The Middle of Somewhere by Clifford Henderson

The Middle of Somewhere by Clifford Henderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a book that I had initially rated 4.75 stars, then immediately changed to 4.5 and then days later changed again to 4.75 stars. Why? Because I’d initially downgraded it because I thought I might be over rating the book – that I had just been caught up with the happy feelings and thoughts at the end of the book that I was in a kind of trance while rating the book. So I moved the rating down. But as days passed, I realized that the book was lingering with me. I had really enjoyed the book and still recalled the people in it and still wanted to wander amongst them.

So – the book – a 26 year old named Eadie flees her current situation. Flees her drugged up, probably cheating girlfriend Ruby and her horrible situation. Driving from San Francisco down to Tuscon to pick up a camper thingie, then sliding north towards Michigan to go to a ‘Womyn’s Music Festival’.

Slight problem, though. Car breaks down in a specific county in the panhandle of Texas. Literally next to a sign that says ‘Go with Go !’ – though it probably is supposed to say ‘Go with God!’ since it is a sign directly outside the local Baptist church. Two rather large women exit the church. Eadie doesn’t really want anything to do with them (her own prejudice coming to the forefront), but the two women – Heifer and Piggy get Eadie some help. First by getting the local car repair guy to get her car to his place, and her camper thingie back to Heifer and Piggy’s place. They are going to allow Eadie to stay there until her car is repaired.

Eadie has to get through a lot of prejudice, I mean her own, before she can resume with her life. And she does – her character metamorphizes or something.

Eadie meets a boy (what? NO! This is a lesbian Fiction book!!!) who is around . . . oh, 14? (oooh) that is somewhat mentally challenged, but a great kid. Buddy and Eadie meet, then meet again when Eadie goes to work at Buddy’s father’s store to help pay for her car repair (vaguely complicated – the church has a ‘Helping Hands’ fund – for whatever reason the Pastor, who Eadie eyeballs as a slick operator, extends funds to Eadie to repair her car on the condition that Eadie does some work – she was offered a few options and went with the one wherein she helped out at the local grocery store).

I don’t wish to convey each step of the way – to give a little plot outline, so I’ll move on. There are some great characters in this book. Another ‘less a romance than something else’ like the other two books I’ve read by this author, but of the three, this one has the ‘biggest’ romance story injected into it.

I both read and heard this book. I started off listening to the author read her own book – she does an outstanding job – but a) hearing instead of reading slows me down; b) I couldn’t listen as often as I could read (for reasons) so I ended up only doing about 40 to 50 percent of the book as an audio book, and the rest as a digital book.

Rating: 4.75

April 19 2017




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Above the Law by Carsen Taite

Above the Law
by Carsen Taite
Pages: 264
Date: June 14 2016
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Lone Star Law Series (2nd in the series)

Review
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
Read: May 20 to 30 of 2016

received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

This is the sixth work that I have read by Carsen Taite, and the fifth novel length work.

I had not realized it a the time I requested this book, but everything I've read by Taite has been series work. Including this book here. Which was a problem because I hadn't realized that going in - and this is the second in the series. I had some idea that this was actually the first book in a new series, not a sequel. That seems to be a pattern for me, though, with Taite work. heh. mmphs.

The first work I read was a short story - turned out that it was a new story in a trilogy Taite had worked on at some point. So I had read the end of that series before I'd ever read the first. Then I read the three books in that Luca Bennett series. And now I've read the two books in the Lone Star Law series.

Though I again almost read backwards - like I had done with the Luca Bennett series. This time, though, I caught myself - when I got to 1he 12% mark of this specific book here and was confused by what was going on - I stopped and looked closer at everything. Realized that I was in book two of a series and stopped. I did not immediately get book one and read it but shortly thereafter I did.

This is not a book that should be read by itself, or first. This book starts a week after the end of the last book's events, and continues the mystery threads that had been running throughout that first book.

There is a slight problem, though, and one of the reasons I didn't immediately realize I was reading a sequel. The main characters were changed. Which, in and of itself, is confusing. Because Peyton, the main character of the first book, is deeply involved in working on the mysteries, and, separately, 'suffers' a form of personality change detectable in this here book. As in, her personality changed. Well, enough to be noticable for me, maybe not that big of a deal. The problem is that there is some good reasons and or 'excuses' for this change, but we, the reader, are now on the outside looking in, and do not have access to these reasons.

The main character in this book here, well one of the two, is Dale Nelson. DEA Agent. She was in the first book, though something of a side character. An important side character, but still a side character. She's matched up in this book with a new character taking the role of co-book lead - one Lindsey Ryan, super reporter.

So: The characters: As noted, the main characters are DEA Agent Dale Nelson, and reporter Lindsey Ryan. The side characters are Peyton Davis, Lily Gantry, Lily's mother Sophia, Sophia's drug cartel brothers, and several other side characters from the first book.

Dale had meet the love of her life while in the military, she was working as an MP, and Mary (Maria?) had been working as a lawyer. They shared a deep love. Then Dale's wife was gunned down about a year before the start of this book. Dale is still mourning the loss. Somewhat to the point of somewhat impacting her job.

Lindsey is a high profile television reporter who has spent a career diving into danger (like being embedded in military units in war zones) and following her gut and not what the network wants her to do. This time Lindsey goes along with the network wishes, because of several reasons - partly because she 'ambushed' two high profile interviewees, and partly because if she 'gives in' she'll have . . . um, free . . um . . more control of her career. The network wishes involve going on assignment to Dallas to do a puff piece on the DEA and their drug program in which people can turn in their drugs.

Lindsey's devoted to her career and pursues it somewhat single-mindedly - which I mention because she doesn't exactly have any one else in her life.

So, as is somewhat normal, when the Romance part came around, the two leads - the two people with POV, bounced against each other. Which seemed . . .. Well, let me come at it another way. Dale is still mourning the loss of her wife, and somewhat plans to spend the rest of her life doing so (or, at the very least, not getting into another relationship). Lindsey is still having 'issues' with adjusting back to the first world, and has never been that good with relationships. Though she's had several. Including with the producer on to her current assignment. Neither one of them, Dale and Lindsey that is, seem to be in a good place to have any kind of relationship.

To be fair, their vague feelings of lust, and their attempts to wrap their brains around the issue seemed somewhat realistic. There were elements that I had issues with, including parts I can't mention without being spoilery, but for the most part, I just simply didn't care about either of them being in a relationship with the other. Quite frankly I didn't particularly care about either character. I neither liked nor disliked them. They weren't bland, they weren't meh, they weren't thin - they were just people I didn't particularly care that much about.

Falling back on the mystery and . . . .. There's a lot of conspiracy and weirdness going on. It's all mysterious and stuff. There's even a bit of danger and death. But, for the most part, the mystery threads just kind of bumbled along, bubbled along, with some of the mystery energy diverted to basically Dale and Lindsey investigating each other.

Hmm. This was a rather bumbling review. Sorry about that. There was just nothing that tackled my interest - not the romance, not the mystery, not the emotional troubles both of the leads face(d).

May 30 2016

Lay Down the Law by Carsen Taite

Lay Down the Law
by Carsen Taite
Pages: 264
Date: April 20 2015
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Lone Star Law Series (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: May 26 2016

This is my fifth work I’ve read by Taite, and fourth book.

My favorite of the bunch still remains the first, the short story I’d read in that ‘Girls with Guns’ book. Which is strange, in its way, since that had actually been a short story that is both chronologically and by publication date, something that had occurred after the Luca Bennett trilogy.

This book here is not actually the fifth work I’d started by Taite, though. No that would have been ‘Above the Law’. Which I only realized after I’d read 12% that I didn’t have a clue what was going on - because I was reading the second book in a series. So I paused my reading of that second book.

Dale Nelson is in the first book, but is very much something of a side character. Important, but I’m not sure that I’d even put her up to even third most important in the book. No the two most important would be those with points of view. That would be Peyton Davis, and Lily Gantry.

Peyton Davis is an assistant USA attorney (AUSA). A US Attorney is president appointed (as in USA President), and is the chief federal law enforcement officer within their jurisdiction. An Assistant USA Attorney is not president appointed and could be among as many as 350 AUSAs who work for a particular US Attorney. Peyton grew up on a ranch in north Texas, and wandered off to college and law school before joining the government as a AUSA in Washington DC. The book opens with her return to her hometown as a local AUSA.

She’s back to head up a task force focused on a Mexican crime cartel. Even before she can get herself settled, and before she is even supposed to report to work for the first time, Peyton is called in to visit a crime scene. A trailer full of dead bodies. The mystery part of the story has begun.

Lily white - adjective meaning ‘pure or ideally white. Without fault or corruption; totally innocent or immaculate’. I’m not sure what Lily Gantry’s birth name had been, it might have even been Lily. But it hadn’t been Gantry, and, to put it crudely, Lily’s coloration is a topic of concern for her personally. In that her family are all quite pale in coloration. She? She’s quite a bit darker, brownish. Definitely not ‘lily white’. For she was adopted into the family. A off-spring of a woman from Mexico had been adopted into the oil rich Gantry family. She sees her parents as hers, they’ve treated her as such, and, other than the obviousness of her ‘difference look’, she’s their daughter, even if not by blood. Not that everyone in the extended family, or, for that matter, others in her class (specifically one Virginia Taylor - but then the Taylor’s are also in the oil business, and rivals with the Gantry oil company - they probably would not have been best friends anyway).

Lily has been out of the country until about six or so months before the start of this book. She’s highly educated with a degree in engineering, and with several patents in alternate fuel sources.

Peyton and Lily circle each other, and something of a budding romance begins . . . before it abruptly and rudely stops. Is interrupted. Some words that convey this idea. Interrupted by events. For, as noted, Peyton is a AUSA. Head of a task force. And her first taste of that case lead her to a crime scene involving a trailer filled with dead bodies. A trailer that is later found out to be owned by Gantry oil. In and of itself not a ‘interrupting’ type of event. I mean, they had reported the trailer stolen. No, it’s the part where this revelation that the trailer is Gantry owned, lead to Peyton learning that there’s a case currently being worked on in her office against the Gantry family. Kind of puts a different twist to a budding romance, hmm?

I’ve read books before where two circle each other, even if they shouldn’t, because of ‘cases being worked on’. But this one has an interesting twist on that theme - Peyton and Lily were circling each other before Peyton even learned of there being any case that may or may not involve the Gantry family.

So - that’s going on. A mystery involving a Mexican cartel, a Texas oil business, and a budding romance. Plus, not yet mentioned, a big old ‘family issue’ taking place within Peyton’s own family involving her family farm and her family. Her dad has health issues, and the oldest son has taken it upon himself to take charge. Despite the fact the mother is still there and technically is the owner of the place. And despite the fact that his ideas do not mesh with family heritage and desires. So, that’s in there as well. Family drama circling both of the main characters.

Oh, and one last bit - I’d mentioned that Lily was adopted, well that is a theme in the book as well - and more than just the part wherein Lily is browner than the rest of her family. No, there’s also this ‘family trust’ issue that comes up in the book, and certain potential ‘issues’ that crop up.
An enjoyable book. The Dale character is kind of thin, though has some meat - but as mentioned, she might star in the next book, but isn’t even third most important in this book. Peyton and Lily seem well formed.

A good solid four star book.

May 27 2016

Battle Axe by Carsen Taite

Battle Axe
by Carsen Taite
Pages: 264
Date: May 13 2013
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter (2nd in series)

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: April 25 2016

My second book by Taite, and third story in this specific series. I just have a few notes to add to this middle of the series book.

1) My prior knowledge, given to me from reading the short story that appeared after the third novel, actually had a deeper impact on my enjoyment of the story this time around, than in the prior book. Mostly because I 'know' how things are supposed to turn out; the first book was relatively 'smooth' and didn't bother me too much with how things evolved; while the second book had me frustrated with the relationships occurring. In a 'come on already, get with it' kind of frustration.
2) I was actually surprised, considering how much time is spent with the side character Teresa Perez in the first book, the short story that occurs after the trilogy, and supposedly in the third book, that Perez does not appear at all in this book. Not even a mention (unless I missed it).
3) There was a mystery, it was interesting, it was not as interesting as in the short story, or in the first book of the series.
4) To a certain extent, a greater bit of time seemed to be spent on romances/relationships/miscommunications/missed communications/etc. than in either the prior book or in the short story.

Luca continues to be a player, and has a new person to play with this time - though that 'new person' is a return of someone from a prior case. Which reminds me - that whole referencing Diamond Collier and Luca's interactions with her in the past, and the undercover case Collier had been working on? Just made me keep thinking that I'd yet again missed a book somewhere along the way. It would probably be a less frustrating experience, and might even have been intriguing, if I hadn't already started the series in reverse order (which, fair enough, is my own fault). Right, as noted, indirectly, the new person Luca played with is Diamond Collier - a government worker.

Oddly, this time around, Jessica Chance also had someone to play with, and it wasn't Luca. That was somewhat unexpected.

April 26 2016

Slingshot by Carsen Taite

Slingshot
by Carsen Taite
Pages: 264
Date: August 30 2012
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Read: April 20 to 21 2016

This review is for the first book I’ve read by this author, though second ‘work’ (since I read a short story by them previously). This is also the first book in the Luca Bennett series.

I have two ‘issues’ that impact my ability to write a proper review for this book: (1) previously read a story in the Bennett series; (2) read this book in the middle of another book that had odd similarities.

(1) At the present time, the Bennett series involves three books, and a short story tacked on at the end. I read the short story before I read anything else, therefore I knew things about the people involved that I would otherwise not known – and yes, it did have an impact on my reading the book. Three of the people I had pinpointed as being possibly important in my review for short story show up in this book. Luca Bennett, Teresa Perez, and Jessica Chance. Teresa is/was an antagonist to Luca in both this first book and in the short story; and Luca & Jessica were quite friendly in both stories I’ve read. Though they have a different relationship in both.

(2) I had been reading a book titled ‘Cat Catcher’ by Caroline Shaw before I dove into ‘Slingshot’. I had been at around 47% completion when I paused to read Slingshot, though paused is somewhat misleading – ‘Cat Catcher’ is one of the few books, and maybe only book this year, that I’ve read the physical non-digital version (it’d be hard to check because I record whatever ISBN Netgalley gives me, and while they give me digital copies of books to review, the ISBN’s are, more often than not, for physical editions). Two days ago I left my house and forgot to bring my book with me. And so . . . I read Slingshot.

‘Slingshot’ involves, as its protagonist, one Luca Bennett. Luca is an ex-cop lesbian with a private investigator’s license who does not normally do PI work. Apparently she needs a PI license to be a bounty hunter in Texas. In other words, Luca uses her investigative skills to trace humans. ‘Slingshot’ is a mystery that includes investigation. ‘Cat Catcher’ involves one Lenny Aaron who is an ex-cop lesbian who works as a private investigator (I’m not clear if she has a license or not), but not the normal type of PI. She also works as something of a tracer. Though she doesn’t trace missing fugitive humans, but instead tracks missing ‘fugitive’ cats. Also both Luca and Lenny left the police force after violent incidents.

I mention all of the above because the first issue, the having read a short story that takes place after the events of this novel, gives me information that I might accidentally convey in this review; while the second issue might make me accidentally convey information from a book from a completely different series. Though, beyond all their similarities, Luca and Lenny are not really that similar in characteristics/personality. And Luca is something of a ‘player’ while Lenny might very well be asexual with a leaning towards women.

Characters
Luca Bennett: Luca’s mother ran off when Luca was young. By the time this story opens, the mother is on the fourth husband. The father? A drunk with an addiction for gambling. He has respect, though, for steady work, and pushed Luca in the direction of the police. Whether or not Luca would have joined the police force without that push, is unclear. But she did, definitely, pick up an addiction to gambling from dear old pops. Luca’s time with the police, though, was short lived – there was an ‘incident’ during which Luca was shot and her partner died (I’d normally leave the partner dying out, but it plays its role in the book, and all of this took place before the book started). Once Luca got out of the hospital, she looked for other work. Which lead her to being a bounty hunter. I know Lenny’s 27, because I recall making a note of that information in passing. I forget if Luca’s age is given.
Of Importance: Pops – Luca’s dad whose name escapes me; Hardin (sp?) the guy who gives Luca people to chase; Jessica Chance – her friend with benefits. Maggie.

Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Moreno: is a lawyer who used to work for a big time firm ‘back east’ in NY. Pulling down the big bucks. But now works in a miniature office with/for her uncle. Defending any and everyone who walks in off the street. There’s a back-story/reason for the relocation and change in job status, but that’s something that has to be teased out over the course of the book. She’s the person who ‘hires’ Luca to find a fugitive named Jed Quitman.
Of Importance: family, including her uncle . . . ..

Maggie: an older woman, at least older than Luca. She feeds Luca and serves her bad beer when Luca doesn’t have the money for anything else. Steak and good beer when she does. As is noted in the book, Luca only eats there like 4 or 5 times a week. There being Maggie’s bar. Maggie is mentioned because she has a ‘favor’ – she wants Luca to track down her brother Billy, who apparently is in worse trouble than normal. Luca takes the case.
Of Importance: Billy.

Jessica Chance: Jessica and Luca entered the police force near/at the same time. One was trained by Teresa Perez (Jessica), while the other was trained by Perez normal partner (Luca). Every once in a while Luca and Jessica ‘hook up’, though they don’t have anything like a romantic relationship.

Plot
Jed Quitman is a huge local businessman with fingers in many pots. Seedy pots – run down apartment buildings, strip clubs, and pay-day-loan places (the kind that charges around 200% to 300% interest). He’s gone and gotten himself missing. Certain people are looking for him. Including one Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Moreno.

When Luca Bennett turns up to get paid for her latest bounty capture, she asks for more work. But her regular supplier of jobs, the bail bondsman Hardin (sp?) has nothing. But he does direct Luca to the Moreno law-firm.

Ronnie gives Luca the job of hunting Jed. Luca spends most of the book investigating Jed’s whereabouts, while at the same time looking for someone named Billy (as a favor to her favorite bar owner, Maggie), and ducking the pursuit of Teresa Perez. Perez would just love to find some form of criminal charges to stick to Luca – she blames Luca for the death of Perez’s partner when Luca was on the police force.

Perez gets something of her chance when Luca keeps stumbling over dead bodies. The first one is iffy to stick to Luca, but Perez tries anyway. The second one? Well, dead body, bloody sledgehammer. Blood and fingerprints on sledgehammer. Second dead body seems harder for Luca to dodge.

Mystery & Romance
This is a mystery, not a romance. Even so, there’s some ‘action’ on the romance front that involves Luca. First when she and Jessica Chance have one of their ‘normal’ flings and certain feelings might suddenly be there. Second there’s something of a pursuit involving Luca pursuing Ronnie. And whether anything could develop there. So something on the edge of romance goes on.

In terms of a mystery – there is an actual mystery story here. And an investigation. Quite well done, really.

Overall
I liked the book and the storyline. A few things here and there tripped me up, caused me certain moments of concern. (1) flirting and sleeping around – fine, she’s not in a steady relationship; (2) constant need to gamble – annoying; (3) making a point of always having at least one, no, multiple guns on hand – some even hidden in her vehicle – then deciding, WTF, let’s, just this once, go outside without being armed (it’s as if the author knew that if Luca stayed in character, the story would not be able to flow the way the author wanted it to flow). But still a good solid book. I’ve already acquired the two sequels and will be reading them shortly.

April 22 2016