Genre: Female Sleuth/Mystery
Approximate word count: 75,000
Availability Kindle: YES Nook: YES Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon or B&N store
Author:
When not writing, Lexi Revellian can be found creating jewelry for the Queen Mum and Margaret Thatcher in London. She has published two novels, Torbrek and the Dragon Variation and Trav Zander, both fantasies. Her second contemporary novel Replica has just become available this month. If you'd like to learn more about Lexi, read her short stories, or the first few chapters of her novels visit her website or her blog.
Description:
Caz Tallis has finally finished decorating the flat above her rocking horse restoration studio only to find the not-so-dead fugitive lead singer of The Voices and his dog sleeping on her new patio sofa. Upon befriending them, she finds herself immersed in a web of lies, hobnobbing with celebrities, trying to decide who to trust, who to lust, and whodunit.
Appraisal:
This is one of my favorite genres. To me, Female Sleuth is a bit of Mystery, Chic Lit, and Romance all in a clean little package. I loved Ms. Revellian's characters. They were charming and endearing with just enough tang to keep them real. She paced the book perfectly. Both the plot and relationships grew gradually in complexity hitting their peaks simultaneously. The dialogue was easy to follow and the narration made scene transitions beautifully. I have never been to London, but it felt like I was there! The rousing action interspersed with light romance would make this an enjoyable read for both sexes. It's a page-turner, you'll want to finish it the same day you start it.
FYI:
This was my first time reading a British author without an American editor revamping it for a US edition. I was thankful that the New Oxford American Dictionary built into the Kindle contained all the British spellings and definitions as well as much of the slang.
Format/Typo Issues:
Keeping the spelling nuances in mind, I did not find any errors.
Rating: **** Four Stars
5 comments:
This sounds like an interesting book. I put it on my "To Read" list at GoodReads, which is where I keep the books I'm interested in buying for my Sony Reader, or picking up at the library.
Which is why I'd like y'all to add to your "elements" (like genre, word count, etc.) the publisher, and whether it's available as an ePub (which is the Adobe iPad ebook format, & also the one my Sony will read). I know y'all do a lot of indie reviews, and that's fine. Maybe the ePub version will be at Smashwords, or at the publisher's website. It just helps to know where to go find a copy.
Also, I'd put Harlequin/TorStar in that "Big Seven" category. It's not one of the six publishers you listed, but they're a big publisher...
@Gail, I agree that in my extremely wide definition of indie that Harelquin doesn't fit despite not being one of the big six.
I've considered adding links to Smashwords for books available there. They typically have many format options. I expect I'll add that at some point to the generic format we use.
I'm hardly a "cozy mystery" or "romance" fan, but I found Remix charming and hard to put down. I'm not quite sure why the reviewer gave 4 stars and not 5, but if it has to do with the Britishisms, I didn't find them distracting. To me the spelling, slang, etc. just added to the authenticity of the book.
@Marion, I suspect the ranking was a natural inclination to be stingy with the 5 stars, Marion. I know the reviewer feels the same about the Britishisms as you do because we've discussed that. I feel the same about books that take place in the UK or Australia, the local dialect, slang, and even spelling adds to the experience for me.
Not everyone feels that way which is why we include those comments in the FYI section and it doesn't influence our rankings. It is there strictly so our readers can decide what bearing it has on their potential purchase decision based on their own tastes and feelings.
You hit the nail on the head BigAl. I am just stingy with the 5 star. I loved this book, but it didn't absolutely knock my socks off and leave me pondering the content for days afterwards. I think for its genre, it was top notch! Thanks! Jess
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