RELIABLE SOURCES [Paperback]

Beth Saulnier (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: NY (1980)
• ASIN: B000N6QK8W
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,488,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh new voice, and some fun twists and turns!, October 11, 1999

By 

Jeffrey Anbinder "Beeeej" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Reliable Sources (Alex Bernier Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Too many of today's legal thrillers and mass-market mysteries share the same cynical, cinematic voice. Maybe they've had their uniqueness ground out of them by middle-of-the-road-minded editors, or maybe the writers don't have the talent for anything but clever mimicry. I'm tired of the daring-lawyer-who-gets-too-close-to-his-client, and of the infallible-career-woman-with-kids-and-a-disturbing-knowledge-of-forensics who seem to make up most mystery writers' protagonist lists these days.

But Beth Saulnier has come up with a fresh new voice in journalist Alex Bernier - a strong, three-dimensional character with realistic flaws and foibles, and a classic penchant for digging deep while missing what should be obvious - not just to her, but to us.

I was very impressed with the number of threads Saulnier kept going at once, each one providing a possible suspect (or two). The only down side to this was that I still craved resolution for a few of them after I'd turned the last page.

The guilty pleasure of being an alum of the university on which "Benson" is based, and of still living in the city Saulnier has fictionalized as "Gabriel," may have increased my enjoyment. It was fun trying to guess what bar the "Citizen Kane" was, for instance - and trying to remember if there really are any one-way streets going *up* East Hill rather than down.

But, much as with Allison Lurie's "The War Between the Tates," or Matt Ruff's "Fool on the Hill," the setting does not overwhelm the plot and the characters, so people who've never set foot in Ithaca should still find it a compelling, tantalizing mystery. And even if you figure out whodunnit before Bernier does (as I did), the suspense of "how will she get out of THIS?!" is pretty tasty.

As has become the trend in paperback mystery, the first chapter of Saulnier's next novel ("Distemper") can be found after the last chapter of this one. Cruel and inhuman! Is it June yet?!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MY FIRST BOOK BY BETH SAULNIER--BUT NOT MY LAST!, March 24, 2003

By 

R. A. Taylor "avid reader" (FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Reliable Sources (Alex Bernier Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the books by this author. While I figured out early on "who done it", which I don't generally do -- I read for pleasure and relaxation, not to solve the case before the end of the book -- I still enjoyed the mystery. But knowing the Who, I had to keep reading to find out the Why. I thought the plot was very well worked out. Overall a very enjoyable read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alex Bernier is a great new character, March 31, 2002

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Reliable Sources (Alex Bernier Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Beth Saulnier's leading lady, Alex Bernier involves herself in just the kinds of intrigue I used to imagine I might enjoy had I been as brave, as irreverent, and as bright as she is. Instead I'll gladly settle settle for reading Alex's exploits. 'Reliable Sources' is a great introduction to Alex and her small but compelling gang of cohorts. The book which involves an unauthorized investigation by Gabriel Monitor reporter Alex Bernier into the supposed suicide of her lover and friend is refreshingly well told. Alex is honest,intelligent, humorous and both a reflection of and sometimes critic of her generation x culture. I reccommend reading the entire series of Alex Bernier mysteries. I could not stop at just one.