East of Niece: A Sydney Sloane Mystery [Paperback]

Randye Lordon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sydney Sloane Mystery | Publication Date: June 1, 2002

Private investigator Sydney Sloane is reluctantly on vacation in France to visit with her niece Vickie. But she is unpleasantly surprised to find that not only has Vickie secretly married, but her new husband Gavin's parents were just killed in a suspicious car accident. So suspicious that the police are looking for the now-missing Gavin. Wrapped up in a murder investigation in a country where she doesn't speak the language, Sydney must find both Gavin and the truth. But someone out there is determined to stop her from doing just that...by any means necessary

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lambda Award winner and Shamus finalist Lordon's (Brotherly Love; Sister's Keeper; etc.) sixth Sydney Sloane novel should please her fans, but others may find it predictable and formulaic. At the urging of her lover/sidekick, Leslie, the perky New York City PI decides to take a vacation in the south of France. There they visit Sloane's niece, Vickie, who is living with an artist named Gavin. A succession of unpleasant surprises ensues: Vickie has married Gavin; his parents, Jules and Nan Mason, have died in a suspicious car accident; Gavin has disappeared; and the police, having upgraded the "accident" to homicide, want to question Gavin, their chief suspect. In addition, a mysterious somebody has ransacked the Masons' apartment looking for some incriminating item Gavin may have. Can "Aunt Sydney" sort it all out? Natch although she does it over several more dead bodies. The elements are as familiar as your face in the mirror. The villains introduce themselves; and the murderer, gun in hand, Sloane at bay, takes as long to explain everything as a diva does to expire in a death scene. Worse is that Lordon's dialogue is so often irritatingly cute. This is the kind of book people check out of the library by the armload. Still, it is a tribute to the author's matter-of-fact approach that her lesbian heroine should have such mainstream appeal.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In her lastest adventure, private detective Sydney Sloane (Sister's Keeper) and Leslie, her lover, take a vacation to Nice in order to visit Sydney's favorite (and only) niece, who lives nearby. A surprise marriage, a double murder, and a missing husband who becomes a prime suspect put Sydney on the alert. Sydney may not speak the language, but she will do anything to help her niece find her husband, including investigate him, his friends, his parents, and their backgrounds. Highly evocative descriptions, brilliant plotting, and clever characterization by a Lambda Award winner make this easy read a necessary acquisition for gay/lesbian and general mystery collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Stonewall Inn Mysteries (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312287143
• ISBN-13: 978-0312287146
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,794,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sixth in a Consistently Excellent Mystery Series, June 11, 2001

By 

Clare "[e-mail]" (Elgin, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: East of Niece (Sydney Sloane Mystery) (Hardcover)

I have read many, many mysteries and Sydney Sloane is at the top of my list: nail-biting suspense, wonderful characterization, terrific wit -- I have fallen in love with the characters in this series and I hope Lordon never stops writing about them.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great mystery, June 5, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: East of Niece (Sydney Sloane Mystery) (Hardcover)

Sydney Sloane hates travel because she believes a vacation is needed to recover from one's vacation. However, her friend and partner Leslie persuades her to visit Europe. Sydney makes it clear that she will stay in first class accommodations, conduct no inquiries, and use the services of her niece Vickie as a tour guide.

To Sydney's chagrin, she is stuck idling in a French traffic jam, something she can easily do in Manhattan. Sydney and Leslie find out that the accident that held her in traffic was caused when Missourian Jules Mason, accompanied by his wife, drove his rented Mercedes off the road. Both are dead and the police seek their son Gavin, as the vehicle Jules drove was tampered with. Gavin is missing, but to Sydney's chagrin, is secretly married to Vickie. Unable to resist, Sydney begins her investigation into the Mason family only to have an unknown assailant wanting her to cease and desist her snooping or join the Masons as dead overseas Americans.

The sixth Sydney Sloane mystery takes the wonderful Manhattan detective and successfully transplants her to France. The story line is fresh, quite amusing, and tres bien written as the plot is filled with just enough twists to enhance the plot. Sydney and Leslie are a dynamic duo and Vickie recognizes a great Aunt when she sees one. Award winning Randye Lordon deserves best selling status with EAST OF NIECE, a tale that sub-genre fans will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars While vacationing in France, February 22, 2002

By 

"blissengine" - See all my reviews

This review is from: East of Niece (Sydney Sloane Mystery) (Hardcover)

Sydney Sloan and her lover Leslie visit Sydney's niece Vickie in France, only to find that Vickie is married, the husband's parents were murdered, and the husband is missing. Sydney of course becomes embroiled in finding Vickie's husband, and soon finds her own life in danger. The mystery-thriller elements of the story are rather great, but my disappointment lies with the nonexistent background details of France. If this were a movie, it would've been filmed on a Hollywood backdrop, far from France. And the explanations often come far after the reader has been asking questions, so it's a tad frustrating. Lordon's "East Of Niece" is a pretty good mystery, but it certainly doesn't stand out in a crowd.