Rating: 
Summary: A middling biography of a marginaly enigmatic character
Review: I picked up this book after hearing it compared to "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," and needless to say, although set in a charming Southern city, Peninsula fails to live up to this billing. I think this is largely because Gordon/Dawn, although interesting, is by no means a character able to carry an entire novel. I could see her story being delivered with great effectiveness as a Vanity Fair or New Yorker longform article, but as the basis for an entire book, thing fall flat. Imagine the typical SNL sketch... great for 5 minutes on TV, unbearable in the movies at 90. Dawn, although quirky, never seems to come across as particularly sympathetic, dynamic, or intriguing. Annoying, unstable and sad, but never compelling. In "Midnight" Dawn would have been a quirky sideline character; here she becomes the protagonist, which doesn't work.I also found that the novel ended up on a high "duh" factor. Along the way, different theories are floated as to the truth, but they never seem that plausible. The author treats the revelations of Dawn's true nature as a fitting end to the story, whereas I found things just kind of puttered out. The story is interesting, but it's just missing that something to take it to the next level. All together, Peninsula of Lies is just okay. When I finished reading, I didn't feel particularly sorry for Gordon/Dawn, or intrigued. I was more compelled to drive her to the pharmacy and help her pick up some anti-depressants.
Rating: 
Summary: The great embellisher!
Review: The great embellisher! I could not wait to read what this person was going to do or say next. Had me believing in him/her at times. It must have been great to have been a part of that life; a strange but exciting one. Well worth reading for the entertainment value and learning about a very different life/lifestyle.
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