissy, stops smiling and begins having nightmares, Micky is suspicious. Patrick, Cissy's brother, tries to hire Micky with his paper money to find out who murdered little Judy Douglas, a classmate of Cissy's. Simultaneously Micky is working on a case with Karen, a cousin of Micky's girlfriend Cordelia, extricating her from a money lending scheme that stinks to high heaven. Is there a connection between the two cases? "'Someone invests fifty thousand dollars and a month later gets seventy thousand back. Wouldn't that make you curious? Bill let out a low whistle, then nodded. 'Could it be legit?' I asked. 'Only if I could be the Pope, and I'm Jewish. Drugs, most likely. How did you hear about his?' In the midst of Micky's own demons haunting her from her hellish past, she manages to not only piece together the puzzle of a grand pornography ring, but also works through her own problems by getting involved with a child psychologist with a penchant for sex, and by actually infiltrating the crime ring. Luckily, she enlists the help of the local police in her adventures. She is working solo, everyone is angry with her, and she is feeling very alone. But she ends up the heroine, after taking on a gang of thugs and saving the day for the women she loves the most. J.M. Redmann is one heck of a writer. This tale is so gripping that the pages can't turn fast enough. Emotions are taut through most of the novel, and Redmann continually ratchets the action to a higher level. Character development is pivotal, and the plot has lots of twists. New Orleans jumps to life, as does the pain of child abuse, the loneliness of the gay lifestyle. Great! Shelley Glodowski Senior Reviewer

This was the first book of this Genre (Lesbian Detective) that I have read. I found this book to be intriguing and engrossing with a plot that explores what I feel is becoming a serious problem in this day and age, the subject of child sexual abuse and child pornography.I found the character of Micky Knight to be delightful. Not what I was expecting from a hardcore detective. I was expecting her to be a hard drinking, heavy smoking, foul-mouthed type of PI. Definitley a surprise to find that she wasn't like this at all. Hardcore PI when necessary, yet, compassionate and intelligent. One thing in particular that I liked abou this book was the ability of Ms. Redmann to make the character of Micky Knight to be hardcore without the constant use of vulgar language. The few hardcore detective novels I have read in the past tend to use vulgar language to a point that almost every sentence contains some sort of explitive.Ms. Redmann does an outstanding job of keeping the reader fooled throughout the book. Many times I thought that I had it all figured out only to be surprised a few pages or chapters later. Ms. Redmanns ability to describe things is also a plus. Having traveled to New Orleans on numerous occasions, I found her descriptions of the French Quarter and the West bandk areas to be very vivid and accurate.Being the first book that I have read by Ms. Redmann, and not being one who reads a lot of hardcore detective stories, it would be very unfair of me to attempt to compare her to other authors. If you are looking for a detective novel that is different, but will keep you on your toes and guessing throughout, then this page turner is for you. Please don't judge it based on the grounds that the lead character is a Lesbian. I almost did and am now glad that I didn't. I plan on reading other books by Ms. Redmann.

I can't say enough about this book! I'll be first in line for the next one. A very human character, a great story, and enough loose ends to keep me coming back for more! Brava!!

I'm a die hard K Forrest who got turned onto J redmann by the women at Niad Press and I'm hooked, so hooked I contacted Ms. Redmann to find out how much longer we have to wait till the next M Knight book. At least she didn't hang up on me. All I can say is after reading some 30 or so recent books this was Simply the Best.