Customer Reviews

Chocolate and Cabernet

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This imaginative book represents a laudable and successful effort to create a believable world that I would never have otherwise entered. The descriptive and lively language as well as the very different kind of plot carried me through and kept me entertained, curious, and intrigued, and there were times I couldn't put the book down. Kudos to Ms. Rhodes for courageously tackling a terribly difficult subject with grace and sensitivity and for opening my eyes to characters who have deepened my understanding of complex situations and choices, and have opened both my heart and my mind. An excellent first novel.

This was the first novel I read by the author Janet Rhodes, and the novel was a page turner. I thought each of the characters were well developed and provided deep insight into how they feel about the issue of homosexuality and homophobia. I could not wait to get to the end of the book, to see how the story ended. This was a good read and I would recommend it for a nice Summer activity.

Chocolate and Cabernet
Janet Rhodes
978-1448617449
2009

Review by Laura Strathman Hulka

Chocolate and Cabernet is the first mystery novel by writer Janet Rhodes. A cop whodunit, it deals with uncomfortable subject matter, including, sexual bias and homophobia.
The main protagonist of the book is Tony, a young cop with a temper. His partner has a dangerous secret, and despite Tony's best intentions, he is swept up in the need to keep the secret from the police department of fictional Port Diablo.
Even though in our time, more and more people are accepting of same-sex relationships, there are plenty of folks out there who take gay bashing to an extreme. Janet Rhodes story is about such people.
It is a bit difficult to understand why a woman would write about a male homosexual relationship, when it is an intensely private subject matter, and the experiences, emotions and understanding of men in such relationships is also compellingly confidential. Janet Rhodes tries hard, though, to make the reader live the happenings through the eyes of the gay men involved. However much her voice is empathetic and perceptive I don't feel the cause of the liberation of homosexual couples is well served by this mystery format. Part of that is the "preaching to the choir" element, as anyone uncomfortable or downright prejudiced against homosexuality is not likely to pick up this book to read. Nonetheless, Janet Rhodes seems compelled to express herself via this medium, and this strategy may well pay off for her in future writings.
Ms. Rhodes prose is tight and well voiced, however, and her characters fleshed out to be three-dimensional and believable. A unique perspective and a brave storyline draw the reader into the tale, and certainly allow the characters many opportunities to express their distinctive viewpoints and feelings. The overlapping love stories, both homosexual and heterosexual, move the story forward to an unnerving but dynamically moving dénouement. This reviewer recommends that the reader check out Janet's website, at http://www.bratcat.com/ to get a better sense of Ms. Rhodes writing history, and perhaps an enhanced impression of her personality and her interest in being a different voice in the literary world. Chocolate and Cabernet is self-published by Janet (and husband Michael) and is hopefully only the first of her mystery titles to explore difficult subjects with sensitivity and honesty.