Reliable Sources (Alex Bernier Mysteries)

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Summary: A gripping reading by a wonderful new talent
Review: Beth Saulnier's book introduces Alex Bernier, an intrepid reporter in a small university town who investigates a crime that -- like all good crimes in the world of paperback noir -- starts small and leads on to much bigger things: in this case, a ghastly secret in the high citadels of science. Saulnier has a gift for clear, smooth writing -- a rarity in the world of mystery fiction -- and her characters are instantly empathetic and interesting. She also knows how to blend poignancy and fear, and how to write crackling dialogue between pursuer and prey that makes you sympathize with both. The novel is very topical; it is clearly influenced by recent topics such as the discovery of secret World War Two experiments on unsuspecting patients, as well as 1990s debates about sexual politics on campuses. I read this book IN ONE SITTING. It's a terrific post-Cold War tale that reminds me of Faulkner's saying (I can't explain this quote without giving away the ending): "The past isn't over -- it isn't even past." The sons are truly forced to pay for the sins of the fathers! Saulnier could well become the new John D. MacDonald or Sara Paretsky.

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Summary: Alex Bernier is a great new character
Review: 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.

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Summary: Hangin out with Alex Bernier
Review: Beth Saulnier's Reliable Sources is a terrific, suspenseful thriller. Set in the fictional upstate New York town of Gabriel (which sounds an awful lot like Ithaca), the novel follows twenty-something Alex Bernier a reporter for a local paper as she deals with the apparent suicide of her boyfriend, another reporter. As she digs into the details surrounding his death, she becomes convinced that it was murder. The story is compelling and holds together very well. The dialogue, the characters, Alex's interior monologue, the ending, it all works and it all works well. Enjoy.

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Summary: LOVE the references to Upstate NY!
Review: I keep reading Beth Saulnier because of her witty, get to the point style and her wonderful references in each of her novels so far to New York to many of the areas where I live or have lived. Her love for what she does and where she lives is so wonderfully written into her novels. I love reading them just for that!! (Beth and Alex, the main character in the books are VERY similar) There is also some decent detective work done by a journalist (!!!) in this book, too!

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Summary: MY FIRST BOOK BY BETH SAULNIER--BUT NOT MY LAST!
Review: 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.

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Summary: Non-Mystery buffs will enjoy this book!
Review: I'm not what you would consider a mystery buff...so I can't give my opinion on how this book stands up in the genre. All I know is, I couldn't put this book down. I feel Ms Saulnier developed her characters extremely well. I often found myself wrapped up in their lives. If you read this book and thought it was ok, but decided not to pick up her second book, DISTEMPER...you've made a mistake...DISTEMPER is definitely the stronger of the two (two out of four now, I'm currently reading the third). And besides, in DISTEMPER we get introduced to Cody. Trust me...you want to know who Cody is.

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Summary: Fun and tough to put down
Review: Pretty average, unspectacular little book that my wife made me read. Two weeks after reading it I couldn't remember much about it.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!!
Review: Reliable Sources is a terrific story, written with humor and feeling. Saulnier catches the feeling of Gabriel and the personalities of her characters with skill and style. Alex Bernier is a worthy new heroine and I am anxiously awaiting the next books!

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Summary: Hangin out with Alex Bernier
Review: This is the first book I have read - that I could not put down - in a long time. Alex Bernier is a character I can relate to. She's a young professional woman who is sassy, fun, charming, and always getting herself into something. There is the right combination of plot and character development to keep me looking forward to hangin out with Alex every night. I finished the second book - Distemper - in the series, and am starting the thrid right away. Highly recommend this series!

Rating:
Summary: A solid mystery novel
Review: This mystery novel is the first in a series featuring Alex Bernier, a female reporter in her mid-20s working for a small newspaper in a fictional Upstate New York college town (clearly modeled on Ithaca, home of Cornell University). Alex gets caught up in a series of supposed suicides at the local gorge and their apparent connection to one of her recent features about a gay bashing incident on the college's campus. With the help of her friends Mad, a womanizing fellow small-tower, and Gordon, a hot-shot reporter recently demoted from the New York Times, Alex slowly begins fitting all of the pieces of the puzzle together, and, not surprisingly, finds herself right in the middle of the action.

Although this was a solid and engaging mystery, I'm not sure if I will go on to read other books in the Alex Bernier series. I wasn't really able to connect with the main character, who I found to be overly flippant and whose emotions did not ring true to me, although perhaps this was just due to our age difference (Alex is 25; I'm 36). However, this book is likely to appeal to most fans of the mystery genre, especially 20-somethings who could relate to Alex better than I was able to do so myself.