Stronger Than Death (Crime Line)

Rating:
Summary: Less Could Be More
Review: I admire Manda Scott's writing and her characterizations, but in "Stronger Than Death," the third Kellen novel, the formula is beginning to wear a little thin. It's becoming hard to accept that one person could possibly have so many intensely damaged, violated, and threatened friends, or could encounter so many extreme situations, or could remain psychologically functional if she did. I'm also beginning to get a little impatient with Kellen's persistent mistrust of MacDonald and of his persistent willingness to accept her behavior toward him.

I'll keep on reading Scott, because she offers a complexity of character and culture that many lesbian mysteries lack. But I would like to see what she could do with a story that didn't try to sustain so high an emotional pitch.

Rating:
Summary: Less Could Be More
Review: I admire Manda Scott's writing and her characterizations, but in "Stronger Than Death," the third Kellen novel, the formula is beginning to wear a little thin. It's becoming hard to accept that one person could possibly have so many intensely damaged, violated, and threatened friends, or could encounter so many extreme situations, or could remain psychologically functional if she did. I'm also beginning to get a little impatient with Kellen's persistent mistrust of MacDonald and of his persistent willingness to accept her behavior toward him.

I'll keep on reading Scott, because she offers a complexity of character and culture that many lesbian mysteries lack. But I would like to see what she could do with a story that didn't try to sustain so high an emotional pitch.

Rating:
Summary: Scottish noir
Review: Kellen and her friend Lee are rock climbing when they discover the body of a fellow doctor. The two women find more questions than answers, especially after more doctors are found dead. Lee is the prime suspect, and Kellen is mired in a harrowing mystery as colleagues are killed and her best friend is possibly next. I found the narrator's voice a bit difficult to follow at first, but I did catch on after a bit, and found the book enthralling. There are a few clues along the way as to the murderer's identity, but it's still a surprise when the ending comes. A wonderful lesbian mystery that's certain to catch fans of the noir genre.

Rating:
Summary: Kellen isn't the only one with a headache. . .
Review: The tragedies began with the death of Dr. Eric Dalzeil found dead on a cliff overlooking the sea. The second to die is Dr. Joey Duncan, who choked to death when he failed to roll over while puking all the alcohol that he consumed that evening. This was followed with the death of another medical person Martin Coutts.

The police think coincidence is too much and wonder if a serial killer is on the loose. They look at pathologist Lee Adams as the most likely suspect. Therapist Kellen Stewart knows the link between the three dead people, Lee, and herself. She knows that in order to stay alive as well as prove Lee's innocence or perhaps guilt, she will have to play cat and mouse with a brilliant killer seeking personal restitution.

STRONGER THAN DEATH is a well-written medical suspense thriller that will please fans who enjoy a who-done-it more than a scientific based tale. The story line is entertaining as the killer eliminates one by one the names on the list. Kellen is a wonderful heroine who will charm the audience. Fans of deep-rooted medical thrillers with the emphasis on medical and science need to pass on this novel, but those who enjoy a really good mystery will want to read this human interest thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Kellen isn't the only one with a headache. . .
Review: With all due respect to the other reviewer, I couldn't disagree more about this book. Kellen is not a proactive lead character; there are very few times were she actually tries to figure out what is going on--and she usually gets distracted. The only thing she does is get migraines--and the descriptions of those headaches seem to take up half of the book. She also spends a lot of time with dying patients, and only one is important to the plot. I didn't mind reading about the other patients--those scenes did give Kellen's character depth--but the book was moving slowly enough that the distraction was unwelcomed. Kellen just lets events wash over her and never connects the dots (even thought the killer is very obvious early on).

The author tries to make Lee, Kellen's friend and the primary murder suspect, enigmatic and troubled, but the character of Lee never really connects with the reader. The full explanation for her "tragic" past is revealed late in the book. Yes, authors are supposed to string readers along and to slowly build the story, but by the time Lee's history was revealed, I was hoping the murder would get her. Her erratic behavior came across as self-absorbed--not grief-stricken.

Stewart Macdonald, the detective, always described in vaguely menacing terms. Why? Because he's a cop doing his job? At least he is doing something. even if he was on the wrong track. Plus, because everyone seemed to know that these murders were related to an unfortunate incident involving Lee and a hospital research project, I have a hard time believing that Stewart wouldn't have made the connection to the killer as he researched the case--not that we ever get to see him doing that.

It's a shame because this had all the elements of an excellent book.