Customer Reviews

Death by the Riverside

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4 star:		(2)
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This is one of the best mysteries I have read in a very long time. Redmann manages to pull the reader along through three interwoven tracks: 1) the basic mystery that PI Micky Knight is dealing with, 2) the daily and often amusing life Micky lives, and 3) the mystery of her past and how she became who she is.

The story line is well-written--I mean, it has DEPTH. So many mysteries are fun fluff. Redmann manages to weave a tale that is so much more than just a mystery. Micky Knight's smart-ass, oddly observant point-of-view is funny and catchy, but under the cool quips, the character is DEEP.

I had a tough time getting hold of a copy of this book and the next one in the series, but I don't regret the trouble I went to. I can't wait to keep reading! And I agree with Litterati: if Knight were straight, people would be tossing aside their Grafton and Cornwall and Paretsky mysteries in favor of Redmann's!

Jolly good job!
:) Lori L. Lake

I have yet to read a lesbian mystery that even comes close to the Micky Knight series. Not only is the plot well-written and realistic but the mystery of Micky Knight's life itself is just as compelling. The reader is periodically given glimpses into Micky's past which helps sheds light on her present actions and adds more character depth. By the end of the book I couldn't wait to pick up "The Deaths of Jocasta" (second book in this series) to find out what happened between Micky and Cordelia. All four books in the Micky Knight series can be difficult to find, but it is well worth the time and effort. You will not be disappointed!

It's all here murder, mayhem, hot sex and beautiful women. This is the first in a series of four murder/suspense/mysteries featuring PI Michelle Knight.From the beginning when Knight is hired to help Karen Wentworth expose her ex-fiance, who is dancing at a gay bar, I was hooked. We have a police detective, an assistant DA and a doctor all linked to Mickey in some way and very important to the plot. Redmann knows New Orleans and shares it with us, albeit the seamier side. The story moves and takes the reader with it. We care what happens to our PI and her friends and the people who get pulled into the criminal happenings. Watch what happens with Cordelia James and her involvement with the happenings. And then read Deaths of Jocasta, The Intersection of Law and Desire, and Lost Daughters.
It's time for another Micky Knight book. Top drawer!

Newly reprinted, Death by the Riverside is the first of the Micky Knight mysteries (the third, Intersection of Law and Desire won a Lambda Lit Award). Here is an opportunity to meet Micky and her wonderful assortment of friends. The ensemble cast that Redmann creates is an amusing crew of friends and family (Puns intended.). Each individual is clearly defined and easily recognizable with detailed backgrounds that evolve over the series.

Written in the first person, all the Micky Knight stories have a contemporary version of the gritty, gumshoe feel of classic noir mysteries. The action in Riverside (and Micky's irreverent humor) begins immediately as she finds herself helping a "tasteful" young blond socialite track down the fiance that spurned her. When said socialite turns out to be quite familiar with lesbian sex while laying a trap to cut her brother out of his share of the family inheritance for being gay, Micky decides to even the score. Thus she finds herself meeting the socialite's grandfather, the Holloway family patriarch and his other granddaughter, Cordelia. This meeting opens the door to ghosts from Micky's childhood which she tries very hard to smother with alcohol and women and foreshadows many storylines in the series.

At the request of a sort of friend, fellow karate student, and NOPD detective Joanne, Micky soon finds herself drawn into efforts to break a regional drug ring that turns out to be using part of the Holloway plantation as a shipping and storage location. There's a great deal of page turning action as Micky tries to help the police, her new friend Barbara, not to mention the good doctor Cordelia AND keep herself alive while catching the bad guys.

Meanwhile, the reader learns bits of the past that Micky tries desperately to hide from herself and others. Redmann's depictions of the scars left by childhood abuse are powerfully accurate in all four of the Micky Knight stories. Indeed many of the questions raised or hinted at in Death by the Riverside are not answered until the fourth novel, Lost Daughters. Redmann's well developed characterization has the reader wishing she could have a beer, or maybe a po'boy sandwich with some of these women. Certainly you will find yourself looking for the upcoming reissue of the Deaths of Jocasta to follow their continuing adventures. And to cheer Micky on as she struggles to reclaim her past and heal herself.

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in about three evenings. It was an easy read, and really kept my attention. I did not want to put it down to go to bed. The main character, Micky is a Private Detective. She is hired to help this woman find the man who ran out on her on their wedding day. She recognizes the picture of the man from a gay bar in town. She goes to talk with him, and the woman tags along. She is supposed to wait in the car, but follows Micky in a few minutes later anyway. She takes several pictures of the man before she and Micky get chased. The hide out in a sex play room at the bar, then finally escape. The next day, Micky finds out the woman was his brother, not his fiancée. Their grandfathers will has a clause in it, where they cannot inherit his money, if they are gay. The sister wants all of the money! Micky decides to get revenge, and photographs and videotapes herself with the woman and delivers the evidence to the grandfather.

Well, that is how it starts. There are some drug lords who want to get their hands on the grandfathers property. Micky goes undercover and almost gets killed. Several people do get killed. Micky also has to come to terms with some of her own dark history. I do not want to spoil the book for you. You will have to read it yourself to find out everything. You will be glad you did.

If you are getting bored reading the same old tired detective/mystery stories, pick up the Mickey Knight series. As a previous reader wrote, you'll find mystery, romance, comedy, steamy sex, and plenty of action in the Mickey Knight novels. The author has created a strong character with depth, who is very human and vulnerable. Let me say this: MICKEY IS NO WIMP! The supporting characters are richly developed throughout the series and you'll care about them all. The author makes you feel as though you're moving through New Orleans with Mickey. I loved all 4 books and can't wait to see what comes next. Don't miss this top notched series. It is THE BEST written detective series featuring a lesbian.

This is a great novel, regardless of genre. The hero Micky Knight is an abrasive but lovable person. As the mystery part of the novel develops we learn why. The current mystery is connected to childhood events.

In addition to being a great mystery novel, the book is also a great study in character development and the relationship between individual hangups and the ability be loved.

And the writing is great.

J.M. Redmann can write. With her detective Micky Knight, she gives us a portrait of a very sexy, complex woman who finds herself in all kinds of trouble, especially with her friends. I first read "The Intersection of Law and Desire," the third in the series, while I was vacationing in New Orleans, then greedily devoured the first, "Death by the Riverside." More, more!

Redmann's character development and plot were excellent. I could not put the book down. It's a true page turner that has you guessing and surprised around every corner. Not since Patricia Cornwell's 'Kay Scarpeta' series have I been so entertained. After finishing this, the first in the series of 'Micky Knight' mysteries, I immediately had to order the following three.

This book (and the other three in this series) are the best written mysteries I've read. The characters are well developed, the plot is twisted and interesting, and the psychological drama is intense. This is a dark story that goes far beyond the plot of a simple cliff-hanger mystery.