Rating: 
Summary: Connor Hawthorne enters the stage...
Review: "Deceptions" is the first of two Connor Hawthorne mysteries by Lauren Maddison to date. In this installment Connor, a "moneyed" lesbian who has virtually everything wealth and power can provide, is an ex-DA turned mystery writer living in DC. Her life suddenly comes to a stop when her partner of over 10 years is found stabbed to death in a secluded wooded area. This turns out to be only the first plot twist as Connor soon discovers that her own life is in danger. Believing that her politically-connected father is involved in some manner, Connor fights for life all the way to the New Mexican desert. Along the way Connor meets Laura Nez, a Navajo bodyguard, and the reader is left with the impression that there is a hint of attraction between them.I was thoroughly engrossed in this book from the beginning to the end and found myself disappointed when I had to put it down in order to work, sleep, and eat. Connor appears to struggle with her sexuality in public and remains firmly in the closet. Even the characters in Connor's books are as straight as a ruler. Maddison's characters were multi-faceted and realistic on the most part. I only detected a couple passages of dialogue that didn't fit. In addition, towards the end of the book I got somewhat annoyed when it seemed that every character was struggling with the ghost of their deceased long-term lover. But despite these minor flaws, this book remains a good read. I will definately read "Witchfire", the second Connor Hawthorne mystery in which I understand the relationship between Connor and Laura continues and develops. Can't wait to see what happens.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, great characters
Review: A great story with great characters. The author most certainly invested in peeling the layers of her characters for us to understand. I did appreciate that the plot take care in going through the cycle of betrayal and loss before Connor moves on emotionally. Great book Ms. Maddison, please, let us have more about Connor and Laura!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent mystery for every reader
Review: Can't say enough good about this book. I adored the characters--Connor herself, and Laura Nez, the Navajo woman, and Malcom, the cop in D.C. Well, I won't list them all, but you'll get involved in the story, I promise. And the story line was totally unpredictable. I read a lot of mysteries, so I usually guess the ending well ahead of time. Not in this book. I hadn't even guessed the true villain! I do wonder why this book seems to be stuck in the gay fiction genre in the stores I've visited. Even Amazon seems to be doing that with the search criteria at the bottom of the description screen. Anyway, I recommend it to just about anyone who loves an exciting, fast-paced mystery where the good guys really do win in the end. This should be classified as a good old fashioned murder mystery/spy story/spirit quest. Or maybe this is a first for that combination.
Rating:
Summary: satisfying read
Review: Enjoyed this book alot. It held my interest, especially while in the southwest locale...i love New Mexico. Also commend Ms. Maddison for making the book fairly long, over 300 pages. Am so tired of paying good money for those dinky <175 page books. Bottom line...worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: Most Enjoyable
Review: I can't wait for another! Lauren Maddison captures such richness in her characters, you can't put it down. I want to read more about Connor Hawthorne.
Rating: 
Summary: I have to disagree...
Review: I'll have to disagree with the reviews to date. The author lost my interest within the first 30 pages by having a "6'6" cop wearing a frilly apron" deliver a cup tea to the lover of the murder victim (having told her the bad news on the phone after which she faints and he has to break into her house to revive her) NOW REALLY! and this is our protagonist and her right hand man. Too much melodrama and not enough reality for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Complex and Absorbing...
Review: Lauren Maddison has written what can only be described as a complex and incredibly absorbing first novel. The plot was intricate and highly believable and the characters were anything but ordinary. This novel is a maelstrom of action, adventure, suspense and unexpected plot twists that will leave anyone who reads it wanting more. I hesitate to give Deceptions the highest rating available because some of the devices used in this book were, in my opinion, extraneous. I really had no desire to know the inner thoughts of Connor Hawthorne's stalker and I thought the story would have been better served if the thoughts had not been included. As well, having a murder, a break in and a bombing all within the first three chapters seemed somewhat excessive, although readers who are fond of action sequences will greatly appreciate it. Regrettably, the last chapter of the novel is by far the weakest and most highly unbelievable. It strikes one as belonging in the realm of science fiction and fantasy and really seems out of place in a mystery novel. The most unfortunate aspect regarding this novel is that the portrayal of the main character as an uncloseted lesbian will probably prevent it from becoming the mainstream success it so richly deserves. That said, fans of Patricia Cornwell should take note. It now appears that Dr. Kay Scarpetta now has some very worthy competition. One note of caution, however. Make sure your schedule is clear before you start in on this novel. Once you open the cover, you won't be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Complex and Absorbing...
Review: Lauren Maddison has written what can only be described as a complex and incredibly absorbing first novel. The plot was intricate and highly believable and the characters were anything but ordinary. This novel is a maelstrom of action, adventure, suspense and unexpected plot twists that will leave anyone who reads it wanting more. I hesitate to give Deceptions the highest rating available because some of the devices used in this book were, in my opinion, extraneous. I really had no desire to know the inner thoughts of Connor Hawthorne's stalker and I thought the story would have been better served if the thoughts had not been included. As well, having a murder, a break in and a bombing all within the first three chapters seemed somewhat excessive, although readers who are fond of action sequences will greatly appreciate it. Regrettably, the last chapter of the novel is by far the weakest and most highly unbelievable. It strikes one as belonging in the realm of science fiction and fantasy and really seems out of place in a mystery novel. The most unfortunate aspect regarding this novel is that the portrayal of the main character as an uncloseted lesbian will probably prevent it from becoming the mainstream success it so richly deserves. That said, fans of Patricia Cornwell should take note. It now appears that Dr. Kay Scarpetta now has some very worthy competition. One note of caution, however. Make sure your schedule is clear before you start in on this novel. Once you open the cover, you won't be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: Lauren Maddison's debut mystery was a surprise to me. The last "lesbian" mystery I read before this was just that--more about the lesbians than the mystery. Since this is our introduction to all of the characters, she spends a lot of time giving us a good physical and personality description of them. Despite it's length, the book was a two-sitting read.
The book is well plotted and suspensful. Because it is so tightly woven, it is difficult to talk about the plot without giving away too much. Once we are led to the conclusion that Ariana's death was a murder, the story moves quickly to a new venue, but allows Connor time to grieve the loss of her long-time lover, while we try to understand the connection of her death to Connor's father and his government career. Never in a thousand years would I have figured out what his (and his friend's) secret was nor why his friend was willing to die to protect the secret. Since I am a fantasy fan, it wasn't too difficult for me to become involved in the mystical happenings. Hope her other books continue to explore this facet of Connor and Laura. She gets the New Mexico landscape very accurately. This woman can write!
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: Lauren Maddison's debut mystery was a surprise to me. The last "lesbian" mystery I read before this was just that--more about the lesbians than the mystery. Since this is our introduction to all of the characters, she spends a lot of time giving us a good physical and personality description of them. Despite it's length, the book was a two-sitting read.
The book is well plotted and suspensful. Because it is so tightly woven, it is difficult to talk about the plot without giving away too much. Once we are led to the conclusion that Ariana's death was a murder, the story moves quickly to a new venue, but allows Connor time to grieve the loss of her long-time lover, while we try to understand the connection of her death to Connor's father and his government career. Never in a thousand years would I have figured out what his (and his friend's) secret was nor why his friend was willing to die to protect the secret. Since I am a fantasy fan, it wasn't too difficult for me to become involved in the mystical happenings. Hope her other books continue to explore this facet of Connor and Laura. She gets the New Mexico landscape very accurately. This woman can write!
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