Customer Reviews

Everything You Have Is Mine

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I discovered this book when it was very favorably reviewed in the Sunday New York Times. The reviewer described it as the first mainstream mystery featuring a lesbian which would appeal to everyone (regardless of sexual preference). Since it took place in Greenwich Village (where my office was temporarily located at the time), and I guess I was a little curious about the lesbian lifestyle, I bought it.

It was excellent. Despite having always considered myself very thoughtful and broadminded, I was surprised at how many problems gays face that would never have occurred to me.

I also loved the Village setting. My office was temporarily located there at the time, and the book mentioned sites which had hitherto confused me (e.g., a large unmarked building which always had people coming and going turned out to be the Gay and Lesbian Center).

In short, apart from the mystery, it provided an excellent glimpse into a very different world. I highly recommend it.

It's always a gamble to pick up a book by a new (to you) author. This is especially true with lesbian mysteries as I have found that there are alot of hits and misses in this genre. All in all I found this first installment of the Lauren Laurano mystery series to be enjoyable.

Lauren's life and her relationship with her partner, Kip, is disrupted when Lauren finds herself obsessed with a new case. Venturing for the first time into cyberspace (an interesting look back at the infancy of the internet) while searching for Lake's rapist and following up leads even when the individuals who employed her are the main suspects Lauren won't stop until she gets answers to the questions that are nagging her.

Besides the outdated technology, Scoppettone spends too much time describing the fashions worn by each character. In addition her descriptions of how long time passes ("two months later the elevator arrived") can get annoying after two or three references. I must admit that these are small flaws I found in this book and I will still continue reading the remainder of the books in this series.

I grew up reading Sandra Scoppettone's young adult novels and followed her when she began writing mystery and suspense for adults. EVERYTHING YOU HAVE IS MINE was originally published after a long period of silence from the author (little did I know that she was writing and publishing under the pseudonym "Jack Early" during those "silent years") so I was very excited when I heard a new Scoppettone book was being released. How excited was I? So excited that I rushed to the nearest bookstore and bought a copy of EVERYTHING YOU HAVE IS MINE the very day it was published! This book has all the twists, turns, and surprises you'd expect from a great mystery. But even if you don't like mystery novels, you're going to love this book's in-depth characterizations, its witty dialogue, its portrait of pre-9/11 NYC, and the sometimes sardonic, often laugh-out-loud first-person voice of detective Lauren Laurano.

As I said, I well remember my anticipation as I waited for this book to be published in 1991...even hurrying off to the bookstore after work to get a copy the first day it was published. How the world has changed. Now all you have to do is click the "order" button and the book will appear almost intantaneously on your Kindle. How's that for instant gratification? Try it!

I'm a long time fan of Sandra Scoppettone's. I've been reading her since her Jack Early novfs (which you can get here too) and enjoying and admiring all of them. The Lauren books represent Scoppettone at her best. Here she's managed to create a serious look at like in contemporary America without all the usual tropes and cliches that accompany most similar books. The prose crackles, the characters come alive and the plot twists and dazzles. I had a great time rereading it.

And it starts out with a bang in EVERYTHING YOU HAVE IS MINE. This is a winning combination-a protagonist that will linger in your mind, a terrific plot, and great commentary on the times (the beginning of the computer age). It is wonderful to have it available again even though my print copy still sits on my shelf. As always, Sandra Scoppettone writes the best dialog in the business. And she perfectly balances a personal life with a professional one for her protagonist.

It's hard to pick a favorite in Scoppettone's great lesbian detective series but I think this is mine. There's never been anything like these books and I'm delighted to see
them back in print. You seldom find this smart humor in any book much less in a series.
Hooray! Vin Packer

I just recently discovered this mystery author and she is a fabulous writer. If you truly enjoy good writing along with a bit of detective work, you will run right out and buy this book. You will not be disappointed in this series, guaranteed!

When I read the first adventure of Lauren (in the french version, because I am french) I was very enthusiastic...I love books where you feel envolved, and when you cannot stop reading (sorry for my english!). So I decide to buy the second one in Italy, where I leave. They sell me the 4th one telling me that it was the second (that what the review on the book says!). This is the worst thing that they could do! I have to say that also the translation is AWFUL! No sense sentence, grammar errors.... So I bought the 2 intermediate books (can you imagine that?) in french. The translation is better than the italian one, but still have some errors. Isn't possible to find a good translator, or a good spelling checker? I think I will buy the fifth one in english, even if it is a harder job for me to read in english...At least I hope to read what Scoppettone writes! How can I write an email to the writer?

I read this whole series a decade or more ago and suddenly wanted to read them again. Author combines good plot with interesting characters and clever, but natural dialogue. Wish she had continued the series. Worth a re-read.

Sandra Scoppetone's Lauren Laurano mysteries are all excellent reads. The author's smart plotting and crisp, lively prose make her a pleasure to read--and to re-read; and her detective's dry sense of the ridiculous and worldly-wise sensibility carries on in the tradition of the grand artisans of hard-boiled detective fiction, with--as with each of those masters of the genre--a subtle distinctive flavor of her own. Laurano is one of the best and most memorable of an engaging cadre of lesbian P.I.s. If you enjoy Grafton, Handler, Padgett, Wings, et al, you'll want to find all of Scoppetone's gems. They ought to get 'em all back into print!