Barbara Johnson (3) (1955–)

It's not easy to find a book, or at least a mystery, set in Delaware. Delaware is our second-smallest state in area. It's known primarily for having a corporation-friendly legal system; for the DuPont mansion/museum Winterthur; and sadly, as the site of Dover Air Force Base, where our slain military are returned to American soil. I didn't really believe in Delaware's existence until I met someone from there about 15 years ago who assured me it was real.

Another thing Delaware is known for, apparently, is beaches and beach resort towns, specifically Rehoboth Beach, the setting of THE BEACH AFFAIR.

THE BEACH AFFAIR is not only a mystery set in Delaware, but also a lesbian mystery. Having enjoyed the works of Sandra Scoppettone, Ellen Hart, Val McDermid and Manda Scott, I'm not averse to or unfamiliar with this genre. But this book, published by the Naiad Press, appears to be much more directed at a lesbian audience than the aforementioned books. Rehoboth Beach is presented in THE BEACH AFFAIR as a town with a number of gay-themed and gay-owned businesses, but a town that hasn't yet come to terms with that population nor realized what a boon it can be to the local economy. Thus, there's a lot in the book about the fear that gay lovers have about even holding hands walking on the boardwalk. (Remember that it was published in 1995 and things are probably a little better now.)

The protagonist, Colleen Fitzgerald, works for a firm that subcontracts investigations for insurance companies. She is thrilled to be sent to Rehoboth Beach - in the midst of a steamy D.C. summer - to satisfy the insurance company that the death of a woman bodybuilder and gym owner was really an accident, as the police have said, since the policy carries a double indemnity provision. At the beach, she learns that many in the lesbian/gay community are suspicious about the accident; others just want to keep a low profile and not discuss the matter.

As she continues her investigation, Colleen meets Gillian, an aerobics instructor who had had a budding relationship with the dead woman. Gillian may be a suspect, but Colleen begins to fall in love with her. This occasions several pages of fairly explicit sex scenes, which are not what I am looking for in a mystery, no matter the sexes of the participants.

Colleen does find the killer, with some danger to herself (she's not quite Too Stupid to Live, but she's quite naive.) Her discovery of why she was sent on this investigation is never sufficiently addressed in the denouement. There were a couple of other little questions that distracted me, too.

Overall, THE BEACH AFFAIR gives a good, if romantic, picture of the setting, a good plot (including innovative, at least for 1995, murder weapon), and OK characters. It will also give an insider's view of the concerns of the LGBT community, circa 1995. If I owned a B&B in Rehoboth Beach, I'd have a copy on the bookshelf in each room, but I wouldn't be too upset if it walked away.… (mais)

Novice insurance investigator Colleen Fitzgerald is sent to Rehoboth to look into the death of former professional bodybuilder Candy Emerson. There's a $2 million life insurance policy, and the company wants to ensure that the death was as accidental as the local police ruled it to be.

Or do they?

Why send a novice investigator for such a major claim? Is there more to this story than meets the eye?

Colleen finds plenty of reason to suspect foul play - including a rash of local anti-gay hate crimes, and some pretty unsavory characters. And then there's Candy's ex, who is now living with a pretty nasty and scary man.

When I picked up the book, I thought it was going to be standard Naiad fare - which is to say predictable as hell, IMHO. But I thought this was one of their better books. An enjoyable read.… (mais)