Murder at the Nightwood Bar [Paperback]

Katherine V. Forrest (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dory Quillin, a homeless 19-year-old cocaine addict and prostitute is found outside the Nightwood Bar, a lesbian hangout, with her head smashed in. Is one of the older lesbians who frequent the bar the murderer? Was it a random "fag bashing?" Was her elusive ex-lover involved? What is the significance of the drugs and john list found in the victim's Volkswagen van? These are some of the questions facing Kate Delafield, an L.A.P.D. homicide detective and a lesbian herself, who must overcome the ingrained reticence of Dory's friends and her own discomfort at her official rolewhich antagonizes women she feels sympathy for. The trail to a solution goes by way of Dory's businessman clients, her wonderfully eccentric psychiatrist (a woman who regularly uses "Goddess" as an interjection), her repressed, deeply religious parents and her former lover. Refreshing in part for not portraying all women as wonderful and all men as evil, this bookwith its surprising endingmakes for a satisfying mystery.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Naiad Press; 1st edition (March 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930044924
• ISBN-13: 978-0930044923
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,534,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Connections, March 28, 2001

By 

"blissengine" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder at the Nightwood Bar (Paperback)

A young woman is found murdered outside a lesbian bar, and Kate Delafield is on the case. The young woman was a prostitute and a junkie who was rejected by her judgmental parents, all of which gives Kate a plethora of suspects. During the investigation, Kate has a brief liaison with a woman from the lesbian bar, and ultimately reconnects with the lesbian community, which she hadn't done for years. And when Kate discovers who killed the young woman, it's a jolt to the reader as well, even if, like myself, you suspected it. Forrest is a gifted writer, showing in her second Delafield mystery the reasons why she has such a devoted following.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!, April 1, 2000

By 

Bonnie S. (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder at the Nightwood Bar (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The character development was well thought out, the plot was superiour, and the entire book held my attention from beginning to end! It's also nice to see a lesbian main character go through "real life".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book..., September 5, 2000

By 

"2hoo" (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder at the Nightwood Bar (Paperback)

This was the first in the Delafield series that I read and I've been an addict ever since. This book, along with Beverly Malibu, is one of the best in the series and an excellent read. Great story of how lesbians react to their own who wear badges, and how those women officers deal with it.