'This is crime writing of the very highest order ... Kate Brannigan has turned into the most interesting sleuthess around' The Times Kate Brannigan's not just having a bad day, she's having a bad week. Her boyfriend's death notice is in the paper, her plan to catch a team of fraudsters is in disarray and a neo-punk band want her to find out who's trashing their flyposters. And her business partner wants her to buy him out. Fine, but private eyes with principles never have that kind of cash. Kate can't even cry on her best friend's shoulder, for Alexis has worries of her own. Her girlfriend's pregnant, and when the doctor responsible for the fertility treatment is murdered, Alexis needs Kate like she's never done before. So what's a girl to do? Delving into the alien world of medical experimentation and the underbelly of the rock-music business, Kate confronts betrayal and cold-blooded greed as she fights to save not only her livelihood, but her life as well...

Released on Monday, June 21, 2004 at Book Relay in Book Relay, Book Relay Controlled Releases.

Sent To SpikesMom in USA (Book Relay)

Arrived today and off to Mt. TBR.

This just didn't do enough for me. The focus wasn't enough on the band, who truly have one of the best names and gimmicks I've ever seen...

But that wasn't the whole problem. While I can live with the story (and hope that we get into more music business; I only got to page 75), the problem is that in 75 of 236 pages, I'd expect more to happen.

I've offered to send this off to CandyDarling, who's as much of a music junkie as I am (if not more; I miss being that dedicated). Hopefully she'll see something I missed out on.

Wow, this book arrived fast! Thank you SpikesMom, I'm looking forward to reading my first book by Val McDermid.

I finally got around to reading Blue Genes, my first Kate Brannigan mystery. (I have previously read Common Murder: The Second Lindsay Gordon Mystery and Trick of the Dark by Val McDermid.) I liked this book, but it was not amazing by any rate.

Kate, a private investigator, has several cases going on during this book, and she's also struggling to figure out what to do with her business partner who wants to sell his share of their firm. I didn't care all that much for any of the cases. The last case to be solved is about a murdered doctor who had helped Kate's best friend Alexis and her wife to conceive a baby through artificial insemination. I thought this was by far the most interesting part of the plot, and truth to be told, Kate's lesbian best friend was the sole reason I picked up the book in the first place. Still, the plot was way too unbelievable and annoying to be really good. Even worse was the business about flyposting, where the whole motivation behind the harassment was entirely unbelievable. The third case was over so soon it's hardly worth mentioning. All in all, I'm interested in reading more about Alexis and her partner, but I hope the crimes that Kate solves in the other books are more believable...

As a side-note, this book is set in Manchester, and the city and its surrounding areas are described in detail. The only problem is that I've never been to Manchester, and there wasn't enough detail to really get a feel of the city. I would recommend this book to people who have visited Manchester.

Another interesting detail is that the book is published in 1996, in the time when cell phones and the internet were brand new things, yet the computer stuff in the book seems legit and surprisingly fresh. I'm also glad Val McDermid was able to write about lesbians having babies during a time when it was still rarer than today (I just wish she hadn't thought of such a far-fetched plot). Too bad she didn't get a publishing deal with a major publisher until she switched from writing about the lesbian Lindsay Gordon to the straight Kate Brannigan... Kate herself is a good main character, she reminds me a bit of V.I. Warshawski, the private investigator in Sara Paretsky's novels.

Leaving the book on the bookshelf at the Free City of Kalasatama.

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Found at Redi, taking the book on a little trip with me...

I had planned to just release this somewhere during my travels, but ended up reading it on a plane after I misplaced the book I intended to read, and then realized it fits one of the current sweepstakes at the BC forum. So no wild release this time. Can't say I particularly liked it, the plot/cases were mostly too far-fetched or downright ridiculous (that flyposting thing... SERIOUSLY?), but something about it kept me curious enough to keep reading. I guess it makes perfect travel reading: lightweight, small size and takes a whole week to finish, because it's not all that gripping ;)

Travelling to a sweepstakes winner. Enjoy!

The INTL Lesbian-themed fiction sweepstakes books keep coming! This well-traveled book arrived safely today, complete with Finnish postage stamps and a lovely postcard; many thanks!

Later: I found parts of the story enjoyable, though I did get frustrated at some of the plot twists - and the "blue" of the title could apply to the air of sadness over several of the main characters. (I admit to being a bit miffed at a late-in-the-book quip by protagonist Kate about being surprised to hear there were any universities in Wyoming; I know it was meant in fun, but heck, I have a degree from the U of W, dangit! {wry grin})

I left this book, bagged against the rain, on the walkway near the historic footbridge by the Apartments at Cotton Mill; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2019 Keep Them Moving release challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2019 September Sapphire release challenge. ***